Receiving The Word of God

Posted byValerie Parisi August 29, 2023  EditReceiving The Word of God

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

Wednesday of the Twenty First Week of Ordinary Time

Receiving The Word of God

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. First, make them realize that they must live in intimate union with Me; especially those who despite receiving Me frequently in their souls avoid getting closer to Me. My effort to take them to a deeper spiritual level is wasted if they turn their backs on Me and abandon Me. (Jesus) (April 17, 1962)

Today’s Readings: And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we praise You, thank You and glorify You because we can receive You daily in Your Word and in The Eucharist if we so desire. We receive Your Word, not just as the words of men long ago but as truly Your Word to us every day. Lord, may we always seek that intimate union with You in prayer and in the Sacraments, may we never be indifferent or lukewarm! Lord take us into the deep- like little drops of water in the Ocean of Your Mercy and Grace so that we would be transformed into Your image and likeness in Your Most Holy and Divine Will!

Nothing Except Christ Crucified

Posted byValerie Parisi August 28, 2023  EditNothing Except Christ Crucified

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

Memorial of the Passion of Saint John The Baptist

Nothing Except Christ Crucified

At night, I laid down to rest. Because of my weakness and tiredness, I could hardly think. Quite unexpectedly, the Lord Jesus surprised me with His words and started to converse. Never in my life had His words penetrated so deeply within me. I listened to them with a trembling heart and devout concentration. (Elizabeth) (June 9, 1965)

Today’s Readings: You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.(1 Thessalonians 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord today we honor and remember the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. He had stood up for Your Commandments and was imprisoned. We can only imagine his fatigue, suffering and maybe even confusion in prison. Because Lord it is when we are weak we are strong (2 Corinthians 2:10) because You are strong in us. We all have our times of weakness and tiredness in our lives and in our service to You- times when we are really united to You, our crucified Lord, in our suffering. There is no victory without the Cross, however united to You we are assured that in faith no matter how weak and lost we may seem, we are operating not in our own human wisdom but in Your power and for Your Glory! Saint John the Baptist please pray for us because unless a grain of wheat falls into the Earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it does, it bears much fruit (John 12:24)

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

Memorial of Saint Augustine

Spirit of Power

The Lord Jesus asked if I understood. With His enlightened words, He poured out the wonderful grace of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Power, and the wonderful light of the Holy Spirit enlightened my soul. (Elizabeth) (March 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: For our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction. (1 Thessalonians 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we can hear Your Word over and over again but if the Holy Spirit is not in what we are hearing, they can be just words to us. We know from our own lives- all the times we have heard the Gospel over and over again and it becomes so familiar that it just bounces off. And then in one moment The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to what You are saying and indeed Your Word pours over us with power and convicts us. Sometimes it is when we are seeking, sometimes it is just out of the blue, and a lot of times it is when we are desperate and we just have nowhere else to go and we are finally ready to listen. Lord, please help us to be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that Your Living Word speaks to us daily!

He Is Our Strength!

Posted byValerie Parisi August 26, 2023  EditHe Is Our Strength!

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

Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

He Is Our Strength

And so, for my little strength, the work was excessive. I felt that I could not carry on. I begged the Lord in His kindness to give me strength because I could not manage to help my two daughters-in-law. (Elizabeth) (August 27-28, 1965)

Today’s Readings: I will give thanks to your name, because of your kindness and your truth: When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me. (Psalm 138)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we thank You and we praise You because You always hear our prayers!  Lord so often we lack the strength to fulfill our responsibilities- we can feel so weary! But Lord when we call Your Name You answer us and You build up strength in us as we praise You, meditate on Your Word, and come to the Altar to receive Your Sacramental Graces! Lord help us to turn to You in any trial today!

Preaching and Not Practicing

Posted byValerie Parisi August 25, 2023  EditPreaching and Not Practicing

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

Saturday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time- Our Lady of Czestochowa

Preaching and Not Practicing

My thoughts go in a special way towards those souls consecrated to Me. Those are the chosen ones of My Heart. Even though they are chosen, they do not want to be intimately united with Me. They are distracted by their worldly concerns. Immerse yourself in Me. Take their place, not just for one hour but continuously. Do not ask Me what to do. Be creative! Take advantage of every opportunity to quench My thirst with your desire to save souls.” (Jesus) (April 8, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice. (Matthew 23)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, how easy it is to read the two above readings from the Gospel and the Diary and just shake our heads at “those Pharisees” or “those clergy and religious” who are not walking the walk. Criticizing the Church and clergy has become a cottage industry for some. But Lord, You have asked us to look first in a mirror (James 1:23) because we will see that we too have become distracted by worldly concerns including the media. What are we doing as the lay faithful- are we spending time in the Word or on Facebook? Are we praying for one hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament as we are able to for the life of the Church and the world? For our priests, religious, and also our families- for all trying to live a faithful life in their vocation? Are we sacrificing and praying for all who aren’t including making up for all the lost time when we were just living for the world? So let us not be those who preach and do not practice- let our lights shine for all to see in a dark world. Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us!

Love, Love, Love!

Posted byValerie Parisi August 24, 2023  EditLove, Love, Love!

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

Friday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time

Love, Love, Love!

