The Devotion of the Five First Saturdays of the Month
“Father, the Blessed Virgin is very sad because no one has paid attention to her message, neither the good nor the bad. The bad, because of their sins, do not see God’s chastisement already falling on them presently; they also continue on their path of badness, ignoring the message. But, Father, you must believe me that God is going to punish the world and chastise it in a tremendous way.â€
(Sister Lucy of Fatima, to Father Fuentes, 1957)
* If we listened to Our Lady, we could:
1. Console Her, and pray for sinners
“Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment, while there is no one who does an act of reparation to withdraw them for her.”
(The Child Jesus to Sister Lucy, December 10, 1925, Pontevedra)
“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.â€
(Our Lady to Sister Lucy, 1929)
2. Save our souls and other souls
“God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and these souls will be beloved of God like flowers arranged by me to adorn His throne.â€
(Our Lady, during the apparition in Fatima, June 13, 1917)
“If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace.â€
(Our Lady, during the apparition in Fatima, July 13, 1917)
3. Obtain peace in the world
“If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.â€
(Our Lady, during the apparition in Fatima, July13, 1917)
“Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration 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)
* So, shall we pay attention to that message?
The Child Jesus complains to Sister Lucy:
“It is true, my daughter, that many souls begin, but few persevere to the very end, and those who persevere do it to receive the graces promised. The souls who make the five first Saturdays with fervor and to make reparation to the Heart of your Heavenly Mother, please Me more than those who make fifteen, but are lukewarm and indifferent.â€
(Pontevedra, February 15, 1925)
What are the requirements?
On the first Saturday of the month, five consecutive months:
— make a confession (the confession can be made within eight days before or after the first Saturday);
— receive Holy Communion (it may be received on the first Sunday when the priests, for a just cause, allows the faithful); [ Note from a Dominican Father: In case of impossibility to go to Confession and Mass (Communion), then at least make a perfect Act of Contrition with the firm will to go to Confession as soon as possible (because one must be in the state of grace to fulfill the devotion of the five First Saturdays). ]
— make a spiritual communion.”
— pray five decades of the Rosary;
— meditate for fifteen minutes on one or several of the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation for the blasphemies and the offenses committed against Our Lady.
A devotion that applies to our whole Christian life
Let us listen to Sister Lucy of Fatima:
“Over and over again during those precious hours in which I was in her company, she emphasized that it is the fulfillment of one’s daily duty, according to one’s state in life (and the sanctification of this effort in reparation for our sins and for the conversion of sinners) which is the primary condition for the turning back of the tide of evil which threatens today’s world, and which will also bring us the great favor of the conversion of Russia and an era of peace for mankind. But she also stressed that the Rosary is indeed important, because it is one of Our Lady’s principal aids given to us to facilitate the sanctification of our daily duty.â€
(Memoirs of John Haffert concerning the Blue Army, AMI International Press, Washington, NJ, 1982, p 18)
“In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumphâ€
(Our Lady of Fatima; July 13, 1917)