Most who are familiar with the Fatima message fixate on the importance of the consecration of Russia as a means to bring peace to the world. Because of this, Our Lady’s second request of observing the five First Saturdays is frequently ignored.
Thus, despite a hundred years since this devotion was requested, the faithful have developed bad habits and customs that undermine its purpose.
Here are five tips to help you do it correctly, and most importantly, piously and devoutly.
A Brief History
Before giving these tips, we will review the history of this devotion.
In the July 13, 1917 apparition, Our Lady said that if mankind does not convert, worse punishments will come. “To prevent this, I will come to request the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the communion of reparation on the first Saturdays.”1
Later, Our Lady returned with the Infant Jesus on December 10, 1925, in the Dorothean convent in Pontevedra, Spain.
On this day, she gave the details of the First Saturday devotion. She appeared next to the Infant Jesus in Sr. Lucia’s room. The Infant Jesus said, “Have pity on the heart of your Most Holy Mother, which is covered with thorns, which ungrateful men pierce at every moment, and no one makes reparation to remove them.”
Then, Our Lady said, “My daughter, look at my heart covered with thorns which ungrateful men pierce constantly with blasphemies and ingratitude.”2 She promises to those who do this devotion to be at their side at the time of their death with the needed graces for their salvation.
Summary of the Requirements
There are six elements to this devotion to obtain the promise.
1. It must be done on the first Saturday of five consecutive months.
2. Go to confession;
3. Receive holy communion;
4. Pray five decades of the Rosary;
5. Keep Our Lady company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
6. Offer all four acts as an act of reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart.
It is a devotion so simple that children can do it.
Here are the five tips.
Tip #1—Have Pity
Do the requirements as acts of pity. It is significant that the Infant Jesus begins His request with the words “Have pity.” Frequently, people do this devotion without concern for Our Lady or any awareness of the injuries to her heart. The more our pity for her grows, the more important this devotion will be in our hearts.
Tip #2—Think About a Heart Completely Covered With Thorns in Need of Reparation
Be aware of the severity of her injuries that need reparation. This devotion is an act of reparation, meaning we are asked to be “physicians” to repair the injuries to the Immaculate Heart. The first thing a physician must do is to assess the severity of the injury.
The Portuguese word used by Our Lord and Our Lady to indicate the action of a sinner was “cravar,” which means to nail. The more common words involving thorns or needles in Portuguese are perfurar (to pierce), espetar (to stick), or levar uma picado (to prick). Cravar denotes a more severe injury caused by a larger object, such as a nail.
Unlike crucifixes that depict the reality of the Crucifixion, representations of the Immaculate Heart often do not show the full extent of the injuries done. Thus, we do not fully appreciate the severity of the thorns.
To better carry out the First Saturday devotion, we should imagine the severity of the offense. We should think of the innumerable big thorns that, like nails, are thrust intentionally into the flesh of her heart repeatedly (a todos momentos).
The more we are aware of this severity and constancy of her injuries, the more pressing the need for reparation becomes.
Tip #3—Consider the Injuries from Blasphemies
Our Lord intimated to Sr. Lucia that five sins injure the Immaculate Heart. As physicians, we must first assess the nature of the injuries.
Our Lady mentions three kinds of blasphemies: those against Mary’s perpetual virginity, her Immaculate Conception and her statues or images.
Ideally, one way to make reparation for these blasphemies is to protest at the sites where they appear, whether in theaters, presentations, or “art” exhibitions. We can participate in petitions and other ways of making our voices heard when blasphemy’s ugly head appears.3
We can include reparation for these incidents of blasphemy when meditating while doing this devotion.
Tip #4—Do Not Injury Our Lady With Ingratitude
A fourth cause of her injury is the indifference that comes from ingratitude.
Thus, we should consider the many graces and blessings we have received from her. We turn to her for family problems, health issues, financial difficulties, and so many more. However, we often do not consider those who offend her and come to her aid. It is narcissistic to constantly ask for her help for us and not note her concerns.
This devotion calls us to respond with gratitude and solicitude for her. We can never be indifferent.
Tip #5—Behold Our Immaculate Mother
The fifth sin is against her motherhood. In the 1925 apparition to Sr. Lucia, the Infant Jesus made it clear that the person being injured is not just His mother, but our mother. Too many do not consider this tender relationship with us. To deny or reject this relationship is hurtful to her and to Jesus, who entrusted her to us. This is a crucial aspect of this devotion.
The Infant Jesus’s exact words were, “Have pity on the heart of YOUR most holy mother.”
Thus, the fifth and final tip is to treat her as a mother.
One requirement of this devotion is to keep Our Lady company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary. This is such a maternal request. A mother never asks for much. Sometimes, giving her a little attention means a lot.
However, when this devotion grows in our hearts, we will give her more attention than a mere 15 minutes once a month.
Communion of Reparation
All these five tips should be followed with the requirement to receive communion worthily in mind. Indeed, Our Lady originally called the Five First Saturdays devotion using the name “Communion of Reparation.”
Receiving inside this devotion, our communions become acts of reparation. It transforms a regular communion into something much more.
This devotion is very powerful if done properly. One hundred years have passed since the Infant Jesus made the universal request to spread this devotion. Will now be the time Mary’s devotees will strive to practice and spread this devotion more than ever before?
Footnotes
- “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go, to save them, God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” (https://www.fatima.pt/pt/pages/narrativa-dascan-aparicoes)
- https://www.fatima.pt/pt/pages/narrativa-das-aparicoes
- The organization, America Needs Fatima, regularly organizes protests and acts of reparation to major blasphemy and sacrilege not only in America but around the world.