When Insults Become Grace

Divine Appeal Reflection - 245

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 245:  "Do not be afraid even if you receive insults! I know everything, My Eternal Father permits obstacles. You must be tested and so be strengthened, ready to be crucified with recollection, uniting yourself to My will. Only in this way will you win the painful battles of your apostolate to call lost souls."

Our Adorable Jesus, speaks directly to the heart that seeks to follow Him in truth: “Do not be afraid even if you receive insults!” This is no mere consolation—it is a call to courage born from union with His own suffering. Insults, misunderstandings, and rejection are not signs of failure in the apostolate but marks of fidelity to the path of Christ. As Scripture reveals, the disciples were told to rejoice when reviled for His name (cf. Mt 5:11–12), for this persecution is a sign that they are truly walking the narrow road of witness. Fear must not rule the soul that has been chosen to bear the light of Christ to others. Rather, insults become an opportunity to be united more intimately with the wounded, silenced Lamb of God.

To endure insult without fear is not natural; it is supernatural. Our Lord knows this. This is why He says, 'I know everything.' Nothing escapes His notice—not whispered slander, quiet rejection, or the ache of being misunderstood. He sees it all. And He allows it. Not to crush us, but to test us, strengthen us, and prepare us to love more deeply. The Catechism teaches that trials permitted by God reveal what is in the heart and draw us closer to divine dependence (cf. CCC 2847). In these painful moments, our Adorable Jesus invites us not to retaliate or despair, but to recollect ourselves, to enter interiorly into His presence, and to embrace His will.

Insults strip away the applause of men, leaving only the approval of God. This purification is necessary for anyone called to the apostolate of calling lost souls. The soul must be crucified—not in public spectacle, but interiorly, hidden with Christ. As He was ridiculed and abandoned, so too will those who walk in His footsteps be tested. The strength to endure comes not from human validation but from silent union with His will. Only in this way can our witness carry the fragrance of authenticity that pierces the hardened heart. It is not eloquence or popularity that converts souls—it is the reflection of the Crucified in us.

Therefore, when insults come—and they will—let us not draw back in fear or discouragement. Let us instead remember that this is the mark of the true apostle: to be misunderstood, rejected, and yet to love without reserve. Jesus, our model and strength, endured insult for our salvation, and now He invites us to share in that redemptive mission. Our role is not to seek comfort but to remain faithful. In the end, what matters is not what others say about us, but whether we have remained close to the will of our Adorable Jesus.

Prayer

Our Adorable Jesus, give us the grace to endure every insult without fear. May we find comfort in Your gaze, strength in Your will, and courage in Your wounds. Help us to love without seeking praise, and to surrender all suffering as an offering for souls who have wandered far from You. Amen.

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