Our Adorable Jesus Turned Upside Down

Divine Appeal Reflection - 50

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 50: "I am being turned upside down. With tears in My Heart I gaze."

He is turned upside down not by enemies, but by love misunderstood. In the Eucharist, Our Adorable Jesus places Himself beneath us—literally beneath our hands, our schedules, our priorities. What should govern everything becomes something we fit in. Scripture (cf. Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42) already reveals this inversion: the Stone meant to be the cornerstone is treated as secondary . The Catechism (cf. CCC 1324) proclaims the Eucharist as the source and summit of Christian life , yet daily life often flows from other sources—work pressure, fear, distraction, survival. This is how Christ is overturned: adored on the altar, but displaced in decisions. He becomes the One we receive, then ask to wait. Like the Ark carried through the desert yet consulted only in crisis (cf. 1 Sam 4), His Presence is near but not central. For those who already know Him, this inversion is rarely deliberate. It doesn’t grow out of defiance. It grows out of tiredness. The soul does not reject God; it simply forgets how to lean. We become responsible, efficient, and inwardly exhausted, and without noticing, God-with-us is reduced to God-after—after the duties, after the decisions, after the worries that feel more urgent (cf. Mt 6:33). Scripture already names this quiet displacement when it speaks of Martha, “anxious and troubled about many things,” while the Presence sat silently within her reach (cf. Lk 10:41–42).

After Communion, He remains within the soul—not dramatically, but faithfully. The Lord of glory consents to dwell beneath unfinished plans,(cf. Jn 6:56; 1 Cor 6:19) unresolved anxieties, and prayers half-formed . He does not compete for attention. He waits. The Catechism (cf. CCC 1377; 1392) teaches that this indwelling is real, transforming, and demands a response of faith and adoration, not merely reception . Yet in our humanity, we often rise from the altar and return immediately to managing life, as though grace were fragile and responsibility absolute. Our Adorable Jesus allows this not because He is secondary,(cf. 1 Cor 13:4) but because love is patient .  Heaven bows low; the human heart stays upright with self. This is the sorrowful reversal Christ endures—patiently, lovingly—while still remaining.

Jesus is also turned upside down when intimacy does not lead to obedience. In the Gospel, those closest to Him often struggled most with this reversal. Peter professed love yet resisted the Cross (cf. Mt 16:22–23). The disciples shared the table while arguing about status . Scripture (cf. Lk 22:24) shows that familiarity can dull reverence if the heart is not surrendered. The Catechism (cf. CCC 1391–1395) teaches that Eucharistic communion commits us to live in conformity with Christ . When it does not, love is inverted—received but not followed. Saints spoke of this pain tenderly. St. Augustine confessed that he wanted God, but not yet on God’s terms (cf. Conf. VIII). The heart remains religious, active, and concerned for good—but divided. Saints recognized this danger precisely because it feels so reasonable. Saint Francis de Sales noted that many lose peace not through sin, but through doing too much without God at the center.

Our Adorable Jesus does not accuse this rearrangement; He feels it. He waits while we try to manage holiness alongside life, instead of letting holiness reorder life itself (cf. Mt 11:28–30). Yet eternity keeps whispering: Not less of your life—only let Me hold it. When Jesus is allowed to remain first rather than fitted in, prayer deepens, truth ripens, service becomes love again, and the soul finally rests where it was always meant to rest. He becomes an addition rather than the axis. Yet He stays. Like the Lord (cf. Hos 11:1–4) who remained faithful to Israel despite their divided heart , He continues to give Himself fully, even when the soul gives Him only part. His silence carries the weight of love waiting to be put back in its rightful place.Every postponed prayer, every good intention that did not reach Him, every act of service that replaced surrender—He holds them without complaint, letting them rest in His gaze. Scripture whispers this mystery: (Ps 46:10) “Be still, and know that I am God” . His silence is not absence; it is fullness waiting for our consent.

In the Eucharist, divine order is made visible: God first, self last, love poured out. When this order is reversed, the soul feels restless—even when outwardly faithful. Scripture names this disquiet as a sign of grace, not failure (cf. Ps 42:2). The Catechism explains that grace heals disordered desires and restores the soul’s orientation toward God (cf. CCC 1999–2001). Jesus is turned upside down when the heart seeks peace from control instead of trust, affirmation instead of truth, activity instead of presence. Saints recognized this inversion within themselves. St. Teresa of Avila admitted that she spent years with Christ near her, but not yet reigning within her. Eucharistic life exposes this gently. A spouse realizes that Communion must shape forgiveness at home. A priest senses that routine has dulled wonder. A young person recognizes that Eucharistic purity must reach private choices. These awakenings are mercy. Like Peter (cf. Jn 21:15–17) being questioned three times beside the charcoal fire , love restores what fear once reversed. Each honest response begins to turn the soul right-side up again.

Jesus is turned upside down in the Church when His sacrifice is remembered but not prolonged in life. In the tabernacle, He continues the posture of Gethsemane—lowered, waiting, trusting (cf. Mt 26:40). The Catechism (cf. CCC 1378) teaches that adoration extends the grace of the sacrifice and deepens union with Christ . Yet many pass Him by, absorbed in urgency. Saints felt this keenly. St. Margaret Mary perceived that indifference among His own wounded Him more than hostility. Scripture (cf. Ez 22:30) reveals God searching for souls willing to stand before Him on behalf of others . Eucharistic reparation restores order where love has been neglected. This reparation is lived quietly: choosing silence over noise, fidelity over recognition, prayer over constant reaction. A teacher teaching with integrity, a laborer working honestly, a mother offering exhaustion—these hidden acts lift Christ back to His rightful place. When someone remains with Him, even briefly, the inversion begins to heal.

The final word is not sorrow, but hope. Jesus allows Himself to be overturned because love still believes in restoration. Scripture (cf. Joel 2:25; Ez 36:26) promises that what has been scattered can be gathered again . The Catechism (cf. CCC 2010–2011) assures us that perseverance in grace bears lasting fruit . The Eucharist is God’s chosen way of re-ordering the world—quietly, patiently, from within. Those who already know Jesus are not called to dramatic change, but to rightful placement: letting Him be first again. One reverent Communion, one sincere confession, one decision to pause and listen can realign a life. Saints insist that heaven rejoices when love is finally allowed to lead. When Christ is restored to the center, the soul stands upright at last—not in pride, but in peace. And the One who once endured being turned upside down finds His joy in a heart reordered by love.

Prayer

Our Adorable Eucharistic Jesus, so often placed beneath our plans, restore Your rightful place within us. Gently reorder what we have inverted through fear and distraction. May every Communion, every act of fidelity, lift You again to the center of our lives. Amen.

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