A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary with Today’s Readings to jumpstart your day!
Oh Lord, on Ash Wednesday what You really want in our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer is our hearts! All of our hearts and all of ourselves! Lord help us finally give up that little pebble of our self will that stands in the way of You truly reigning in us and in all the Earth!
Posted byValerie Parisi EditNow Is The Acceptable Time For Salvation
Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures
Ash Wednesday
Now is the Acceptable Time for Salvation
Accept faithfully the sacrifices that I ask of you for My Cause. Many ask repeatedly to share in My works, but when they must accept a sacrifice from My own hands, they are afraid of Me. (Jesus) (March 4-7, 1962)
Today’s Readings: Do not perform good deeds before men so you can be seen by them. If so, you will receive no reward from your heavenly Father. When you give an alms, do not blow a trumpet, as hypocrites do. They already have their reward. Give your alms in secret. Then, your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you. When you pray, go to your room and pray in secret. Your Father who sees in secret, will repay you. (Matthew 6)
Prayer Meditation- Now is the acceptable time the Second Reading says today, the time for salvation. It is Ash Wednesday ready or not- time to accept faithfully the sacrifices the Church asks of us. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving. It can seem overwhelming but You see our hearts. Lord, help us to seek You in silence so that we would understand the inner movements of our hearts and Your Will for us this Lent. Help us to accept the sacrifices You are asking of us- is it chocolate or anger, wine or fear, candy or worry- or is it a little of all of these alternatives. Lord let us lay down the little pebbles of our will- living in Your Divine Will is the sanctity of sanctities but it requires dying to whatever is in the way so we can rise again perfected in Your Love and Grace this Easter.
O Lord how many times our feet slip- sometimes due to our circumstances, sometimes due to our faults and sins and yet how many times can we look back and find that it was Your Mercy, O Lord, that held us up so we could keep going! Lord may we do all our actions in Your Will and in Your Love- trusting that it is You Lord that will pick us up when we fall!
Posted byValerie Parisi EditWhen We Just Don’t Get It
Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Times
When We Just Don’t Get It
In one word, I really do not understand. Maybe I doubt because my pride does not allow me to believe. (Elizabeth) (September 7-8, 1962 )
Today’s Readings: Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? (Mark 8)
Prayer Meditation- Lord it is kind of humorous. You speak of the leaven of the Pharisees, or their hypocrisy. The Apostles just don’t get it, they think You are speaking of literal bread and how they are down to one loaf. Lord, I have to admit we are so often on different wave lengths. Your ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Most of the time, like the Apostles, we are too focused on ourselves and our temporal concerns. Or our pride, vanity, self- absorption, anxiety, distrust- all of it just gets in the way of our hearing Your Voice clearly and understanding what You are saying. Lord, what we really need to is to totally surrender our hearts to You in total abandonment. Create in us O Lord a clean heart so that we can journey with You in an ever closer walk with You!
O Lord, is there is one prayer You always answer and from my experience answer quickly! In prayer, in Your Word, in what people around us may say, and in our circumstances. Because You are a generous God and a good, good Father who never reproaches us if we ask in faith but not in doubt or skepticism or as a challenge like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel! Lord grant us Your Wisdom! Mary, Seat of Wisdom pray for us!
Posted byValerie Parisi EditConsider It All Joy
Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures
Monday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time
Consider It All Joy
Many times you were close to falling beneath the cross of difficult trials, and you still experience many sorrows over your children. Bearing such ordeals is meritorious for you and for any mother. By Divine Will, these experiences that affected your life have not been in vain. I have taken them all into consideration. (Mary) (November 19, 1962)
Today’s Readings: Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1)
Prayer Meditation- Lord it can be so hard to count it all joy when we are so distracted by the noise of this world- the problems, sorrows, anxieties, fears- we come so close to falling daily under the cross of difficult trials! But Lord, You know what is good for us- You know that the testing of our faith produces the perseverance we need to stand firm until the end (Matthew 24:13). Lord, all the strands that have gone into the making of the fabric of our lives have not been in vain- nothing is wasted (John 6) of the scraps that we bring to You but united to Your Cross are restored into a beautiful tapestry of Grace!
