Category: Consuming Fire

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Memorial of Sant Francis de Sales

Out Of Our Minds

After this, I placed my daughter C in charge of the house: “From now on, you will be the little owner of this house and I will not cook anymore.” She was surprised and asked what I would do.

“Whatever you ask, I will do and I will eat whatever you give to me.” – “Mother,” she said, “you are acting like a hermit.” (Elizabeth 1961-1962)

Today’s Readings: Jesus came with his disciples into the house.
Again the crowd gathered,
making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,
for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3)

Prayer Meditation- Sometimes Lord we can be surprised when serving You conflicts with others’ ideas of who we ought to be and what we ought to be doing, even those closest to us. To our family they just do not understand- Church every day, really? Zoom Rosary over whatever we used to idolize and watch on TV? And mom, what’s with that Mary statue in the garden and Divine Mercy picture on the door? Have you gone crazy they say? Since when did you become a holy roller! Even Your relatives thought You were out of Your Mind Lord! And yet You have asked us to be in the world and not of the world (John 17) and to put on the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). And as long as it is not just exterior but interior change as well You call us to keep changing and giving up our attachments as You change us from glory to glory! (2 Corinthians 3:18). Even if we may seem a bit weird these days in this increasingly secular world our families can be assured that they have our prayers and sacrifices and our love as we lay ourselves down so that Your Flame would ignite in all hearts!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Friday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time

Shadow of His Wings

My adorable Jesus.” He said, “I am that one. Do you see? The time you spend with Me should not harm your family.” We walked home together in silence. I speak thus because He filled me with His presence. Immersed in Him, I kept adoring Him. (Elizabeth/Jesus) (February 14, 1965)

Today’s Readings: Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. In the shadow of your wings I take refuge, till harm pass by. (Psalm 57)

Prayer Meditation- Lord how many times do we find ourselves in situations that we wonder, how did I get here? Arguments, dilemmas, work problems, habits we can’t break. Lord, when we are in these sticky situations it is pretty much guaranteed that we have not prayed first and asked for Your Saving Help. Because without prayer cover, we can be picked off by the enemy like low hanging fruit. Thank You Lord Jesus that even in the midst of our busy duties we can stay in constant conversation with You and remain in the shadow of Your Wings. And when we have wandered off the narrow path, thank You Jesus, for Your Mercy for every fall and stumble along the way. Lord as You told St. Faustina, the cause of our falls is that we rely too much on ourselves and too little on You. But let that not sadden us so much, You told us, because we are dealing with the God of mercy which our misery cannot exhaust! (Divine Mercy in My Soul) Let us throw ourselves on the Throne of Grace with hearts full of sorrow (St. Therese) ready to begin again!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn

Tears in a Flask

I broke forth in tears. This increased my sorrow for sins. Who would not cry in the presence of such goodness and kindness? (Elizabeth) (September 1, 1963)

Today’s Readings: My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you. (Psalm 56)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, so many tears we shed! Sorrow for sin, sadness over circumstances, worries and fears, we can hold it in so long that sometimes it can feel like such a relief when the tears come. We can wander so far but we can hold on to hope because every tear is stored in a flask! You have never left our sides- Lord help us praise You in whatever storms we are in because Your goodness and kindness are endless and Your mercy reaches to the skies. (Psalm 36).

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Memorial of Saint Agnes

Bringing Stones To a Sword Fight

“If there were no battle, what would then give value to things? Always try to go higher.” (Jesus) (June 19, 1964)

Today’s Readings: All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle is the LORD’s and he shall deliver you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we face many battles every day, we can have many giants in the way, obstacles and problems that seem insurmountable. Every day is a fight but how easily we forget that if we are in You, the battle is not ours but Yours and You will deliver us as You train our hands for war (Psalm 144). Lord each us of can pick up five smooth stones, we have been given every spiritual blessing under heaven (Ephesians 1:3). These stones are prayer, Mass, confession, fasting, and reading The Bible, because, Lord our battles are Yours and You will fight for us if only we be still (Exodus 14:14)

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Monday in the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Fresh Wineskins

