In A World Of Woe

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

Wednesday of the Twenty Third Week of Ordinary Time

In A World Of Woe

“They avoid what is difficult, and as the years go on, their soul becomes grey and covered with dust. Woe to them, because through example they influence others. (Jesus) (December 22, 1963)

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false 
prophets in this way.” (Luke 6)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we live in a world of woe- woes that are of our own making. We love comfort, escape, food, drink, entertainment, the esteem of others as if all of these things could possibly fill the God sized hole in our souls! Lord we lay it all down- empty us so that we can be filled with You and You alone- our one true Love!

Power Came Forth

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

Tuesday of the Twenty Third Week of Ordinary Time

Power Came Forth

Bring Me the problems of your neighbor and the difficulties in your family. I will set everything right. How can I set everything in order if you do not trust Me with your concerns? Trust in My power. I want your unconditional trust.” (Jesus) (August 1, 1962)

Today’s Gospel: And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;
and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all. (Luke 6)

Prayer Meditation: I think sometimes Lord, we think that healing and casting out unclean spirits was something You just did in the New Testament. Oh sure, we hear about healings in Church history and even now and then from friends or maybe we have even had miracles in our own life but how easily we forget. And we think we are all alone again, left stranded to figure out all of our difficulties in our families by ourselves. We can get so tired and worn out we just don’t even really ask you anymore, at least not with expectant faith. But that power, the New Testament power, that healed and cured and brought such hope is the same power that lives in us through Your Holy Spirit and in Your Church! Miracles happen every day, we just don’t always see them! So let us trust always in Your power with unconditional trust and let You work in all of our concerns, difficulties, and circumstances! Jesus we trust in You!

Saving Life Rather Than Destroying It

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

Memorial of Saint Peter Claver

Saving Life Rather Than Destroying It

Therefore, all must share in this great saving work whose purpose is to save souls.” (Jesus) (Easter Monday 1964)

Today’s Gospel: Then Jesus said to them,
“I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?” (Luke 6)

Prayer Meditation-O Lord we thank You we praise You and we adore You for the Saints such as  St. Mother Teresa who went to the margins to do good- to save life rather than destroy it. She saw You in the distressful disguise of the poor. Most of us will not do that heroic work but we are all called to work right where we are in our homes and our parishes to save souls. Mother Teresa taught us that the greatest disease in the West is being unwanted, unloved and uncared for. That we have a hunger for love and a hunger for You Lord. And we see it everywhere in our homes and families, this spiritual poverty all around us. And like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, we can think of all kinds of loopholes that excuse us from doing anything about it but Lord You are asking all of us no matter our vocation, station, even the sick to pray and sacrifice for our brothers and sisters. These are the spiritual works of mercy that You told St. Faustina, another great saint, that anyone can do. So let us Lord all share in Your great saving work to save souls and let us begin today and every day!

Here Comes Our God

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

Twenty Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here Comes Our God

Be not of little faith. Remember what I told you: If you need strong support, say ‘Father, I need Your strong, fatherly support.’ He will extend His strong, fatherly arm. Take courage and grab His arm, not only you, but all those souls that I entrust to you.” (Jesus) (August 8, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Thus says the LORD: Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. (Isaiah 35)

Prayer Meditation- Lord it seems there is so much to be frightened about these days- illness, the economy, family strife, children away from Church, so many things can make our hearts frightened. Yet, Lord You call us and You whisper to us, be not afraid, because You come to save us- You are the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Lord Jesus may we keep our eyes fixed on You trusting in the only One who saves and heals! Let us take courage and grab Your Holy Arm because we need Your Fatherly Support. Lord we praise You in whatever storms we are in and lift up our voices- here is Our God! As we call for You let us grab Your Holy Arm with courage as You always come running to us with Fatherly support!

