This interview with Cardinal Burke is a good read, thank you Carol. It seems that he is speaking out much more freely now about the troubles that plague the church and College of Cardinals as well as all of us. I am very glad to see that some of our leaders are speaking out. I am curious if it took his losing his position or if he needed some additional time to formulate this in a way which is not in violent opposition. It makes me wonder if all of us should also request the consecration of Russia specifically again as well. I wonder this because it seems that Russia has a key role to play in all that is happening throughout the world as well as the Church. Every time we turn around it is denigrated and berated in the media, used as the excuse to oust a sitting President. It goes on and on. Something tells me that Russia's role is very vital to all of this precisely because of the worlds ongoing total opposition to it. Much like that of the Church. Which was under constant attack during the pontificate of Pope Benedict but has become the darling of the media today.
From the second link on LifeSiteNews; May the Mother of God and Mother of Divine Grace lead many souls to unite their hearts to her Immaculate Heart in the total consecration of their hearts to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As the Mother of God teaches us, there is no surer way to grow daily in the spiritual life and thus to become “rivers of living water”[50] for a world which thirsts so much for the truth and love which are only found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. So may the truth and love of Christ animate our homes and make them a light of hope for all who struggle against the forces of materialism and relativism. The Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph over any darkness in our hearts. Through her triumph in our hearts and in the hearts of many, through the triumph of the Faith, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will also triumph over the great darkness of our time by leading souls to the truth and love of her Divine Son, by leading souls to give their hearts, with hers, completely into the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She will continue to speak to our hearts, as she spoke to the hearts of the wine stewards at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”[51] Oh my!
Don, Your welcome. I wish that I could thank Cardinal Burke, he is has remained steadfast to his roll as a shepherd of the church. I think if we heed his advice, we are doing all that we can do. Well, there is also a petition we can all sign, Join Cardinal Burke's call for the Consecration of Russia. Sign the petition! This a reminder mostly for myself, Our Lady of Fatima asked when we pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need. PS - Who can argue with the following that Cardinal Burke states in regards to Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher, "For my part, it is the example of these two great saints that I try to follow."
"speaks perfect American" Perhaps there was something missing in the understanding and comprehension then!!
Thank you Earthtoangels for responding. I am and have been just a simple blue Army member for over 35 years and I understand that many intellectuals may not wish to waste time responding to a question posed by one so insignificant as myself. However, the simple Blue Army of Fatima was, according to Sister Lucia and many Bishops and priests and Padre Pio himself "the vehicle used by God to make known to the world the very grave messages and requests delivered to His children through Fatima". I can't comment on the reliablity of Mr John Salza or Mr Zavala, but I can attest that Mr Haffert was able to speak to Sister Lucia during the said years of gag as it seems that Sister Lucia was not gagged when it came to the Blue Army. What follows are quotations from the book "Dear Bishop" by John Haffert, in which he recounts the many blessings given to the Blue Army over many years and many interveiws with Sister Lucia. The Blue Army is composed by the faithful who promise to daily fulfil Our Lady's terms for world peace, making a pledge that embodies the elements of the Fatima prophecy. This pledge, as I wrote it down during the course of this interview with Sr. Lucia contained the following conditions: Pray the Rosary daily; wear the Scapular as a sign of consecration to the Immaculate Heart; offer up the sacrifices demanded by daily duty, extending our Morning Offering through the day. The Blue Army is . . . an army of prayer and sacrifice; it is an army on its knees. Bishop Venancio of Leria-Fátima Diocese, states..... The task of The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima consists in making known to the whole world the Message of Fatima, by all means at its disposal so that men of all nations will realize it in their personal lives. The Bishop