consumingfireblog

Flame of Love

May Our Feet Journey Together-The Open Window — April 27, 2026

May Our Feet Journey Together-The Open Window

Daily Devotional Based on the Spiritual Classic He And I

Tonight when you went to your open window to look at the splendid sky strewn with stars whose light glinted among the flowering cherry trees, you listened to the nightingale of the island and you felt the joy of having so powerful a bridegroom. Oh, may this and many other spectacles in nature increase your confidence in Me.” (April 27, 1947)

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
    and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19:1).

But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
    the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
or the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:7-10).

Bless the Lord, all works of the Lord,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
36 Bless the Lord, you heavens,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
37 Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
38 Bless the Lord, all waters above the heaven,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
39 Bless the Lord, all powers,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
40 Bless the Lord, sun and moon,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
41 Bless the Lord, stars of heaven,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever. (Daniel 3:35-41)

Reflection- O Lord how often do we ignore what is right in front of us- the beauty of creation! And yet You created the Earth for us- made in Your likeness and image! You hold all of creation in Your Mighty Hand! And we can have confidence that the God who even the wind and the sea obey (Mark 4) holds our every heartbeat, breath, thought, word, and deed as well our sufferings also in Your Mighty Hand! So let us sing praise placing our I love You on all of creation for Your Glory and the good of all!

May Our Feet Journey Together- Merging Hearts — April 26, 2026

May Our Feet Journey Together- Merging Hearts

Daily Devotional Based on the Spiritual Classic He and I

April 26—“Lord, Your poor little girl, Your poor image, is here before you, yearning for You with all the strength of her being.”

“Have you noticed how people talk among themselves, discussing all their personal affairs? They spend so much time this way and it does them so little good. Don’t you think that if they gave themselves to Me, their friend, I should rejoice to have My place in their thoughts and I should know how to reward their confidence munificently? Don’t you think that it would create a moment-to-moment intimacy between them and Me, and this would be a joy for them, because close to Me their lives would lose their tension. “You understand? It would be life together with Me—I carrying the heavy end of things. So again I say, speak with Me, My little ones. Speak with Me. And our hearts will merge. Isn’t this the aim of My Christians? Isn’t that why you want to die? Then begin by living this heart-oneness. Seize upon every opportunity. Find every pretext. You aren’t bold enough. For some of you it is because you are indifferent. “But My close friends, why, why don’t they call louder to Me from their heart’s depths? If only their belief were less like unbelief! If their hope were fixed upon My help . . . And if, in all simplicity, their love loved Me more. I should be there looking after everything in their day, and when night fell, their eyes would close again on My face. “You know what it is to sleep that way—within My embrace? Would you like to learn better? Remember, it’s a question of beginning over and over again. Of trying to grow. Of taking great care not to be satisfied with yourself. But ponder often on your poverty. Tell Me about it and My heart will be all eagerness to help you since you are so little, so weak. And when you call Me, be sure to give Me the most tender names. I’ll recognize the voice.”

Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7).

And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  (Luke 11:9-10).

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2).

Reflection- O Lord we all want to take our problems to anyone who will listen and talk to anybody but You! And yet You wait for us and You ask us to bring everything to You! To cast our cares! And not only to come but to come with confidence because You know what we need before we even ask! You so long for us to lean against Your Sacred Heart, just like St. John at the Last Supper, and to trust You with everything! But how many, even those who are Your closest friends, don’t due to indifference, distrust, or giving in to anxiety and fear. You call us to come to You in our littleness, our nothingness really, and in our weakest moments where we are the most overwhelmed. Not relying on ourselves and our version of our path to sainthood but only on You because You are always eager to help us when we humbly bring all of our concerns to You with childlike faith and trust!

Man dressed as Jesus with hand on woman's shoulder pointing toward river valley at sunset

May Our Feet Journey Together- He Is The Flame of Love — April 25, 2026

May Our Feet Journey Together- He Is The Flame of Love

Daily Devotional Based on The Spiritual Classic He and I

A light bulb was missing in front of the Blessed Sacrament. “Lord, let my heart burn before You there in its place.” “To burn would not be enough. You must be consumed. I mean you must burn right out. This is what I did for you, for all of you. Don’t you feel the desire to do the same for Me? This is what it means to simplify everything in you to a single principle, a single élan toward your great friend. Isn’t this restful? Isn’t it your goal? And don’t you find that this changes your entire being? You can see that My call is blessing, can’t you, and that your response will bring you joy? “O answer! Answer unceasingly. Your strength will increase and you will give it to others so that it will go from soul to soul as a torch is passed from hand to hand. The living spring is your Christ. Drink at the very fountainhead, for the closer you come to the fountain-head the more your cup will run over.

28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29).

 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, (Ephesians 4:1).

They go from strength to strength;
    the God of gods will be seen in Zion. (Psalm 84:7).

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. (Revelations 21:6)

Reflection- O Lord You desire that we burn for You, to burn for the Love that consumes us like fire! We make things so complicated and yet it is our simplicity that You desire, our simple love worthy of the calling You have had on our lives since our baptism. Your call is a blessing, transforming us from glory to glory and strength to strength! You are the Living Water, the Living Flame of Love which You want passed from heart to heart, soul to soul for the salvation of souls and the good of all. Blessed Mother, You who hold in Your Immaculate Heart perfectly the Flame of Love, which is Jesus Himself, please show us how to do what Jesus asks for His Glory and the good of all!

