World Desolated by Iniquitous Evil

Divine Appeal Reflection - 150

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 150:  "I am thirsting for the souls of mankind. The world is desolated because of the iniquitous evil with exaggerated freedom and without scruples. "

When Our Adorable Jesus laments that "the world is desolated," He reveals a reality that human eyes rarely perceive: the deepest desolation is not first found in wars, economies, governments, or collapsing cultures, but in hearts that have gradually become empty of God (cf. Hos 4:1–2; Rom 1:21–25). A civilization does not suddenly fall; it slowly loses its capacity to adore, until the Creator is forgotten and created things quietly take His place (cf. Ex 32:1–8; Lk 18:8; CCC 2097). The first ruins are invisible. They appear when prayer becomes an interruption instead of a necessity, when conscience becomes quieter than personal preference, (cf. Am 8:11-12; CCC 29) and when the presence of God is replaced by endless noise . The soul may continue functioning normally, smiling, working, and succeeding, while inwardly resembling an abandoned sanctuary where the lamp before the tabernacle has silently gone out . This was the hidden tragedy during the reign of King Asa. He began by relying entirely upon the Lord, witnessing astonishing victories that no human strength could have achieved. Yet after years of success, his heart gradually transferred its trust from God to political alliances and human calculation. His greatest fall was not military but interior:(cf. 2 Chr 14:11-12; 16:1-12) he slowly ceased needing the God who had once been his only confidence . Desolation had entered long before disaster arrived. This same mystery quietly unfolds today. A husband faithfully provides for his family yet has not spoken to Christ except in hurried obligation for many months.  Outwardly, nothing appears broken; inwardly, the sanctuary has grown empty.  Once this identity is forgotten, the soul instinctively begins searching for substitutes—success, pleasure, recognition, control, or independence—none of which can satisfy the infinite hunger created for divine communion . Jesus therefore teaches that the world's restoration will never begin merely through better structures or greater prosperity. It begins whenever one soul quietly returns to the hidden sanctuary of the heart, allows Christ once again to occupy its center,(cf. Jn 14:23; Ez 37:26-28; CCC 260) and rediscovers that the true opposite of desolation is not comfort but the living Presence of God dwelling within .

Jesus does not simply speak of evil, but of "iniquitous evil," revealing a condition in which sin has become so familiar that it no longer awakens remorse. This is one of Satan's most subtle victories. He rarely persuades a soul to reject God openly; instead, he patiently dulls its spiritual sensitivity until what once troubled the conscience gradually becomes acceptable. The tragedy is not merely committing sin but losing the capacity to blush before divine holiness .This hidden process is seen in Gehazi, the servant of Elisha. He did not begin as a dishonest man. He walked beside a prophet, witnessed miracles, and lived close to God's power (cf. 2 Kgs 4:8–37). Yet he quietly entertained small desires for wealth and recognition until his heart became divided. When the opportunity came, (cf. 2 Kgs 5:20-27) he deceived Naaman and lied without trembling before God . Long before leprosy appeared upon his body, another disease had already spread through his conscience—the inability to distinguish personal ambition from fidelity to God. Iniquity had first become interior before it became visible. Such is the frightening mystery of habitual sin: (cf. Heb 3:12-13) the soul slowly loses not only its innocence but even its awareness that it has fallen . This hidden desolation quietly unfolds in ordinary lives.  A Catholic businessman first accepts one dishonest payment to protect his company during difficult times. Years later he speaks of corruption as though it were simply "how the world works." A parent may laugh at behaviors that once called for loving correction, fearing conflict more than a child's spiritual good (cf. Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4). A priest who once approached the altar with profound awe may gradually allow routine and busyness to dull his Eucharistic wonder (cf. Mal. 1:6–8; CCC 1387). St. Peter Damian warned that when conscience is repeatedly ignored, it slowly loses its sensitivity to sin. Yet such numbness is not peace but the quiet approach of spiritual death (cf. Eph. 4:18–19; 1 Tim. 4:2). Therefore, Our Adorable Jesus invites every soul to beg for a tender conscience that grieves not merely from fear of punishment, but because it cannot bear to wound the Heart that loved us to the end (cf. Jn. 13:1; Ezek. 36:26; CCC 1431).

Perhaps the most prophetic words of this appeal are "with exaggerated freedom." Jesus is not condemning freedom itself,(cf. Sir 15:14-17; Gal 5:1; CCC 1730) for true freedom is one of the Father's greatest gifts and the very condition for genuine love . Rather, He unveils the deception of a freedom that no longer recognizes truth as its guide. Exaggerated freedom begins when the soul quietly believes that it can determine good and evil for itself while still expecting peace. It is the ancient temptation of Eden repeated in every generation—not merely to disobey God, but to live as though God were no longer necessary for happiness . This subtle illusion is beautifully illustrated in King Uzziah. While he depended upon the Lord, he prospered beyond expectation. Success itself became his greatest temptation. As his power increased, his heart slowly became convinced that the limits established by God no longer applied to him. Entering the sanctuary to perform a priestly ministry that was never entrusted to him, he mistook privilege for permission and ambition for freedom. His greatest tragedy was not the leprosy that later marked his body, (cf. 2 Chr 26:5, 16-21) but the pride that had already separated his heart from humble dependence upon God . Freedom detached from loving obedience quietly becomes slavery to self (cf. Rom. 6:16–22). The same illusion unfolds in ordinary life. A successful entrepreneur may gradually believe that financial independence removes the need for prayer, until profit rather than the Gospel guides every decision (cf. Mt. 6:24, 33). Even a consecrated soul may faithfully observe every rule while inwardly resisting the Holy Spirit's call to deeper surrender (cf. Acts 7:51; Rev. 2:4–5). St. Bernard of Clairvaux taught that the deepest slavery is the heart imprisoned by its own will. Our Adorable Jesus reveals that true freedom is not the absence of limits but the grace to delight in the Father's will (cf. Ps. 40:8; Jn. 8:31–36; CCC 1742). The freest soul is the one whose desires have become one with the Heart of Christ (cf. Jn. 4:34; Gal. 2:20).

