First Saturday
TWELFTH NIGHT
Exodus, Chapter 18, Verse 18-21
18 “You will surely wear yourself out,
both you and these people with you. The task is too heavy for you;
you cannot do it alone. 19 Now,
listen to me, and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. Act as
the people’s representative before God, and bring their disputes to God. 20 Enlighten them in regard to the
statutes and instructions, showing them how they are to conduct themselves and
what they are to do. 21 But you should also look among all
the people for able and God-fearing
men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them over the people as
commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Our Lord asks us to lead, follow or get out of the
way. Our Lord tells us, “Whoever is not
with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore,
I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy
against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Mt. 12:30-31) If you
are a leader start leading in the church with a group of ten; follow where you
can and do not hinder the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Five First Saturday’s devotion is one of the
principal points of the Fatima message. It centers on the urgent need for
mankind to offer reparation and expiate for the many injuries that the
Immaculate Heart of Mary suffers from the hands of both impious and indifferent
men.
On the First Saturday during 5 Consecutive Months, the Devotion consists
of:
1. Going to Confession,
2. Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion,
3. Saying five decades of the Rosary,
4. Meditating for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary.
2. Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion,
3. Saying five decades of the Rosary,
4. Meditating for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary.
All
this offered in REPARATION for the sins of blasphemy and ingratitude
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
During
the third apparition on July 13, 1917, Our Lady revealed that she would come to
ask for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart and for the
Communion of Reparation of the Five First Saturdays. Consequently, she asked
for the devotion in 1925 and the consecration in 1929. While staying at the
House of the Dorothean Sister in Pontevedra, Portugal, Sister Lucia received a
vision on December 10, 1925 where the Blessed Mother appeared alongside a Boy
who stood over a luminous cloud. Our Lady rested one hand on the Boy’s shoulder
while she held on the other hand a heart pierced with thorns around it. Sister
Lucia heard the Boy say, "Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother which
is covered with thorns with which ingrate men pierce it at every moment with no
one to make an act of reparation to pull them out." Our Lady expressed her
request in the following words, "See, my daughter, My Heart surrounded
with thorns with which ingrates pierce me at every moment with blasphemies and
ingratitude. You, at least, make sure to console me and announce that all those
who for five months, on the first Saturdays, go to confession, receive
Communion, say five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for 15 minutes
meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the purpose of making
reparation to Me, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the
graces necessary for the salvation of their souls." A few days
afterward, Sister Lucia detailed this vision in a letter addressed to Monsignor
Manuel Pereira Lopes, her confessor when she resided in the Asylum of Vilar in
the city of Oporto, Portugal.
Why Five Saturdays?
Sister
Lucia’s confessor questioned her about the reason for the five Saturdays asking
why not seven or nine. She answered him in a letter dated June 12, 1930. In it
she related about a vision she had of Our Lord while staying in the convent
chapel part of the night of the twenty-ninth to the thirtieth of the month of
May, 1930. The reasons Our Lord gave were as follows: The five first Saturdays
correspond to the five kinds of offenses and blasphemies committed against the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. They are:
1.
Blasphemies
against the Immaculate Conception
2.
Blasphemies
against her virginity
3.
Blasphemies
against her divine maternity, at the same time the refusal to accept her as the
Mother of all men
4.
Instilling,
indifference, scorn and even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the
hearts of children
5.
Direct
insults against Her sacred images
Let
us keep the above reasons firmly in our minds. Devotions have intentions
attached to them and knowing them adds merit and weight to the practice.
Modifications to the Five First Saturdays Devotion to facilitate its
observation
The
original request of Our Lady asks one to confess and receive Communion on five
consecutive first Saturdays; to say five decades of the Rosary; to meditate
during 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary for the purpose of making
reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in reparations for the sins of men.
In subsequent private visions and apparitions however, Sister Lucia presented
to Our Lord the difficulties that devotees encountered in fulfilling some
conditions. With loving condescension and solicitude, Our Lord deigned to relax
the rules to make this devotion easy to observe:
·
Confession
may be done on other days other than the First Saturdays so long as one
receives Our Lord worthily and has the intention of making reparation to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
·
Even
if one forgets to make the intention, it may be done on the next confession,
taking advantage of the first occasion to go to confession.
·
Sister
Lucia also clarified that it is not necessary to meditate on ALL mysteries of
the Rosary on each First Saturdays. One or several suffice.
With
much latitude granted by Our Lord Himself, there is no reason for the faithful
to hesitate or delay this pious practice in the spirit of reparation which the
Immaculate Heart of Mary urgently asks.
This devotion is so necessary in our days
The
culture of vice and sin remains unabated even as one reads this. Abortion,
blasphemy, drug abuse, pornography, divorce and bad marriages, religious
indifference, the advances of the homosexual agenda and others are just some of
society’s many plagues that cut deeply into the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We must console Our Lady amidst all these
insults and injuries to her and her Divine Son. She asks for reparation, she
pleads for our prayers, she hopes for our amendment of life. Let us listen to
her maternal pleas and atone for the ingratitude of men. The First Five Saturday’s
devotion stimulates the spirit of reparation; it instills a tender love for the
Holy Sacraments of Confession and the Blessed Eucharist. It nurtures a holy
affection for the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Rosary. Above all, it is an
excellent means to maintain one in the state of grace while immersed in the
daily spiritual battles and prosaic existence in the neo-pagan world that we
live in. Let us not delay in observing this devotion for it too gives us hope
for eternal salvation.