Teach Us To Pray — February 24, 2026

Teach Us To Pray

Teach Us To Pray

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

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Teach Us To Pray

“One Our Father or one Hail Mary prayed in the midst of spiritual dryness is much more fruitful than exuberant prayers of someone who abounds in spiritual favors.” (Jesus) (May 2, 1962)

Today’s Readings: “Our Father, who are in heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, there was a time in my life when I was anxious about many things (Luke 11) and I cried to You in frustration in my many words- I wish there was just one prayer that said it all! Then it hit me- there is! We so often take the Our Father, which most of us learned as children, for granted. But if we truly meditate on what we are praying we find that You have given us all we need to live in union with You! Lord, help us to seek Your Will in all thing and  to receive our daily bread at Mass if we can, or in spiritual communion, and in  reading Your Word. Lord forgive us for all the times we have missed it and have sinned and help us to forgive others as You always forgive us. Help us to persevere in all trials and temptations in confidence knowing You will not let us be tried beyond our strength (1 Corinthians 10). Let us pray this prayer daily with intention and we will find You have given us all that we need!

Tempted — February 21, 2026

Tempted

Tempted

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

First Sunday Of Lent

Tempted

On another occasion, Satan tempted me terribly. I could hardly keep my thoughts on God. He argued: “Do not try so hard. You will gain nothing that way. You see that you have no protector. You continue to foolishly make efforts only because of your stubbornness.” (Elizabeth) (October 9, 1962)

Today’s Readings: But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.” (Genesis 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, in this first Sunday in Lent the readings are all about temptation. As we make our Lenten resolutions, it seems that a certain someone wants to derail us even before we begin. And like Eve, how often do we give in, believing his lies because for whatever reason we don’t trust in the truth of the Gospel. O Lord, it is so comforting that we read in today’s Gospel, You were tempted also with the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Yet You did not give in but were able to defeat the enemy by prayer, fasting, and speaking the Word of God out loud! These are lessons for all of us because You will never allow us to be tempted beyond our strength but You will always provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Lord help us to fast to conquer our appetites and to hunger only for Your Word knowing that when we fight You are always with us and angels will also come to minister to us as they did for You in the desert!

Nothing Escapes His Notice — February 13, 2026

Nothing Escapes His Notice

Nothing 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 Saints Cyril and Methodius

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).

Doing All Things Well —

Doing All Things Well

Doing All Things Well

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


Doing All Things Well

Because there were four reels, the machine produced abundant material in just a few minutes. You had to be attentive so there would be no waste. The supervisor continually oversaw the good functioning of these machines and was ready to stop them immediately. He did not want a hundredth of a millimeter of error.”

“I remind you of these facts so you see that you gained success from your application and your conscientious work, not from your knowledge. I am with you as the supervisor of the machine. I walk here, I walk there, I am near you so you do not produce anything wasted. Not even an error of one hundredth of a millimeter is admissible. As I told you, not even a hair should separate us.” (Jesus) (November 10, 1962)

Today’s Readings: But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mark 7)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord You do all things well! You did not only do them well in Your Public Ministry, You did them well in the everyday ordinary life of Nazareth as a carpenter and as a son, neighbor and friend. Lord, You know what it is to work and to do so with excellence, offering all to the Glory of God, working as if unto The Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). Because work done for Your Glory is a form of prayer, ora et labora, work and prayer. You want to be with us in every form of work we do every day- nothing is too lowly- the work of raising a family, sweeping the floors, working in a factory, all can be done for Your Glory! Lord purify our motives today- if we are nurses, we are caring for You today, if we are lawyers we work for true justice and mercy, if we are carpenters we are building the Kingdom!  Even the work of being sick when offered united to Your Sacrifice is valuable, more valuable then we will ever know.  Lord, there is nothing wasted when all is offered for love of You and for the salvation of souls (Sister Lucia).

Trusting Jesus- Are We Still Saying Not Yet? — January 30, 2026

Trusting Jesus- Are We Still Saying Not Yet?

Trusting Jesus- Are We Still Saying Not Yet?

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

Memorial of Saint John Bosco

Trusting Jesus- Are We Still Saying Not Yet?

He calmed me down, saying that in those moments, I should pray and ask the Blessed Virgin to place a curtain around me. He also told me to maintain the quiet and peace of my soul because Satan wants to strip me of the grace of abandonment to God. (Elizabeth) (January 18-19, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind,  and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” (Mark 4)

Prayer Meditation- Lord this reading reminds me of a time when anxiety was just crippling my life. I had been in a car accident- had chronic pain, vertigo, and anxiety and fear about the whole thing. I would pray before Mass and You would remind me that You were in my boat. And from then on, no matter how many storms rise in my life, work stress, illness of loved ones, the thorns and anxieties of life that threaten to choke out the good seed of Your Word, You keep reminding me that You are in my boat and You are not seasick yet! Peace returns even in the storms because You are there. Anxiety can be such a stumbling block, I know there are others out there that suffer, and You know how hard it can be to trust and walk by faith when all the flight and fight mechanisms in our bodies are in high gear! Yet You told St. Faustina that an exaggerated sense of anxiety and discouragement are obstacles to holiness! Lord help us today, all of us weighed down by fear and worry and tossed about by circumstances to turn over that anxiety and trust In You- have pity on us and remind us that You are still in our boats and at anytime we can be calm, if we would but call Your Name!

Choked By Worldly Anxiety — January 28, 2026

Choked By Worldly Anxiety

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 — January 25, 2026

Seeing A Great Light

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!