emphasized that perhaps one of the unique aspects of the Blue Army is that its membership is open to every person, in every walk of life, and it includes bishops, priests and religious, as well as laity. Sr. Lucia said that the present members of the Blue Army should pray the Rosary with more attention to the mysteries, and should try to be constantly open to God. She spoke almost an hour on the importance of a real conversion on the part of Blue Army members - in the sense that the Little Flower used the word "conversion" in her own life. To our surprise she said that there were priests, and even some bishops, who belittle the use of the Rosary and do not sufficiently encourage devotion to Our Lady. She said it was only our own conversion,our own greater openness to God in every moment of the day, which would change the world as in needed in order for the Immaculate Heart of Mary to triumph now. When we had completed the Blue Army pledge, Sister Lucia was satisfied and said, "these are the basic things which must be done in order to obtain the conversion of Russia." Cardinal Tisserant, Dean of College of Cardinals, who died in 1972, described the Blue Army as "the response to the message of Our Lady of Fatima", Our Queen needs this army for her spiritual victory. The Blue Army should make known to the whole world, and not just to Catholics, what is necessary in order that peace may reign at last in the whole world." In a solemn meeting, which was attended by Cardinal Tisserant, the statutes were adopted, and then presented to the Holy See for approval. The congregation in charge of such matters (before the Council) gave them approval "ad experimentum" (which was the normal procedure). Bishop de Silva, first Bishop of Fatima, said: "You may promulgate the Blue Army pledge and plan as coming from me," he then presented to the Holy See for formal approval, thus establishing an official . . . Blue Army with the approval of Rome. The Blue Army was endorsed by Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius XII endorsed Fatima so emphatically, blessed the Blue Army, and gave us Cardinal Tisserant, the Dean of the College of Cardinals, as a "protector, " and actually named him as his own Papal Legate for the blessing of our International Center at Fatima in 1956. Pope Paul VI sent this instruction to the Marian Congress held that year 1967 in the Dominican Republic: . . . "That one ever hold in great esteem the practices and exercises of the devotion to the most blessed Virgin which have been recommended . . . and among them we judge well to recall especially the Marian Rosary and the religious use of the Scapular . . . a form of piety . . . for spiritual fruit. Insofar as the Mother is honored, so will the Son . . . be glorified as He should be . . . Advise the faithful that piety toward the Mother of God is not to be found in a sterile and passive sentimentalism nor in certain vain credulity but . . . by that true faith . . ." This papal statement is the most important endorsement of the Blue Army! Pope Paul VI sent his benediction to the Blue Army and the blue Army had the support of the widely venerated Padre Pio . . . Given in reply to a question by one of Padre Pio's celebrated spiritual children, the Marquesa Boschi. She had asked him whether it was a good thing to join the Blue Army. The famous stigmatist replied: "This, the Blue Army is not only an act of prayer - it is also an apostleship. What better thing could you do?" Padre Pio's prayer groups took an active role in this Apostolate . . Bishop Hasterich wrote ". . . I see in the Blue Army a great rallying force for all people of good will who are desirous of following the teachings of Christ . . . and as a means of coordinating various devotions to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and His Blessed Mother." The Bishop of Fatima's thoughts naturally turned to the only World Apostolate of the Fatima Message, the Blue Army. I thought it important to include this all-too-brief reference to St. Joseph so that all Blue Army members will recognize that he is one of the leading 'generals' in Our Lady's troops! Then Bishop Venancio said that the forces of evil must indeed recognize it as the Queen's Army even though its only weapons are the Rosary and the Scapular, because an army of evil can be overcome only by an army of holiness. Bishop John Reiss. . . We can storm heaven so that this message handed to us by Our Lady, according to the will of Her Son, may again be heard. We must change our lives. We must live differently; we must root out of us evil in all its forms. We must pray for this, but above all we must continue so that by example we may bring many more voices to the union of prayer so that God will hear the requests of Our Blessed Mother, that She may be our advocate and win for us the peace of Christ. What seems most important…and what I think Bishop Ahr had in mind