Devotion to the Immaculate Heart - The First Saturdays

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 A post on the First Five Saturday devotion requested by Our Lady of Fatima.

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Courtesy of SSPXasis

 

The Five First Saturdays

 “To whomever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation.”
- Our Lady of Fatima, June 13, 1917

 

1. The History and the Text of the Promise.

O

n December 10,1925, the Most Holy Virgin appeared to Sister Lucy (then a postulant of the Institute of the Dorothean Sisters at Pontevedra, Spain) and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was the Child Jesus. The Most Holy Virgin rested Her hand on her shoulder and as She did so, She showed Her Heart encircled by thorns, which She was holding in her other hand.

A

t the same time, the Child said: Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment and there is none to make an act of reparation to remove them. Then the Most Holy Virgin said: Look, my daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console Me and announce in My name that I promise to assist, at the moment of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who:

(1) on the first Saturday of five consecutive months,

(2) shall confess,

(3) receive Holy Communion,

(4) recite five decades of the Rosary and

(5) keep Me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary,

(6) with the intention of making reparation to Me.

2. Some precisions on the conditions of the Promise.

(I) WHY FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS?

Our Lord Himself gave the answer to Sister Lucy:

My daughter, the reason is simple. There are five types of offences and blasphemies committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary :

1 - Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;

2 - Blasphemies against Her Virginity;

3 - Blasphemies  against  Her  Divine  Maternity,  in refusing at the same time to recognise Her as the Mother of men; 4 - The blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children, indifference or scorn or even hatred of this Immaculate Mother;

5 - The offences of those who outrage Her directly in Her holy images. Here, my daughter, is the reason why the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspired Me to ask for this little act of reparation . .  (May 29,1930)

(2) THE CONFESSION.

Sister Lucy asked Our Blessed Lord: My Jesus! Many souls find it difficult to confess on Saturday. Will Thou allow a confession within eight days to be valid He replied:

Yes. It can even be made later on, provided that the souls are in the state of grace when they receive Me on the First Saturday and that they had the intention of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Mary. - My Jesus! And those who forget to form this intention? -

They can form it at the next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to confession. (February 15, 1927)

In brief, therefore (a) the confession should be made as close as possible to the First Saturday; (b) we must be sorry for our sins, not only because we have offended God but also with the intention of making reparation to the Sacred Heart of Mary.

(3) THE HOLY COMMUNION.
Father Goncalves, Lucy's confessor, asked her in a letter of May 29,1930 if one cannot fulfil all the conditions on a Saturday, can it be done on Sunday? People in the country, for example, will not be able very often because they live quite far away. Our Lord gave the answer to Sister Lucy during the night of May 29 - 30:

The practice of this devotion will be equally acceptable on the Sunday following the First Saturday when My Priests, for a just cause, allow it to souls.

Let us note that it is to His Priests and not to the individual conscience, that Jesus gives the responsibility of granting this additional concession.

(4) THE ROSARY.

Since it is a question of repairing for offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, what other vocal prayer could be more pleasing to Her than that which She requested the people to recite every day?

(5) THE 15 MINUTE MEDITATION.

This is in addition to the recitation of the Rosary. It requires, in Lucy s own words, to keep Our Lady company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. It is not required to meditate on all fifteen mysteries. To meditate on one or two is sufficient.

(6) THE INTENTION OF MAKING REPARATION.

You, at least, try to console Me. Without this general intention, without this will of love which desires to make reparation to Our Lady, to console Her, all these external practices are worth nothing for the Promise. This is clear.

3. The Promises attached to this Devotion.

(I) THE SALVATION OF OUR OWN SOUL.

To all those who, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months ... fulfil all the conditions requested, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their soul. This little devotion practised with a good heart, is then enough to procure infallibly for us - ex opere operato so to speak - as with the sacraments - the grace of final perseverance, of eternal salvation! And this promise is without any exclusion, limitation, restriction. To all who ..... I promise. Heaven for eternity for five Holy Communions!

(2) THE SALVATION OF SINNERS.

So numerous are the souls which the justice of God condemns for sins committed against Me that I come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray. (Our Lady to Sister Lucy at Tuy, June 13,1929.) In consideration of this little devotion, They (Jesus and Mary) wish to give the grace of pardon to souls who have had the misfortune of offending the Immaculate Heart of Mary, wrote Sister Lucy in a letter of May, 1930.

(3) PEACE IN THE WORLD.

Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven. Sister Lucy, March 19,1939.

All these information about the First Saturdays

is taken from the book

The Whole Truth about Fatlma

by

Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinite

Vol. 11, pp. 245 - 277.

Available from:

St. Thomas Aquinas Bookstore

#2 Cannon Road, New Manila, Quezon City 1112

First Saturday Conditions

To help you secure all the graces necessary for salvation at the hour of your death promised by Our Blessed Lady to those who practise this little devotion of the Five First Saturdays, we provide you with a grill to fill out as you gradually fulfil all the conditions.

 

No. of Saturdays	Date	Confession	Holy Communion	Five Decades	15 Minutes	Intention
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th

 

Sweet Heart of Mary,

be my Salvation!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, convert sinners,

save souls from hell.

(Jacinta)

Spread this devotion and pray that this may be publicly approved.

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This leaflet may be reproduced freely.

Catholic Wisdom Publications

#2 Cannon Road, New Manila, Quezon City 1112

 

“You, at least, try to console Me.”
 - Our Lady of Fatima,December 10,1925 -