Your living faith in Me keeps your soul in a continual freshness and makes you ready to receive abundant graces. Hence, My little one, do not serve anyone but Me.” (Jesus) (August 1, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we thank You today that You long to pour the new wine of Your Spirit into our hearts and souls! But Lord, are we presenting to you fresh wineskins or the stinky old ones that really just need to go? Do we have the old wineskin of legalism that makes us worry about following devotional practices to a T but our heart is not in them, we are far away, just phoning it in as we check the box on our list for the day? Do we have the old wineskin of judging others instead of praying for them, of unforgiveness, of a complaining spirit that is never satisfied when things don’t go our way? Of despair and discouragement and fear instead of continual trust in Your Mercy? Lord help us examine ourselves today and help us take out the trash- create in us a clean heart (Psalm 51) that we are ready to receive the new wine of Your Spirit living in us in a fresh new way! Mother Mary, You who were first to see when the wine ran out for the young couple at the wedding, intercede for us that we would truly do whatever Your Son tells us today (John 2).

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Behold The Lamb of God

Renounce yourself and love only Me. Let only the Holy Spirit of Love fill your heart.  (Jesus) (April 20, 1962)

‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” (John 1)

Prayer Meditation- Today we can almost picture the scene. John the Baptist is baptizing and his disciples are with him and along You come- the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And those disciples pick up and follow because You are the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Lord so many of us have had life changing encounters with You where we may have picked up after You and our lives changed. Others, maybe the awareness of who You are has come slowly but steadily as Your Grace and Your Spirit of love has filled their hearts. Either way let us renew anew our love for only You- the One who passes by and calls us by name.

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbott

Feeling Righteous?

My Elizabeth, I want you to pray so the number of repentant and grateful souls may grow from day to day.” (Jesus) (August 7, 1963)

Today’s Readings: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard this and said to them,

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, who are we at this dinner party- who do we identify with as we meditate on this scene? Do we see ourselves as the sinners? Or are there days quite honestly when we act like the scribes and the Pharisees? Are we just part of some Christian/Catholic Club that prays the right prayers and spends time in our parishes with people like us in ministries where we preach to the choir? Do we get even righteously angry about the state of affairs in the Church and our world but spend our time on the Internet reading and not time in Adoration praying? Because I don’t know about you but I am feeling guilty as charged! Because Lord the truth is I was Matthew- I was all things unholy (St. Francis of Assisi) when You called me to follow You and anything good in me comes from You and You Alone! Lord the key I believe is to remember our littleness and helplessness in the light of Your Grace which reaches down to fill our souls with what we need in every moment of every day. And when we walk in that Grace, we can then extend that Grace to all that we meet and pray and sacrifice for them, not for ourselves. Then the number of repentant and grateful souls will grow from day to day because You have increased in us and we have decreased. (John 3:30)

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
He Saw Their Faith

Jesus: “Oh, how this pleases Me! So few times have I enjoyed participating in such an intimate banquet. The souls that make reparation and faithfully follow My desires are so few. (Jesus) (October 18, 1962)

Today’s Readings: They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,

“Child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord today we read in the Gospel about the persistence of four friends who would not take no for an answer- too crowded, no worries, let’s just open up the roof and break through! We all want friends like that and we all want to be friends like that because we know that while there may be many obstacles in the way, what our loved ones really need is You! So how are we doing with this? Because in these days it is very common to have even the closest family members away from faith- We say we want the best for our family. But do we really if we are not paying attention to their souls? Lord please help us- if we can’t do the merciful deed or say the merciful thing let us at least say the merciful prayers (Divine Mercy in My Soul) and make sacrifices so that our loved ones would respond to Your Grace! Thank You Lord for the means You are giving us in our times through the Flame of Love to blind Satan and bring everyone to safety on the Ark of Mary! So let’s raise the roof and let’s leave no one behind.

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Drawing Close Without Fear

Jesus: “You, little spark, no matter how small you are, were created by Me and from Me. Draw close to Me without fear. (August 21, 1962)

A leper came to Him and kneeling down begged Him and said, “If You wish You can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out His hand, touched the leper, and said to him, ‘I will do it. Be made clean.” (Mark 1)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, help us not to be afraid to come to You to be made clean- heal us of anything that is in the way of Your will for us no matter how broken we are. We are all Your little sparks, Your Children, created by You in love. Let us come without fear and in all humility with all of our sins, our weaknesses, and our failures without fear because You will always be moved by pity and mercy if we bring all that we are to You for forgiveness and healing!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Early to Rise

At the dawn prayer, while I was meditating, I saw again the penetrating glance of the Lord’s eyes. (Elizabeth) (January 14, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.(Mark 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, You spent Yourself every day doing good during Your Public Ministry but You never failed to rest and to take time for prayer even if it meant getting up before everybody else. Lord, we all need our deserted places where we can pray each day- it can be just a small corner of a room but we need to go there each day and meditate on Your Word and pray, even for five minutes. Lord help us to imitate You each day and take time to pray and charge our batteries in the Silence of Your Sacred Heart so that when it is time to work, we can say with You let us go on to the nearby villages!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Quieting Our Souls

He also told me to maintain the quiet and peace of my soul because Satan wants to strip me of the grace of abandonment to God. (Elizabeth) (January 18-19, 1963)

Today’s Readings: All were amazed and asked one another,

“What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” (Mark 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we try to maintain peace and quiet in our souls and to abandon ourselves to You, to be still and know that You are God (Psalm 46) But then life gets in the way and we easily forget to call out to You while the enemy of our souls prowls around and stirs us up! And there we are back in the chains of our own human will and human failings!  O Lord only You have the authority to set us free from whatever is in the way of You! Help us to quiet our souls- the enemy of our souls wants agitation but You bring true peace!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Monday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Following Jesus

The souls that make reparation and faithfully follow My desires are so few. (Jesus) (October 18, 1962)

Today’s Readings:

Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord Jesus, You come to us and You knock on the doors of our hearts (Revelation 3). And You ask us constantly to follow You- to come after You and leave our nets and become fishers of men! Lord, it seems that fewer and fewer are in tune with Your Voice and yet You have given us the greatest gift since the Word Became Flesh to save souls through the Flame of Love devotion. No need for some mission trip- right here, right now, in our own homes, we can make reparation through prayer and sacrifice and save souls! It has never been easier because where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more! (Romans 5:30) O Lord, we want to follow You- help us to leave the world behind and walk with You! Help us to increase the number of souls that will make reparation and follow You through the Flame of Love Devotion!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

The Baptism of the Lord

Put On Christ

“In Baptism, My heavenly Father gave all of you the most beautiful robe of sanctifying grace. In spite of this, you do not take care of it. Is there any father who has suffered more than I, so that this robe of sanctifying grace can regain its whiteness? I instituted the Sacrament of Penance, yet you make no use of it. For this, I have sweated blood. For this, I was crowned with thorns. I let Myself be nailed to the wood of the Cross. I endured unspeakable suffering.” (Jesus) (May 1962)

Today’s Readings: After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord You have given us the most beautiful baptismal gown- Your sanctifying grace! O Lord how we have let this white garment become stained, yet in Your Mercy You let us come again and again to the Throne of Grace through the Sacrament of Confession. Let us never take Your Mercy for granted- we can never know the number of our days. Let us put on Christ each day through prayer, reading of Your Word, and the Sacraments!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Saturday After Epiphany

Getting Out of the Way

Sacrifice and prayer! These are your instruments. The goal is to bring about the powerful work of salvation! (Jesus) (July 22-23, 1963)

Today’s Readings:

He must increase; I must decrease. (John 3)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, so many times I am in the way of Your Work. That I cannot surrender the little pebble of my will so that I would be filled with Your Divine Will.  I forget the basics- prayer and sacrifice all for love of You. It is Your Work- I am but an unprofitable servant! Show me how to decrease so that You can increase in me.

