Jesus Acting in Souls as If Asleep

Divine Appeal Reflection - 31

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 31: "What you do is not of you, you remain as if you were asleep and I act in you. This is why you are in a state of slumber.”

From the uncreated stillness of the Most Holy Eucharist, Our Adorable Jesus utters a word not meant to be analyzed, but inhabited. Addressed to Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, this appeal emerges from the highest region of union, where the soul no longer lives at the surface of its own actions but is submerged in God. “What you do is not of you” is not a correction—it is a revelation of a soul already drawn beyond itself. This is the sacred sleep first revealed when Adam was placed into a deep slumber and God alone fashioned life from his side (cf. Gen 2:21–22). Here, human consciousness recedes so divine creativity may unfold. The Church teaches that every movement toward holiness begins with God’s initiative, preceding all effort and merit (cf. CCC 2001–2002). Eucharistic souls live permanently at this threshold, where personal ownership dissolves. In daily life, this mystery unfolds when prayer continues without felt presence, when fidelity persists without reward, when love remains even when the heart feels empty. This is not absence of God, but His total occupation. The soul that consents to rest—poor, trusting, and unguarded—like a child fallen asleep against the Father’s Heart, becomes a living sanctuary where God is no longer resisted. There, without noise or display, He moves with sovereign gentleness, shaping eternity through silence, accomplishing His greatest works while the soul simply remains.

This divine sleep runs like a hidden river through Scripture. Abram falls into a dread-filled sleep, and God alone passes through the covenantal sacrifice, binding Himself without human negotiation (cf. Gen 15:12–18). Jacob sleeps on bare earth, unaware that heaven has opened above him, and awakens transformed (cf. Gen 28:10–17). Hannah prays beyond words, emptied of self-defense,(cf. 1 Sam 1:10–20) and God brings forth life from her surrender . The Virgin of Nazareth stands at the summit of this lineage: (cf. Lk 1:35–38) silent, receptive, overshadowed—where the Word enters history without noise . Contemplation, the Church teaches, (cf. CCC 2715) is this simple, loving gaze where God acts while the soul remains still . Sr. Anna’s Eucharistic vocation participates in this lineage: a life hidden before the Host, where time itself seems suspended so eternity may work. In ordinary vocations, this slumber is lived when parents entrust their children beyond anxiety, when priests offer the Sacrifice without interior consolation, when the faithful remain obedient amid obscurity. God prefers hearts emptied of self-assertion. The sleeping soul becomes fertile ground where divine purposes mature unseen.

The Cross reveals the terrifying beauty of this appeal. Our Adorable Jesus is immobilized, silent, stripped of all visible agency— (cf. Is 53:7; Jn 19:28–30) yet the redemption of the world unfolds in that immobility . Here, divine omnipotence manifests not through intervention, but through surrender. The Church teaches that Christ’s sacrifice is complete, yet mysteriously allows souls to be united to it, filling up what remains in lived participation (cf. CCC 618). Eucharistic souls are drawn into this crucified slumber: they suffer without explanation, love without response, persevere without clarity. In illness, the body ceases to act; in misunderstanding, the tongue falls silent; in prolonged dryness, prayer becomes pure consent. This is the sleep where ego dies. God acts most freely when the soul no longer interferes. The appeal entrusted to Sr. Anna unveils this cruciform mysticism: when human will rests entirely in the Father, divine Love completes its work without obstruction. From this silence flows resurrection, not as noise, but as irreversible transformation.

This holy sleep is not escape from responsibility, but its transfiguration. The soul acts faithfully, then releases possession of results. Prayer becomes surrender, not strategy (cf. CCC 2738). In family life, this slumber heals the tyranny of control. In leadership, it purifies authority into service. In youth, it liberates from frantic self-definition. In consecrated life, it deepens hidden fruitfulness. In old age, it becomes the final Eucharistic offering of being itself. Scripture (cf. Ps 127:1) declares that unless the Lord builds the house, human labor remains empty . Our Adorable Jesus invites souls to labor diligently while remaining inwardly asleep—resting in divine providence. This interior stillness becomes a sanctuary within action. The soul, no longer scattered, becomes recollected. God thinks, loves, and acts within it. Such a soul may feel inactive, yet heaven is moving through it. This is mysticism lived in kitchens, offices, cloisters, hospitals, and streets—where God quietly accomplishes what no strategy could achieve.

This Divine Appeal, flowing from the Eucharistic Heart of Our Adorable Jesus and entrusted to Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, leads the soul to the highest summit of transformation. Here, slumber is no longer metaphor but state of being. The soul no longer acts—it abides. Losing itself entirely, it is found in God (cf. Mt 16:25). Holiness, the Church teaches, is the work of grace animated by charity, not human construction (cf. CCC 826). Eucharistic souls, hidden and forgotten, become pillars sustaining the Church and channels through which divine mercy enters history. God moves in the soul where all personal movement has ceased, accomplishing His designs beyond intention, effort, or awareness. This is the abyss of holy surrender: when the soul lies wholly hidden in God, Love alone keeps vigil—breathing praise into the Father, carrying the secret labor of redemption, and gathering all that exists into the infinite stillness where divine glory eternally rests.

Prayer 

Our Adorable Jesus, hidden and living in the Most Holy Eucharist, draw us into Your divine slumber. Empty us of self, quiet our striving, and let Your Love act freely within us. May our surrender awaken grace in the Church and glory in the Father. Amen.

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