At the core of Catholic spirituality is devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary the Blessed Virgin. The devotion is an integral part of the continuum of the prayer life and Theological practice of early Christians, and in the present age resonates more among Catholic-Christians. The book of Acts of the Apostles 1:12-14 describes what happened in the immediate aftermath of the Ascension of Christ. The Apostles descended from the mount of Olives, went straight back to the upper room (where the Last Supper took place), and devoted themselves to prayer with the Mother of Jesus and other women. In verse 13, the names of the eleven Apostles were all listed (Judas had already taken his life by then). It is very significant that each of the Apostles was mentioned by name, as well as reference to the women, to indicate that the fullness of the early Church was there.
In that very first act of prayerful devotion by Christians following the Ascension of Christ into Heaven, the Mother of Jesus was in their midst. That model of prayer by the first Christians was with and around the Mother of Jesus. Praying with Mary the Woman full of Grace, who was kept Immaculate by God in order to Immaculately give birth to the Only Son of God, goes back to the very beginnings of the New Testament Church.
In the 4thC AD, there was a famous prayer which celebrated the incomparable moral and spiritual beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God called, Tota pulchra es, Maria. The prayer venerated the life of the Blessed Mother, including her excellence and sacrifice, and invoked her as our intercessor and advocate. The prayer: Et Macula Originalis Non Est in Te attributed to the Blessed Mother Mary the magnificent words of King Solomon in the Song of Songs, “there is no original stain [of sin] in you”. The words of the prayer alluded to Mary’s Immaculate Conception many years in history before Pope Pius IX issued the Dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.
The onset of heretical teachings around the 4thC AD about The Trinity and Divinity of Christ, created a need among theologians in the Patristic period to start devoting their writings to the role of The Blessed Mother in salvation history. By the medieval times, devotions to The Blessed Mother started flourishing in a significant way, with more emphasis on her purity.
With the emergence of various religious groups in the 17thC, devotions distinctly focused on the Immaculate Heart of Mary began to take root. To underscore Mary’s unique love and suffering, St. John Eudes (1601 – 1680) and other religious orders founded during this period, specifically focused and popularized devotion to the Immaculate Heart. The religious order founded by St. John Eudes to advance devotion to the Immaculate Heart, was called the Congregation of Jesus and Mary.
Two more recent significant events which led to a global spread of devotion to the Immaculate Heart include the apparition at Lourdes (1858), and at Fatima (1917). At Lourdes, the Blessed Mother revealed herself to St. Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. At Fatima, through the mouthpiece of Lucia dos Santos and her two cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, she called for repentance and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
The Five First Saturdays and the Apparition of December 1925 to Sr. Lucia dos Santos
Having grown and become a Carmelite Nun, Sr. Lucia dos Santos reported an apparition in 1925, during which our Blessed Mother requested from her a special devotion. The essence of the devotion was to make reparations for all the offenses committed against her Immaculate Heart and as an important help for the conversion of sinners. The Blessed Virgin Mary made a solemn promise to be of assistance to those who practiced the devotion of the Five First Saturdays.
How the Five First Saturdays Devotion is Done
The devotion entails making an act of reparation on the first Saturday of 5 consecutive months. During the period, devotees are expected to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) – this could be done 8 days before or 8 days after the first Saturday; receive Holy Communion on each first Saturday; conduct meditation for at least 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary; offer prayer and do reparation – aimed at consoling the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all the sins committed against it.
Around the world today, the devotion is popular, and under the Papacy of St. John Paul II, there has been a global explosion of devotees.
Immaculate Heart of Mary…pray for us.
Fr. Charles M Onumaegbu
Chaplain, Deaf Ministry
