Fr. Scott Haynes
The devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, as practiced on the First Saturday of each month, is one of the greatest treasures given to the faithful for their sanctification and the salvation of souls. Instituted at the request of the Blessed Virgin Mary herself, this devotion calls upon Catholics to make reparation for the countless offenses committed against her Immaculate Heart. It is a powerful path of grace, one that leads souls closer to Jesus Christ through the intercession of His Mother.
The Origins of the First Saturday Devotion
The First Saturday devotion originates from the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Sister Lúcia, one of the three visionaries of Fatima. On December 10, 1925, the Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Lúcia in Pontevedra, Spain, alongside the Child Jesus. She held her Immaculate Heart surrounded by thorns, and Jesus spoke:
"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 to remove them."
Then, Our Lady addressed Lúcia:
"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 announce that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall: Go to Confession; Receive Holy Communion; Recite five decades of the Rosary; and; Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
This request is profoundly rooted in Catholic tradition, emphasizing personal conversion, prayer, and acts of reparation for sins committed against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.
Why Five First Saturdays?
Our Lady later explained to Sister Lúcia that the five Saturdays were to make reparation for five particular offenses against her Immaculate Heart:
Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception.
Blasphemies against her perpetual virginity.
Blasphemies against her divine maternity and refusal to accept her as the Mother of all mankind.
The sins of those who implant indifference, contempt, and hatred in children's hearts toward her.
The offenses of those who outrage her holy images.
The Call to Confession and Holy Communion
Sacramental confession purifies the soul, bringing it back into friendship with God. Pope St. Pius X stated:
"The Holy Eucharist is the shortest and safest way to Heaven. There are others: innocence, but that is for little children; penance, but we are afraid of it; generous endurance of the trials of life, but when they come we weep and ask to be spared. The surest, easiest, shortest way is the Eucharist."
Regular confession and reception of the Eucharist ensure that we are in a state of grace and able to receive the abundant spiritual fruits of this devotion.
The Power of the Rosary
Our Lady has consistently emphasized the importance of the Rosary, particularly in times of trial. Pope Leo XIII, known as "The Pope of the Rosary," wrote:
"The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying."
Praying the Rosary, especially with meditation on its mysteries, allows the soul to contemplate the life of Christ through the heart of Mary, drawing it into deeper union with God.
The Fifteen Minutes of Meditation
One aspect of the First Saturday devotion that is often neglected is the fifteen minutes of meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary. While praying the Rosary is itself a meditation, this additional time of focused contemplation allows the faithful to deepen their understanding of Christ’s life and the role of Our Lady. Through meditation, we open our hearts to the graces God wishes to bestow upon us, allowing them to take root and transform our souls.
St. Augustine reminds us:
"To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement."
By spending fifteen minutes in quiet reflection on the mysteries of Christ’s life, we respond more fully to the love of God, making our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary more meaningful. To aid the faithful in this practice, resources such as Rosary Meditations by Venerable Fulton Sheen provide insightful reflections that enrich the soul and bring clarity to the mysteries of our faith.
The Promises of Our Lady
Those who fulfill the conditions of the First Saturday devotion can take comfort in Our Lady’s extraordinary promise:
"I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation."
This assurance from the Mother of God is unparalleled. It guarantees not only protection at the moment of death but also the grace to die in a state of sanctifying grace.
A Call to Action
In our modern world, where the sense of sin has been diminished and devotion to Our Lady is often neglected, the First Saturday devotion is more necessary than ever. The great Marian Pope, Pius XII, called Catholics to a renewed devotion to Our Lady:
"Devotion to the Mother of God is not an option, but a duty for all who wish to attain salvation."
And St. Augustine reminds us:
"As a little child cannot live without his nurse, so a man cannot be saved without the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
Conclusion
The First Saturday devotion is a simple yet powerful means of sanctification and reparation. Through confession, Holy Communion, the Rosary, and meditation, the faithful can console the Immaculate Heart of Mary, drawing closer to Christ. Our Lady of Fatima has extended an invitation to us—will we respond?
May all who read these words be inspired to embrace this devotion with fervor, trusting in the maternal love and powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us not delay in answering her call, for as she warned at Fatima, "Many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray for them." May we, by our fidelity, be instruments of grace for a world in need. Amen.
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