Adoration and Offering at Calvary

Divine Appeal Reflection - 23

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 23: "follow Me along the painful way to Calvary where I am. Adore it and offer it so that My Eternal Father’s anger will be appeased."

“Follow Me” is spoken in the depths, not the intellect. It is a pull more than a command, a gravity the heart feels before the mind can resist. Scripture shows that Christ’s call precedes readiness; He calls while lives are still tangled (cf. Jn 1:43). The Catechism teaches that faith begins as a surrender of the person, not mastery of meaning (cf. CCC 150), because grace always moves first (cf. CCC 2001).Saint Bernard of Clairvaux refers to this vocation as a 'wound of love'—pleasant, disturbing, and not to be overlooked. To follow Christ interiorly is to consent to being led where one would not choose alone. It is the slow loosening of self-direction. In daily life, this call is quiet: an interior nudge to forgive, to remain, to be faithful when escape feels easier. Peter followed with a divided heart, yet the gaze of Christ never withdrew (cf. Lk 22:61). Saint Francis of Assisi teaches that following the Crucified is allowing one’s life to be gradually rearranged around love rather than self-preservation. “Follow Me” does not ask for clarity, only consent. The soul senses that resistance will cost more than surrender. Christ does not pull violently; He waits, drawing gently, until the heart dares to move.

The painful way is entered not with courage but with poverty. Christ names pain without disguise because illusion cannot survive here (cf. Is 53:3). Saint John of the Cross asserts that the soul must go through the suffering to be healed; pain is the only force that can loosen what pleasure has gripped. The Catechism asserts that only through union with Christ, and not through understanding, does suffering get transformed (cf. CCC 1521). This way is long, repetitive, and inward. It is the quiet ache of remaining faithful when consolation withdraws, the weight of unanswered prayer, the fatigue of doing good without being seen. Christ says “daily” because the Cross settles into the ordinary (cf. Lk 9:23). Simon of Cyrene does not choose the Cross;(cf. Mk 15:21) it is placed upon him, and in that unwillingness, grace begins . Mystically, the painful way is where the false self weakens. Control loosens. Defenses fall. The soul learns to stop negotiating and simply remain. Saint Alphonsus Liguori teaches that suffering embraced in love becomes a door rather than a wall. Grace does not erase pain; it gives the soul endurance that feels strangely like peace . The painful way becomes a silent purification, where love deepens because nothing else remains to cling to.

Calvary is not found by searching; it is discovered when strength ends. Christ says “where I am” because He remains eternally offered before the Father (cf. Heb 7:25). According to the Catechism, this sacrifice is made present in the Eucharist, allowing the soul to come into direct contact with His self-gift (cf. CCC 1366). According to Saint Catherine of Siena, love and truth are unveiled at the foot of the Cross. Mystically, Calvary is the place where the soul stops asking “why” and begins to stay. Mary stands without explanation (cf. Jn 19:25). John remains without defense (cf. Jn 19:26). The good thief arrives with nothing but trust (cf. Lk 23:42). In daily life, Calvary appears when all strategies fail: illness removes control, obedience costs identity, fidelity feels barren. “Where I am” reveals that Christ does not wait for us above suffering but within it. The Catechism affirms that believers are invited to unite their sufferings to Christ’s for the life of the Church (cf. CCC 618). Saint John of the Cross teaches that God is closest when He seems most hidden. Calvary becomes a dwelling, not an event. The soul discovers it is not abandoned—it is accompanied.

Adoration is silence before mystery. It is the soul saying yes to God and staying attentive. The Church's teaching indicates that all baptized Christians share in Christ's priestly ministry, thus offering spiritual sacrifices in and through the normality of their daily living (CCC 1546). Saint Bernard teaches that the Cross must be contemplated until love, not fear, fills the heart. Offering follows gently: pain is no longer clenched but placed into God’s hands (cf. Rom 12:1). Mystically, this happens beneath words. A sigh becomes prayer. Endurance becomes worship. Saint Alphonsus teaches that suffering offered in silence consoles Christ deeply. The Catechism explains that praise and offering transform suffering into communion (cf. CCC 2637). Saint Francis of Assisi adored the Crucified until love marked his very flesh. In daily life, this offering is hidden: a patient endurance, a restrained word, a faithful return to prayer. Adoration keeps the heart from hardening; offering frees it from isolation. Pain becomes language spoken directly to God, understood without explanation.

Here the mystery deepens. God’s “anger” is not emotion but holiness confronting disorder . The Catechism teaches that divine wrath is love refusing to coexist with sin (cf. CCC 1861). On Calvary, justice and mercy meet without conflict . Christ freely offers Himself to restore communion shattered by sin . Scripture shows this pattern: Moses stands in the breach (cf. Ex 32:11–14), Esther risks herself (cf. Est 4:16), Job’s offering heals others (cf. Job 42:10).Saint Catherine of Siena writes that love, carried to the end, satisfies justice more perfectly than punishment ever could. Mystically, the soul participates not by effort but by union. Offered suffering becomes intercession . The Catechism affirms that intercession draws believers into the mediating Heart of Christ (cf. CCC 2634). Quiet, loving daily sacrifices restore balance and grace in the hidden realms of life. Saint Bridget records Christ lamenting sufferings wasted through resistance. Appeasement is not fear-driven; it is love healing what sin disordered. Calvary reveals that mercy is costly, but it reorders the world from within.

Prayer

Our Adorable Jesus, take us by the hand and lead us to Your Calvary. Teach us to adore before we resist, to offer what hurts, and to trust when strength fades. Unite our small daily crosses to Yours, for love of the Father and salvation of souls. Amen.

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