The Roman Catholic Church has long accepted the message of Fátima, because the message of Fatima contains a truth and a call whose basic content is the truth and the call of the Gospel itself.
As the Bible tell us in (Mark 1:15), “Repent, and believe in the gospel” these are the first words that the Messiah addressed to humanity. Moreover, the message of Fátima is, in its basic nucleus, a call to conversion and repentance, as in the Gospel.
What is First Saturday devotion?
In connection to the visions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal, the central theme of the devotion is repentance, conversion and reparation.
In order to help us understand this “new” devotion in the life of the Church better.
Here are five things we need to know.
How did the First Saturday Devotion begin?
Traditionally, Saturdays have been a day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary for many centuries, but it wasn’t until 1925 when the First Saturday devotion was revealed.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Lucia at a convent in Pontevedra, Spain on December 10, 1925 . Previously, Sister Lucia had been the recipient of Marian visions in Fatima, Portugal, along with her cousins Jacinta and Francisco.
Mary requested for the institution of the five consecutive First Saturday devotions in reparation to her Immaculate Heart, eight years after the visions at Fatima.
Why the five consecutive months?
The five months correspond to five separate blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary as revealed by Our Lady to Sister Lucia:
1.) against her Immaculate Conception
2.) against her perpetual virginity
3.) against her position as the Mother God and Mother of all humanity
4.) those who openly ask to foster in the hearts of children indifference, or even hatred, for this Immaculate Mother
5.) those who insult her holy images directly.
What are we supposed to do on First Saturdays?
Ensure you go to Mass and receive Holy Communion with the intention of making reparation for the blasphemies and ingratitude done to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Going to confession is however, a requirement of this devotion, along with reciting the five decades of the rosary and meditating on the mysteries of the rosary for 15 minutes.
What are the “promises” connected to this devotion?
Our Lady said to Sister Lucia, “My daughter, look at my heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude.
I promise to assist all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess their sins, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the rosary, and keep me company for 15 minutes while they meditate on the 15 mysteries of the rosary, with the intention of making reparation to my Immaculate heart at the hour of death, with the necessary graces for salvation,.”
Practically, this means that anyone who practices this devotion with faith will be granted extra graces at the moment of their death with the promise of reaching the gates of heaven.
Are the First Saturdays just another “ticket” to heaven?
The main purpose of this devotion is to lead a soul closer to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Because, the closer we get to Mary, the closer we are to Jesus, her son.
Also, by practicing these extra devotions, we allow Mary to penetrate our hearts and prepare us for a lifelong relationship with Christ.
Mary desires to lead us to heaven and a very sure path to eternal life is the frequent reception of Holy Communion and the sacrament of confession. Mary is the “Star of the Sea,” who points to the way and beckons us to draw closer.
May we ask for the grace to practice the First Saturday devotions in a spirit of faith so as to honor the Mother of God and to repair the damage done to her Immaculate Heart.
