Why God Asks For This Act of Consecration of Russia

by Father Nicholas Gruner, B. Comm., S.T.L., S.T.D. (Cand.)

The Pope and the Bishops will, by this solemn public act, be underlining the teaching of Scripture that “All Nations are to serve Him” (Jesus). All creation (including Nations and Countries) are made for Christ. (“All things are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s”, wrote St. Paul.) And this act will again give public acknowledgement by the Pope and the bishops that each and every nation (and specifically that the nation and country of Russia) is set aside by God for the service of Christ the King. No temporal authority, no state, no land, no people, no nation, exists except what God has created. And all creation is to serve God in every aspect of life — that nothing in the life of a nation, even those things which concern the temporal welfare of the inhabitants of a country, are to be considered secular. (That is pertaining to this time period only). Rather all things are to be given back to God, that is all politics, economics, law, history, society, families, institutions, land, property, education, medicine, psychology, trades, professions, work, every phase of human life, of individuals, families, cities, nations. Properly speaking in God’s view, there is no such thing as a secular city. Either a city, a country, or a civilization is for God or it is in a state of rebellion against God. It is not created by God to be secular.

By this act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mary’s place in the economy of salvation will be recognized. Mary is not God, is certainly true, rather She is a creature of God. But still She is altogether unique — not simply because She is a human person, and all human persons are unique, rather it is because She is Immaculate, She is the Virgin Mother, She is the Mother of God. She is the One through Whose Merits and consent we were given the Savior. She is the Co-Redemptrix. It is true there is only one Redeemer, Jesus Christ, (and no one is denying this here,) but Jesus before HE came to be Man asked Her consent. Redemption awaited Mary’s consent before Jesus became Man, and remember that Jesus saved us through His Humanity. This union of Mary’s will with the Divine Will of Jesus was perfect not only at the Annunciation, but also was perfect up to and including Her union of will with Jesus in His Sacrifice on the Cross. Mary Our Mother maintained this union of will even though Her soul was pierced with the sword of sorrow as She brought forth Her spiritual children into the life of Sanctifying Grace through this Sacrifice of Her Divine Son. Through this absolutely unique co-operation with Jesus in opening the Gates of Heaven, Mary became our Spiritual Mother. Jesus Himself on the Cross said to us, “Behold your Mother”.

Eve co-operated with Adam in original sin, so the new Eve, Mary co-operated with the new Adam, Jesus, in giving back to us Supernatural life which is Sanctifying Grace. She then is Mother of all those truly alive.

Mary is the dispenser of all the graces that Jesus won for us. As Pope Leo XIII said “All graces come to us from God through the humanity of Jesus, through the hands of Mary to us.” Obviously then, the sacramental graces of the seven sacraments also come to us through Her hands too.

Mary is our Spiritual Mother also because She in Heaven continues Her role by “generating” (Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium, Ch. 8) us into the Supernatural Life of Sanctifying Grace. Mary then is Mother of all the Church, She is the Mother of the Family of God. We are all Her children if we are children of God.

Mary’s role then in human history — when She was on earth — as well as now that She is in Heaven, will be seen more clearly by this solemn public act of the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, by the Pope and all Catholic Bishops together.

She also will be clearly seen to not be competing with Jesus for honor and glory as some Protestants believed long ago and as some Catholics seem to think today. Rather in the act of Consecration, as well as in the results from this act of Consecration, Jesus will be seen to be even more enhanced in the minds of men and nations. For by this act, Russia will be converted to HIS Church — the Catholic Church. Russia will submit gladly as a nation to the sweet yoke of Christ the King. This grace will be given only by honoring Mary — it will never come until this act of honor to Mary is given. It is because this is God’s Will. He delights in honoring HIS Mother. HE wants us all to acknowledge Her as Queen of all Nations and of every heart.

