Divine Appeal Reflection - 148
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 148: "What a sorrow! Mankind is submerged in the muddy tide. Corruption tries to drown the world in tears of blood. I beg you to pray and suffer for souls. Sacrifice yourself however painful it is."
One of the most piercing words in this appeal is "submerged." Our Adorable Jesus does not simply lament that humanity occasionally falls into corruption; He grieves that many souls have become so immersed in it that they no longer realize they are drowning . Like someone who has lived too long beneath polluted waters and forgotten the freshness of clean air, the human heart can slowly grow accustomed to lies, impurity, selfishness, dishonesty, and indifference until they seem normal . This is the tragedy of every age: evil rarely conquers through dramatic rebellion before it first enters through small compromises, repeated choices, and a conscience that gradually loses its sensitivity to God (cf. Gen 3:1–7; Jas 1:14–15; CCC 1791). Yet Christ continues calling every soul out of these muddy waters into the freedom, purity, and joy of His light, where repentance restores what sin has slowly buried (cf. Jn 8:12; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 2:4–5; CCC 1430–1432). Samson did not truly lose his strength on the day his hair was cut; he had begun losing it much earlier when he started treating temptation as something he could control rather than flee. Little by little, he became comfortable with compromises he had once resisted, assuming he could always return to God whenever he wished . The most tragic moment in his story is not the loss of his strength but the realization that he did not even know the Lord had departed from him . Spiritual blindness had already taken root before spiritual defeat became visible (cf. Heb 3:12–13; CCC 1865). The same pattern appears in King Solomon. He did not awaken one morning with a heart divided against God. Gradually, political alliances, worldly success, comfort, admiration, and small concessions weakened the love that had once sought divine wisdom above all else until he could no longer distinguish God's will from the spirit of the world (cf. 1 Kgs 3:9–12; 11:1–10; Jas 4:4). Corruption almost always advances this way. It rarely shouts; it whispers. It rarely destroys overnight; it slowly numbs the conscience, making each compromise seem insignificant until the soul discovers it has drifted far from its first love .
This same muddy tide quietly surrounds modern life. A husband does not usually abandon his family in one decision. Corruption often begins long before anyone notices it. A husband rarely abandons his family all at once. He first becomes emotionally absent, replacing meaningful conversations with endless work, then endless screens, until strangers know his thoughts better than his wife (cf. Eph 5:25–33; Col 3:19). A seminarian may begin with a sincere desire to save souls, yet gradually become more concerned with recognition, influence, or pleasing others than with growing in holiness and intimacy with Christ . A mother may generously provide every material comfort for her children while, burdened by constant anxiety and distraction, unknowingly deprive them of the peaceful presence they long for most . The heart seldom drifts from God through one great decision, but through many unnoticed compromises that slowly replace love with routine and communion with distraction . A religious sister may faithfully observe every rule while silently losing the joy of belonging entirely to Christ. A successful professional may slowly become incapable of praying because productivity has become his true measure of worth. None of these people intended to reject God. They simply became submerged. Like fish unaware of the water surrounding them, many Christians no longer notice that constant entertainment has replaced recollection, endless opinions have replaced truth, and relentless noise has replaced the silence where God speaks . St. Mary of Egypt spent years immersed in sin until one encounter before the Holy Cross revealed not merely her actions but the condition of her heart, leading her into decades of hidden holiness in the desert. St. Benedict Joseph Labre, mocked as a wandering beggar, showed that the purest heart often belongs to the soul least fascinated by the world's muddy waters. Christ's sorrow is therefore profoundly human. He does not merely see sinners breaking commandments; He sees beloved children forgetting what it feels like to breathe the pure air of grace. His lament is the grief of a Father watching His children mistake the mud for their home .
Another deeply mystical dimension of this appeal is that Jesus calls corruption a muddy tide, not a violent wave. A wave crashes suddenly. A tide silently rises. The vast majority of souls are ruined by thousands of small compromises that gradually deform their loves rather than by dramatic moments of defiance. Scripture offers countless examples. King Asa began as one of Judah's holiest rulers,(cf. 2 Chr 14:2-5) courageously destroying idols and leading national renewal . Yet later, instead of trusting God during crisis, he relied entirely upon political alliances and human calculations, eventually becoming angry even with God's prophet (cf. 2 Chr 16:7-10). His decline was not caused by one catastrophe but by the gradual substitution of self-reliance for dependence upon God. Likewise, Demas, once a companion of St. Paul,(cf. 2 Tim 4:10) eventually abandoned the mission because love for the present world quietly replaced love for Christ . Nothing suggests that Demas became openly wicked overnight. His affections simply drifted elsewhere. Every corruption begins when something finite slowly occupies the place reserved for God alone.
This mystery unfolds silently in ordinary life. A doctor may begin his career seeing every patient as a sacred person created in God's image, yet years of routine can reduce human beings to medical files and appointments. A Catholic teacher may gradually care more about examination results than forming virtuous souls. Parents may provide excellent schools, holidays, and opportunities for their children while never praying with them, unknowingly preparing them for professional success but spiritual emptiness. A parish may become busy with meetings, fundraising, and activities while slowly forgetting that its first mission is adoration before Christ in the Eucharist . Even generous Catholics may defend every doctrine of the faith while becoming impatient, harsh, and incapable of mercy toward those who struggle. This is the muddy tide: religion without conversion, activity without contemplation, knowledge without charity, success without holiness . Blessed Vladimir Ghika remained spiritually incorruptible amid political persecution because he had first learned to surrender every attachment except Christ. He teachs that the antidote to corruption is not merely denouncing darkness but becoming so deeply united with Jesus that His purity quietly reshapes every environment one enters. One truly holy soul often purifies an entire family, parish, workplace, or nation because holiness spreads more deeply than corruption wherever Christ is welcomed .