Lord whatever we do be for Your Glory! Lord Jesus may we invite You this day into our eating, drinking, thinking, working, even our breathing for Your Glory Lord and for the good of all!
Feast Day of Saint Scholastica
Inspired by praying with various prayer apps including the Ascension app and the Hallow app as well as really hearing Our Lord call me deeper into scripture so I can clearly hear His Voice, each morning I will post a verse from the Daily Readings with a short reflection/meditation and resolution to make the Word of God real in our daily lives! As a Benedictine Oblate, I have loved moving deeper and deeper into His Word so I can know His Will and live in His love and spread that love to others! I am praying these little reflections will bless your day!
Posted byValerie Parisi EditIf You Wish
Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
If You Wish
“My Lord and my God, without You, I am nothing. My soul is willing but my body, You know, My Lord, is weak. Here on earth, there are two ‘I’ within me like two eternal and inseparable enemies. My soul and my heart accept it, but they get irritated against the darkened side of my weak will and mind. I renew my offering, sweet Jesus. I am Yours, dispose of me as You wish. In no way, do I want to oppose You because I love You ardently. Clothe me in Your power, so I can fulfill Your request (Elizabeth May 4, 1962)
Today’s Readings: A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.” (Mark 1)
Prayer Meditation: O Lord we praise You, we thank You and we bless You because You do will that we be made clean. That we be healed. O Lord, there are all kinds of leprosy these days. We have all lived through a pandemic and the isolation that came from that period. There are those with terminal and serious diseases, for example cancer, which can be isolating due to immune compromise separating those patients like lepers from community.. There is emotional leprosy, those with mental health issues and depression which runs rampant these days and again, many of these folks are so isolated and alone. There is spiritual leprosy- sin and all of its effects. Lord Jesus, we all know You want us healed of all of these things. But we also know it is not often on our timetables for ourselves or our family members and as Elizabeth describes above in the midst of our suffering we can feel so weak- our spirit is willing Lord but our flesh is so weak! (Matthew 26:40-43). And we wonder if You see us, even though we know You are moved with pity (Mark 1). Lord, so often we just want to ask why especially when miracles happen for others but not for us. But then we also know that not all healing happens here in the temporal order and not all healing comes from miracles. It is the small miracles of modern medicine that never gives up on a cure giving us more time with our loved ones or the miracle of emotional recovery which comes from just giving things time to heal, to the miracles of repentance that happen every day or at least every week in every Catholic Church when someone returns to the Father’s House and their sins are just gone! And we know that all will be healed, every tear will be dried, and death will be no more because You have made all things new! (Revelation 22). So dispose of us as You wish Lord- Fiat, They Will Be Done!
Posted byValerie Parisi EditNothing Escapes His Notice
Today’s Consuming Fire Meditation- – A Daily Dose of the Flame of Love Diary Served Up with Today’s Scriptures
Memorial of Saint Scholastica
Nothing Escapes His Notice
Before He left, He stayed a long time in front of our house and made me sense that He was thinking about our house. He began to list the merits of our family, those virtues which I made the children practice when they were small. He emphasized how meritorious were the fervent night prayer. He said how much He appreciated the small ejaculations that we added to those prayers. He also noted that our family was consecrated to His Sacred Heart. (Elizabeth) (August 16, 1962)
Today’s Readings: In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” (Mark 8)
Prayer Meditation- Lord, absolutely nothing escapes Your Notice! You know our needs even before we know them- that it is late and we are far from home and we are going to need food. Like the Wedding Feast at Cana when Your Mother noticed the wine gone. You have watched us in our homes and in our family lives- the little things that seem like nothing, like saying Grace at family dinner, are so precious in Your Sight! You never fail to catch us at being good- we have nothing to fear because You are a Loving Father that wants nothing but Your Best for us! Nothing escapes Your Loving Gaze and if we bring You the small loaves of our lives You will multiply them because You came so that we would have life and life abundant! (John 10).
 | Balance Thy Life on Their Prayers Were Heard |
 | Lifesong on CONSUMING FIRE- POSSESSING GOD… |
consumingfireblog 
Recent Comments