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

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

What Are You Looking For?

Jesus: “I did not say that to discourage you. I want to encourage

you so that you do not seek relief by looking to the earth in your

battles. Look only at Me. I want that, while snuggling yourself right

against Me and surrendering to Me in your arduous struggles, you

never stop looking only upwards.” (Jesus) (February 7, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day. (John 1)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, Your earliest disciples followed You, not even knowing where they were going. What are you looking for, You ask and You tell them to come and see. But to see what? To see and to look only at You and to surrender to You in our struggles. To not over think it. To keep ourselves from being bound to the things of this world because they are passing and only You are eternal! To never stop looking upwards because to look anywhere else only leads to confusion. So what are we looking for, we may not always know it is really You in the storms of our lives, but it is because our hearts are restless until they rest in You! (St. Augustine). St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, great American saint and convert who sought You in all things pray for us!

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

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, 1966)

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. With Your eyes let us see and comprehend as we “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) that with You all things are possible!

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

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God

Heart Pondering Prayer

He knows very well that I listen

to each of his words as a prayer. I constantly reflect on His teaching. Today, it happened the

same way. (Elizabeth) (March 4, 1966)

Today’s Readings:

All who heard it were amazed

by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things,

reflecting on them in her heart.(Luke 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, as we enter the New Year, we enter into it in through a world that often greets it with noisy celebration! Yet in all the noise, how often do we take time to reflect in our hearts about all the graces and blessings You have given us in the past year, Even in the trying year we have just lived through, we can still meditate on how You held us in the palm of Your Hand and never let us go! Today Lord, we honor Mary, the Mother of God- Our Mother! May we take time today to imitate Her and reflect and ponder in our hearts- may we constantly meditate on Your Word spoken to us and for us this Year! Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

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

Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

Abandoned to Amazing Grace

I will give you the grace of full abandonment to me. This grace will totally control your being, and grace will go out to others. (Jesus) (October 2, 1962)

Today’s Readings:

From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses, 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord make us instruments of Your Grace- little pencils in Your Hands so that Your Grace and Peace will go out to others. May we be so full of Your Grace that it truly goes out to others for Your Glory and the good of all!  As we enter the New Year, let peace in the world begin with us as we remain in Your love and we abandon ourselves to Your Holy Will which is Love and Mercy itself!

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

The Feast of the Holy Family

Family Ties

There are many cold families like yours in my country. I want the Flame of Love of my heart to warm them up and others just as well. I can see that you understand this well since you are living the same reality. This is why you have compassion for me. (Mary) (November 19, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Brothers and sisters:

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,

heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another,

if one has a grievance against another;

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. (Colossians 3)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord so many families torn apart by so many things today in our culture. The family is under attack in a big way- it is hard to find anyone not going through a hard time these days. But Lord You came to be born and raised in a family- with a mother and a father and by Your Presence, the family which You created is sanctified. You have come to rescue broken families and set them free! Lord You have given us the Model and You have given us the Grace- may the family be healed through the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! May every child be wanted and may every home turn to Jesus!

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

The Fifth Day In the Octave of Christmas

Revealed by the Holy Spirit- Seeing Salvation with Our Own Eyes

By His sigh, the Lord

Jesus allowed a faint light to enter my heart and it revealed the worth of my suffering. When

the sigh that I felt coming from afar crossed my heart, I felt the Spirit of Power act intensely in

my heart. (Elizabeth) (May 15, 1965)

Today’s Readings: Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.

This man was righteous and devout,

awaiting the consolation of Israel,

and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit

that he should not see death

before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. (Luke 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, many of us have things or events we would like to see before we die. It could be our children happy and on their own, the birth of grandchildren, or retirement with time to finally travel or pursue a passion that we don’t have time for right now. Some of us call these things a “bucket list”. Yet Lord, we are not guaranteed any of these things but we are promised that no matter what life brings us You will be with us and will bring worth to even our suffering. I don’t know if Simeon would have called seeing and holding the Christ Child the answer to his personal bucket list but it was indeed a fulfilled promise made to him by the Holy Spirit! Simeon and many others in that time prayed for the time of their salvation to be fulfilled! And we too are asked to pray and to hope in Your Salvation already revealed to us- may we like Simeon see Your Promises fulfilled in us as we journey in this life toward the next!

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

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Deceiving Ourselves

The Evil One will disturb

your thoughts, he will make you unsure of your actions. By his

words, he will suggest every kind of foul deeds and he will flood

you with terrible torments. He wants to deceive you so you abandon

your humble devotion. (Jesus) (January 13, 1964)

Today’s Readings: If we say, “We are without sin,”

we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just

and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.

If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,

and his word is not in us. (1 John 1)

Prayer Meditation- At first Lord the juxtaposition of the first reading, about walking in the light and forgiveness, seems to contrast with the violence of the Gospel- the loss of the Holy Innocents. But Lord, how we deceive ourselves! We say in our world today that we have no sin- that a baby is a choice, that life has meaning only when it is of value and can be productive for society, that fulfillment of our selves is the highest good no matter the cost of over 60 million innocent lives in the United States of America. Lord, we have been deceived and have abandoned You in today’s culture, yet if we acknowledge our sins, even if we were personally deceived to sin against life at some time in our lives, You will forgive us anything and cleanse us from all wrongdoing. Lord Jesus heal our land!

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

Feast of Saint John the Evangelist

Words of Love

“My little one, write down what I now dictate: …You are mine and this is your guarantee. After your death, there will abound in the treasures of your heart those who will know, bless and glorify God. Those who will live after you on earth can draw abundantly from these treasures. (Jesus) (November 17-18, 1964)

Today’s Readings: So that you too may have fellowship with us;

for our fellowship is with the Father

and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We are writing this so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, today we celebrate the Feast Day of the Beloved Disciple who never left You- the one who laid his head on Your Sacred Heart and who took Mary into his home. St. John wrote five books of the New Testament including the beautiful Gospel of John. Today’s readings tell us that he wanted our joy to be complete in You! Lord let us receive Your Word and the words of the saints so that we may draw abundantly from these treasures!

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

Feast of Saint Stephen

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Martyrdom?

“Do not tear yourselves from My arms which embrace you. Be sacrificed on the sacred altar of inner recollection and martyrdom.” (Jesus) (August 7, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.

I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy. (Psalm 31)

Prayer Meditation- Lord it seems like we are just waking up from our Christmas celebrations when Holy Mother Church cuts to the chase- to love and follow Jesus is to die! Most of us will not face the type of martyrdom Saint Stephen suffered- hopefully though we will have his courage and forgiving spirit. But what we have been promised is that we will be hated for the Name (Matthew 10) and that may very well be by those we love the most. But Lord it is not in defending ourselves but in how we live that we are truly witnessing. Cheerfulness, smiles, silence, prayer and sacrifice for those we love and for those who are coming against us- loving and forgiving with Your Heart when it can seem impossible, that is the little way of martyrdom that You have called each of us to so that none may be lost. Lord, we are not doing this alone, give us the words when we need them and the fortitude and courage to never tear ourselves from Your Loving Arms as You break our hearts for what breaks Yours!