The Nine First Fridays and Five
First Saturdays
June 26, 1994
Brother John Raymond
God's ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts. A good
example of human wisdom as compared to God's wisdom can be found in
the Old Testament. Naaman was an army commander of the Aramaeans, a
pagan nation. He became ill with leprosy. Through an Israelite girl,
who had become a servant of his wife, Naaman learned of an Israelite
prophet who could cure him. So Naaman set out with his chariot and
servants to find Elisha the prophet. When he arrived at the
prophet's house Elisha sent a messenger to him saying that if he
bathed in the Jordan seven times he would be cured. Naaman was
expecting a little more spectacular cure. Indignant at this
ridiculous request of the prophet he left murmuring that surely the
waters of other rivers were just as good or even better than the
Jordan. Fortunately one of his servants reasoned with him. The
servant said that if the prophet had asked him to do something
difficult wouldn't he have done it. So why not follow these simple
instructions. So Naaman went to the Jordan, bathed seven times and
was cured. (2 Kings Chapter 5)
The moral of all this is that God at times requires of us
specific actions to obtain a specific grace. Since grace is a gift
we cannot really in justice "earn" it but God does require some
cooperation on our part. What he requires of us always has a
meaning, at times it can be symbolic.
In June 1674, Jesus asked St. Margaret Mary to receive Holy
Communion on the First Friday of every month. This is now known as
the devotion of the Nine First Fridays. Our Lord promised the grace
of final perseverance to whoever receives Holy Communion on nine
consecutive First Fridays in reparation to His Sacred Heart. (To
this day I have never found out why or for what reason Our Lord
chose "nine" Fridays.)
On December 10, 1925, Our Lady of Fatima, with the Child Jesus
beside Her, appeared to Sister Lucia in her convent room. Our Lady
was holding out Her Heart surrounded by sharp thorns. Jesus and Mary
asked for reparation to be made to the Immaculate Heart. Our Lady
promised to assist with all the necessary graces for salvation at
death those who would make the Five First Saturdays. That is, those
who, for five consecutive first Saturdays of the month, would go to
Confession, receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and spend
fifteen minutes meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary, all with
the intention of making reparation to Her. (Later Our Lord said that
Confession could be on another day as long as one receives Holy
Communion in the state of grace.)
The grace of final perseverance or dying in the state of grace is
not something automatic. We have to pray for continual and final
perseverance. Fortunately, God has given us two specific means of
obtaining this grace. I know somebody that after making the Five
First Saturdays had an intellectual vision of their name being
written in the "Book of Life." (See Rev. 20, 15) I want every reader
of this column to do at least one of these two practices beginning
now! Please get everybody you know to do them, sinner or saint. If
you have already done them keep on doing them. Our Lord said to one
modern visionary that He wants everybody to do both practices to end
the wave of evil sweeping across the world. Jesus said that if these
two monthly devotions were practiced faithfully by His followers
this alone would win the battle over evil, so great are their power
to satisfy Divine Justice and eliminate sin and evil. Let us like
Naaman listen to the servants (of God) and put these simple
devotions into practice!