Divine Appeal Reflection - 242
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 242: "Offer your sufferings united to My heart’s merits for the restitution of the scandals of others in the first line the souls I entrusted souls."
The weight of a soul is invisible, yet it is immense. When Christ entrusts a soul with the care of another, He places into human hands a responsibility tied to eternal destinies. Nowhere is this more real than in the life of priests and consecrated persons. These are not just roles or offices—they are spiritual relationships, forged in the Heart of Jesus and sealed by His Cross. The collapse of one such soul, who has been entrusted with many, is like the cracking of a pillar in a temple. It sends shockwaves far beyond the visible. That is why our Lord, in His Divine Appeal, asks these chosen ones to offer their sufferings in union with His, not just for personal sanctification, but for reparation of the scandals within His own house. This is a call not merely to repentance but to redemptive co-suffering, a participation in His own priesthood of atonement.
Why this particular demand on priests and religious? Because their vocation is not simply one of leadership, but of mediation. They stand—like Moses on the mountain—between the people and God. They lift up holy hands, they intercede, and they offer sacrifice (cf. Hebrews 5:1). But when they fall, the altar trembles. The Catechism teaches that scandal becomes graver by the authority of the person who causes it (cf. CCC 2285). Jesus’s appeal is a cry for restitution not from the margins, but from the heart of the Church—from those He has loved most, trusted most, and who represent Him most visibly.
Saint John of Avila wrote that “a priest who is not holy is a murderer of souls.” Preaching to clergy, Saint Charles Borromeo sobbed while urging them to improve through example and penance. Even though she was not a priest, Saint Josephine Bakhita sacrificed her considerable internal suffering for the sake of priests' souls, particularly those who had grown indifferent. Saint John Henry Newman saw the holiness of the Church dimmed not by her teachings but by the coldness of her shepherds. Even Saint John Bosco, immersed in the education of youth, never stopped praying and suffering for the sanctification of priests, knowing that one holy priest can save thousands. Each of these saints understood the same truth: when scandal comes from within the sanctuary, only interior reparation—made by those closest to it—can begin to cleanse it.
And yet, this reparation is not only the duty of those consecrated. The faithful too must pray for those in the “first line.” We must remember that our priests, bishops, religious, and deacons are human instruments chosen to bear supernatural burdens. Without grace, they fall. Without intercession, they are vulnerable. The Church is not rebuilt merely by programs, but by souls willing to suffer with Christ, especially those who have been placed as spiritual fathers and mothers. Saint Oscar Romero died speaking the truth against injustice, even from within structures meant to protect the Gospel. Like him, the saints who offered their suffering, voice, and blood did so to restore what had been broken, not to destroy it.
Prayer
O Adorable Jesus, Eternal Priest and Victim, look with mercy upon those You have called to bear Your name and shepherd Your flock. Pour into their hearts the fire of Your divine love. In their weariness, be their strength; in their trials, their refuge. Unite their wounds to Yours, that their hidden sufferings may repair the visible wounds of Your Church. Guard their purity, renew their zeal, and make their lives a living Eucharist—broken, offered, and poured out for the salvation of the souls You have entrusted to them.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.
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