Divine Appeal Reflection - 263
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 263: "This perverse world is like a persecuting dragon. He will try to trap all those who believe and refuse this idolatry!"
The "persecuting dragon" spoken of by Our Adorable Jesus unveils a profound mystery of this age: a world no longer merely indifferent to God, but set in active enmity against Him and all who bear His Name (cf. Rev 12:17; Jn 15:18–19). This "dragon" isn't just the diabolical figure of Revelation, but also the modern system animated by Satan’s cunning (cf. Eph 6:12). It's a world where truth is inverted, holiness mocked, and idols enthroned in the name of progress (cf. Rom 1:25). The idolatry warned against isn't the crude worship of golden images, but the exaltation of the self as supreme judge—man as his own creator, redeemer, and lawgiver (cf. Gen 3:5; CCC 398). This "dictatorship of relativism," as Pope Benedict XVI described it, is the battlefield every faithful soul must now walk (cf. 2 Tim 4:3–5). The dragon doesn't always roar; it often flatters, distracts, and lulls souls into compromise until they can no longer distinguish sin from virtue, nor lie from the Light (cf. Is 5:20). This "perverse world" even creeps into homes, schools, and sanctuaries, seducing through false unity, empty pleasure, and spiritual sloth (cf. CCC 1863; Mt 24:12).
Every baptized soul, by virtue of the Cross, is summoned into a battle not of flesh but of fidelity. Silence in the face of deception becomes surrender, and truth must be lived aloud, even at a cost. The Church cannot afford to retreat into invisibility; she must shine with the unmistakable light of Christ—through holiness, witness, and moral clarity. This witness is not merely ideological—it's incarnate in fathers shielding their homes with prayer, in youth upholding chastity, in religious rejecting compromise, and in all who bleed daily for the Gospel in small acts of fidelity. Now is the hour to awaken. We must resist not only with doctrine, but with sanctity, because the dragon fears not arguments, but saints. Let us not wait for permission from the world to be faithful, but rise as an army of light, armed not with human strength, but with divine fire.
Holiness is not a distant ideal—it is a path carved into time by grace, accessible through humble fidelity. In an age drowning in noise and self-indulgence, sanctity is reclaimed through Eucharistic adoration, frequent confession, disciplined fasting, hidden acts of mercy, and a soul anchored in the living Word of God (cf. CCC 1435; 2715; 2015). We must rediscover these sacred practices not merely as devotions, but as weapons of light in a darkened age. Fasting is not a private piety—it is reparation. Silence is not escape—it is surrender. The Holy Rosary is not repetition—it is resistance. Eucharistic adoration is not an option—it is the gaze that transforms. These are not relics of a bygone spirituality, but lifelines for a Church under siege. In reclaiming them, we do not retreat from the world—we purify our presence within it, becoming living tabernacles of the One who alone is holy. We are not alone in this fight; Heaven is not passive. Our Queen and Mother crushes the serpent’s head, and St. Michael the Archangel leads a hidden army of light, defending the children of the Woman clothed with the sun. We must invoke him daily as a weapon of war. The faithful remnant must be watchmen, gatekeepers of truth, and flames of mercy. The dragon will rage, but cannot overcome a soul hidden in Christ.
The final word must be love. The dragon deceives through fear, but the children of light overcome through fidelity (cf. 1 Jn 4:18; Rev 14:12). While the world heaps scorn upon truth, countless hidden saints are rising—grandmothers suffering silently for the Church, teenagers choosing purity in secret, religious souls offering nights of vigil for lost hearts, and brave souls enduring ridicule for Christ (cf. Heb 11:36–38; Mt 6:6). These are the lamps Our Adorable Jesus places upon hills (cf. Mt 5:15). The dragon still roars, but its time is short (cf. Rev 12:12). Those who stand for truth—visibly, courageously, and lovingly—become the living defiance of hell and the heralds of Christ’s triumph (cf. Phil 2:15; 2 Cor 2:14). In the end, the persecuting dragon cannot destroy the Bride of Christ; he will try, but the saints are already among us, clothed in fire and humility, answering the call of our Crucified King (cf. Rev 19:7–8; CCC 827). Let us not fear the fury of the dragon; let us fear offending the Lamb (cf. Heb 10:26–31). Let us not blend into this perverse generation, but instead, burn so brightly with the truth that others may find their way home through our wounds (cf. Gal 6:17; 1 Pet 2:9).
Prayer:
Our Adorable Jesus, we take refuge in Your Sacred Wounds. Strengthen us to resist every deceit of the world (cf. Ps 91:4). Make us faithful amid trial, pure in love, and bold in truth. Let our hearts burn only for You. In Your mercy, uphold us until all is fulfilled in Your glory. Amen.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.
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