when he asked me to record these remembrances is to attribute to Our Lady the raising up of an army in response to Her Fatima warnings and promises, and that this victorious army (with the victory assured by Our Lady Herself) must experience many setbacks . . . and even many defeats. The Apostolate began to develop on a world scale . . . despite the increasing effectiveness of Soviet propaganda directed against it . . . charges that the Apostolate of Fatima was a weapon of the CIA and a political "export" of Portugal . . . a colonial power ruled by fascists, which held millions in slavery in Angola and Mozambique. The greatest evidence of the Blue Army effectiveness came . . . when . . . more than a million people turned out to honor Our Lady on the Communist May Day. .....the only major deterrent remaining to the global triumph of communism is, according to the Russians' own admission, The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima. Bishop of Fatima began to look on the Blue Army as the most important of all Fatima activities. He not only encouraged us to build an International Center near the Basilica to foster the Apostolate in the world, but in his last days, the very first thing he asked his secretary each morning was: "What news is there today of the Blue Army?" ...Lucia replied: "Do not be discouraged. . . Look at the United States, a country so often associated with materialism, and yet there is the Blue Army!" and "today there is something more: Today there are legions like the Blue Army in the United States . . ." . . . there was a marvelous biblical foundation for wearing a blue ribbon in Numbers: "The Lord said . . . put tassels on the corners of their garments, fastening each with a blue cord . . . that the sight of them will remind you to keep all the commandments of the Lord, without going astray after the desires of your hearts and eyes . . ." .... one of the most brilliant pages in the history of our Apostolate was written from 1967 until 1971, when pilgrim statues of Our Lady of Fatima were crowned simultaneously by 50 bishops, for more than 70 countries around the world. I think we do not need a new and improved formula because the Blue Army was obviously a success when even the Soviets used the Blue Army as one of the key reasons for their failing to destroy the Faith worldwide.
Josephite, If this is your own writing you should have it published, it is very, very good and it is a beautiful message!
Josephite, I see where I missed the part where you state that these are quotes... still, thank you for sharing this.
Fatima, I suppose I am very lucky because I’m not plagued with doubts and questions regarding what Sister Lucia said in the taped interview of 1993. I thank God that our Blessed Mother revealed to sister Lucia everything Sister is conveying to us in this video. It makes sense to me. Our Lord and Our Lady are familiar with our human existence and know that many steps are required when one sets out to accomplish anything, be that planting a garden, building a house or even looking for a lost penny! That is the way it is for mankind, even our growth to adulthood and maturity takes steps, we develop through babyhood to childhood to teenage hood and finally to adulthood. Most things in our human realm take time and take prayer! In the vernacular they say Rome wasn’t built in a day. We know that at Fatima, Our Lady indicated specifically, that there were incremental steps that must be accomplished before the reigning of Her Immaculate Heart'........ Russia was to be converted, people are to lead good lives, sacrifices are to be made, the rosary is to be recited, penances preformed, five first Saturday devotions accomplished etc, and so an unfolding of her plans will take place! When sister Lucia indicates that the beginning, of the triumph of her Immaculate Heart took place in 1981 [when our Holy Father St John Paul 11 was shot]; I see this as a tiny mustard seed in its infancy and just like the mustard seed in Our Lords parable, it starts off so very small but it grows to become one of the largest bushes and at its completion it becomes a place where the birds of the air can take their shelter! The reign of the Immaculate Heart of Mary must start somewhere and at some time. To know that the triumph has began, however small and insignificant that may seem at present, is a cause for rejoicing and we can take solace in this, it gives us hope that this little seed, is planted and is growing, [unseen and inside the hearts of many, maybe] and even though it is assailed with many obstacles and onslaughts, we must trust and continue to live the Fatima message knowing, it has began! What a great gift Sister Lucia has given us by revealing this! Thank you Dearest Mother for giving us our great Pope St John Paul 11 and for all his sacrifices and grief’s and for using him to begin the triumph of your Immaculate Heart. Amen.
