Desertion as Divine Intimacy

Divine Appeal Reflection - 32

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 32: "You have to live moments of desertion."

From the heights of divine intimacy, Our Adorable Jesus calls the soul into a mystery that appears like loss but is crowned with glory: the mystery of desertion. This call is not whispered to the lukewarm but entrusted to those whom He desires to lead beyond the senses into mature union. Sacred Scripture reveals that God often withdraws felt nearness precisely when He is drawing the soul into deeper covenantal fidelity. The epistles proclaim that faith reaches its noblest stature when it perseveres without sight or interior reassurance (cf. 2 Cor 5:7). The Catechism (cf. CCC 164–165) illuminates this paradox, teaching that faith is frequently lived in obscurity and trial, where trust must cling without emotional support . Abraham ascended this path when promises seemed contradicted (cf. Rom 4:18), (cf. Job 23:8–9) and Job walked it when heaven was silent . In daily life, this lofty summons descends into ordinary moments: prayer that feels empty, vocations that feel heavy, fidelity that seems unnoticed. A consecrated soul prays in dryness, a priest ministers amid discouragement, a layperson remains honest when integrity costs dearly. Desertion, then, is not descent into meaninglessness but ascent into purified love. Our Adorable Jesus draws the soul upward by stripping it of lesser supports, that it may stand upon God alone, crowned with a faith that no darkness can extinguish.

The highest light of desertion shines from the Cross itself. Our Adorable Jesus, the Eternal Son, entered the abyss of felt abandonment, voicing the cry foretold in the psalms (cf. Ps 22:1), thereby sanctifying every experience of spiritual desolation. The epistle to the Hebrews (cf. Heb 5:8–9) reveals that He learned obedience through suffering, transforming abandonment into redemptive surrender . The Catechism (cf. CCC 618) teaches that Christ’s voluntary participation in human anguish gives salvific meaning to all trials endured in union with Him . When the soul experiences desertion, it is not moving away from Christ but standing beneath His Cross. In practical life, this union unfolds when one continues to serve without consolation: the missionary preaching with no visible fruit, the religious remaining faithful in obscurity, the parent loving without reciprocation. The saints testify that this conformity to the Crucified purifies intention and deepens charity. Saint Paul rejoiced in sharing Christ’s sufferings so that Christ’s life might be manifested more fully (cf. Phil 3:10). Desertion becomes the seal of authentic discipleship, uniting the soul to the hidden agony of Jesus, who loved without relief. Thus, what appears as abandonment becomes a participation in the most luminous act of divine love ever revealed.

Desertion pierces the faculties, testing faith and hope at their roots. The epistles address communities tempted to grow weary when fervor fades, urging steadfast endurance grounded in promise rather than perception (cf. Heb 10:35–36). The Catechism (cf. CCC 1819) describes this trial as a purification wherein hope perseveres against all appearances . Abraham’s journey (cf. Rom 4:19–21) reached its apex when hope stood naked before impossibility . In daily experience, this sacred darkness manifests when prayers seem unanswered, when injustice lingers, when holiness appears fruitless. A student remains faithful after failure, a spouse loves amid misunderstanding, a believer holds truth while mocked. Our Adorable Jesus permits desertion to cleanse the soul of reliance on emotional certainty, anchoring it instead in divine fidelity. Saint Paul’s thorn remained,(cf. 2 Cor 12:9) not as a defeat, but as the place where grace proved sufficient . Faith forged in desertion becomes unshakable because it rests not on interior light but on God’s unchanging Word. Hope, purified of illusion, becomes heroic. Thus, the night becomes a forge where theological virtues are strengthened for eternal glory.

Charity reaches its royal maturity when it loves without sweetness. The epistles (cf. 1 Cor 13:7) exalt love that endures all things, not love sustained by emotion alone . Desertion strips charity of self-seeking motives, revealing whether the soul loves God for His gifts or for Himself. The Catechism (cf. CCC 2098) affirms that authentic worship requires perseverance even when prayer is dry and unrewarded . In practical life, this purified love shines quietly: the caregiver serving without thanks, the contemplative praying without consolation, the Christian forgiving without reconciliation. Such fidelity mirrors the self-emptying of Christ, (cf. Phil 2:7–8) who poured Himself out unto death . The saints teach that God delights especially in this hidden offering because it is free, humble, and total. Our Adorable Jesus gazes with profound tenderness upon souls who remain when nothing is felt, for they love Him in truth. Desertion thus becomes the throne upon which charity reigns, purified of sentimentality and strengthened for eternal communion.

Desertion, though cloaked in darkness, is ordered toward radiant fruitfulness. Scripture reveals that divine abundance is often preceded by barrenness: Hannah’s tears before Samuel’s birth (cf. 1 Sam 1), Paul’s hidden years before apostolic fire (cf. Gal 1:17–18). The epistles assure believers that perseverance yields a harvest in God’s appointed time (cf. Gal 6:9). The Catechism (cf. CCC 2731) teaches that prayer tested by dryness and struggle becomes more deeply rooted in faith . In every vocation, this promise unfolds silently: the priest whose homilies seem ineffective, the religious whose prayer feels empty, the layperson whose witness remains unseen. Our Adorable Jesus works most powerfully when the soul can no longer measure progress. Desertion enlarges the heart, making it capable of bearing divine life for the Church and the world. What feels like loss becomes preparation for glory; what seems sterile becomes a womb of grace. Standing faithful in desertion, the soul rises again to a higher summit, where God alone is enough. Thus, the path that descends into darkness ends in uncreated Light, and fidelity in the night blossoms into eternal dawn.

Prayer 

Our Adorable Jesus, from the heights You lead us through the night. When You withdraw all sweetness, keep us faithful. Purify our faith, strengthen our hope, and crown our charity. Let desertion unite us to Your Cross and lead us into Your eternal Light. Amen.

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