I’m looking forward to today’s consecration of humanity, and especially Russia and Ukraine, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That it is made on the Solemnity of the Annuciation is extra significant, for the announcement to Mary that she would be the Mother of God, and the spiritual mother of us all, is a great reminder that we need to trust God’s plans to help us at this particular moment of salvation history. We are also reminded that Our Lady is Queen of Peace.
Of course, there has been a lot of well-intentioned holy chatter about the specific wording of this consecration, especially that it is too general, not focusing exclusively on Russia, as Mary told the children of Fatima in 1917, and as reported by Sister Lucia dos Santos (now a Servant of God, and hopefully on the way to beatification). Previous consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by Pope Pius XII, and Saints Paul VI and John Paul II also lacked this exclusivity (although a friend of mine was in the Square of St. Peter for John Paul II’s consecration in 1983, and declares the Pope went “off script” and did mention Russia in an exclusive way). Be that as it may, we know that today’s consecration by Pope Francis and the bishops joining him mentions the consecration of humanity, and especially Russia and Ukraine (see attached PDF).
We are all free to opine as we like on the matter. Some of us are more knowledgeable about private revelations of Mary to the Church and world. I definitely don’t claim that kind of expertise; I have enough difficulty processing and applying public Revelation. However, I am a little familiar with Fatima (although I have yet to get there), and two things stand out to me. First, the wording of humanity, Russia and Ukraine seem pretty Russia-specific to me, especially since recent Russian leaders have thought Ukraine was part of Russia (hence the current invasion). Second, and in a broader sense, the “errors of Russia” Mary warned us about (political-cultural Marxist materialism) have spread through humanity, even in the contemporary West (and even in some strains of Catholic theology). In this way, we are all (humanity) in dire need of Our Lady’s help. For one, I’m glad I’m included under today’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Seems to me like a most fitting way to celebrate this Solemnity!
For some confession opportunities, please visit Open Confessional
Let's Repent! 