The Dragon of Divorce

 Divine Appeal Reflection - 266

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 266: "The exuberance of prostitution together with divorce, drugs, free extermination of the poor and the innocent babies in the sewers, crimes of all kinds."

Divorce is more than the breaking of human promises; it is a shadow cast upon the mystery of covenant itself. From the beginning, marriage was not man’s invention but God’s sacrament—an indissoluble union of two who become one flesh (cf. Gen 2:24). This sacred union was to mirror Christ’s unbreakable fidelity to His Bride, the Church (cf. Eph 5:25–32). Yet when divorce occurs, it tears not only human hearts but also the icon of divine faithfulness. It becomes a living contradiction to the covenant written in Blood upon the Cross. Divorce is the dragon's victory, a false whisper that love can fade, sacrifice is pointless, and faithfulness is unattainable. It creates disillusionment in communities, mistrust in youngsters, and resentment in families. And yet, Our Adorable Jesus, betrayed and abandoned even by His closest friends, transforms betrayal into redemption. To souls broken by divorce, He does not condemn; He extends His pierced hands, saying: “Remain in My fidelity, for I will never leave you.” In His Sacred Heart, no covenant collapses, no promise is forgotten. The dragon divides, but Christ unites.

The collapse of many marriages begins not in the courtroom but long before the altar. Many enter marriage without discernment, driven by the clamor of lust, the pressure of age, or the false security of wealth and status. The heart seeks not the will of God but the satisfaction of fleeting desires. Lust dresses itself as love; desperation disguises itself as destiny; materialism whispers that comfort is more important than fidelity. Thus, the house is built upon sand, and when storms come—poverty, illness, betrayal—it collapses (cf. Mt 7:26–27). This is the dragon’s strategy: to entice souls into unions not rooted in Christ, to bind covenants with ropes of passion rather than the seal of grace. Those who seek advice, fast, pray, and discern slowly, however, set themselves up on the rock. The saints taught that genuine vocation springs from trust, purity, and calm rather than from loneliness, fear, or despair. Marriage, where love assumes the form of the Cross, is a road of sanctification rather than an escape. When sought for comfort or material gain, it mutates into restless illusions and broken expectations, where the dragon roars. Yet Christ the Bridegroom reveals fidelity as divine, calling couples to holiness through crucified, covenantal love. Souls must be taught again: covenant is sacred, not negotiable.

Divorce causes wounds that spread like pond ripples. Children end up being the silent victims, whether they are divided between their parents, suffering from guilt, or becoming cynical about love in general. Parents themselves carry deep scars: one abandoned, feeling worthless, the other perhaps hardened in self-justification. Families fracture into bitterness, and the domestic Church is shattered. Communities are left weaker, for when families disintegrate, societies lose their foundation. Divorce is never a private matter; it is an open wound in the Body of Christ. And yet, Our Adorable Jesus transforms even devastation into grace. He, who was Himself abandoned, mocked, and forsaken, calls the divorced to unite their pain with His Cross. In Him, rejection becomes intercession, and loneliness becomes communion with His Sacred Heart. Divorce may scar, but it cannot have the final word. The dragon may roar, but the Lamb still reigns. For those who feel cast aside, Christ whispers: “You are still mine.” For children scarred by broken homes, He promises to be the Father who never abandons. Healing will not erase the wound, but grace can transform the scar into testimony. In His mercy, broken families can become hidden altars of reparation for a world addicted to betrayal.

Christ provides companionship to divorced people who feel abandoned by using widows and saints who have experienced great loss and turned it into holiness. After becoming a widow in her youth, Anna the prophetess devoted her life to fasting and prayer in the Temple until she saw the Messiah (cf. Lk 2:36–38). Early widowed St. Elizabeth of Hungary demonstrated that bereavement can blossom into holiness by choosing poverty and helping the underprivileged. Before becoming an intercession for impossibly difficult causes, St. Rita of Cascia patiently and faithfully endured an abusive marriage. Their lives proclaim a truth: human loss does not end vocation; it can purify it. Divorce, though never God’s will, can become the place where grace proves stronger than betrayal. To those abandoned, Christ Himself becomes the Bridegroom who never forsakes. To those who mourn shattered promises, He says: “I am the Promise that cannot fail.” Like widows, divorced people can serve as fidelity prophets in a culture where promises are broken—witnesses to the fact that love based on Christ is more powerful than betrayal. A chalice of prayer for the restoration of marriages and the healing of families worldwide is created when their suffering is combined with His.

The Church cannot be silent before the dragon of divorce. This evil thrives when vows are trivialized, when lust is exalted, when materialism seduces hearts, and when discernment is cast aside. To resist, we must reclaim holy preparation: young men and women must be taught to discern patiently, to test love in the fire of prayer, to fast and ask for wisdom, to place fidelity above attraction, and sacrifice above comfort. Married couples must renew their covenants daily through prayer, forgiveness, and sacramental grace. And the divorced must be embraced, not rejected—called to transform their pain into intercession, their tears into reparation. Fasting must become our weapon of restitution for broken covenants; Eucharistic adoration, our strength against temptation; the Rosary, the chain that binds families to Mary’s protection. May the Church rise as a prophetic witness. Let it fearlessly claim that marriage is holy, divorce is destructive, and that grace is stronger than despair. In the end, the Lamb who was slain will slay the dragon, and every covenant purified in His Blood shall eternally shine. Until then, let us repair, so that fidelity may dawn upon a culture addicted to broken vows.

Prayer:

Adorable Jesus, Eternal Bridegroom, heal all wounds caused by divorce. Strengthen the broken, console the abandoned, and guide the young to discern their vocation with purity and patience. Through the intercession of holy widows and saints, may every soul rediscover in You the covenant that never fails. Amen.

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