Perhaps the deepest tragedy hidden within this appeal is not that corruption multiplies sins, but that it gradually disfigures the image of God within the human person. From the beginning, man was created not merely to exist but to reflect the beauty, wisdom, holiness, and love of the Creator . Every virtue restores that image; every deliberate sin obscures it. Corruption therefore is not simply moral failure—it is the slow distortion of the face God intended every soul to reveal. This mystery appears strikingly in King Uzziah. He began his reign seeking God with humility, and the Lord blessed his kingdom abundantly. Yet success slowly intoxicated him until pride entered the sanctuary itself, and the very king whose face once reflected God's favor left the Temple marked by leprosy, (cf. 2 Chr 26:3-21) an outward sign of an interior corruption that had long preceded it . Likewise, Nebuchadnezzar, whose pride exalted him above all nations, eventually lost the dignity of reason and lived like a beast until he humbled himself before God . Scripture reveals that corruption first dehumanizes before it destroys. The person created for communion slowly becomes isolated; the heart created for gratitude becomes entitled; the soul made for contemplation becomes incapable of silence. This same drama unfolds quietly today. A businessman who once entered his profession desiring to serve society gradually measures every relationship by profit. A gifted musician begins creating beauty but eventually seeks only applause. A young influencer who once desired to inspire others slowly becomes imprisoned by the need for constant approval. Even generous Christians can begin serving Christ while secretly seeking recognition more than hidden fidelity. The greatest danger is not public scandal but the unnoticed erosion of the interior life. St. Angela of Foligno taught that every attachment not surrendered to God slowly reshapes the soul according to itself rather than according to Christ. St. Gregory of Nyssa described the spiritual life as the continual restoration of the divine image through grace. Jesus therefore mourns because corruption does not merely violate commandments; it slowly hides the beauty His Father lovingly created within every human soul .
The words "tears of blood" reveal a mystery rarely contemplated deeply enough: God suffers not because His power is diminished, but because His love is continually refused. Throughout Scripture, divine sorrow is always the sorrow of faithful love meeting persistent indifference. The prophet Samuel spent an entire night grieving over Saul, not because Saul had disappointed him personally, (cf. 1 Sam 15:10-11, 35) but because he witnessed the tragedy of a heart slowly separating itself from God . Likewise, David wept bitterly over Absalom, (cf. 2 Sam 18:33) his rebellious son, longing for reconciliation even after betrayal . These human experiences prepare us to glimpse the infinitely deeper sorrow of Christ. Every soul created by the Father has been imagined from eternity, redeemed by the Blood of the Son, and continually pursued by the Holy Spirit . Yet countless people pass through life without ever responding to that love. Christ's tears therefore are not primarily tears over sin itself but over love that remains unanswered. Consider how deeply human this is. Parents often suffer most not when children fail academically but when they no longer wish to speak with them. A husband or wife can endure poverty, illness, and hardship more easily than indifference from the beloved. Similarly, the deepest sorrow of Our Adorable Jesus is that many hearts no longer long for Him (cf. Jn 1:10–11; Rev 3:20). Countless people do not reject God openly; they simply live as though He were unnecessary, allowing days to pass without prayer, gratitude, or love (cf. Deut 6:5; CCC 2094). Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu offered her hidden life for Christian unity, while St. Margaret of Cortona discovered that no earthly love could satisfy the heart apart from Christ . Every Holy Hour, sincere repentance, and hidden sacrifice consoles His Eucharistic Heart by allowing rejected Love to be welcomed once more .
The final hope contained in this appeal is that God never combats corruption by merely removing evil; He overcomes it by creating saints. Darkness is not defeated by arguing with darkness but by increasing light . Throughout salvation history, God repeatedly answered widespread corruption by quietly preparing one faithful soul. While Egypt oppressed Israel, (cf. Ex 3:1-10) He formed Moses in the hidden desert . While idolatry spread throughout Israel,(cf. 1 Sam 3:1-10) He quietly prepared young Samuel in the silence of the sanctuary . While the world awaited redemption, He prepared an unknown Virgin in Nazareth whose hidden "yes" changed history forever . God still works this way. When society becomes noisier, He raises contemplatives. When impurity spreads, He forms souls of radiant chastity. When dishonesty becomes normal, He quietly strengthens men and women whose integrity remains unshaken. A forgotten grandfather faithfully blessing his grandchildren each evening, a nurse praying silently before entering every hospital room, a mechanic refusing dishonest work despite financial hardship, a university student defending an isolated classmate, a widow faithfully interceding before the tabernacle for priests she will never meet—these hidden acts participate in Christ's victory over corruption far more than the world imagines . St. Rafqa transformed years of blindness and physical suffering into an offering that strengthened countless souls. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati climbed mountains while lifting discouraged souls toward heaven through ordinary friendship sanctified by grace. They reveal that holiness is profoundly contagious. One purified conscience awakens another. One courageous act of truth inspires countless others. One faithful family becomes a refuge for generations. The muddy tide may appear to cover the earth, (cf. Jn 4:14; Rev 22:1-2) but beneath its surface the Holy Spirit continues raising springs of living water that cannot be polluted . Christ's final answer to corruption has never been fear but sanctity. Every soul that allows itself to be transformed by grace becomes a living contradiction to the darkness and a quiet prophecy that the Kingdom of God is already breaking into the world (cf. Mt 13:31-33; CCC 2013-2016).
Prayer
Our Adorable Jesus, we behold Your tears of blood shed for a sinful world. Fill our hearts with love and courage to pray, sacrifice, and labor for the salvation of souls. May our lives bring You consolation and draw many back to Your merciful embrace.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.