Choked By Worldly Anxiety

While attending morning Holy Mass, a great anxiety took possession of my soul. An infuriating battle arose within: these arguments are nothing but counter-arguments invented by my lies with which I blind myself. (Elizabeth) (June 18, 1965)

Today’s Readings: Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, I have read the parable of the sowers many times and I always get stuck on the third type of soil because quite honestly that is exactly where I am stuck. So many of us are- we receive the Word and we so want to bear fruit that lasts and serve You but then it seems so much gets in the way. In particular so many of us can get literally choked by stress and anxiety- making us turn inward and keeping us in chains. We may even say we can’t help it but giving into stress is really just another word for lack of trust. And You told Saint Faustina that our lack of trust hurts Your Sacred Heart more than our sins do. Lord, when we allow worldly cares to take over than You are no longer in the center of our hearts! Lord, help us to fix our eyes that we may see what Your Mercy sees when You look at us! Let our hearts become unstuck and ready to hear Your Word and accept it! In the words of St. Francis de Sales, Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.”  St. Francis de Sales, pray for us!

Seeing A Great Light

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

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Seeing a Great Light

The greatest suffering is when my soul is in total darkness and the awful torment of doubts weigh upon me. (Elizabeth) (Full Diary Page 105)

Today’s Readings: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.  (Matthew 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, today in the Gospel You come to Capernaum to begin Your Ministry preaching the words- repent and believe in the Gospel. You came to the people sitting in darkness to bring Your Great Light! Today Lord so many of us can feel as if we are sitting in darkness- maybe it is unconfessed sin, secrets buried inside, anxieties and fears, or simply a lack of feeling Your Presence. When that darkness hits Lord, let us examine ourselves- if it is through our fault help us to repent and begin again in the Sacrament of Confession so that You can heal us! So often the light will return at once when we do this. But what if the darkness is not something we brought on ourselves-  maybe just a dry desolate little season we are going through? Because You tell us that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and that is true whether we feel it or not. Lord, so often the secret in releasing our faith is in praise- let us sing with the psalmist today The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid? (Psalm 27) and let us come to You today in faith and trust knowing that even when we sit in darkness You are the Great Light, the Flame of Love, who has set us free and will set us free!

Out Of Our Minds

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!

Fresh Wineskins

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).