Why Should I Care?
OCTOBER 5 First Saturday
FEAST OF ST. FAUSTINA-RESPECT LIFE MONTH
Job, Chapter 1, Verse
1
In
the land of Uz there was a blameless and upright
man named Job, who feared God and
avoided evil.
Can a man be blameless and upright and yet not be
filled with self-pride? Job teaches us that we need to be all in with God.
- Believe with
all your heart in the absolute sovereignty of God. Pray that God would
give you that conviction.
- Believe with
all your heart that everything he does is right and good. Pray that God
will give you that assurance.
- Repent of all
the times you have questioned God or found fault with him in the way he
has treated you. Pray that God would humble you to see these murmurings as
sinful.
- Be satisfied
with the holy will of God and do not murmur.
1.
Confess and receive Holy Communion
On February 15, 1926
the Child Jesus alone came to visit Sr. Lucia and asked if the devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary was being propagated. Sr. Lucia spoke of a difficulty
some people have in confessing on the first Saturday and asked if they might be
allowed eight days in order to fulfill Our Lady's requests. Jesus answered: "Yes,
even more time still, as long as they receive Me in the state of grace and have
the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
2.
Recite the Rosary
Five decades of the
Rosary may be recited at any time or place; yet, since one will be attending
Mass in order to receive Holy Communion, a very desirable time and place would
be before or after Mass in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Meditation on
the mysteries according to one's capacity is an essential condition for praying
the Rosary. Yet, involuntary distractions do not rob the Rosary of fruit if one
is doing the best he can.
3.
"Keep me company for fifteen minutes while
meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary."
The question is often
asked: Does the meditation while reciting the Rosary fulfill this condition, or
is there required an additional
fifteen minutes of meditation? That an additional 15 minutes of
meditation is required was recently confirmed by Sr. Lucia of Fatima. It is
clear too from a statement by the first Bishop of Fatima.
The last entry in the
chronology of Fatima, published in the official Calendar of the Sanctuary for
the year of 1940, and signed by Dom Jose Correia da Silva, the first Bishop of
Fatima, gave a summary of Our Lady's requests concerning the Five First
Saturdays. From that official statement in the Calendar of the Sanctuary, we
read the Bishop's enumeration of the various items that pertain to the devotion
of the five Saturdays:
It consists in going
to Confession, receiving Communion, reciting five decades of the Rosary and
meditating for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary on the first
Saturday of five consecutive months. The Confession may be made during the
eight days preceding or following the first Saturday of each month, provided
that Holy Communion be received in the state of grace. Should one forget to
form the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it may
be formed at the next Confession, occasion to go to confession being taken at
the first opportunity.
The meditation embraces
one or more mysteries; it may
even include all, taken together or separately, according to individual
attraction or devotion; but it is preferable to meditate on one mystery each month.
Speaking of the
requirement of "keeping me company for fifteen minutes while meditating
on the mysteries of the Rosary," the Bishop's comment that "it
is preferable to meditate on one mystery each month" could apply only
to an extra fifteen minutes, for each decade of the Rosary must have its own
particular meditation. This is clear from the definition of the Rosary given in
the official document of the Church on indulgences, the ENCHIRIDION OF
INDULGENCES published by Pope Paul VI in 1968. It describes the Rosary as
follows:
"The Rosary is a
certain formula of prayer, which is made up of fifteen decades of HAIL MARYS
with an OUR FATHER before each decade, and in which the recitation of each decade is accompanied by pious meditation
on a particular mystery of our Redemption." (n. 48)
Like the Rosary, this
meditation may be made any time or place during the first Saturday. Yet again,
like the Rosary, a very fitting time and place would be in the presence of the
Blessed Sacrament before or after Mass. The question has been asked:
"Would an extra Rosary, which would require about fifteen minutes, fulfill
this request? It would seem, if fruitfully meditated, that it would. Or again,
the time could be spent reading
meditatively on one of the fifteen mysteries, which is a form of mental
prayer that involves reading with frequent pauses to reflect on the matter
read.
4.
With the intention of making reparation.
All of the conditions
mentioned above - in numbers 1 to 3 - should be fulfilled with the intention of
making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On the occasion of the visit
of the Child Jesus to Sr. Lucia (Feb. 16, 1926), she asked: "My Jesus,
what about those who forget to make the intention?" Jesus answered: "They
can do so at their next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity
to go to Confession."
The above are the
minimum requirements for fulfilling the conditions of Our Lady's promise to
obtain for us "at the hour of death the graces necessary for salvation."