Now is the time to
plan to attain a religious retreat or conference before Easter. This book was
conceived after attending a Marian conference.[2]
But what exactly are the Twelve Days of Christmas? They are the days between Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany that constitute an unbroken period of joy and celebration. Epiphany is considered the twelfth day of Christmas (in fact it is sometimes called "Twelfth Day") while the Eve of Epiphany is called "Twelfth Night." Shakespeare's play, "Twelfth Night," takes its name from the Vigil because during this period festivals (such as the Feast of Fools or the Feast of the Ass) used to be held in which everything was turned upside-down -- a little like the reversed identities of the characters in the play. These "preposterous" observances, incidentally, were a joyful mimicry of the inversion of almighty God becoming a lowly man, of the King appearing as a humble infant.
The twelve nights of Christmas were primarily a time of rest from unnecessary labor and joyful prayer. On each of these nights the Christmas tree lights and the Christmas candle would be lit, while the family would gather around the manger to recite prayers and sing carols and hymns. Similar services are held in some churches during these nights as well.
Twelfth day of Christmas is represented by the
Twelve Drummers drumming in the song which of course represents the twelve
points of the Apostles Creed. It is interesting to note that these 12
points are indeed pointing to the abode of God and that our Lord is the gate of
heaven.
1.
I
believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3.
He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5.
He
descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
6.
He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty.
7.
He
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
9.
the
holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting.
Additionally,
the 12th Station of the Cross Jesus dies. Today would be a good day
to do the Eucharistic Stations of the Cross.
Activities for the Twelfth Day of
Christmas[4]
One night, he was
working very late at his desk and fell asleep in his chair. The candle on the
desk burnt down and charred some of the papers, but they were still readable.
He awoke, surprised and thankful that a fire had not ignited. He fell on his
knees to give thanks to God for protection, and heard His voice saying,
"As the flames are burning here without consuming or injuring the writing,
so shall I pour out my grace in the Blessed Sacrament without prejudice to My
honor. Fear no profanation, therefore; hesitate no longer to carry out your
design for my glory." He introduced the practice of 40 Hours Devotion at
the first diocesan synod in April 1853, and the first devotions began at St.
Philip Neri Parish, an appropriate place since that St. Philip had begun that
very devotion in the city of Rome. The holy Bishop then introduced the program
for the whole diocese, so that each parish would have Forty Hours Devotion
during the course of the year. He wrote a booklet for the devotions and
obtained special indulgences for the faithful attending them. The Forty Hours
Devotion was so successful it spread to other dioceses. At the Plenary Council
of Baltimore in 1866, the Forty Hours Devotion was approved for all Dioceses of
the United States. Excerpted from St. John Neumann and the 40 Hours Devotion
by JosephMary
We suggest that today
would be an excellent time to make a family holy hour (or holy half hour) at an
adoration chapel or in your parish church. If you can't make a visit to the
Blessed Sacrament your family can pray this litany at home. The activity can by brought to
conclusion by singing Christmas carols and enjoying Christmas cookies and the
Christmas bread, Vanocka.
John
Neumann was born in Bohemia on March 20, 1811. Since he had a great desire to
dedicate himself to the American missions, he came to the United States as a
cleric and was ordained in New York in 1836 by Bishop Dubois. In 1840, John
Neumann entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). He
labored in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1852, he was consecrated bishop
of Philadelphia. There he worked hard for the establishment of parish schools
and for the erection of many parishes for the numerous immigrants. Bishop
Neumann died on January 5, 1860; he was
beatified
in 1963.
·
Day Twelve activity (Visit to the Blessed
Sacrament)
·
Day Twelve recipe (Vanocka)
Iceman’s
40 hours devotion
starts 3 pm
first Friday of the month (start a fast Thursday evening)
It is traditionally believed that the
duration of time from Christ's death until His Resurrection is forty hours,
from 3 p.m. on Good Friday until 7 a.m. Easter Sunday. It is a pious practice
to start this devotion on first Fridays.
First
Friday
·
Start the devotion at 3 pm with a visit to the Blessed
sacrament. Meditate on
the Chaplet to the Holy Face and the Chaplet of
Divine Mercy.
·
At sundown break fast (fish and oil) and watch a movie from the Vatican list of movies.
(start second fast 2 hours before bed)
Saturday
·
On waking take a walk and meditate on ways you have been walking
away from God.
·
In the afternoon spend time with Mary
and do the first
Saturday devotion or do a Eucharistic
Stations of the Cross and go to confession.
After confession you may consider doing a mikvah or roman
bath
·
At sundown break fast (fish and oil) and watch a movie from the Vatican list of movies.
(start third fast 2 hours before bed)
Sunday
·
On waking go to Mass early and do the prayer before
Mass
·
Receive our Lord in the Eucharist in thanksgiving.
·
Break your fast and strive to be a soldier for Christ and live
the beatitudes
walking with our Lord.
During
this Christmas season let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these
traits that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in
Christ. Today reflect on:
Reverence vs.
Disrespect
Awareness of how God is working through the people and events in my life to produce the character of Christ in me (Proverbs 23:17–18)
82
As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and
interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty
about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and
Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and
reverence."
1939
The
principle of solidarity, also articulated in terms of "friendship" or
"social charity," is a direct demand of human and Christian
brotherhood.
An error,
"today abundantly widespread, is disregard for the law of human solidarity
and charity, dictated and imposed both by our common origin and by the equality
in rational nature of all men, whatever nation they belong to. This law is
sealed by the sacrifice of redemption offered by Jesus Christ on the altar of
the Cross to his heavenly Father, on behalf of sinful humanity."
2164
"Do not swear whether by the Creator, or any
creature, except truthfully, of necessity, and with reverence" (St.
Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises,
38).
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Paradox: to live we must die.
Daily Devotions
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-01-05
[6]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-Tcharacter-qualities/
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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