The Birmingham Oratory will soon begin its 40 hours devotion, opening with a Solemn Mass at 8pm on Tuesday October 2nd, and closing on Thurday with a Mass of the Sacred Heart, Procession and Benediction, also at 8pm.The Forty Hours is a devotion which originated from the 40 hours Jesus passed in the tomb. In the old Sarum use of England in medieval times, the Blessed Sacrament was even 'buried' in an Easter Sepulchre on Good Friday. The devotion of watching before our Lord for 40 hours was initially transferred to the three days before Ash Wednesday, to try and lure people away from the debauchery of the carnival festivities. The devotion is attributed to St Anthony-Mary Zaccaria (d1539) or to the Capuchin Fr Joseph a Ferno (c.1636). The Bull of Clement XI (1705) regulated the devotion, and numerous indulgences were added to it by Clement XIII (1765).
Needless to say, such a simple act of praying before our Lord with the greatest intensity and dedication is bound to bear abundant fruits in one's spiritual life. To see how our Oratory Fathers convince us to go (even in the early hours of the morning!) see here.
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