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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Five First Saturdays	Rob	Friday, December 10, 2010
Question: Hello Brother Ignatius I hope you've been well. My question concerns the devotion of the five first saturdays. I have been wanting to begin this devotion, but don't quite understand one of the requirements. I have a handout I got in the mail by America Needs Fatima. It states 1. Go to confession 2. Receive holy communion. 3. Say five decades of the rosary. 4. Meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the holy rosary(separate from saying the rosary). The last one is the one I'm having a hard time understanding. What exactly does one need to do to complete requirement number 4? Thank You, God bless.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Rob: The First Saturday devotion is a personal devotion. As a personal devotion it may be celebrated any way you wish -- there are no binding regulations. The "Meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the holy rosary (separate from saying the rosary)" is the first time I have heard anyone make such a suggestion. If one is praying the Rosary correctly, meditation of the mysterious has already been done. The only thing I can figure is that it is common practice for Catholics to pray the Rosary like it is race to get to the finish, and thus not really meditating on the mysteries as one should. We should never "say" the Rosary, we are suppose to "mediate" upon the Rosary. Perhaps this is where the 4th condition you list is coming from -- making sure people actually meditate on the mysteries. You are fulfilling the devotion by meditating upon the mysteries of the Rosary while you pray the Rosary. This is the way the Rosary was intended to be prayed. If you wish to meditate upon the mysteries apart from the Rosary, you certainly can. One way to do that is to get a picture that represents each mystery. Then gaze upon that picture and think about what the mystery means, and what it means for you for your life. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Five First Saturdays

Rob

Friday, December 10, 2010

Question:

Hello Brother Ignatius I hope you've been well. My question concerns the devotion of the five first saturdays. I have been wanting to begin this devotion, but don't quite understand one of the requirements. I have a handout I got in the mail by America Needs Fatima. It states 1. Go to confession 2. Receive holy communion. 3. Say five decades of the rosary. 4. Meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the holy rosary(separate from saying the rosary).

The last one is the one I'm having a hard time understanding. What exactly does one need to do to complete requirement number 4? Thank You, God bless.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Rob:

The First Saturday devotion is a personal devotion. As a personal devotion it may be celebrated any way you wish -- there are no binding regulations.

The "Meditate for fifteen minutes on the mysteries of the holy rosary (separate from saying the rosary)" is the first time I have heard anyone make such a suggestion. If one is praying the Rosary correctly, meditation of the mysterious has already been done.

The only thing I can figure is that it is common practice for Catholics to pray the Rosary like it is race to get to the finish, and thus not really meditating on the mysteries as one should. We should never "say" the Rosary, we are suppose to "mediate" upon the Rosary. Perhaps this is where the 4th condition you list is coming from -- making sure people actually meditate on the mysteries.

You are fulfilling the devotion by meditating upon the mysteries of the Rosary while you pray the Rosary. This is the way the Rosary was intended to be prayed.

If you wish to meditate upon the mysteries apart from the Rosary, you certainly can. One way to do that is to get a picture that represents each mystery. Then gaze upon that picture and think about what the mystery means, and what it means for you for your life.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum