Since devotion to The Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is devotion to Jesus Himself, it should come as no surprise that Mass and Adoration are important parts of our devotion. But, in keeping with our Lenten theme of doing all for love, is love the foundation of our attendance at Mass and Adoration?
I recall when I first returned to the Catholic Church and learned how the sacraments are great conduits of God’s grace. I thought that, if I wanted to grow in grace as quickly as possible, I should partake of the Blessed Sacrament every day rather than just once per week and have been a daily Mass goer for the last 23 years. But notice the faulty perspective. I was going so that I could grow in grace. Where was Jesus? Where was love? It was about my growth. I still had to learn that our spiritual horizons open wide after we stop worrying about our spiritual growth, stop trying to get to Heaven, stop focusing on ourselves in spiritual selfishness, and build our entire spiritual life on bringing joy to our Beloved. Let us seek one thing only – to bring joy to our Beloved. Don’t worry about the rest. That’s His to take care of.
And thus it is with our dedication to frequent Mass and Adoration. We go for love. We go for love of our Lord. To be with Him even if all the rest of the world ignores Him. We go to share the deepest union with Him as He joins himself to every cell of our body in the most profound intimacy imaginable. We go for love of our families and communities for there is nothing that blinds Satan more than our participation in the Holy Mass and, during our time spent in Adoration, Satan loses his dominion on the parish souls.
Yes, as part of our devotion we go to frequent Mass and Adoration and, when we do, we go for love.
p23: Jesus: “Do you know that I was awaiting you with a sad heart? You see how lonely I am! You are the only one here. If you did not come, I would be an orphan. You were an orphan, My little one, and you know how bitter it is.”
p142: I started to feel cold. I did not spend much time in prayer because our church is very cold and made out of cement. However, the Lord Jesus, almost begging me, insisted that I stay.
Jesus: “Do not leave Me now. I am alone and without consolation. Oh, how often I am alone!”
He asked: “Tell Me, since I have been sharing My house with you and I have granted you entry at any time, when you came to Me, have you ever encountered anybody in My house?”
With my head down, I tried to remember. “No one, Lord! During this time, I saw no one.” This sadness broke my heart. He continued to ask.
Jesus: “You see why I say, ‘Do not leave Me alone!’ Let Me give you abundant graces which are stored up in the immeasurable love of My Heart. May our souls be in harmony. May our hearts beat to the same rhythm. . . . ”
p126: Jesus: “All morning you did not say a word to Me. Do you not feel the need of speaking with Me? I need to speak with you.”
Oh, what great sadness overwhelmed me. “My adorable Jesus, infinite goodness.” I prostrated myself and sought pardon for not paying attention to Him. In the silence of my little dwelling, I was immersed in adoration. Meanwhile, He flooded my soul with the grace of His presence and began to complain bitterly.
Jesus: “Do you know that in the whole parish, not one soul is adoring Me right now or saying one word to Me? Their souls are so far from Me! I am rich, but I beg for their love. Having begged in vain, I come to you.”
p110: Mary: “If you attend Holy Mass while under no obligation to do so and you are in a state of grace before God, during that time I will pour out the Flame of Love of my heart and blind Satan.
My graces will flow abundantly to the souls for whom you offer the Holy Mass, because when Satan is blinded and devoid of his power, he is unable to do anything. The participation in the Holy Mass is what helps the most to blind Satan.”
p186: Jesus: “My Precious Blood warms up and sets into motion the frozen, paralyzed energy of your souls. I am pouring it out and will continue to pour it in all the men in the entire world inasmuch as they submit to the holy treatment of My divine hand. Allow Me to act within your soul. Why should you desire to remain men with coarse souls? If only you accepted to become divine, I would find My joy in you, and live with you.
My table is always set. I, the Amphitryon [generous host], have sacrificed everything. I give Myself. After receiving My Precious Blood, examine your souls and become aware of the exhilaration that the power of My Precious Blood brings about in you. Do not be so insensitive. Let not routine lead you to my holy table, but rather the fervor of sacrificial charity, which ignites through contact with My love. Through Me – inasmuch as you remain united to Me – it will burn sin out of your souls. Oh, how I have longed for your decision and your voluntary love. When will you finally come to Me?”
p102: Mary: “My little one, you are the first one showered by the effect of my Flame of Love full of grace, and in union with you, I am extending it to all the souls. Whenever someone does adoration in a spirit of atonement or visits the Blessed Sacrament, as long as it lasts, Satan loses his dominion on the parish souls. Blinded, he ceases to reign on souls.”
Flame of Love Basics Series: Mass and Adoration