Yet, these Communions of reparation, as has been pointed out, are only a
portion of the devotion of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These few pages are
meant to help bring about a frame of mind and heart that will make us aware of
the need of reparation all through the month, and not just on the first
Saturday.
WHY
FIVE SATURDAYS?
It
is sometimes asked why Our Lady asked for Communions of reparation on five
first Saturdays, instead of some other number. Our Blessed Lord answered that
question when He appeared to Sr. Lucia May 29, 1930. He explained that it was
because of five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, namely: blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, against her
perpetual virginity, against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary,
blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images, and the
neglect of implanting in the hearts of children a knowledge and love of this
Immaculate Mother.
Feast of St. Faustina[5]Saint Faustina was born in the 20th
century and canonized in the year 2000. Jesus chose her to deliver to the
modern world a message as old as eternity. It is the message of his love for all people, especially sinners.
Jesus said to Faustina, "Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people
of the whole world." It is his desire to heal the aching world, to draw
all people into his merciful heart of love.
On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to Faustina as the King of Divine Mercy.
He asked her to have a picture painted of him as she saw him — clothed in
white, with red and white rays of light streaming from his heart. The rays
represent the blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross.
Under the image are the words, "Jesus, I trust in you." Many people
did not believe Faustina at first. The sisters in her own convent thought that
Jesus could not possibly have selected her for this great favor. After all, she
was an uneducated peasant girl. Her superiors often refused to give her
permission to carry out Jesus' requests. Church theologians, too, doubted her
word. Jesus told Faustina that he loved her obedience and that his will would
be done in the end. Faustina was canonized by the first Polish pope, John Paul
II, on April 30, 2000. The first Sunday after Easter was declared Divine Mercy
Sunday.
Things to
Do[6]
·
Read
the Holy Father's April
30, 2000 Homily
at the solemn Mass celebrated for the canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina
Kowalska.
·
From
the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy: Devotion to the Divine Mercy
·
In
connection with the octave of Easter, recent years have witnessed the
development and diffusion of a special devotion to the Divine Mercy based on
the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska who was canonized 30 April 2000. It
concentrates on the mercy poured forth in Christ's death and resurrection,
fount of the Holy Spirit who forgives sins and restores joy at having been
redeemed. Since the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy
Sunday — as it is now called — is the natural locus in which to express man's
acceptance of the Redeemer's mercy, the faithful should be taught to understand
this devotion in the light of the liturgical celebrations of these Easter days.
Indeed, "the paschal Christ is the definitive incarnation of mercy, his
living sign which is both historico-salvific and eschatological. At the same
time, the Easter liturgy places the words of the psalm on our lips: "I
shall sing forever of the Lord's mercy" (Ps 89[88]: 2).
·
Read
more from our Catholic Culture library about the Divine Mercy devotion, in
particular, a short description of
The Divine Mercy devotion
·
St.
Faustina came from Poland. John Paul II was also Polish and had a great
devotion to the Divine Mercy. He made it a feast day on the second Sunday after
Easter. Find out more about Poland and its customs. It's a very Catholic
country, with deep devotion to Our Lady. A wonderful book that gives a wonderful
understanding of the culture is the Pope's biography A Witness to Hope by
George Wiegel.
·
Try
your hand at a Polish dish or two. Perhaps practice making some of the favorite
foods for the Polish Wigilia (Christmas Eve Dinner) Pierogi (or Pirohi) is one
of the most popular Polish foods but do some research to find other recipes.
·
Hiking
is a popular activity, but it is also an excellent way to mediate and talk with
God. This was the original method of prayer used by Abraham. Sedona, Arizona is
the backdrop for this series of prayer hikes; however, the meditations could be
used with any hike.
Truly
you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
Like us, Christ entered the world through the womb of a woman. He willingly experienced the fullness of human suffering. He breathed his last on the Cross at Calvary in order that He might save us. Therefore, “God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end” (Spe salvi 31).
Christians know “they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness” (SS 2).
For this reason, a woman experiencing a difficult pregnancy can find the strength to welcome her precious child into the world. A man facing a terminal diagnosis can see that the end of his earthly life is only the beginning of eternal life with Christ. The Church teaches us that “the one who has hope lives differently” (SS 2).
Christ’s promise of salvation does not mean that we will be spared from suffering. Rather, the promise of salvation ensures that even in the darkest moments of our lives, we will be given the strength to persevere. By virtue of this Christian hope, we can face any challenge or trial. When the seas of life swell and we are battered by the waves, hope allows us to remain anchored in the heart of God. May we hold fast to Christ our hope, from the beginning of life to its very end.
·
“And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask
anything according to his will, he hears us.”-1 John 5:14
Daily Devotions
No comments:
Post a Comment