Divine Appeal Reflection - 32
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 32: "Because of the evil of mankind, unclean spirits have taken over three parts of mankind. As God’s word has been abandoned, the devil has taken possession of the souls which have deserted the way of the creator."
Most beloved souls, from the blazing stillness of Eternity, Our Adorable Jesus unveils with sorrowful clarity the three interior kingdoms entrusted to man: the intellect created to contemplate Truth, the will fashioned to cleave irrevocably to the Good, and the passions ordered to serve love through the body. When the Word of God is abandoned, invasion follows an exact order. First, the intellect ceases to kneel before Revelation; discernment fractures, as seen when the serpent subtly redirected Eve from obedient listening to autonomous reasoning (cf. Gen 3:1–6). Next, the will weakens—knowing no longer culminates in choosing, as revealed in Israel’s repeated vacillation despite covenantal light (cf. Deut 30:15–19). Finally, the passions usurp authority, and desire becomes law, as in the generation that “did what was right in its own eyes” (cf. Judg 21:25). St. Augustine, in his Confessions, traced this descent with surgical precision: the mind darkened, the will divided, the flesh ruling. The Catechism (cf. CCC 405, 407) confirms that original and personal sin wound the harmony of the soul, opening it to domination rather than communion . This is not myth but lived reality: ideologies replacing doctrine, convenience replacing obedience, sensation replacing sacrifice. Our Adorable Jesus does not exaggerate—He diagnoses. Where the Creator’s Word no longer orders the inner life, unclean spirits occupy the vacuum, not violently, but lawfully, through abandonment.
The first seizure occurs in the intellect, once designed for contemplative union. Sacred Scripture shows that when humanity refuses to honor God as God, the mind becomes futile and darkened, mistaking distortion for enlightenment (cf. Rom 1:21–22). St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae, I, q.1) taught that the intellect reaches fulfillment only when it rests in God as First Truth; severed from Him, it multiplies conclusions without wisdom . The Catechism (cf. CCC 2104) insists that man is obliged to seek and adhere to divine truth once known . When this obligation is rejected, unclean spirits introduce counterfeit light: relativism disguised as compassion, autonomy masked as dignity. In concrete life, this appears when Scripture is no longer the measure of conscience, when doctrine is replaced by psychology alone, when prayer avoids silence lest truth speak. Our Adorable Jesus desires to reclaim the intellect not by force, but through humble surrender. Daily lectio divina opens the soul rather than satisfies curiosity, catechetical truths received fully become living nourishment, and homilies heal rather than merely instruct . St. Augustine warns that an untended mind becomes a marketplace of distractions, where fleeting voices drown the whisper of God .
In ordinary life, this is the distracted student, the weary parent, the professional tempted to compromise. Yet when the mind surrenders, it becomes a luminous garden where God plants insight, purifies understanding, and aligns every thought with the Heart of Christ . Curiosity transforms into devotion, reasoning into contemplation. The intellect rests in Love, allowing God to act unseen, shaping wisdom and obedience in silence, drawing the soul deeper into mystical union with Him. Parents who teach children truth patiently, professionals who form conscience before decisions—these are not small acts; they are interior liberations. Where Truth is adored rather than debated, the intellect becomes once more a throne for God.
The second region overtaken is the will, created for decisive love but crippled by hesitation. Scripture reveals this tragedy vividly: knowing the law yet lacking power to fulfill it (cf. Rom 7:18–23). The Catechism (cf. CCC 1739) teaches that freedom, wounded by sin, inclines toward servitude unless healed by grace . St. Ignatius of Loyola identified this paralysis precisely: the enemy delays rather than denies, exhausting the soul through indecision. Pilate stands as the eternal warning— (cf. Jn 19:12–16) truth perceived but not chosen, leading to injustice sanctified by fear . In daily life, this enslavement appears concretely: confessions postponed despite conviction, forgiveness delayed though grace urges, vocational calls silenced by security. Our Adorable Jesus strengthens the will not through emotion but through sacramental obedience. Frequent confession restores decisiveness; Eucharistic fidelity anchors choice. Each deliberate act—keeping vows when unseen, refusing corruption at cost, obeying legitimate authority—reclaims territory. St. Catherine of Siena taught that the will grows strong only when fastened to God’s will like iron to fire. Where the will consents repeatedly to grace, unclean spirits lose jurisdiction, for they cannot rule a soul that chooses God with perseverance.
The third conquest unfolds in the passions, intended to serve love but now enthroned as masters. Scripture warns that when desire governs without the Spirit, the soul fractures and peace departs (cf. Gal 5:17–21). The Catechism clarifies that passions become virtuous only when governed by reason illumined by faith (cf. CCC 1767–1770). St. John of the Cross exposed this bondage with mystic severity: disordered appetites darken the soul more than ignorance. David’s fall began not with adultery but with neglected vigilance and indulgent gaze (cf. 2 Sam 11:1–4). Today this disorder is precise: digital excess eroding silence, impurity dissolving reverence, anger justified as honesty. Our Adorable Jesus does not condemn the body; He restores it. Fasting reorders hunger, custody of the senses heals sight, disciplined rest sanctifies fatigue. These practices are not ascetic nostalgia; they are spiritual surgery. Where the body is gently trained to obey love, desire becomes luminous again. The passions, once tyrants, become instruments of charity. In such souls, unclean spirits find no shelter, for desire no longer answers to them.
The final movement of Divine Appeal 32 is royal restoration. Possession ends where remembrance begins. Scripture calls the soul to recall its first love and rise from its fall (cf. Rev 2:4–5). The Catechism (cf. CCC 1427–1432) teaches that conversion is not episodic but lifelong, sustained by grace, discipline, and communion . Our Adorable Jesus reclaims the soul by re-ordering: Truth heals the intellect, grace fortifies the will, charity purifies desire. St. Benedict prescribed this restoration through ordered life; St. Thérèse revealed it through faithful littleness. In concrete vocations this becomes visible: parents blessing children nightly, priests guarding silence before the altar, workers refusing injustice when unseen. Where the Word is enthroned again, the soul becomes a sanctuary. Our Adorable Jesus, Shepherd and King, gathers what was scattered and restores what was wounded, not merely forgiving but reigning (cf. Jn 10:10). This is the hour of interior coronation. Let every kingdom within return to its rightful Lord.
Prayer
Our Adorable Jesus, reclaim every kingdom within us. Enlighten our intellect by Your Truth, bind our will to Your Will, purify our desires by Your Love. Where we deserted the Creator’s way, lead us back. Reign wholly in us, now and unto eternity. Amen.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.
