Our Lady Is Still Awaiting
the Consecration of Russia
the Consecration of Russia
A Proposal by Father Gruner
In
1952, Our Lady said to Sr. Lucia: “Make it known to the Holy Father
that I am still awaiting the Consecration of Russia. Without that
Consecration, Russia cannot convert, nor will the world have peace.”
At
that time, in 1952, Our Lady had already been waiting 23 years for the
Holy Father to act, having solemnly announced on June 13, 1929 that “the
moment” had come in which God asked for him to consecrate Russia,
promising to convert it by that means. Now in 2013, Our Lady has been
kept waiting for more than 84 years!
Why,
in all this time — as wars and scandals have proliferated, to the ruin
of both Church and society — hasn’t the Pope performed this simple act
that carries such momentous promises? Obviously, for whatever reason, he
has not yet received enough grace to do this.
“I
do not say this as a criticism of Pope Francis, or of any of the
previous seven Popes. I simply mean to point out that Our Lady of
Fatima’s Message is and always has been powerfully opposed, and this
particular element of Her Message is no exception to this fact. The
Consecration of Russia remains powerfully opposed to this very day, and
Pope Francis will need a tremendous grace in order to accomplish Our
Lady’s request.
Is
it possible that we have not prayed enough for this intention?
Absolutely, although I know of at least 40 million Rosaries that have
been offered for this throughout the years (including campaigns
organized by both Our Lady’s Apostolate and the Society of St. Pius X).
Very likely, too, is the possibility that we have not prayed well enough. Before our time runs out entirely, we need to act now by some means to add to the power of our prayers.
How
can we do this? Our Lord gives us the key, I believe, when He tells us
that the worst sort of demons can be overcome only by prayer and fasting.
Prayer
and fasting, applied together, were the powerful weapons of the Curé
d’Ars by which he won from God the grace of converting his parish. And
when a fellow-priest lamented the lack of success gained by his own
prayers for the conversion of a certain person, St. John Vianney asked
him if he had ever tried fasting to make his prayers more powerful.
Having followed the saint’s advice, this priest at last found a speedy
answer to his prayers.
We
also know that this is what Our Lady of Fatima has asked for — joining
penances to our prayers. Speaking of the Consecration of Russia, She
said: “Sacrifice yourself for this intention,
and pray!” And when a pilgrim asked little Lucia if Our Lady had asked
us to pray for the conversion of sinners, Lucia answered, “No.” After
the pilgrim left, Francisco questioned her as to why she would have made
such an answer, and Lucia replied that in fact Our Lady had not said to
pray, but rather to pray and make sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
Would you please join me
in redoubling our efforts now to secure this most needed grace from
Heaven, for the Pope to order the Catholic bishops of the world to join
him in consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
Four
weekends remain before Sunday, October 13, when Pope Francis will
consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us continue to
pray as many Rosaries as we can each day, but I ask you — if your
health will allow it — to add a day of fasting in each of these four
weeks, with the intention that the Holy Father will make this the
occasion of consecrating Russia. You might
choose either Friday or Saturday; you might abstain from food for an
entire 24-hour period, or simply until 7 p.m., or 5 p.m., or 3 p.m. on
the day chosen. You might allow yourself a small “collation” or two
during the day, and restrict yourself to only one full meal — whatever
your physical strength and your generosity toward Our Lady will make
appropriate for you.
The
prudent rule of choosing penances is that you do nothing that will
injure your health. Persons with diabetes and other such conditions may
have to look to penances other than fasting, but certainly, many of us
will suffer no harm from missing a few meals. And it may save all of our
lives, and even many souls. Please, let’s be realistic about our
situation — in regard to our society’s desperate debt of penance before
God (remember the Angel of the Third-Secret Vision, who cried, “Penance!
Penance! Penance!”), and in regard also to our obligation as Christians
to lead properly mortified lives. I think that even if you have never
considered yourself capable of much generosity in self-denial, you may
find that you have a much greater capacity for this than you realize.
Let’s
begin together, then, this weekend, to fast on either Friday or
Saturday, and continue in the following three weeks in this special plea
to Heaven for the speedy Consecration of Russia and the Triumph of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary!
|
No comments:
Post a Comment