Our Lady on Saturday: Fr. Andersen

By Fr. Eric M. Andersen, St. Louis (IX, by the grace of God, King of France) Parish, Gervais, OR

July 7th, 2012

Our Lady on Saturday: The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Every Saturday is a day the Church dedicates to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Unless there is a feast day celebrated on Saturday, it is always offered to God venerating Mary. 

Traditionally, each day of the week is assigned a particular votive Mass. Monday is the Mass of the Holy Trinity; Tuesday is the Mass of the Holy Angels; Wednesday is dedicated to St. Joseph and his votive Mass is celebrated that day. Thursday belongs to the Holy Spirit, because Jesus ascended on Thursday and that day began the Novena to the Holy Spirit in anticipation of Pentecost. Or Thursday commemorates the Blessed Sacrament, or Jesus the Eternal High Priest in remembrance of Holy Thursday. Fridays are a penitential day on which the Church asks that we abstain from flesh meat throughout the year on the day of the week when our Lord gave up His Flesh on the Cross. The Mass of the Holy Cross, the Mass of the Passion, or the Mass of the Sacred Heart are offered on Fridays. That brings us to today, Saturday, of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the completion of the week, ushering in the Day of the Lord on Sunday. 

Not only is today Saturday but it is the First Saturday. The First Friday and the First Saturday of each month carry a special significance, and the Church encourages us to honor these days in a special way: by honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday and the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the First Saturday. We observe the First Saturday devotion by doing four things: (1) going to Sacramental Confession, even for venial sins; (2) receiving Holy Communion in a state of sanctifying grace and offering it as a Communion of reparation for sins and blasphemies; (3) reciting five decades of the Rosary, and (4) keeping our Blessed Mother company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.

By doing these four things once a month, our lives will change, our souls will be sanctified and we will get to heaven. Our Lady will make certain of that. Our Lady promises that if we consecrate five consecutive First Saturdays to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and offer these acts to her Immaculate Heart, then she will intercede for peace on this Earth. Let us be mindful especially during this time when religious freedom is in danger of being lost in this country. Let us turn to Mary, let us consecrate our families and our homes to her Immaculate Heart under the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These two hearts of Jesus and Mary are our certain refuge.