Fools For Christ

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

Memorial of Saint Gregory The Great

Fools For Christ

I am either a fool and a liar or what is happening in me is true. If it is true, then I cannot stand around with my arms folded while souls are perishing. (Elizabeth) (June 18, 1965)

Today’s Readings:

When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we respond gently.
We have become like the world’s rubbish, the scum of all,
to this very moment. (1 Corinthians 4)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, what is foolish to the world is wise in Your eyes! Either You are the Truth, The Way, and The Life or we are deluded- and how often the world sees us as deluded indeed or even worse as St. Paul tells us! But we can’t stand around waiting for the world to love us and worrying about human respect- souls perish while we drag our feet! O Lord let us be fools for You- use us to shame the wise for Your Glory!

Heart Motives

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

Friday of the Twenty Second Week of Ordinary Time

Heart Motives

Our Lady said, “I am the one giving you the strength to begin. In spite of many objections and bad intentions my Cause will succeed.” (Mary) (August 16, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, it is so often that we can do good things but do them with all the wrong motivations. We want people to like us and to notice us, to affirm us. We work for men and not unto God (Colossians 3). Yet only The Lord knows our hearts! Lord, purify our motives so that we can offer all we do today for love of You and for the salvation of souls! Let us work together with Our Blessed Mother working with and in Her Heart today while we serve Jesus in others!

Let Down Your Nets

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

Thursday of the Twenty Second Week of Ordinary Time

Let Down Your Nets

With deep gratitude, I thanked Him that His attention extended also to our earthly needs. (Elizabeth) (February 14, 1965)

Today’s Readings: After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. (Luke 5)

Prayer Meditation- Lord how often we try to do it all in our own strength. We work hard and long hours and we feel we have nothing to show for it. We never think to turn to You first in our daily lives- we just keep spinning our wheels. But Lord, if we let You into our boats and listened to You and put out into the deep water, even when it does not make sense, we would know that , You are with us. You are whispering in our trials and our failures. You take the little effort we can give and You multiply it with just one touch of Your Grace and Favor! You are telling us today- do not be afraid and to have confidence in You because You always know what we need and what is best for us and You are always more than enough!

God’s Coworkers

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

Wednesday of the Twenty Second Week of Ordinary Time

God’s Coworkers

Jesus said, “All of you have been called to My work of salvation, fathers and mothers, learned and ignorant, the well and the sick. All can work for Me, the free man and the one suffering in prison. What is important is the availability of the soul and the spiritual freedom which constitutes the culture of the soul.” (Jesus) (May 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, in this time of crisis in the Church when it is so easy to get caught up in the news we forget that this is Your Church and You are still on the Throne! We are nothing but unprofitable servants in Your Kingdom! (Luke 17) and we are called to work with You to bring Your Kingdom here. You have no hands or feet but ours, that has not changed! We can all work for You, even those who are sick, in prayer, sacrifice, and in loving others especially those closest to us! Let us work with You today on Earth as it is in Heaven!

What Is There About His Word?

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

Memorial of Saint Gregory The Great

What Is There About His Word?

As she (Mary) said: ‘Nothing comparable to this has happened ever since the Word became Flesh.’” (Jesus) (January 17, 1964)

Today’s Readings: They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region. (Luke 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we stand amazed today at Your Word, what is it about Your Word spoken over us that heals us and strengthens us like nothing else! Lord, help us to bring You today what is unclean in us- only say the Word Lord and we shall be healed! Help us put on the Mind of Christ as St. Paul tells us we have through Your Spirit in today’s first reading (1 Corinthians 2)

Meditating On The Word

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

Monday of the Twenty Second Week of Ordinary Time

Meditating On The Word

The material for my meditation these past months has been one phrase: “And the Word became Flesh.” This is an inexhaustible theme and I always meditate on it. (Elizabeth) (March 23, 1963)

Today’s Readings:

How I love your law, O LORD!
It is my meditation all the day. (Psalm 119)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, help us to meditate on Your Word all day long- help us to love Your Law of Love. You are the Living Word made Flesh for us- Our Rescue and Our Redeemer! Help us like Elizabeth to never tire of pondering what can only be fathomed by the heart and not our human minds! May our hands gather together in unity Lord as we meditate on Your Saving Word all the day long!