First Saturday Mass – Sermon by Father Levine

Fr. Joseph Levine; Holy Family Catholic Church, Burns, Oregon: June 4, 2022

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the most splendid and beautiful reality in all of God’s creation, his greatest masterpiece.

This 1st Saturday celebration could hardly come on a better day, the Vigil of Pentecost, for Mary is the perfect Temple and pure Spouse of the Holy Spirit; there is no separation between her and the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit does not find in her the least resistance to his movements, but instead perfect docility.

When we look at Mary in the midst of the Apostles and disciples, during the days of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost we could easily make a serious mistake, we could easily think that she is like the others, longing for a gift she has never before received. Yet, for Mary, Pentecost began with her Immaculate Conception; she was never without the Holy Spirit; full of grace, she lived continually in the grace of the Holy Spirit. So in those days leading up to Pentecost she was in the midst of the Apostles and disciples, interceding for them that they might receive the gift she had always enjoyed in the fullest. When the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost, this was an answer to her prayers on their behalf, this was the result of her intercession, just as the changing of the water into wine at Cana. She is likewise the one who obtains for us the gift of the Holy Spirit and the grace to live in fidelity to that gift.

But why this devotion of five 1st Saturdays in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Temple of the Holy Spirit?

Well, in the first place, she requested it. On July 13, 1917 she told the children of Fatima that she would return to request communions of reparation on five 1st Saturdays. She made that request to Sr. Lucia on December 10, 1925 in the convent in which she was staying in Pontevedra, Portugal.

Next, Sr. Lucia learned about this devotion that Jesus wanted the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be honored alongside his heart.

Why? Well, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the commandments of God, one of which is honor thy father and thy mother. That has consequences that are absolutely staggering. In the first place, Jesus honored his Mother in her very creation, by bestowing on her the gift of her Immaculate Conception and the fullness of grace, by providing for himself the most perfect Mother possible. Then, beyond just honoring his Mother during the whole course of his life on earth, he has continued to honor her, by preserving her body from the corruption of death and taking her up to heaven body and soul to be with him forever, and by making her to be known and glorified by his faithful on earth, in fulfillment of her prophecy, All generations will call me blessed.

As an aside here, the Protestants are always asking us where in Scripture we are told to honor Mary, the answer is found in the same commandment. Honor thy father and thy mother. Mary is also our Mother for Jesus said in her regard, Behold your Mother. From there it follows as surely as 2+2=4 that we are to honor Mary as our Mother in the order of grace.

Further, the devotion of the five 1st Saturdays in not just about honoring Mary, but even more about making reparation to her Immaculate Heart. Imagine if someone had deeply offended and wounded the heart of your mother on earth; would you not want to console her? Just look at the world today and think of how her heart must hurt on account of the ingratitude of her wayward children. Think of all the reports of her statues weeping that have appeared over past decades. So Jesus wants us to console our Mother in heaven by making reparation.

Nor is the reparation to be general and vague, there are five particular ‘blasphemies’ against her heart for which we need to offer reparation.

The first three have to do with the denials of the basic truths about her person: blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception, blasphemies against her virginity, and blasphemies against her divine maternity and the refusal to accept her as Mother of all men.

The last two blasphemies are particularly ugly and practical. The fourth blasphemy is that of instilling indifference, scorn and even hatred towards this Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children. To grasp how grievous this is just think of the widespread systematic campaign to corrupt the hearts, minds, and imaginations of little children; all this alienates them from their Immaculate Mother. The fifth blasphemy consists of direct insults against her sacred images, which we can see multiplying around us. Not are there the actions that destroy or deface statues and images of Mary, there is the production of horrific, mocking and even obscene images.

How the heart of our Mother must hurt, but she hurts most for the hurt of her wayward children who by rejecting and offending her make themselves miserable and run the risk of eternal perdition.

But what does she ask of us? Something very small, easy to do, and seemingly insignificant communions of reparation on five consecutive 1st Saturdays together with praying five decades of the rosary and keeping her company for 15 minutes by meditating on the mysteries of the rosary. There is also the requirement of confession, but this is not required on the actual Saturday, but in order to worthily receive communion. My understanding of the meditation of the mysteries of the rosary on this day is in addition to the recitation of the rosary itself. As for a communion of reparation, what does that mean but telling Jesus, when we receive communion, that we are so sorry that so many people offend his Mother and telling his Mother how sorry we are, and offering the love of the Heart of Jesus that has just been given to us, to her.

This might seem insignificant in face of the grievous evils that afflict the world today, but in the sight of God, faithful fulfillment of our Mother’s request will be powerful indeed. It is a small request on the part of our Mother, a small request for something that we should in any case find great joy in undertaking. If that were not enough she promises to those who faithfully complete this devotion to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for their salvation. If we take it to heart, if we once get started, we will not want to stop with five 1st Saturdays, but will want to dedicate every first Saturday to consoling our Mother in this way.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the most splendid and beautiful reality in all God’s creation. Consider the image of Divine Mercy the beautiful rays of red and white light that stream forth from Jesus side. Those same rays are found in the Heart of Mary, the perfect receptacle of God’s grace. In Jesus, however, because he is the Son of God, those rays always possess a divine intensity that can be hard for us to endure, even when they pass through his sacred humanity. In Mary, the pure creature of God, those rays come to us with a maternal gentleness that we can easily support as she says to us, “Am I not here, who am your Mother”. Let us welcome her as our Mother, welcome those rays of light from her Immaculate Heart, and do our best to respond to her maternal request and bring her consolation in place of ingratitude.

(Related: Easter 2022 – Sermon by Father Levine)