First Saturday
2 Maccabees, Chapter 8, Verse 16
Maccabeus
assembled his forces, six thousand strong, and exhorted them not to be
panic-stricken before the enemy, nor to FEAR
the very large number of Gentiles unjustly attacking them, but to fight nobly.
Judas
sums up their theological position before the battle succinctly: Our opponents
trust in weapons and strategy, whereas we simply trust in an all-powerful God.[1]
Fight or die[2]
One of the greatest temptations in the Catholic life is that of complacency. We go through the motions, attending Mass on Sunday and maybe going to a parish program or two, but the Faith NEVER really penetrates deep into our souls. It remains a superficial reality; just another thing to do in our comfortable, civilized lives. We love to complain about the problems in the Church—rending our garments over this bad bishop or this corrupt priest. We ask: Where are the saints of the modern Church? Where are the holy men and women who can be shining lights in this dark world? We lament the state of things, never realizing that it is that God has called us to be saints. It is we who must strive for sanctity as if our lives depended on it—because they do.
Fight for the Crown of Eternal Life
Jesus Christ is calling
you and me to rise above satisfaction and mediocrity and to pursue
greatness. He does not want us to muddle through the Christian life. He wants
us to fight nobly for the crown of eternal life. “Fight your way in at the
narrow door,” he tells us, “There are many who will try and will not be able to
enter.” Now, realize that this spiritual combat does not necessarily mean
grandiose outward actions. Most of us are not meant to find a religious
order or to convert a far-flung nation. The saints constantly tell us that
holiness is found in sanctifying our everyday actions, however small they may
be. Even so the point is, no one coasts into heaven effortlessly. It doesn’t
work that way. We have a powerful enemy who works day and night to destroy us.
Every day we encounter temptations internal and external that, if consented to,
will destroy our souls.
Men, a survey has
revealed that 50%—that is 1 in 2—Christian men are addicted to pornography. If
you think I am exaggerating the spiritual dangers, you are wrong. There is
a war for your soul, and if you are not watchful, if you are not
vigilant, if you are not intensely focused on the pursuit of
holiness, you will fall away.
Choose Today Who You Will Serve
Holiness begins with a
choice: God or the world. Whom will you serve?
You can’t have it both
ways. As with any war, there is no middle ground. You either fight or die. “You
cannot please both God and the world at the same time,” says St. John Vianney,
“They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and
their actions.” In other words, you can’t pursue the world’s values and ideals
while calling yourself a Christian and a Catholic. You can’t hold on to pet
sins, abusing God’s mercy by asking his forgiveness, all the while having no
real intention to change.
Take up Your Cross
Christ is calling you to
take up your Cross and follow him. Doing so will bring you more happiness and
more joy than you can possibly imagine. But it will also cost you the comfort
and ease the world promises. “You are like crusaders united to fight against
the world,” said St. Louis de Montfort, “not like Religious who retreat from
the world; lest they be overcome, but like brave and valiant warriors on the
battlefield, who refuse to retreat or even yield an inch. Be brave and fight
courageously.” Men, if you’ve been mediocre, if you’ve been comfortably
complacent, I challenge you today to follow Christ passionately, with all that
you are and have. Clothe yourselves in the armor of God and take up the weapons
of prayer and penance, calling on the powerful intercession of Our Lady, Help
of Christians. Resolve in your heart to do battle, for eternal life, and
then “Be brave and fight courageously.” Your soul depends on it.
First Saturday[3]
The following is an explanation
of the conditions contained in Our Lady's request regarding the Communion of
reparation on the First Saturdays of the Month.
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.
35 Promises
of God[4]
cont.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and
I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
-Matt 11:28-29
Daily Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: True
Masculinity
·
Saturday Litany of the Hours
Invoking the Aid of Mother Mary
·
Offering to the
sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
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