Saturday, April 2, 2011

First Saturday Devotion

Picture source

On June 13, 1917, when she appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal, the Most Holy Mother of God told Lucia dos Santos, " Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and these souls will be loved by God like flowers placed by me to adorn His throne."

The next month, on July 13, the Blessed Virgin Mary showed the children a terrifying vision of hell. Then she said, "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save the, God wishes to establish int he world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace...I shall come to ask for...the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays..."

Our Lady came to Lucia again as she promised, on December 10, 1925, with the Child Jesus in the Dorothean convent at Pontevedra, Spain. She revealed a heart encircled by thorns. The Child Jesus 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 no one to make an act of reparation."

Picture source: Catholic Seeking

Conditions:

Our Lady spoke next, saying: "Look, my daughter, at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for fifteen minutes while mediating on fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
Picture source
Why Five Saturdays:

Christians have always honored the Blessed Virgin on Saturday because of her constant faith in Jesus on that first Holy Saturday before the Resurrection.

According to Sister Lucia, five first Saturdays of reparation were requested to atone for the ways people offend the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

1. attacks upon Mary's Immaculate Conception;
2. attacks against her Perpetual Virginity;
3. attacks upon her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind;
4. for those who try to publicly implant children's hearts indifference, contempt and even hatred of this Immaculate Mother and
5. for those who insult her directly in her sacred images.

Source: World Apostolate of Fatima, USA

Printed with ecclesiastical permission 6/05

The World Apostolate of Fatima Spiritual Guide for the Salvation of Souls and World Peace
Washing, NJ 07882-0976

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