No one can argue with any credibility that the Consecration of Russia by a pope and bishops of the world has ever taken place, because it hasn't. Several attempts, but all have fallen short of the specific request made by Our Lady of Fatima. What is argued is whether this consecration or that consecration over the many years fulfilled Fatima's request 100 years ago, even though it has never been done with the bishops of the World. Some argue it has and others argue it hasn't. Following is what we do know: Kings of France and the Requested Consecration Left Undone for 100 Years Our Lord had requested through Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1689 that the King of France, Louis XIV, consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart. This was not done. Nor was it done during the long reign of his immoral and incompetent successor, Louis XV. It was done, one hundred years late, by Louis XVI, too late to save France, or the King himself, from the blood-lust of the Revolution. Before he was imprisoned Louis XVI, no doubt under the inspiration of his holy confessor, the Irish refugee, Abbé Henri Essex Edgeworth, made the consecration most piously of both his nation and himself to the Sacred Heart. Alas, the King and the Queen (the Abbé was her confessor as well) were both executed. Our Lord made reference to this hundred year procrastination of the kings of France in His message in 1931 to Sister Lucia of Fatima in regard to His requested consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart: “Make it known to My ministers, that given they follow the example of the King of France, in delaying the execution of My command … that like him, they will follow him into misfortune, they will repent of it, and they will do it, but it will be late. Russia will already have spread its errors in the world …” Our Lady of Fatima told Sister Lucia that the consecration of her Immaculate Heart would take place, but she said the same as our Lord said on the consecration of Jesus Sacred Heart, "it will be late". I foresee global nuclear war and global economic collapse to follow very soon now followed by the Warning then Miracle next spring. The 100 years that Our Lady gave the children of Fatima is up in 2 months from now. Our Lord was not joking about his 100 year warning with what will happen if the rightful consecration of Russia did not take place, just as he wasn't joking around when he gave 100 years exactly for the King of France to consecrate France to the Sacred Heart. The Father in heaven wants a formal consecration that the whole world will know of, just as he requested. Nothing short of this sufficed for France and nothing short of the consecration our Lady of Fatima request will be tolerated by the God the Father. Both times it was said, the consecrations will come, but they "will be late". I for one am taking this timeline that God set very serious and very literal, just as it was for the consecration of the Sacred Heart.
With all due respect to the reasoning chosen by others to follow or to use in order to rationalize their hope that, even without our full cooperation, there is being accomplished what was originally intended for our human condition 100 years ago by heaven. I choose to differ. I believe all of these wars and diabolical disorientation of the human mind and heart, with the abuse of the young and the almost complete loss of faith was never intended to occur in the mind of God when he sent His mother with His personal instructions for us in order to avoid all of this horror to the point now of possible mutual destruction of His creation. I don't believe that God had in His mind any type of "baby steps" that would serve only to delay His will. He saw beforehand what His children would indeed have to suffer IF there was any delay in accomplishing what was asked in a completely simple formula ordered in order to avoid what has happened. Thus the Triumph could have been accomplished from the very beginning with the initial Popes who knew of this order. That is proven by the fact that once it was delayed for decades with disobedience and obfuscation by the various Popes' attempts at partial compliance we were then given a greater urgency of expectation to complete the order that, at least by the times beginning around 1960, we would finally know that the times of great negative change in the world and the Church would be experienced/realized by that period of time....that people would obviously recognize just why this Consecration must be done and not delayed further. And the sixties indeed brought with it the beginning of the overt push of evil in all cultures. And yet, still nothing to stop the flow that was getting to the flood stage. And the reasoning for it to become necessary for a Pope to be shot in order to convince him of the importance of this particular visitation of God's Mother, and then still not get beyond the "politicians'" concern NOT to call out Russia by name shows how far into the prophesied evil we had entered. This was recognized by Pope JPII himself since he asked 3 times IF he COULD use the name showing that he knew that that pivotal point of the order from heaven had to come about by naming the instrument of evil that had to be converted. Yet, still the political concern for an insult of the Eastern block again held sway over the simple acquiescence to God's will through His mother. Yes, there were the human pressures from the world and those were understood, but what was given as the immediate fruit had to be limited. What had been promised has not come to its desired end. And so the people suffer as well as the Church, still awaiting what is yet to come. That was NEVER God's will in this. THAT was to have been avoided. There have had to be continued reminders of what we now have to do in new devotions and apparitions/messages, but the actual suffering that could have been avoided is now being experienced. More souls ARE being lost than intended. So when this consecration DOES come late as it must it won't have stopped what misery that has already taken place in this entire century since the visitation at Fatima because we simply failed fulfilling the order from heaven for our salvation. There will then be a much shorter period of any peaceful preparation for the New Era when we could have had an entire century of such that would have benefitted far more souls.
