THE TIME IS NOW

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

Monday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time

The Time is Now

Time is short, little sister, and never returns. What you do not accept at a given moment will never again become available to you, because I think that you would not receive it willingly. (Jesus) (July 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, You call us but it seems we always have some reason or excuse why we can’t do what You are asking right here, right now. I will follow You Lord more closely when these kids grow up, or when I retire, or when I settle down and start a family, or when the circumstances are right whatever those perceived circumstances may be. But Lord, You are asking us in our busy lives at every age to follow You now in the busyness and the noise. You ask us to pray each day and study the Word so that we can hear what You are asking of us in each moment of our day. Time is short and never returns- let us be attuned at all times to the inspirations You send us every day and respond in love and acceptance.

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

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

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

It is Well with My Soul

“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: She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” (Mark 5)

Prayer Meditation- Lord in today’s Gospel we have healing and an amazing sense of how much You really care for us and love us and want us well! In the story inside the story  today we have a poor woman who has been afflicted with something that was impossible to cure and yet she did not give up hope! Just one touch of Grace and her whole situation turned around! Lord, so many of us have afflictions big and small and not all of us will be cured in an instant- but Lord may we have that living faith that keeps our souls in continual freshness and ready to receive abundant graces! Because of You Lord Jesus it is well with our souls!

FINISHING THE RACE

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

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Finishing the Race

“Don’t forget, your principal missionary work will always be your own family. I could not entrust you with that before, because I did not want you to stop halfway. Your family is the point of departure for your mission. This work is not yet finished. Be interested principally in priestly vocations.” (Jesus) (August 28, 1962 )

Today’s Readings: I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. (2 Timothy 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord today as we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, we are reminded that no matter how much time we may have, our work is not yet finished! You do not want us to stop halfway- You have placed us in families, in workplaces, in communities- many mission fields without leaving home! Lord help us at the end of our time on Earth to pray with St. Paul and state that we have competed well and let us pray with St. Peter that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16) as You welcome us home!

YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN

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

Memorial of Saint Irenaeus

You Can Make Me Clean

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: When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I will do it.  Be made clean.” (Matthew 8)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, I have always found this healing in today’s Gospel so touching. The humility of the leper who comes with trust and confidence in his absolute poverty and Your beautiful answer- You will us to be clean- to be healed and to be whole. I think that is an easy thing to forget sometimes in our everyday lives. And perhaps it is that we come to You maybe in Adoration or at Mass out of habit and maybe we don’t even notice the build up of dust in our souls from which You very much want us to be delivered. Lord, especially in these times it is time to look within- to ask You what needs to be cleaned-up in our souls and to come to You with humble trust confident that it is Your Will for us to be cleaned and healed in this life. This is the abundant life You have promised each one of us (John 10:10).

SOLID ROCK

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

Thursday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

Solid Rock

“My daughter, after a period of relief, do not be surprised if sufferings again flood your soul. You are experiencing the temptations of the Evil One. Do not worry. I am with you and I act within you.” (Jesus)(September 24, 1964)

Today’s Readings:

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. (Matthew 7)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, the floods come into our lives- the water rises and the wind howls! Trials, temptations, sufferings, sickness and everything else our broken world can throw at us! Yet Lord we have Your Word and Your Promises- we will not be shaken! On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand!

BEARING FRUIT THAT WILL LAST

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

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

Bearing Fruit that Will Last

“Do not make decisions based upon the feelings of the moment. Have a firm and persevering acceptance of sacrifices. This is what produces abundant fruit in the souls.” (Jesus) (August 7, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7)

Prayer Meditations- Lord, You have given us Your Holy Spirit so that we would bear fruit for Your Kingdom, fruit that lasts! (John 15:16). But the truth is we cannot do that at all on our own- as little trees we cannot will that fruit comes forth under our own power. Lord it is so easy to be swayed back and forth by our feelings, we become so double minded and unstable in all of our ways (James 1:8). Lord help us to persevere despite our feelings and accept Your Will, the sacrament of the present moment, in all things- connected to The Vine we will indeed then bear the fruit that lasts!

LIGHT TO THE NATIONS

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

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Light to the Nations

“After your death, my little one, your place will be next to me. Your drops of oil gathered on earth – which by your lifetime of sacrifices, my Divine Son united with His merits – will fall back upon the extinguished lamps of the souls and will ignite them by my Flame of Love. By this light, they will find the way that leads to salvation.” (Mary) (May 30, 1965)

Today’s Readings: It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.(Isaiah 49)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord we thank You today for the nativity of John the Baptist, the messenger who bore witness to the Word Made Flesh full of grace and truth! (John 1) Today You call us to be messengers to the way that leads to salvation- Lord help us to unite our sacrifices to Your merits so that souls will be ignited with Your Flame of Love even after we have left this earth!

O Lord, in our storms You are always the calm and peace we need. May we never lose our faith and trust in You!

QUIET! BE STILL!

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

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Quiet! Be Still!

Listen, currently, earth is like nature before a storm. It can also be compared to an erupting volcano which smothers, kills and blinds with the infernal smoke and its falling ashes. Its tremors disturb everything around it. Such is the terrible situation of the earth at this moment. (Mary) (May 19, 1963)

Today’s Readings: They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we thank You and praise You and adore You for Your Word and Your Gospel today. Because these days, I think we are feeling the effects of the storm that is arising in our world like an erupting volcano. We are feeling that diabolical disorientation that Sister Lucia of Fatima warned us about. These days we can see that the storm that Our Lady has warned us about in so many ways and places is here. And it is so easy to get caught up in it all and cry out like the Apostles that we are perishing! And yet, You have promised to never leave us- in the middle of the chaos of this world You tell us to be quiet and be still and You bring us Your calm and Your peace. Because we were not only created not for this world but for Your Kingdom. We were also created for a time such as this (Esther 4:14). So let us not give in to anxiety, worry, fear, negativity, and complaining – our own little wills, but let us submit ourselves entirely to Your Divine Will knowing that we can trust in You and praise You in any storm!

DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY

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

Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

Don’t Worry Be Happy!

“I am guiding you, and if you worry, I might get the idea you are not happy with Me.” (Jesus) (March 24, 1963 )

Today’s Readings: Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. (Matthew 6)

Prayer Meditation- Worry, fear anxiety- they rob us of our peace! And yet we cannot add a single minute to our day! A quote attributed to St. Francis de Sales who struggled with scrupulosity and anxiety says it well- God commands us to pray but He forbids you to worry!

Lord, You are our peace- let us bring everything to You in prayer with praise and thanksgiving (Philippians 4). Jesus we trust in You!