GUARDING OUR TONGUES AND LIPS

 Divine Appeal Reflection - 202

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 202: "In convents, I receive terrible whips from the tongues and lips. Always your lips are still bloody after receiving Me in the Sacrament of My Love."

Our Adorable Jesus reveals the profound sorrow He endures when He is wounded by the words and actions of souls within convents. His words remind us that the same lips that receive Him in the Sacrament of His Love should be instruments of praise and tenderness, yet they sometimes become tools of division and unkindness. The Catechism teaches that the Eucharist draws us into deeper union with Christ and one another (cf. CCC 1324). To receive Jesus while allowing our speech to remain harsh and uncharitable is a contradiction. How sorrowful it is when He, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, suffers anew through the lack of love from those consecrated to His service.

This plea is in line with the biblical exhortation to be careful with our words because they have the capacity to uplift or depress us (cf. Proverbs 18:21). Words of gentleness and honesty should easily flow from a heart cleansed by the love of our Adorable Jesus. Our lips and hearts are called to mirror His compassion and humility when we receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament (cf. Matthew 11:29).. Speaking ill of others or sowing discord after encountering Jesus in the Eucharist only deepens the wounds of His Heart. The phrase "bloody after receiving Me" symbolizes the spiritual wounds inflicted when souls, even after receiving our Adorable Jesus in the Eucharist, speak unkindly. It reflects how harsh words, like wounds, grieve Jesus, showing a heart yet to be fully transformed by His grace.

Our Adorable Jesus mourns not only the outward offenses of words but the inner reality they reveal — a lack of genuine interior conversion. Just as His Body and Blood enter into our very being through Holy Communion, His grace must transform every part of us, including the way we speak. It is sorrowful to witness that some souls resist this transformation, permitting their words to inflict harm even within places dedicated to His love, disregarding the solemn responsibility to guard every word spoken with care (cf. Matthew 12:36). 

Therefore, let's take stock of ourselves and consider whether the words we use comfort or hurt our Adorable Jesus. Through gossip, cruelty, or pride, do our mouths exalt Him or do they contribute to His suffering? In order to acknowledge His Real Presence inside us, may we endeavor to preserve our speech. Allow charity to lead our discussions, always aiming to embody the spirit of patience and gentleness, so that our Adorable Jesus may find in us lips and hearts that comfort Him rather than anger Him.

Prayer:

Our Adorable Jesus, You who dwell hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, look upon our lips and hearts. Cleanse us from words that wound and thoughts that divide. Let every syllable we speak echo Your love and mercy. Transform us, so that our presence brings You comfort and our words glorify Your holy name.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.