Healing Wounds Inflicted by Entrusted Souls

Divine Appeal Reflection - 276

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 276:"... they abandon their vocation and drag down other souls entrusted souls; religious and lay people who offer themselves for their pleasures!"

In every age, the Body of Christ bears wounds, but in our modern world these wounds are broadcast instantly and relentlessly. When entrusted souls—priests or consecrated—fall into scandal, it is not hidden; it becomes headline. Their vows, once meant to reflect heaven, are now presented as hypocrisy. The Church, which should be known as a mother of mercy, is instead mocked as a house of contradiction. Scandal spreads faster than holiness because sin appeals to curiosity, while fidelity often passes unnoticed. Thus, when entrusted souls abandon their call, the Body of Christ suffers not only internally but also in reputation before the world. Christ Himself foresaw this when He said that His followers would be “a city set on a hill” (Mt 5:14). When those entrusted with visibility fall, the light seems dimmed, and the city mocked. Yet the faithful must not lose hope: the ugliness of scandal cannot erase the beauty of Christ’s holiness (CCC 823). Instead, it calls believers to defend His Church not with excuses, but with renewed fidelity that restores credibility in silence and sacrifice.

The first response to scandal must be vigilance: guarding one’s faith from bitterness and despair. Anger at betrayal can harden the heart if not surrendered to Christ. The weakness of some members must never eclipse the holiness of the Church, for even within the circle of the Twelve a traitor was found (cf. Jn 13:27). Our response cannot be despair but deeper fidelity. Daily study of the Bible, Eucharistic adoration, and intense Rosary prayer that changes the heart to see history through the mysteries of Christ and Mary are all ways to deepen and foster faith. In this way, scandal does not suffocate faith but becomes the fire through which faith is purified. It burns away illusions of human perfection, exposes false securities, and compels us to cling more firmly to Christ. For He alone is steadfast, unchanging, and worthy of the trust that no weakness in His members can diminish. These anchor the soul in Christ rather than in the wavering example of ministers. Scandal need not eclipse holiness; rather, it can purify faith by teaching reliance on God alone. To protect faith is also to guard the tongue: scandal spreads more deeply when the failures of clergy become occasions for gossip instead of intercession. Silence joined to prayer repairs more than words joined to complaint. In this way, believers manage scandal not by allowing it to consume their interior life but by transforming it into fuel for deeper fidelity.

Scandal gives bad publicity not only to the individual but to the whole Body of Christ. A single failure of fidelity is often generalized, leading many to assume that all clergy or consecrated live in compromise. This damages trust, discourages vocations, and casts suspicion on authentic holiness. Betrayal is amplified in public imagination, and the Bride of Christ is mocked as unfaithful. The Church appears less as a vessel of salvation and more as a stumbling block to seekers of truth (cf. Rom 2:24). Yet the faithful must not forget that betrayal has always marked the Church’s journey—even within the Twelve, one betrayed (Jn 13:27), another denied (Lk 22:61), and many fled (Mk 14:50). Still, Christ rose, and the Church endured. The challenge for believers today is to recognize that bad publicity is not the final word. The credibility of the Church is not rebuilt through arguments or image campaigns but through authentic holiness lived in the open (CCC 2044). Every faithful Mass-goer, every honest act of mercy, every family that clings to prayer becomes a counter-testimony, shining where others have stained.

To confront scandal with faith is to turn suffering into reparation. The faithful can answer the wounds of betrayal not with withdrawal, but with offerings of love. A hidden sacrifice—a skipped meal, a quiet Holy Hour, a whispered prayer—has unseen power when united with Christ’s own sacrifice. Such acts console His wounded Heart and uphold the Church in her frailty. In modern life, where pleasures and distractions abound, choosing sacrifice becomes a prophetic act. It proclaims that the love of Christ is stronger than the failures of men. Reparation also restores dignity to the faithful: they are not powerless before scandal but become co-workers with Christ in repairing what others have broken. To live as “small hosts” is to let one’s ordinary fidelity be lifted upon the altar, transformed into food for the Body of Christ. Scandal cannot silence holiness; it only makes fidelity more luminous. Every act of faithfulness, however hidden, keeps watch through the night and prepares the dawn where Christ restores what was broken.

Prayer

O Adorable Jesus, when scandal wounds Your Body and spreads across the world, protect our faith. Teach us to resist bitterness, to live holiness in daily life, and to repair betrayal with fidelity. May our witness shine more strongly than shame, restoring hope and revealing Your unfailing love. Amen

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