Divine Appeal Reflection - 252
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 252: "Some malicious propaganda has spread many errors throughout the world provoking many persecutions in the world."
In this Divine Appeal, Jesus reveals not merely a lament, but a spiritual diagnosis: the spread of malicious propaganda has become the engine of persecution in our time. These are not just falsehoods, but calculated distortions that seek to replace the Gospel with a man-made creed. The modern world, having dethroned God, does not rest in neutrality—it invents new dogmas and demands obedience to them. As a result, the soul that lives for truth becomes a contradiction in the eyes of society. The persecution Christ speaks of today often comes dressed in tolerance, progress, and inclusion, yet it is a veiled intolerance for the holy. The Church herself, once a mother to nations, now finds her faithful children ridiculed, censored, or quietly exiled—not always by violence, but by policies, ideologies, and manipulations that serve another spirit (cf. Ephesians 6:12).
This assault has not spared those consecrated to Christ. The priest who lovingly defends the sanctity of marriage, or teaches the Real Presence without compromise, may be accused of being divisive or outdated. A nun who speaks out against abortion or gender ideology is labeled intolerant—but she imitates the courage of Mary beneath the Cross. A seminary professor who defends the Magisterium against modern reinterpretations faces scorn, yet bears witness to the Bride’s purity. These are subtle persecutions, but no less painful. They wound the soul through isolation, suspicion, or rejection from within the household of faith. But these souls, remaining hidden and faithful, form the mystical backbone of reparation. In their silence, Jesus finds a voice. In their endurance, He is loved again. Their fidelity is not a performance, but a gift offered in Gethsemane's shadow (cf. John 15:20).
Within families, the battle takes a deeper, often more personal tone. Parents who uphold moral boundaries for their children are accused of bigotry or emotional harm. When a mother refuses to celebrate her daughter’s decision to abandon the faith, or a father gently but firmly resists ideological education in his home, they suffer the anguish of being labeled as enemies by those they love most. A Catholic teacher quietly removing inappropriate content from a school library risks disciplinary action. A medical worker refusing to participate in practices contrary to the Gospel of life may lose their position. These are not rare exceptions—they are signs of a civilization redefining virtue as vice, and vice as virtue (cf. Isaiah 5:20). Yet, even in such trials, these witnesses become hidden tabernacles of grace. The kitchen table where the Rosary is prayed, the quiet hour before the Blessed Sacrament, the act of kindness to a hostile neighbor—these are the sacred wounds that bleed mercy into the world.
For each of us, this is not a call to fear, but to fortitude. We are not abandoned—we are being summoned to stand with Jesus, not above the battle but within it. The Church has always walked the way of contradiction: loved by Heaven, opposed by the world. But now more than ever, Christ asks us not merely to resist lies, but to repair truth. Through patient study, prayer, fasting, and witness, our ordinary lives can confront extraordinary darkness. One elderly man offers his arthritic pain for souls; a young woman remains chaste in a culture that mocks purity; a tradesman quietly prays for his persecutors while enduring slander. These acts, though hidden, are joined to Christ’s Passion. They become the balm that soothes His pierced Heart. Let us not grow weary. Persecution will deepen, but so will grace. Heaven is not measuring the volume of applause, but the depth of our love. If we remain with Him, even in silence, we are helping truth rise again.
Prayer:
Our Adorable Jesus, Light hidden in suffering, help us endure every rejection for Your sake. When lies prevail, make us witnesses of truth. Let our tears, prayers, and small sacrifices become flames of love that soothe Your wounded Heart. Strengthen us to stand with You, even when the world turns away. Amen.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.
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