Consecration of Russia to Immaculate Heart of Mary
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” /Matthew 7:21-24/
Every day, God places challenges in front of us. They can be small or big, easy or difficult, obvious or hard to spot. These are ordinary requirements that come with being Catholic, like morning and evening prayers, going to church and the pious attendance of the Mass on Sundays and obligatory holydays, doing a good job at home and work. Then there are many other things which God wishes us to do, sometimes it is picking up a of piece of trash laying on the ground, at other times it is smiling at a person passing by, opening the door for an older person, helping a sinner change their ways through conversation or prayer in his intention, shaking someone’s hand, encouraging to work harder, etc. Every disobedience, doing something against the will of God or failing to do His will is sinful. If we recognize that every day is full of challenges it is easier to accept the truths from the passages: first letter of St. John 1:8 “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;” first book of Kings 8:46 “for there is no one who does not sin;” Ecclesiastes 7:20 “yet there is no one on earth so just as to do good and never sin.” On top of everyday challenges come extraordinary ones. The will of God unveiled through private revelations.
A hundred years ago, on July 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima warned the three seers that if people did not stop offending God, He would punish the world “by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father,” using Russia as His chosen instrument of chastisement. She told the children that “to prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart” and promised that, by this single public act, Russia would be converted, and peace would be given to the world.
The Mother of God cautioned that if Her requests were not granted, “Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated.”
True to Her word, Our Lady reappeared to Sister Lucy on June 13, 1929 at Tuy, Spain, when in a great and sublime vision representing the Blessed Trinity, She announced that “the moment has come for God to ask the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart. By this means, He promises to save Russia.”
Later, this request having not been heeded, Our Lady said to Lucia: “They did not want to pay attention to my request. Like the king of France, they will be sorry, but it will be too late. Russia will already have spread its errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The Holy Father will have much to suffer!”
On August 19, 1931, Our Lord Himself appeared to Sister Lucy in Rianjo, Spain and expressed His displeasure, saying “make it known to My ministers that, given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution My command, they will follow him also into misfortune.”
Our Lord’s warning is a grave one indeed, referring as it does to His command, through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to the King of France that he consecrate his nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The King chose to ignore the command and thus condemned his dynasty and throne to the horrors of revolution, chaos and the guillotine.
In a letter to Father Gonçalves in 1936, Lucia mentions another communication from Our Lord: “…Pray very much for the Holy Father. He will do the consecration of Russia, but it will be too late. Nevertheless, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will save Russia. It has been entrusted to Her.”
In response Pope Pius XII: On October 31, 1942, consecrated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and on July 7, 1952, consecrated the Russians to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pope Paul VI: On November 21, 1964, confided the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pope St. John Paul II made two consecrations of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: in Fatima on May 13, 1982; and in Rome on March 25, 1984.
Pope Benedict XVI on May 13, 2007, invoking Our Lady of Fatima on the ninetieth anniversary of the apparitions, stated, “In a special way we entrust to Mary those peoples and nations that are in particular need, confident that she will not fail to heed the prayers we make to her with filial devotion.”
Many say that those attempts listed above didn’t exactly follow request of Our Lady of Fatima, and are not valuable. It is not our job to judge, let us give it to God, and be inspired and instructed by St Paul in The Letter to Romans 8; 14-17 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” As children of God and heirs of God we can, each of us, individually consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If in the spirit of being children of God, in the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great for Souls in Purgatory, we offer God the Most Precious Blood of our Lord, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world on this day. If while reciting The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy we are offering God the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of His Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Why not in the same spirit consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? We can do it every day with our morning or evening prayers, or even in the middle of the day or whenever is convenient. We don’t need permission or approval for prayer that follows the directives of Our Lord from Matthew 6:7 “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” We can compose our own, simple one or two sentences as an act of consecration, or recite the one posted below. Prayed with conviction, coming from the heart, it will do the job.
The words of our Lord; “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven,” should be enough to persuade anybody to act, because none of us want to be at the Day of Judgment among those who ignored the will of God.
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” Powerful and awakening words reminding us that failing to follow the will of God, is serving evil.
Act of consecration
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, I a wretched and unworthy sinner consecrate today and always and surrender, Russia, and myself to Thy Immaculate Heart. Through the same Christ our Lord, Amen. Virgin most powerful pray for us.
link to flyer here