By this Act of Consecration, the Church and particularly the Pope and the bishops will be honored by God. For God has promised to give a Miracle of Grace for this simple Act. HE has promised the conversion of a great nation to God and HIS Church, a conversion away from the plans and designs and rule of the Militant Atheists to the embracing of the Kingship of Christ. When a priest blesses a scapular or a Rosary or a medal or a statue or any holy object, it is God who blesses that object as the priest blesses it. So when the Pope and the Bishops bless and consecrate the country and nation of Russia to God through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, God Himself will so bless and Consecrate Russia. God the Father gave all authority to Jesus and Jesus in turn gave HIS authority to St. Peter and the College of the Apostles. God recognizes this authority through history and in our time He will, by this grace-filled miracle of the conversion of Russia, give public recognition to the authority and the unique and very special role and vocation that the Pope and the Catholic bishops (united by personal obedience and by the same one Catholic Faith to the Pope) have in God’s Providence. At the same time, the Pope’s unique role as successor of St. Peter as Vicar of Jesus Christ, as Supreme Head over all the other Bishops — even taken together — will be made manifest by this solemn act when he commands all the Bishops to join him in consecrating Russia.

By this conversion of Russia, mankind will see clearly that God is in charge of history and that nothing happens unless HE permits it or wills it. HE will give the conversion of Russia through the merits of Christ crucified as all graces come through the life, passion and death of Jesus. As Pope John Paul II said, the center of all human history is Jesus Christ (Redemptor Hominis Paragraph 1). And all graces are also given to us through the Immaculate Heart of Mary who loves us so much as to pray for us continuously even though mankind ignores Her so very much as is seen by the many who have up to now ignored Her most loving and maternal message of Fatima.

Also this consecration and its resulting conversion of Russia and the peace given to mankind will manifest the importance of prayer and sacrifices. For it will be through our prayers and sacrifices that the graces needed to bring about this Collegial Consecration by the College of Catholic bishops under the leadership of and together with the Pope will take place.

It will also be seen that the temporal powers cannot succeed in bringing about true peace and proper order in human society unless the temporal power recognizes and respects the primacy of the spiritual power to teach and to govern in the name of Christ. For this is the order that God Himself has established between these two powers.

WHAT WE MUST DO

In this image we see Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart pierced by the sword placed there by mankind’s sins and ingratitude. Jesus wants the whole world to make reparation to Mary our Mother who loves us so much. By the consecration of Russia be all the bishops to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, God will make the world aware of the necessity of Devotion to Mary. His Mother and Ours.

It is the duty then of priests, religious and laypeople to pray the Rosary and do their daily duty, wear the Scapular of Mount Carmel and consecrate themselves and their families to Our Lady. This program, to which they are duty bound was given by God through the message of Fatima. (See Crusader 11-12 “World Peace Depends on the Catholic Bishops and You.”) By these means they will win graces for their Spiritual Leaders to fulfill their appointed role of consecrating Russia to God through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The co-operation of at least a great number of the Faithful will be necessary before this great grace of Collegial Consecration and the grace of peace will be given to mankind. Many Faithful are listening to Our Lady of Fatima and fulfilling Her requests but more people are needed to bring the Peace Plan from Heaven to completion. We must effectively and really co-operate in our salvation not simply giving lip service to God. Nor should we say that Jesus has done everything already and there is nothing for us to do. Our co-operation with God’s grace is an essential element in God’s plans for us. At the same time we must realize that it is not by our efforts alone that success is granted but it will be by the grace of God.

As a Cardinal, Pope John Paul II fervently promoted Collegial Consecration to Mary. He wrote in the petition to Pope Paul VI the following words regarding Collegial Consecration:

“WE BELIEVE THAT THROUGH THIS ACT OF TRUSTFUL CONFIDENCE IN THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH, MANKIND WILL BE SAVED FROM ATHEISM, WAR AND COMPLETE RUIN. THE MOTHER OF GOD WILL BE WITH YOU, HOLY FATHER, AND WITH THE WORLD FOR ITS RESCUE. THERE WILL ARISE AN ERA OF PEACE AND VICTORY IN THE CAUSE OF CHRIST.”