Why do you prefer some passing goal? Do you not trust the value of sufferings? I give value to your sufferings and it causes Me sorrow if you do not appreciate them. I would think that you are not accepting them with love. Without love, even great things have no value.” (Jesus) (August 16, 1962)

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22)

Prayer Meditation- Lord in today’s Gospel, the Pharisees tried to trip You up by asking You which is the greatest law. You told them as You tell us now that the greatest of these is love! (1 Corinthians 13). Love for You with all that we have followed by love for our neighbor because You created them and loved them first! Lord, love can be a word that gets thrown around- the Beatles sing love, love, love, all you need is love! How many songs on the radio about love? But Lord, Your Love is perfect- it drives out all fear (1 John 4:18) and You ask us to return that love to You with all of our hearts! Because even the smallest acts done for You and our neighbor with great love is what You are asking of us!

What Does He See When He Looks At You?

Posted byValerie Parisi August 23, 2023  EditWhat Does He See When He Looks At You?

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

Feast Of Saint Bartholomew

Who Does He See When He Looks at You?

“Earlier, the Lord Jesus again strengthened me with an amazing grace. He does not make me feel His presence, but He looks at me and accompanies me with the penetrating gaze of His eyes.” (Jesus) (January 14, 1963)

Today’s Readings: “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” (John 1)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, like Nathaniel in the Gospel, Saint Bartholomew, we can be so amazed that You know and love us so completely, and yet Your Eyes do not turn away. You look into our hearts and You see us for who we are. Lord who do You see when You gaze into our hearts? You see our hurts, our disappointments, our hang ups, our joys, our sorrows, and our fears. You know things about us things no one else knows because You know it all.  As it says in Psalm 139, LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand;^*  you understand my thoughts from afar. You sift through my travels and my rest; with all my ways you are familiar. Even before a word is on my tongue LORD, you know it all. Lord.  Strengthen us with Your Amazing Grace so that we would indeed see the greater things You have in store for us because despite the broken vessels that we are, You have chosen us for the good works You have planned for from the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10).

It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere

Posted byValerie Parisi August 22, 2023  EditIt’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere

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

Wednesday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time

It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere

Jesus: “My little Carmelite, your continual sacrifices give witness to your continual fidelity to Me and to My work of Salvation. These make you walk on the path of martyrdom. Do not fear, our feet journey together, and even though you grieve, let us continue walking together. I am giving you abundant graces, My little one, because My Heart overflows with love and prompts Me to be lavish. I fill each of your efforts with graces that are a thousand times greater. Would that many souls loved Me as you do. What great joy I would experience if I could give to many souls the abundant graces which I give to you.” (Jesus) (October 2, 1962)

Today’s Readings:

Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ (Matthew 20)

Prayer Meditation: O Lord, You want no one to be lost- even the five o’clock laborers, the ones who are late to Your table. O Lord let us make our efforts to bring those five o’clock souls to You- who have we not invited? Let us not pick and choose who should come! And if like me Lord, we are the “late” ones who are paid the same let us be confidant in your abundant graces and may we love You for those who do not. May our continual sacrifices of praise, prayer, and thanksgiving bring souls to You!

It Starts With A Yes And Ends With A Crown

Posted byValerie Parisi August 21, 2023  EditIt Starts With A Yes And Ends With A Crown

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

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It Starts with a Yes and Ends with a Crown

Yes, my little one, we will put out fire with fire: the fire of hatred with the fire of love. (Mary) (December 6, 1964 )

Today’s Readings: Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1)

Prayer Meditation- Today we celebrate the Queenship of Mary, Our Mother. Lord, She gave Her Yes, not knowing what would lie ahead but in humble trust and faith! As the first disciple She gained the Crown and lives in Heaven with You, interceding for us, more Mother than Queen (St. Therese). Today, if we have the opportunity, let us pray all four mysteries with Mary, from Her Yes to Her Crown, and let us follow Her and imitate Her virtues as we meditate on Your Incarnation Lord knowing that we will live forever with You in following this sure path!

The Heart Of God

Posted byValerie Parisi August 20, 2023  EditThe Heart Of God

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

Memorial of Saint Pius X

The Heart of God

“I broke forth in tears. This increased my sorrow for sins. Who would not cry in the presence of such goodness and kindness? In the silence, He remained next to me and then left. “Rest in peace. I am going to look for hearts.” (Jesus/Elizabeth) (September 1, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Many times did he rescue them, but they embittered him with their counsels. Yet he had regard for their affliction when he heard their cry. (Psalm 106)

Prayer Meditation- Lord today in the Readings we see Your Heart. Because despite our falling away again and again and again You never give up on us. We go after all kinds of things instead of the One Thing that can fill that great big hole in our hearts! Yet when we cry in our affliction, You hear us and You always give us a way out and a way forward. You do not turn Your back ever on those who turn back to You. I like to think the Rich Young Man in today’s Gospel who could not let go of the one thing that kept him enslaved remembered that day that You looked on him with love not with regret at the end of his life but with thanksgiving because that was the day he knew he had to give you everything and he eventually responded generously to Your call on his life. Lord let that be the choice we make as we let go of the one thing that keeps us from You!