Why is the Pope’s Consecation so important?
Friday March 25, 2022, the Feast of the Annunciation, His Holiness, Pope Francis in unity with all the Bishops of the world will Consecrate humanity and especially Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
With war raging in Ukraine and the risk of escalation real, in our fear we are turning to Heaven to help us – and rightly so. But what is the connection between a war in Ukraine and the consecration planned for March 25th by Pope Francis?
While the focus is on the war and aggression of Russia upon the people of Ukraine the real issue here is the battle between humanity and satan. War is the manifestation of evil at an extreme level. Satan, in his envy of humanity and vengeance towards God, wants to destroy us and all creation. War is one of his most effective means.
Satan believes that he is better than humanity. It is true that before his fall from grace he occupied a higher state than us. All of fallen humanity was under his dominion until something extraordinary – Mary was conceived without sin! She alone was held free from the dominion and power of satan. But then something even more extraordinary happened – God became Man through Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin. Christ’s conception is celebrated on the Feast of the Annunciation, the very same day that Pope Francis has chosen for this consecration. Is Pope Francis making a point? You bet he is!
The Defeat of satan and evil
The Holy Trinity holds the power to defeat evil and vanquish them to hell forever. A mere Divine Thought would accomplish this. But the Trinity has chosen not to use their sheer omnipotent authority and power to do so. Instead, the Holy Trinity has chosen to work through the redemptive acts of Jesus Christ and the fiat, humility and purity of Our Lady. You see, Heaven does not care much about vanquishing satan to Hell. That battle is already decided. Heaven is infinitely more interested in the salvation and sanctification of each and every one of us! That is why there was the Passion of Our Lord and the Sorrows of Our Lady. For the understanding of our limited intellect, these are real and relatable illustrations of Heaven’s infinite Love towards humanity.
But here is where the plan of Heaven becomes extraordinary. While God posses the power to vanquish satan he chooses to have that victory come not directly from his hand, but from the fiat, humility and purity of the Virgin which He alone has formed. He wants the victory to come through humanity as another illustration of His love for us. Also, it is Heaven saying that we too, through His Grace and only through His Grace, can defeat evil. He is pointing to the Immaculate Virgin, as the one we should strive to imitate to overcome evil and sin in our lives.
Pope Francis’s act of consecrating all of humanity to the Immaculate Virgin is connecting each and every soul with the holiness of the Immaculate Virgin to defeat satan and sin. Based on limited research this is the first time that a Pope and all the Bishops have consecrated all souls, the people of the world to the Immaculate Virgin. In prior consecrations the Popes have referred to places and nations. This is a powerful distinction.
Once again Heaven is giving us the grace and the means by which we can participate with Him in the salvation of souls. In this consecration, we call upon her, the only spotless one of our humanity to go before the Throne of God seeking permission to once again defeat evil. It’s God’s call, but God so loves the Immaculate Virgin, that if she is the one asking, the answer is always – Yes.
Further, in this act of consecration we are joined to the Immaculate Virgin, and we participate in her triumph over sin and all evil.
Since war is a manifestation of evil and Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin possesses the grace to overcome evil, therein is the connection between the consecration and the war in Ukraine. Overcome evil and the war stops.
There are two things that we need to contemplate to understand Our Lady’s role in this. First, she is the greatest of all creation. Second, she possesses in her nature by Grace, the power and certainty to defeat satan in each and every encounter.
Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin is the greatest of all creation. As a paradox, it is not her intellect, skill or any other human attribute that makes her the greatest. It is her total Fiat (“Yes”) to the Will of God that sets her on the path to this greatness. Her total focus on fulfilling the Divine Will is the foundation for her humility and purity. Together these attributes, practiced by her to the limits creation, have opened her heart to the infinite Graces of God. And these Graces elevate her nearest of all creation to the Holy Trinity. However, as a word of caution, so as to never be confused, the Blessed Virgin Mary is human and is not Divine (even though one of her many titles is Theotokos – Mother of God).
The first recorded proclamation of her Fiat is at the Annunciation when she proclaims “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). It was her Fiat that opened that pathway for Divinity to enter humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. This “Fiat MIhi” (Let it be done to me as you say) is also celebrated on the Feast of the Annunciation, the very same day that Pope Francis has chosen for this consecration. Again, is Pope Francis making a point? You bet he is!
It is profitable for us to learn from this example of the Blessed Virgin. Saying “Yes” to God in all things without fear, hesitation or limitation allows for God’s Miracles of Grace to operate in our souls too. Our ultimate holiness is proportionally related to the completeness and perfection of our fiat to the will of God, because He is the only source of Grace resulting in Holiness.
What Our Lady asked at Fatima regarding the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart has been widely reported (click for details). In addition to the his definitive accomplishment of that request, what Pope Francis is asking of Heaven goes beyond preventing the spread of evils that plague Russia. He is asking that all of humanity be taken into union with the perfect fiat, humility and purity of Our Lady for the defeat of evil. If through Grace and our individual fiat this union is accomplished, then this is a pivotal point in salvation history.
In the devotion to Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America, she asks that we strive in imitation of her and the Holy Family in their Fiat, Humility and Purity. The efficacy of this consecration is dependent on our individual response. This devotion gives very specific guidance to the faithful in fulfilling our consecration. With the grace of God, one person can change the world for the better. Say “Yes!” to Our Lord, say “Fiat!” In Grace, each of us has an opportunity to be such a person.
With all of this said about Our Lady’s role in defeating evil, which is the primary purpose of this consecration, let us recognize this is her secondary mission. Her primary mission is always to bring souls to salvation that is only found in her Son, Jesus Christ. These two missions go hand-in-hand but let there be no confusion as to which one has primacy.
Please participate in your parish, prayer community or individually with Pope Francis, all the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful in this grace filled event. For those who are close enough to the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center please join us in-person (details)
Please stop and pray right now! Pope Francis needs your prayers for protection. Satan will stop at nothing to keep this from happening.
