Pope Francis has formally invited every Bishop in the world to join him in an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this upcoming March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. \u00a0This is a cry to heaven for peace in the world, in particular between these two countries. \u00a0I understand some have criticized Pope Francis for various reasons, yet I firmly believe this is a beautiful and concrete act by the Church for the wellbeing of those currently affected by war. \u00a0Those who say it is not being \u201cdone right\u201d or that \u201cit has already been done\u201d miss the whole point \u2013 I believe Jesus would ask them, \u201cit is lawful to do good on the Sabbath?\u201d \u00a0Here is the Consecration Prayer that will be used by Pope Francis as reported by the Catholic News Agency:<\/p>\n
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you.\u00a0 As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you.\u00a0 Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! \u00a0You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.<\/p>\n
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace.\u00a0 We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars.\u00a0 We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. \u00a0We have betrayed peoples\u2019 dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. \u00a0We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. \u00a0We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. \u00a0We stopped being our neighbour\u2019s keepers and stewards of our common home. \u00a0We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. \u00a0We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. \u00a0Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!<\/p>\n
Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. \u00a0He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. \u00a0By God\u2019s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.<\/p>\n
We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. \u00a0We are your beloved children. \u00a0In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. \u00a0At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. \u00a0Say to us once more: \u201cAm I not here, I who am your Mother?\u201d \u00a0You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. \u00a0In you we place our trust. \u00a0We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.<\/p>\n
That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. \u00a0To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: \u201cThey have no wine\u201d (Jn<\/em> 2:3). \u00a0Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. \u00a0We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. \u00a0We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. \u00a0How greatly we need your maternal help!<\/p>\n Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.<\/p>\n Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.<\/p>\n Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.<\/p>\n Queen of Heaven, restore God\u2019s peace to the world.<\/p>\n Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.<\/p>\n Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.<\/p>\n Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.<\/p>\n Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.<\/p>\n O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. \u00a0May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. \u00a0Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. \u00a0May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. \u00a0May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. \u00a0May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.<\/p>\n Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: \u201cBehold your son\u201d (Jn<\/em> 19:26). \u00a0In this way he entrusted each of us to you. \u00a0To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: \u201cBehold, your Mother\u201d (v. 27). \u00a0Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. \u00a0At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. \u00a0The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.<\/p>\n Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. \u00a0Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. \u00a0Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. \u00a0The \u201cFiat\u201d that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace.\u00a0 We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. \u00a0To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world.<\/p>\n Through your intercession, may God\u2019s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. \u00a0Our Lady of the \u201cFiat\u201d, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. \u00a0May you, our \u201cliving fountain of hope\u201d, water the dryness of our hearts. \u00a0In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. \u00a0You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. \u00a0Amen.<\/p>\n Taken from Catholic News Agency and ACI Stampa<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pope Francis has formally invited every Bishop in the world to join him in an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this upcoming March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. \u00a0This is a cry to heaven for peace in the world, in particular between these two countries. \u00a0I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":6423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[205],"tags":[30,1291,1868,197,1845,156],"class_list":["post-6420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","tag-catholic","tag-consecration","tag-fatima","tag-pope-francis","tag-russia","tag-ukraine"],"yoast_head":"\n