It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Martyrdom?

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!

The Word Became Flesh

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

Christmas Day

The Word Became Flesh

Jesus said to me, “And the Word became Flesh”. Penetrate and live in this sublime mystery, which signifies the Redemption of the world.” (Jesus/Elizabeth) (October 15, 1962)

Today’s Readings; And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord Jesus thank You for coming to us- The Word Made Flesh for our salvation! Thank You for being Our Savior and Our Emmanuel- God with us! Lord You came full of Grace and Truth so that we would be set free! As we meditate on The Nativity Scene and see You in a humble stable little and helpless let us ponder how deep Your Love is for us that You would become a poor baby to save us  so that we can live with You forever in Eternity! Unfathomable Divine Mercy! Lord let us just love and adore You today in Mary’s arms with all the angels and saints!

True Love Never Says Enough

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

Fourth Tuesday in Advent

True Love Never Says Enough

Never tire of contemplating My Sacred Wounds, from which you will always draw strength. Offer yourself to the Eternal Father. Abide within the Most Holy Trinity. (Jesus) (1962)

Today’s Readings:

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (Psalm 25)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, Your Ways are not my ways- We need Your constant instruction. When we are  lost, anxious, worried, and wounded we can fix our eyes on You and Your Love for us and draw from the Fountain of Living Water and find strength. As we head to Christmas Eve and gaze on You in the Manger we can do so with gratitude and love, knowing that You came to lay down Your Life for us so that we would lift up our heads and see that our Redemption is near at hand (Responsorial). True Love never says enough! (Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta).

Great Things

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

Fourth Monday in Advent

Great Things

I always tell you not to worry that you can give Me only little things. I say again, ‘Always remain little.’ Do not believe that if you had powers to do great things, you would be a saint sooner. (Jesus) (April 10, 1962)

Today’s Readings: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. (Luke 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord You alone do great things- You have done great things for Mary and You are doing great things in all of our lives. Lord, we go around thinking we are the ones who are to do the great things- we will ourselves to be holy under our own power but it just never works! We spin our wheels, we exhaust ourselves, we burn out and come to the end of ourselves because only You can make us holy! Lord, please help us to always be little, to trust in Your Grace and abandon ourselves to Your Divine Providence! Blessed Mother, gather Your children around You to sing His Praises today- Holy is His Name!

God’s Plan

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

Fourth Sunday of Advent

God’s Plan

There was no way I could suspect that God had other plans for me. (Elizabeth) (Biography)

Today’s Readings: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. (Matthew 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, today we focus on St. Joseph in the Gospel. The just man who did not understand Your Plan but responded to the Angel with trust and did what the Lord commanded him. Lord, You have a plan for all of us, one we often do not understand and that often takes a turn we never expected. Lord help us to respond to Your inspirations- it may well not be instructions in a dream for most of us but You speak to us constantly through Your Word, through the Sacraments, and in the people and circumstances in our lives. You are Emmanuel- God with us!

Emmanuel

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

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Emmanuel

At this moment, the bells began to ring for the Angelus. I wanted to begin this prayer that honors the Blessed Virgin, but she intervened. Mary: “Now, your prayer must be to pay attention to my words. Meditate on them with your mind as a sign of your veneration. (Elizabeth/Mary) (December 12, 1964)

Today’s Readings: Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, what a beautiful announcement today in today’s Gospel, the Annunciation, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! Thank You Blessed Mother for being attentive to God’s Will and giving Your Fiat to the Incarnation. Lord, we are often given signs, and like King Ahaz in the first reading we can be purposely dense and even show false humility, not believing You would ever speak to us, when really we are just tuned out and ill disposed. How weary we must make You at times Lord when all You want to do is live among the sons of men (Revelations 21:3), Emmanuel, God with us! Lord may we listen to the Blessed Mother, especially in the beautiful words of The Angelus, and meditate on them as a sign back to You of our veneration and our love! Because You are our Emmanuel- wonderful counselor, Lord of life, Lord of all, Prince of Peace, mighty God, Holy One, Emmanuel! (Michael W. Smith/Amy Grant)

Family Tradition

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

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

Family Tradition

“It is to the warm solidarity of the family sanctuary that souls come back to, after having strayed far. It is there that they come to find themselves and they once more return to God. It is necessary for you, mothers, to extend the warm understanding of your hearts to your children even once they have established their own homes. She (Mary) wants every family to be a sanctuary, a wonderful place where, in union with you, she works miracles in the depth of hearts. Going from heart to heart, she places in your hands the Flame of Love of her heart. Through your prayers and sacrifices, it will blind Satan who wants to rule over families.” (Jesus) (January 17, 1964)

Today’s Reading

Thus, the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations. (Matthew 1)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, this season is a time for families. The genealogy of the Word Made Flesh includes everyone from prostitutes to kings. Lord You chose to have a family history just like us. And as we may feel troubled about our family situations that seem impossible, we are reminded that You always have the last word and You are working right now especially through the Flame of Love to bring Your children home!

Close To The Brokenhearted

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

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

Close To The Brokenhearted

Jesus: “Do not fear. I will not allow anyone to harm you. If he were able, together with his henchmen, he would have crushed you like dust. Be strong. The Holy Spirit will strengthen you.” (Jesus) (August 31,1962)

Today’s Readings: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34)

Prayer Meditation: Lord it seems like every day is a battle. We try to persevere but the truth is  we try to do so much in our own power and we fall apart. And then we feel lost in our sins and our brokenness and we really can just feel so stuck! We can feel crushed by life and its demands and we say we are fine but we know we are not. In the Gospel (Matthew 21) we hear that it is the sinners that will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before the so called righteous. The key is in the Psalm, to take refuge in You because You will not allow anyone or anything to harm us. So let us stop trying to rely on our own strength and ask for The Holy Spirit to strengthen us and may we stay fused in Your Divine Will confident that if we but ask You will forgive and heal everything inside of us that is not of You!