How The Five First Saturday Devotions Relate To The Rosary, The Brown Scapular & The Fatima Message
If you have been following my blogs and YouTube videos you know how important wearing the Brown Scapular and praying the Holy Rosary are. In the last apparition on October 13th 1917 Our Lady of Fatima appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel and told the children that She wants everyone to pray the Holy Rosary and wear the Brown Scapular daily. She also asked for other request in the apparitions following.
Connecting Five First Saturdays to Rosary, Brown Scapular, and Fatima
As you know there were six Fatima apparitions from May, 13, 1917 to October 13, 1917. In the Fifth apparition Our Lady asked the children to pray for poor sinners and make sacrifices for them. Many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray for them. She showed the children a vision of Hell. She said most people go to Hell because sins of the flesh. When Our Lady appeared on the July 13, 1917 apparition, She told the children that She would come and ask for the Communion of Reparation on the first five Saturdays of the month.
Our Lady Never Breaks A Promise
Like I have always said in the past Our Lady never breaks a promise and this was fulfilled on December 10, 1925 when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Lucia while in prayer. She appeared with Baby Jesus who was elevated on a cloud. The Blessed Mother showed Lucia her heart that was encircled by thorns, which she was holding in her hand. Then Baby Jesus said to her: “Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce It at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.”
Then the Blessed Mother said: “Look my daughter, at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console Me, and announce in My Name that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months, confess, receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and keep Me company for fifteen minutes meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to Me.”
Lucia informed her Mother Superior and her confessor about this apparition but not much progress was made convincing them the need of promoting this devotion. Our Lord obviously foresaw this difficulty because sometime in the fall of that same year (1925) Lucia had a strange encounter with a small boy. She asked the boy if he knew the Hail Mary. He said yes and then asked him to say it with her. At the end of three Hail Marys she asked him to say it alone. The boy was silent and seemed to be unable to say it alone. Lucia asked him if he knew the Church of Saint Mary. He said yes. Then she told him to go there every day and say this prayer: “O my Heavenly Mother, give me Your Child Jesus! I taught him this prayer, and he went away.”
Mother Superior Alone Can Do Nothing – But With My Grace She Can Do Everything
A few months later on February 15th the child returned while Lucia was outside near her garden. He seemed to be the same boy as before. Lucia asked him: “Did you ask our Heavenly Mother for the Child Jesus? The child turned to Lucia and said: “And you, have you revealed to the world what the Heavenly Mother asked you?” And, having said that, he turned into an incredibly beautiful Child.
Lucia realized that it was the child Jesus and she said to him: “My Jesus! You know what my confessor said to me in the letter I read You. He said that this vision had to be repeated; there had to be facts permitting us to believe it, and that the Mother Superior alone could not spread this devotion.” Then Jesus said, “It is true that the Mother Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace, she can do everything. It is enough that your confessor gives you permission, and that your superior announces this for it to be believed by the people, even if they do not know whom it was revealed to.”
Lucia: “But my confessor said in his letter that this devotion already exists in the world, because many souls receive You every first Saturday of the month in honor of Our Lady and recite the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.”
Jesus: “It is true, My daughter; that many souls begin, but few persevere to the very end, and those who persevere do it to receive the graces promised. The souls who make the Five First Saturdays with fervor and to make Reparation to the Heart of your Heavenly Mother; please Me more than those who make fifteen, but are lukewarm and indifferent.”
Lucia: “My Jesus! Many souls find it difficult to confess on Saturday. Will You allow a confession within eight days to be valid?
Jesus: Yes. It can even be made later on, provided that the souls are in the state of grace when they receive Me on the first Saturday, and that they have the intention of making Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Lucia: “My Jesus! And those who forget to form this intention?
Jesus: “They can form it at the next confession, taking advantage of their first opportunity to go to confession.”
Right after that Jesus disappeared.
Later on, Lucia’s confessor asked her why five First Saturdays and not nine or fifteen. While Lucia was in the chapel doing her Holy Hour of Adoration, she felt a strong presence of the Lord with her. She asked him about the question that her confessor wanted to know. She felt this placed on her heart:
There Are Five Types Of Offenses And Blasphemies Committed Against The Immaculate Heart Of Mary:
- Blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception.
- Blasphemies against Her perpetual virginity.
- Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity, in refusing at the same time to recognize Her as the Mother of men.
- The blasphemies of those who publicly seek to sow in the hearts of children indifference or scorn, or even hatred of the Immaculate Mother.
- The offenses of those who outrage Her directly in Her holy images.
Lucia felt the Lord saying to her that He wishes these small acts of reparation to remove these thorns that cover Her Immaculate Heart so to move His mercy to pardon souls who have had offended Her because there is no one to do so. He assured Lucia that her prayers and sacrifices move His mercy for these souls.
Now I’m Going To Tie It Together For A Better Understanding
When Father Howard Rafferty, O’Carm interviewed Sister Lucia (now a Carmelite Nun) on August 15, 1950 one of the questions he asked her was about the Fatima Message and the conditions that are to be followed. Father said to Lucia that everyone in America thinks that there are only four conditions to the Fatima Message. So, Father proceeds to mention these conditions:
- We are to say the Rosary daily
- We are supposed to offer sacrifices of daily life
- We are to make Communions of Reparation on the first five consecutive Saturdays
- We are to consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Lucia said there is one more condition (the fifth one) the wearing of the Brown Scapular. The symbol of our consecration to Her Immaculate Heart. Father asked Lucia if someone fulfilled all four conditions and did not wear the Brown Scapular that they would not fulfil what Our Lady asked for. Lucia said YES you could not fulfil what Our Lady asked in Fatima if they refused to wear the Brown Scapular. Father asked her so this is NOT something that Our Lady would like us to do it’s essential to the Fatima Message and if you do not wear the Brown Scapular you could not follow the message. Lucia said YES! The fifth condition is wearing of the Brown Scapular!
Father then asked her what is more important the wearing of the Brown Scapular or saying the Holy Rosary daily. Lucia said: “Father the Rosary and the Brown Scapular are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.”
Our Lady Has Made It Clear What She Wants Of Us
So, there you have it! Our Lady has made it clear in Her Fatima messages what she is asking of us. Everything is connected to each other. In other words, you just can’t do one request without doing ALL of them. I hope this will help you better understand the Fatima Message and how it relates to the Brown Scapular, the Holy Rosary and the Five First Saturday devotion. So, let’s heed to Our Mother’s call to what is ESSENTIAL to the Fatima Message!
As a side note: In the September 13, 1917 apparition Our Lady of Fatima told the children that she will be appearing as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel when She comes on her last appearance on October 13, 1917. Also, this is the only apparition that She appeared in habit.
Until next time,
May GOD Bless you abundantly!
Yours In Carmel
Francine Calabrese, OCDS
References: The True Story of Fatima by John de Marchi, I.M.C
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