Russia is back in the news.

The Consecration: Why Russia s Intentions Don t Matter As Much As Our Lady s Suzanne Pearson gives us a unique explanation of why Russia was chosen to be the instrument to bring peace to the world and that the Consecration of Russia is an endearing privilege being bestowed on that once-catholic nation. by Suzanne Pearson Russia is back in the news. We sense a heightened foreboding about Russian expansionism. Russia in Syria. Russia in the Ukraine. Russian infiltration. Some even charge that Russia hacked the recent US election. This rhetorical turbulence represents a dramatic change from the lull we experienced for so many years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which convinced too many people that Russia no longer needed to be consecrated because she was no longer a threat. The accusations made in the press against Russia represent only one side of the turbulence. Russia has become controversial. Is the presumption of a newly menacing Russia even accurate, or are developments there actually more positive than the spin-doctors tell us? And even if developments in Russia are potentially threatening to us, do we try to work together with her leaders, or do we brace ourselves and other nations militarily to thwart her expected aggression? Both sides of the argument give us, for different reasons, new hope for the Consecration of Russia. How do we judge Russia? This question that now preoccupies the secular policy debate has also dominated discussion about the Consecration within the Church for many years. Did the fall of Communism mean that Russia had converted? Did Russia really reject Communism at that time or did she merely seem to? The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017 49

Did Pope John Paul II s 1984 Consecration of the World count as fulfilling Our Lady s request, or is Russia still a threat? Prospects for the Consecration have languished for two reasons: Resistance from the Vatican and the apathy of most Christians, who lack the will, the conviction, and the fervor to plead effectively for it. The growing fear of Russian aggression gives us hope for the Consecration by fueling the fervor of the faithful. And even if the current threat from Russia is more imagined than real, those who arm her borders with more and more guns and tanks and troops in an attempt to surround her may yet provoke Russia into a war she doesn t really want. These forces, too, contribute to the sense of urgency about the Consecration. The more dangerous people think Russia is, the more seriously they take the need to finally fulfill Our Lady s wishes. When Russia seems benign, people figure the Consecration must have been done. But, is How do we judge Russia? really the issue? Did Our Lady single out Russia because her policies, her actions, her people, or her system of government were uniquely evil? Or did She single out Russia for another reason? Our Blessed Lady told us that God Himself had requested the Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. It was an initiative coming directly from Heaven. Anything coming from God is infinitely good, so we can expect the Consecration of Russia to produce a multiplicity of benefits, one of which certainly will be the cessation of evils emanating from Russia. Russia s Destiny A Unique Mission But I believe Our Lady s primary reason for choosing Russia was to enable Her to use that country for a unique mission in the future. As a parallel, we might think of God s intervention in the life of Saul of Tarsus, as he made his way to Damascus burning with zeal to persecute Christians in that city. Did Our Lord knock the future Saint Paul off his horse to stop the persecution? In Damascus, the persecution suffered a setback when Paul converted, but elsewhere it raged unabated, and would in fact continue for several hundred years. There were many cruel perpetrators of violence against 50 The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017

World Peace will only come after the conversion of Russia. Russia will only be converted after the Catholic bishops of the world have, together with the Pope, consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Christians in those days. Did Christ single out Saul because he was the most evil? Or was it not rather, as He told the disciple Ananias in a vision, that [T]his man is the instrument I have chosen to bring My Name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel? (Acts 9:15) Saint Paul, this dynamo of an apostle, this giant of iron will, indefatigable energy, and passionate dedication to Jesus Christ and the spread of His Gospel, would be used by God to Christianize the Roman Empire, and through his writings, which form the bulk of the New Testament, to catechize Christians of every age. In the Bible, Saul is summarized in a few paragraphs; Paul and his mission fill hundreds of pages. We see Saint Paul s amazing journey in retrospect, but Our Lord saw the whole story ahead of time, just as Our Lady now sees the whole trajectory of Russian history. Just as a mighty nudge from Heaven was needed to transform Saul into Paul, so Russia needs the Consecration in order to fulfill the destiny God has ordained for her. Our Lady already sees everything Russia will accomplish after it is The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017 51

consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart. What Is a Consecration? To consecrate means to set aside for a holy purpose. If Mary specifies Russia as the object of the Consecration, it is because She knows that Russia is uniquely suited to carry out the holy purpose She has in mind. She sees a huge, mighty nation, rich in natural resources, whose people have treasured Her as the Mother of God for a thousand years. Perhaps She sees in Russia other unique qualifications yet to be revealed. She wants to lead Her chosen people to great triumphs for the Church. All the crimes of Russia s past history the atheism, the depths of depravity and atrocities of cruelty perpetrated by the Communists will pale in the light of her future exploits under the banner of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Those who study Catholic prophecy have discovered in the writings of numerous saints the prediction that some day Russia will be instrumental in restoring Christendom. Saint John Bosco had a vision of Russian armies in France carrying a black standard or flag, which at a certain point turns from black to white. The Russian armies then stay in France and Western Europe, not as enemies but as friends, to defend Europe from the invasion from the South. In light of Our Lady s promise that the Consecration and conversion of Russia will usher in an era of peace, we should not be surprised to learn that even in ancient prophecies there already appears the image of a converted Russia actively re-christianizing other nations. A New Perspective To think primarily in terms of Our Lady s future mission for Russia might give our advocacy for the Consecration a whole new perspective. If our focus is on Her merciful designs for the salvation of the maximum number of souls, it won t matter whether Russia is currently threatening, neutral, or friendly. Our advocacy will be focused on fulfilling Our Lady s intentions rather than on alleviating our own concerns. If the Holy Father could ever be convinced that the purpose of the Consecration is to expedite Mary s plans to bless and ennoble Russia, he would be more secure in defending the Consecration against those who claim it would be construed as an insult. In the current ferment over Russia s intentions, we can find 52 The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017

still another reason for hope for the Consecration. This time the hope comes from the other side of the argument. Not from the side that fears Russian expansionism and wants to fortify all neighboring countries against possible Russian aggression. Rather, it comes from the side of those who want to strengthen ties with Russia. This side points to the religious practices of Russia s President Vladimir Putin, who has a chapel in his palace, who goes to confession every week, and who has taken measures to oppose the international anti-marriage, anti-family juggernaut. Politically, Putin has positioned himself as antiglobalist, anti-new World Order. Even though his own Russian nationalism is seen as a threat, it also reinforces the world-wide movement toward nationalism, as witnessed in countries like Hungary and Poland, the Brexit movement in England, the America First agenda of President Trump, and the ascendancy of nationalist political leaders in France and Holland. There is a much greater affinity between nationalism and Christianity than between One-World secularism and Christianity. After all, the Catholic Church has traditionally advocated subsidiarity in the structure of governments. Many of our modern nations have strong, long-standing Christian roots, which can be reinvigorated if that nation is not held subservient to an over-reaching, secular supergovernment. Resistance from the Vatican How can the wide-spread movement towards nationalism give us hope for the Consecration of Russia? The primary resistance to consecrating Russia comes from inside the Vatican. The present Holy Father seems to be entirely closed to the possibility, having even rebuffed overtures coming from Russia itself. Given this iron wall of resistance, one man active in Catholic circles in Washington, D.C. projected that the final, successful push for the Consecration of Russia will probably come, not from within the Church hierarchy, but from some civil government leader. It would be optimal, he said, if some Catholic prince could turn the Church around. He recalled the veto of Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria-Hungary during the 1903 papal conclave, which gave the Church the saintly Pope Pius X rather than the freemasonic The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017 53

Cardinal Rampolla, whom the cardinals were about to choose. However, continued my Washington friend, God can use secular leaders for His purposes, even the most unlikely ones. The reason for my friend s optimism that a secular government leader might obtain the Consecration of Russia is that, as he said, bishops and cardinals have a history of caving in to politicians. They enjoy hobnobbing with the power brokers of the world. The dominant ideology of the powers-that-be is globalism, which has gained ground with each new generation. In recent years, the forces moving the world in this direction have seemed unstoppable. The One-World mentality has even invaded the Vatican, and seems to direct its decisions and actions. It is the globalists with their goal of one world religion, one world culture, and one world government who have a problem with Our Lady s plan for the future of the world. And until now, they have had the power to thwart Our Lady by preventing the Consecration. But what if the wind started blowing the other way? What if nationalism replaces globalism and becomes the wave of the future? Would the princes of the Church continue to cave in to politicians? In that event, the uncomfortable intrusion of secular political influence into the affairs of the Holy See would actually work for Our Lady s agenda instead of against it, including the Consecration of Russia. Mary has promised that eventually the Holy Father will consecrate Russia, though it will be late. Could our long wait be nearing its end? If the geopolitical winds with Russia at the vortex are blowing in a fearful direction, perhaps the Pope will obey Our Lady when he gets scared enough. On the other hand, if a resurgence in nationalism, especially Christian-leaning nationalism, begins to undermine the influence of the long-ascendant secular globalists within the Vatican, we might dare to hope that the hostility of the Vatican toward the Consecration might diminish. Either way, the prospects for the Consecration of Russia have been given a new push. Let us thank Our Lord and Our Lady for this glimmer of hope, and pray that She brings it to reality. 54 The Fatima Crusader Spring 2017