I agree that the consecration came very late and that there will be consequences for that. Our Lady asked for the consecration in 1929, and I believe we are living those consequences now, for not adhereing to her request! We are living in the aftermath of the spread of communism! the church and the world are in a dire state and I agree, it will get even worse because of the many affronts to God on all levels. Lord have Mercy. But where I differ is that I believe where sin abounds, grace abounds even more! and the only reason today, that any grace abounds, is due to Our Lady's prompting of St John Paul 11 to write to all the bishops of the world and insist on a collegial consecration. On March 25th 1984 our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, "united with all the pastors of the Church in a particular bond whereby we constitute a body and a college," consecrates "the whole world, especially the peoples for which by reason of their situation you have particular love and solicitude."
I realize that people will continue to differ but our Mother never said that after the true Consecration would be made, even coming late, that there would follow further "consequences" because of its lateness. She said that once it was made as ordered her Immaculate Heart would Triumph as Russia would be converted as a result. We only have to look at the other great visitation....at Guadalupe....to see that when her orders were followed exactly the miraculous results/fruits came immediately. We see immediately the fruits of the promise.
Isn't this a constant during the history of salvation - when God gives precise instruction and we obey without hesitation, the results come pretty immediately (within reasonable time), from Abraham to Jesus Resurrection, but when we don't obey fully (remember Saul) the troubles rise fast. Now we are in a much worse situation in the world and specially in the Church than in 1984, as the greatest abominations history has yet seen have become rights for all, lukewarmness and compromise with the world is rampant in the Church, all the nations are building up their arsenals, the cancer of Islamic extremism anf other extremisms have risen to heights that 20, 30, or 40 years ago were non imaginable, etc...and let's not talk about Norhh Korea lol!
Since Lucia says that Our Lady said that the consecration was done...but late...I will take her word for it. Also she states that the period of peace started when Pope John Paul II was shot but not killed, and that nuclear war was averted by the consecration. So the consecration was done (but late) and so the period of peace is not as completely realized as it may have been. The 100 year "deadline" was speculation by those who did not believe the consecration took place. Could the period of peace end in 2017? Possibly. Could the period of peace be intensified/more fully realized in 2017-2018 by a "great warning and great miracle"? Possibly. But a 100 year deadline was not mentioned, and only speculated on by some, because of the 100 year timeline that occurred with the delay of the consecration to the Sacred heart...and the "100 years" given to the evil one to destroy the Church in The Vision Of Pope Leo XIII. Now the vision of Pope Leo XIII happened in 1884, 100 years prior to the consecration completed by John Paul II. The Church still stands after 100 years of attack. Our Lady in Fatima never said that further developments (A Warning and Miracle) would not be part of her plan to fully realize The Triumph.
Could that be, the Blue Army? Sadly the Blue Army has whithered in our world today. But how about us, "the members of the MoG forum", becoming this Army for Blessed Pope Pius IX in our world today? Let us pray that the Blessed Virgin Mary would agree to this and protect us and maybe we can make a pledge to commit........... to saying at least one rosary a day, to wear the scapular of Mt Carmel at all times, pray a special pray to St Joseph and to St Michael to protect us the church in our mission here at this moment in our time? What do you think? Also a thank you to member Garabandal for the above image!
I disagree with you on two points. 1) We are not "living the aftermath of the spread of communism", because communism has never ended and never been more alive in the world than today. Communism is more than war, it is the very apostasy of truth. 2) The consecration of 1984 left out the crucial word specified by Our Lady of Fatima. The word RUSSIA was omitted, making it a lesser consecration than heaven intended.
This is exactly why Sister Lucia was given the message in 1931, reminding the clergy what would happen if they delayed the consecration to Russia. When the rightful consecration does come, it will crush Satan's head Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel" (Douay-Rheims Bible). As anyone can see, Satan has never had more power than he has now, he is unleashed.