The final wound described by Our Adorable Jesus is perhaps the most alarming: mankind acts "without scruples." In its true sense, a healthy scruple is not unhealthy fear but the delicate sensitivity of a conscience formed by love, one that quickly recognizes when it has wounded God or neighbor (cf. Rom. 2:14–15; CCC 1776–1779). To live without scruples is not merely to commit sin but to lose the capacity to grieve over it. The soul no longer asks, "Have I remained faithful to God?" but only, "Can I justify this?" . This is the quiet tragedy of a conscience that has gradually ceased listening to the Holy Spirit, (cf. Jn. 16:8, 13; Heb. 3:13; CCC 1431) whose gentle voice once led it toward repentance, truth, and freedom .Scripture illustrates this through King Ahab. His greatest downfall was not merely stealing Naboth's vineyard but the terrifying ease with which he justified injustice. After allowing Jezebel to orchestrate Naboth's death, (cf. 1 Kgs 21:1-16) Ahab calmly entered the vineyard to enjoy what violence had obtained . The absence of interior sorrow revealed that something more precious than justice had already died within him—his conscience. Only when Elijah (cf. 1 Kgs 21:17-29) confronted him with God's truth did the king begin to recognize the depth of his corruption . A conscience ignored does not disappear; (cf. Heb 3:13) it becomes buried beneath repeated compromises until the soul mistakes spiritual numbness for peace . This same tragedy quietly unfolds in ordinary lives.  A young person consumes hours of immoral entertainment until purity itself appears unrealistic and the Gospel seems excessive. Even faithful Catholics can become spiritually indifferent when they receive the Eucharist week after week without examining their conscience or allowing the Word of God to challenge their lives . St. Catherine of Genoa taught that the closer a soul comes to God's holiness, the more delicately it perceives even the smallest obstacle to divine love—not because it lives in fear, but because it has fallen deeply in love with Christ. The saints possessed tender consciences because they possessed tender hearts. Jesus therefore calls His disciples not merely to avoid grave sin but to preserve an interior sensitivity that quickly returns to Him after every failure. A heart that still feels sorrow for sin is already being touched by mercy, for the Holy Spirit continues speaking where conscience remains alive .

After revealing the world's desolation, its iniquitous evil, exaggerated freedom, and the loss of scruples, Jesus quietly directs our gaze toward hope. He does not invite His disciples to despair over the darkness of the age but to cooperate in the hidden restoration of souls. Throughout salvation history, God has never renewed the world by beginning with structures, governments, or civilizations. He always begins with one heart completely surrendered to Him, through which His grace quietly reaches many others . This mystery is beautifully seen in Josiah. While still a young king surrounded by a nation steeped in idolatry, he first allowed the forgotten Book of the Law to pierce his own heart. Before cleansing Judah, (cf. 2 Kgs 22:11-13)he allowed God to cleanse him . His personal conversion became the beginning of national renewal because authentic reform always flows from interior holiness. Every authentic renewal in the Church follows this pattern. God does not first seek influential people but receptive hearts through whom His holiness can quietly shine (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Cor. 1:27–29). Hidden communion with Christ often bears greater fruit than visible success because He Himself becomes the principal Apostle working through the soul (cf. Jn. 15:5; CCC 2715). This mystery unfolds in ordinary life. A father's quiet return to daily prayer gradually transforms the spirit of his home (cf. Josh. 24:15). A teacher formed by Eucharistic adoration begins to reveal Christ through patience more than words (cf. Col. 3:12–15; CCC 1380). A business owner who chooses integrity over profit quietly awakens the consciences of those around him (cf. Prov. 11:3; Mt. 5:16). Such hidden fidelity becomes a living Gospel through which Christ continues renewing the world from within . A young woman who abandons the constant pursuit of social approval begins radiating a peace that quietly leads her friends to ask about the source of her joy. None of these people change the world through extraordinary achievements. They change it because Christ has first transformed them from within . This is the antidote to exaggerated freedom. Instead of living according to self-will, the Christian freely surrenders to the Father's will and discovers the deepest liberty of all—to belong entirely to God (cf. Jn 15:4-5; Rom 12:1-2; CCC 1694, 2013). The world is not ultimately saved by stronger human ideas but by hearts that become living tabernacles where Christ once again dwells, reigns, and quietly restores His creation through the transforming power of His Presence .

Prayer 

Our Adorable Jesus, rescue our hearts from the desolation of sin, the deception of false freedom, and the silence of hardened consciences. Restore within us a pure love for Your holy will. Make us living sanctuaries of Your Presence, so that through our continual conversion many souls may rediscover the joy of belonging entirely to You. Amen.

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