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Friday After Epiphany

Grace Poured Out

Jesus: “You see, such is the soul that recollects before My altar but which, for years, has not kept itself clean. It does not look within, it comes into My presence out of habit. It also comes before Me with a layer of dust as thick as a finger on its soul.” (Jesus) (December 22,  1963)

Today’s Readings: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” (Luke 5)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, only You can wash away our sins and make us clean- You pour out Your Grace every day in the sacraments and heal us from all of our ills. Lord, how sad it is that so many come out of habit and not love. Who do not even see the dust that has accumulated on their souls? Lord, how many times is that us? If we are honest, more times than we would like to admit. But Lord, if You wish, You can make us clean if we but bring ourselves to the throne of Grace in humility and poverty of spirit, recognizing that we are nothing and You are all!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Thursday After Epiphany

Set Me Free

You know how my Heart is immensely in pain. Satan is sweeping souls away in a terrifying way.(Mary ) (May 14, 1962)

Today’s Readings:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.(Luke 4)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, You and only You can set the captives free from sin and death. Only You can open the eyes of our hearts! Only You can set us free from all that weighs us down and oppresses us! Lord Jesus set us free!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Wednesday After Epiphany

His Kind of Perfect

Oh, how many, many souls receive My abundant graces, but they are not prepared, and the purifying water of My love drains out. Their souls lose this grace.  (Jesus) (November 17-18, 1964)

Today’s Readings: There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love (1 John 4)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord this year help us not to allow fear to get in the way of Your Perfect Love. Many things can get in the way of Your Grace- fear, distrust, anxiety, worry, and the distractions of this world yet You are always passing by our boats (Mark 6) as in today’s Gospel, as we struggle in the wind and waves. Make us perfect in Your Love and Your kind of Perfect which is not perfectionism but union with You!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

The Epiphany of the Lord

We Three Kings

“Reach beyond your limits. Look at the Three Wise Men, who made superhuman sacrifice. They left behind their limitations. First and foremost, this is what is expected of the clergy and others consecrated to God and all the believers. (Jesus) (January 1, 1981)

Today’s Readings: They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord are we ready to be like the Three Wise Men? Are we ready to leave behind our limitations and follow Your Star even though the journey be long and we may not know the way? Lord may we be overjoyed at finding You in Your House today and with the Blessed Mother may we open up the treasures of our hearts to You! Our talents and treasure, our prayer and worship, our sorrows and sacrifices- Lord we lay them down!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Christmas Weekday

We Are God’s Children Now

Jesus: “My daughter, what I am about to say to you is not just for you. Share it with all My beloved children. Assimilate the essence of My words with the thoughts from your heart. You must shake lukewarm souls out of the indifference which drowns them. (Jesus) (April 17, 1962)

Today’s Readings: See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 2)

Prayer Meditation: Lord, what love You have bestowed on us, Your Children,-yes we are Your Children now and what we shall be has not yet been revealed, but we know we shall be like You and we shall see You in Your Glory! This is a promise we can stand on and rest in- Your Goodness Lord and Your Grace! And yet how many souls, even those who call themselves Your Children, even us sadly, can be so indifferent and lukewarm when it comes to returning love for Your Love which is infinite and which never lets us go! It can be hard to stay “fired up” in the mundane details of life and in the disappointments, worries, and even sins that keep cropping up and getting in the way! And yet we know You are always knocking at the door of our hearts (Revelation 3) and even if we open it a crack, the infinite ocean of Your Mercy will come rushing in ready to absorb us like little drops of water. So let us make time for You today- in prayer, in Bible reading and meditating on Your Word. and when we can attend at Mass and Adoration. Now that is a New Years’ resolution worth keeping!

Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Who Are You?

Do you wonder how you can see and comprehend the Divine Mysteries with so much clarity? Only the one whose sight is one with My Divine Gaze, and whose thought is one with My thoughts can see them. (Jesus) (April 19, 1963)

Today’s Readings: This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” (John 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, today John the Baptist is asked a question, who are you? John is clear about who he is and who he is not because he knows who he is in You! But who are we- those who say that we are followers and disciples of Yours? So often all we focus on is who we are not in this world and how we don’t measure up- our faults, our insecurities, and our weaknesses. Lord, let us instead answer who we are in You-Your dearly beloved sons and daughters who can do nothing without You but with Your eyes let us see and comprehend as we “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) that with You all things are possible