I've just found another quote which confirms (again) what Sister Lucia's views were on this matter: Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said he met three times with Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who received the visions of Mary. At the first meeting, in 1991, he told Sister Lucia that he was the Catholic archbishop in Moscow. She asked several times, ‘Is it true?' 'So', she said, 'it means the prophecy of Fatima is fulfilled,' Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said. Part of the Fatima message – contained in a vision to Sister Lucia and her cousins – warned of the rise of communism, but also spoke of the ultimate triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, especially in Russia if the country was consecrated to her Immaculate Heart. Although some Fatima devotees have debated whether the consecrations were carried out properly, Popes Pius XII, Paul VI and John Paul II each entrusted the world, and Russia in particular, to Mary. Archbishop Kondrusiewicz said Sister Lucia assured him that it was done correctly. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...f-fatima-said-russias-prophecy-was-fulfilled/
I don't see anything that has Sr. Lucy saying that the consecration was complete or that it came "late" already. She had said that the 1984 Consecration was "accepted" by heaven....but then the other prior incomplete Consecrations had also been "accepted" by heaven and each had been granted some kind of grace....but none as yet has received the immediate fruits promised by the Immaculate Heart....while things are getting "later" than ever in their seriousness! The Warning had already been accepted within Church history by the various mystics and saints....and in places now which have been called the "continuations" of Fatima. And the Miracle has been emphasized as well in these "continuations" of Fatima. Even Pope Benedict said that Fatima has not ended and thus not to expect peace before a great transformation has taken place. He saw much more evil for the Church and the world to come. Pope Leo did not know when or how this 100 year period of Satan's attempts against the faithful would occur. I think that prior to this means of attack, Russia (definitively stated at Fatima while no one was familiar even with the name) and its atheistic Communism, God gave us the help and understanding of what was to be done in order to prevent its possible horrors to His children....Fatima.....since that miracle of hope took place a month BEFORE the mentioned "Russia" by name and its means of terror was formally instituted.....and I believe that miracle happened to occur on the same day as Pope Leo's vision! I think that miracle then was a rubber stamp on Pope Leo's vision as the sign for the Satanic attempts to be about to begin since the time element had been uncertain. People are only watching more in this 100 year anniversary of Fatima itself because in the past there have been other century markings when great events have occurred in relation to other heavenly interventions. No one is saying that anything must occur this year and yet such a marking is certainly causing people to notice and wonder about all of the other many cosmic and worldly events now being brought to world attention, tying in not only to the Catholic Church events of the past but also to the Jewish days of great meaning for them. The Protestants are also linking to the Old Testament and to the Jewish feasts as they too observe the "signs". Everything is to be purified before the New Era when Satan is abolished for the certain number of years....including the Church. If anyone thinks that the organizational Church will stand in the same way, I fear they will be in for a serious surprise. In order for this time prophesied by Jesus to come where people will fully "worship in Spirit and in Truth" it must be birthed in travail within the Woman Clothed with the Sun....and that misery is what we are sharing with her now....as the dragon awaits to devour what (remnant) is left.
Looks like we are at a very similar stage to the 1984 consecration. A nuclear war could be ignited any moment now. We have a president that, while he has done great things so far, is now using a suicidal rethoric to address the north korean issue - maybe the presidency has gone up to his head in 9 months and he is loosing it. He is playing with fire and the consequences could trigger the most devastating bloodshed seen in history. So maybe the 84 consecration mitigated the nuclear war and killed the head of the Dragon so to speak, but here we are 30 years later dealing with a very similar situation. An even more powerful communist regime (N Korea/China) that feeds from capitalism itself, and in a global society impregnated more than ever with all of the ideological errors that were nurtured in western europe's communist intellectual circles (Gender theory, Abortion, Transhumanism, Ecological messianism, etc). So it seems we are now dealing with the Tail of Dragon, maybe (hopefully) with its last whiplash! So will Pope Francis consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart, maybe this time together/in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church? Let's pray and hope it happens only if it is the will of God...
