First Friday: Devotion to the Cross & the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The devotion to the Sacred Heart also reminds us that Jesus gave himself "with all his heart," that is gladly and with enthusiasm. So we are told that good is to be done with joy, because "there is more joy in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:35) and "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). Nevertheless that does not derive from a simple human intention but is a grace that Christ himself gains for us, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit that makes all things easy and sustains us on our daily path, in trials and difficulties also. (Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., 30 Days, August 2006)