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

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).

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

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).

Feeling Righteous?

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

Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbott

Feeling Righteous?

My Elizabeth, I want you to pray so the number of repentant and grateful souls may grow from day to day.” (Jesus) (August 7, 1963)

Today’s Readings: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard this and said to them,

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, who are we at this dinner party- who do we identify with as we meditate on this scene? Do we see ourselves as the sinners? Or are there days quite honestly when we act like the scribes and the Pharisees? Are we just part of some Christian/Catholic Club that prays the right prayers and spends time in our parishes with people like us in ministries where we preach to the choir? Do we get even righteously angry about the state of affairs in the Church and our world but spend our time on the Internet reading and not time in Adoration praying? Because I don’t know about you but I am feeling guilty as charged! Because Lord the truth is I was Matthew- I was all things unholy (St. Francis of Assisi) when You called me to follow You and anything good in me comes from You and You Alone! Lord the key I believe is to remember our littleness and helplessness in the light of Your Grace which reaches down to fill our souls with what we need in every moment of every day. And when we walk in that Grace, we can then extend that Grace to all that we meet and pray and sacrifice for them, not for ourselves. Then the number of repentant and grateful souls will grow from day to day because You have increased in us and we have decreased. (John 3:30)