Flock Destroyed by Evil Powers in Nations

Divine Appeal Reflection - 31

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 31:   "The devil will cast its evil powers into the nations and in a given moment will destroy the best part of My flock. "

From the heights of divine sorrow, Our Adorable Jesus unveils the gravity of evil’s advance, so that love may be tested and revealed. Evil is permitted to surge, yet the purpose is always purification and fidelity. Scripture (cf. Mt 24:11–12) foretells such hours, when darkness appears organized and truth seems fragile; false prophets will arise, and many hearts will grow cold . This is not despair but disclosure, as Christ speaks as the Good Shepherd who sees the wolf approaching and calls His sheep to vigilance (cf. Jn 10:11–13). The Catechism (cf. CCC 675) teaches that before the final consummation, the Church must endure a trial that shakes the faith of many, involving deception offering apparent solutions at the cost of truth. History echoes this pattern:(cf. Amos 6:1–6) Israel prospered outwardly while drifting inwardly from covenant fidelity . St. Gregory the Great observed that comfort often dulls spiritual vigilance. Daily life mirrors this warning: prayer reduced to habit, moral clarity softened for social acceptance, silence chosen over witness. The flock’s most precious part is endangered not by external forces, but by forgetfulness of God. Christ’s voice remains luminous—He reveals the storm so that the faithful may anchor themselves more deeply in Him.

Evil rarely announces itself with violence; it enters nations through ideas, habits, and systems detached from God. Scripture names this spirit “Babylon,” alluring yet corrosive, rich in power but empty of reverence (cf. Rev 18:2–7). The Catechism explains that personal sin gradually produces social structures that normalize evil and weaken resistance (cf. CCC 1865). Ignatius of Loyola discerned that the enemy prefers gradual compromise to open rebellion. This unfolds when truth is relativized “for peace,” injustice excused “for survival,” faith privatized “for tolerance.” Joseph chose integrity over advancement even when righteousness cost him freedom (cf. Gen 39:7–12). Daniel prayed openly despite political threats, (cf. Dan 6:10) anchoring his soul in God rather than fear . Christ warns that the flock’s strength is interior coherence, not influence or numbers. When conscience is dulled, even the faithful are vulnerable. Yet God allows exposure so that what is rooted in Him may be purified, separating attachment to comfort from attachment to Truth.

Throughout salvation history, God preserves a faithful remnant. Elijah believed all had forsaken God,(cf. 1 Kgs 19:14–18) yet the Lord revealed thousands hidden in silence who had not bowed to idols . God draws good even from the presence of evil, (cf. CCC 311)though the path remains mysterious . Throughout salvation history, God preserves a faithful remnant, often hidden in plain sight. Elijah despaired, (cf. 1 Kgs 19:14–18) believing all had abandoned God, yet the Lord revealed thousands who remained steadfast in silence, hearts unseen but alive in fidelity . What appears as emptiness or defeat may conceal the quiet work of divine grace. Jesus teaches that unless the grain of wheat falls and dies,(cf. Jn 12:24) it remains alone; yet through death, it bears abundant fruit . St. Maximus the Confessor illuminates this mystery: holiness is perfected in obscurity, where love is purified of self-interest and aligned entirely with God’s will. The soul that perseveres quietly in trial participates mystically in Christ’s Passion, sanctifying ordinary life beyond human sight.In the silence of obscurity and trial, the soul consents to God’s will, bearing spiritual fruit invisible to human eyes. Fidelity in hidden suffering, he shows, transforms ordinary endurance into a mystical participation in Christ’s Passion, sanctifying both heart and action beyond what the world can measure. In every vocation, the remnant exists quietly: a mother persevering in prayer for wandering children, a priest remaining faithful amid ridicule, a professional refusing corruption at personal cost, a youth guarding purity against mockery. Ruth’s covenant choice altered the destiny of nations (cf. Ruth 1:16). The “best part” is never lost when united to the Cross. Christ gathers His own even when scattered, marking them invisibly with fidelity.

Christ once asked whether faith would still be found at His coming (cf. Lk 18:8). Vigilance is not anxiety but sustained love. Conscience must be continually formed, lest repeated compromise blind moral judgment (cf. CCC 1783–1785). St. John Henry Newman insisted that conscience remain obedient to truth, not shaped by convenience. Vigilance is concrete: choosing prayer over distraction, truth over popularity, mercy without surrendering justice. Families live this vigilance by blessing, correcting, forgiving; workers through integrity when shortcuts tempt; consecrated souls through fidelity to prayer when results fade. Mary exemplifies supreme watchfulness—pondering mysteries she did not fully understand, (cf. Lk 2:19; Jn 19:25) yet remaining steadfast beneath the Cross . Our Adorable Jesus invites hearts to discern the times without surrendering hope. Darkness spreads when souls sleep spiritually, but light is preserved where obedience quietly endures.

The final horizon is not destruction but victory purified through the Cross. Scripture reveals the Lamb standing as though slain, reigning precisely through His wounds (cf. Rev 5:6–10). The Catechism (cf. CCC 677) affirms that Christ’s Kingdom will not come by human triumph, but by God’s decisive victory over evil . Saint Athanasius resisted heresy, saint Catherine of Siena endured ecclesial decay,saint Maximilian Kolbe embraced death for love of neighbor; all testify that fidelity outlives every empire. In all states of life, hope becomes tangible through perseverance: teaching truth, loving sacrificially, praying when prayer feels barren. The final word belongs to Love, who endured the Cross, rose in glory, and reigns eternally over every heart and circumstance, unseen yet sovereign, shaping even our suffering into redemption and our fidelity into everlasting fruit.Christ promises not exemption from darkness, (cf. Mt 28:20) but His abiding Presence within it . What seems lost may be hidden for resurrection. The flock may be shaken but is never abandoned. 

Prayer 

Our Adorable Jesus, enthrone Your light within our hearts. Keep us faithful when nations tremble, vigilant when truth is blurred, steadfast when fear whispers retreat. Hide us in Your Sacred Heart, that through every trial, love may reign and never fail. Amen.

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