Paying the Debts of Sinners

Divine Appeal Reflection - 56

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 56: "I delight in seeing you pay debts for sinners"

In the language of Our Adorable Jesus, “debt” is not first financial but relational. Sin fractures communion: with God, with others, and within the heart itself. Scripture (cf. Mt 18:23–35) repeatedly frames sin as something owed because love has been withheld—like the servant forgiven a vast sum who refuses mercy to another . This debt arises whenever truth is traded for convenience, love for self-interest, (cf. Rom 1:21–25) or worship for idols of power, pleasure, or pride . The Catechism (cf. CCC 1849–1851; 1868) quietly insists that sin wounds the sinner and weakens human solidarity, creating consequences that remain even after forgiveness . Thus, debt is born not from God’s bookkeeping but from love’s interruption. Jesus beholds this debt with a Heart pierced yet hopeful. He delights when souls enter His own movement of reparation because He Himself chose to “pay” what humanity could not (cf. Is 53:4–6; CCC 601–603). Biblical personalities reveal this logic: Moses interceding after the golden calf, willing to be blotted out for the people (cf. Ex 32:30–32); Daniel confessing communal sins as his own (cf. Dan 9:4–11); (cf. 2 Cor 11:28) Paul carrying anxiety for all the churches . Debt is never private. In families, one person’s bitterness poisons the table (cf. Heb 12:15); in societies, collective sins normalize injustice (cf. Is 1:16–17); in the Church, hidden infidelities cool zeal (cf. Rev 2:4). To acknowledge debt honestly is already a grace (cf. Ps 51:17). Jesus invites the soul not into guilt but into participation—into the mystery where love restores what sin damaged (cf. Col 1:19–20).

Why does Jesus delight in seeing debts paid for sinners? Because love longs to heal concretely. Divine justice is never separated from mercy; (cf. Ps 85:10–11; CCC 1993–1994) it seeks restoration, not humiliation . When a soul freely offers prayer, sacrifice, or patient endurance for another, love re-enters the place where it was refused (cf. Rom 12:1). This is why Scripture speaks of “bearing one another’s burdens” (cf. Gal 6:2) and of completing in one’s flesh what is lacking—not in Christ’s sacrifice itself, (cf. Col 1:24) but in its application across history . Saints understood this intuitively. St. Monica paid the debts of her son Augustine with tears and years (cf. Lk 18:1–8). St. Catherine of Siena offered her sufferings for corrupt clergy (cf. Jn 17:19). St. Thérèse, hidden in Carmel, (cf. 1 Cor 12:26; 13:1–3) paid the debts of missionaries she would never meet . Jesus delights because such acts mirror His own self-gift (cf. Phil 2:6–8). In priesthood, this appears in long hours of confession and adoration (cf. Jn 20:22–23; Lk 22:19). In marriage, in choosing fidelity when affection feels dry (cf. Eph 5:25–27). In youth, in resisting sin not only for oneself but for friends (cf. Wis 3:1–3). Even in workplaces, refusing dishonest gain quietly repairs social debt (cf. Prov 11:1). The Catechism (cf. CCC 946–948) teaches that the communion of saints makes such exchanges possible—holiness is never hoarded . God desires debts paid  (cf. Jn 7:38) because every act of reparation reopens a channel of grace where love once stopped flowing. Each act whispers to God: Your love is still worth everything. And that moves His Heart.

Paying spiritual debts is not dramatic heroism but faithful love woven into ordinary days. Jesus (cf. Mic 6:8; Rom 12:1) looks less for extraordinary penances than for hearts that consent to be offered . A mother who prays instead of retaliating against a disrespectful child pays a debt (cf. Prov 15:1). A husband who renounces secret sin repairs what he cannot yet undo. A religious who remains faithful in dryness pays for hidden apostasies (cf. Rev 2:10). A student who studies honestly when cheating is easy repairs a culture of falsehood (cf. Prov 12:22). Scripture shows this pattern in small acts: the widow’s mite outweighing abundance (cf. Mk 12:41–44); Joseph forgiving brothers without demanding explanations (cf. Gen 50:19–21); Esther (cf. Est 4:14–16) risking silence to intercede for her people. The Catechism notes that even temporal consequences of sin can be transformed through patience, works of mercy,(cf. CCC 1459–1460) and voluntary penance . Saints caution that this must be love, not self-punishment. St. Francis de Sales warned against harshness disguised as devotion . St. Padre Pio taught souls to unite daily inconveniences (cf. Lk 22:19) to the Eucharist . Jesus (cf. Mt 6:3–4) delights because such offerings are free, hidden, and loving . They do not deny mercy; they cooperate with it (cf. Jas 2:13). Debt (cf. Rom 13:8) is paid when love is restored where it was absent .

The Divine Appeal is universal. No vocation is exempt, (cf. 1 Pet 2:5) and none is too small . In families, saints like Rita of Cascia show how patient suffering can redeem generations . In consecrated life, hidden fidelity sustains the Church more than visible success (cf. Mt 6:6). In priesthood,  (cf. Jn 17:17–21; CCC 1566) reparation through holiness counteracts scandals that wound faith . In secular professions, ethical integrity repairs societal debts caused by greed and corruption (cf. Col 3:23–24). Even the sick and elderly—so often marginalized—become powerful intercessors, like the biblical Anna or Tobit, (cf. Lk 2:36–38; Tob 12:12) whose prayer carried weight beyond action . Jesus delights especially when the “little ones” accept this vocation, (cf. Lk 2:51) because it reflects His own hidden years . Paying debts does not mean excusing sin or avoiding justice; rather, (cf. Rom 2:4) it prepares the ground for conversion . Saints remind us that reparation changes the one who offers it first. St. John Paul II taught that suffering (cf. Rom 8:17) accepted in love becomes redemptive . The Catechism (cf. CCC 618; 1508) echoes that Christ allows us to associate ourselves with His saving work . Thus, every state of life becomes an altar (cf. Heb 13:15). The world is healed not only by reforms but by souls willing to stand in the breach,(cf. Ez 22:30) loving where love has failed .

There is a secret joy in paying debts for sinners—a joy Jesus Himself shares. He delights because reparation reveals trust: (cf. Rom 8:28) the soul believes that love truly changes history . Scripture hints at this joy when heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents (cf. Lk 15:7), and when the Suffering Servant sees light after anguish (cf. Is 53:10–11). Paying debts aligns the heart with Christ’s own priestly prayer: “for their sake I consecrate myself” (cf. Jn 17:19). The Catechism (cf. CCC 2013–2014) affirms that holiness is the deepest form of mission . Saints testify that this path, though hidden, bears fruit beyond measure. St. Faustina learned (cf. Mt 5:7) that small sacrifices offered with love save souls more surely than grand words . In contemporary life—marked by division, moral confusion, and fatigue (cf. 2 Tim 3:1–5)—this appeal becomes urgent. Choosing forgiveness over resentment (cf. Mt 5:44), truth over silence (cf. Eph 4:25), prayer over despair (cf. Phil 4:6–7) quietly repays the world’s debts. Jesus delights not because the debt is heavy, but because love is stronger (cf. Rom 5:20). To pay debts for sinners is to enter His own joy: (cf. Jn 15:11) the joy of seeing broken communion restored .

Prayer

Our Adorable Jesus, You who paid what we could never repay , teach us to love with You. Receive our prayers, sacrifices, and hidden sufferings for sinners. Let our small offerings repair wounded hearts, heal the Church, and restore the world, until all debts are dissolved in Your mercy. Amen.

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