Signs of the Times

Only “By This Means” Will You Avoid Enslavement

St. John Paul the Great’s effort to comply with Our Lady of Fatima’s request for a collegial consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.

By Father Nicholas Gruner, S.T.L., S.T.D. (Cand.)

This article is being re-printed here, on this site, in accordance with the expressed wishes of its author, who states in the last paragraph, “It is our duty to publish the truth about this vitally urgent need we have for the consecration of Russia. It is a duty incumbent on all of us, especially we who publish about the Message and Miracles of Fatima” (c.f. http://www.fatima.org)

In this article we give the actual words of Our Lord and Our Lady to Sister Lucy concerning the most urgent request of the Consecration of Russia. Our only hope is the prompt fulfillment of this request. We must do all we can to see that the Pope and the bishops consecrate Russia in a solemn and public way in the immediate future.

Our Lady came to Fatima in response to Pope Benedict XV’s anguished cry to Her on May 5, 1917, asking Her to help him and all humanity to find peace. Our Lady responded eight days later on May 13, 1917, by coming for the first time to Fatima, to offer Her help and tell us all the one and only road to peace. On July 13, 1917, She explained this ‘Peace Plan’ further, and said that She would come back at a later time to ask the Pope to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart.

Fatima’s Most Solemn Request

On June 13, 1929, Our Lady did come back as She promised, and on that day She made the request for the consecration of Russia. Here is Sister Lucy’s own description of the apparition:

“I had asked and obtained permission from my superiors and confessor to make the Holy Hour from 11:00 p.m. until midnight from Thursday to Friday. Being alone one night, I knelt down between the Communion rail in the middle of the chapel to say the prayers of the Angel, lying prostrate. Feeling tired, I got up and knelt, and continued to say them with my arms in the form of a cross.

“The only light came from the sanctuary lamp. Suddenly a supernatural light illumined the whole chapel and on the altar appeared a cross of light which reached to the ceiling. In a brighter light could be seen, on the upper part of the cross, the face of a Man and His body to the waist, with a Dove of Light on His breast and, nailed to the cross, the body of another Man.

“A little below the waist, suspended in mid-air, was to be seen a Chalice and a big Host onto Which fell some drops of blood from the face of the Crucified and from a wound in His breast. These drops ran down over the Host and fell into the Chalice. Under the right arm of the cross was Our Lady (Our Lady of Fatima with Her Immaculate Heart in Her hand) … Under the left arm, some big letters, as it were of crystal-clear water running down over the altar, formed these words: ‘Grace and Mercy’.

“I understood that it was the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity that was revealed to me … “ (more…)

Pope Benedict XVI: “Mary Suffers With Those Who Are in Affliction”

Our Lady’s Two Popes Embracing

On February 11, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI offered the following reflection on the profound interconnectedness of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Eucharist and salvific suffering. Continuing in the tradition of his predecessor, Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI underscores the totality of Mary’s “fiat,” or “yes,” to the divine will of the Father concerning her unique participation in the redemption of humanity with her Son, beginning at the annunciation and brought to completion at the foot of the cross. It is precisely for this reason that Holy Mother Church ascribes to Mary the exalted title of “Co-Redemptrix,” standing, as it were, at the foot of each sick child’s cross.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. On 11 February, the memorial of the Blessed Mary Virgin of Lourdes, the World Day of the Sick will be celebrated, a propitious occasion to reflect on the meaning of pain and the Christian duty to take responsibility for it in whatever situation it arises. This year this significant day is connected to two important events for the life of the Church, as one already understands from the theme chosen ‘The Eucharist, Lourdes and Pastoral Care for the Sick’: the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the apparitions of the Immaculate Mary at Lourdes, and the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress at Quebec in Canada. In this way, a remarkable opportunity to consider the close connection that exists between the Mystery of the Eucharist, the role of Mary in the project of salvation, and the reality of human pain and suffering, is offered to us. (more…)