I – THE DEVOTION OF THE FIRST FIVE SATURDAYS
In the Apparition on the 13th of July Our Lady in Fatima announced: In order to prevent the war, I will ask the consecration of Russia at my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays.
This devotion She came to ask, appearing to Sister Lucy December 10, 1925, in Pontevedra, Spain. She said then, “See, my daughter, my heart enclosed from the thorns that the ungrateful men pierce me with blasphemy and ingratitude. You, at least, come to console me and say that I promise to assist in the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, to all those in the First Saturday of five months continous, if they go to confession, receive Holy Communion, praying the rosary and remaining my companion for fifteen minutes, meditating on the 15 mysteries of the Rosary with the goal of reparation to me.” Our Lady showed heart surrounded with thorns that represented out sins. She asked that we may do acts of reparation to remove them, with the reparative devotion of the five First Saturdays. En Recompense, she promises us “All the graces necessary for salvation.” Jesus in the following two years 15 February 1926 and 17 December 1927, insisted in the propagation of this devotion. Lucia wrote: “Of the practice of the devotion of the First Saturdays, in union to the consecration to the Heart of Mary, depends war or peace of the world”.
II –FIVE WHY?
There are five first Saturdays because, according to what Jesus revealed
1. – The blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception;
2. – Against her Virginity;
3. – Against the Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to receive her as Mother of men;
4. –Those that infuse in the heart of children the indifference, contempt and even hatred against the Immaculate Mother;
5. – Those that make direct outrage against sacred images”.
III – CONDITIONS
The conditions to gain the privelidge of the five Saturdays are four:
1.Confession: For each First Saturday it is necessary to make a confession with the reparative intention. I can be done whatever daybefore or after the First Saturday, on the condition that one received Communion in the state of grace.
A visionary asked: – “My Jesus, what about people that forget to form this intention ? Jesus responded-They can form it in the next confession, taking the first opportunity they have to confess.”
The other three conditions should be completed on that respective First Saturday, if there is not a priest, for just motives, one can do it on the next Sunday
2. Reparative Communion
3. The Rosary.
4. The meditation for 15 minutes of one mystery, of various or of them all. It is also worth a meditation or explanation of 3 minutes of each one of the five mysteries of the rosary that one is praying
In all these four practices one should have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The devotion of the First Five Saturdays was approved by the Bishop of Leiria September 13, 1939, in Fatima.
ACT OF CONSECRATION AND REPARATION
Most Holy Virgin and Mother, our beloved, you show your heart surrounded by thorns symbols of blasphemies and ingratitudes with which ungrateful men pay the goodness of your love. You ask that console you and make reparation to you.
upon hearing your bitter complaints, we desire to relieve your pain and Immaculate Heart that the evil of men hurt with the hard thorns of their sins.
from a special way we want to relieve the sacriligious injuries given against your Immaculate Conception and Holy Virginity. Many, Mary, deny that you are the Mother of God and do not want to accept you as tender Mother of men. Others many not offend you directly, may discharge to your sacred image their satanic anger. Not forgetting also those that want to infuse in the hearts of innocent children, indifference, lack of appreciation and even hatred against You.
Holy Virgin, here prostrate at your feet, In You we show the pain that we feel for all these offenses and we promise reparation with our sacrifices, communions and prayers for such offenses of your ingrateful children.
Recognizing that also in us, we do not always correspond to your predilections, in not honoring and loving you as Mother, we ask merciful pardon for our sins.
For all those who are you children and particularly for us that we may consecrate completely to your Immaculate Heart, it may have refuge in us during life and the road may lead us to God. So Be It.
translated from Portuguese