Keep Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

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

Saturday of the Twenty First Week of Ordinary Time

Keep Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

All that you can still do for Me on earth is meritorious. Time is short, little sister, and never returns. What you do not accept at a given moment will never again become available to you, because I think that you would not receive it willingly.( Jesus) (July 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Matthew 25)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, You have given us so much- gifts and talents, our vocation, our families, and every spiritual blessing through Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Church (Ephesians 1:3). Yet Lord so often we bury our talents in the ground- afraid to step out in faith or too busy and distracted to hear Your Call on our lives. Lord time passes quickly and so much of it can be wasted! Lord, please help us not to miss the time of our visitation (Luke 19:44)- let us not waste a single gift, talent, or opportunity that You have given us to give Your Glory in our lives and our relationships!  As St. Augustine stated so well, our hearts are restless until they rest in You, let us not wait too long or take Your Love and Salvation for granted -something we can pick up at a later time as that time may never come. Life on Earth is struggle but with You we will run our races and like St. Paul fight the good fight and keep the faith! (2 Timothy 4:7). Lord may we all hear well done good and faithful servant! (Matthew 25)

Nothing 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)

Based on the Spiritual Classic He and I by Gabrielle Bossis

“ August 28—I was thanking Him for all His blessings.

“Even when your faith is no bigger than a mustard seed you must strive to make it grow. Look upon these special blessings of today as My love, attentive to every detail of your life; and at every step of your way, you will find Me watching, going ahead of you. Have you ever gone anywhere that I have not been waiting for you? You often ask Me to take care of your precious belongings. But for Me, aren’t you more precious than all? “Entrust yourself to Me constantly. And always give Me each moment as it passes. Isn’t it better in My hands? Doesn’t it say in the gospel, ‘He laid His hands on them and healed them.’ I’ll take out of this present moment of yours whatever clings too much to the earth—the selfishness that sullies your intention. “Always trust. Trust more and more—even to the point of expecting a miracle. Don’t stop half way or you will set limits to My love. When you have unfolded your confidence you will unfold it still more without ever being able to exceed what I expect of you. “Always count on Me, never on yourself. And you will advance; you will soar with wings like the eagle, My very little girl.””

²⁰ He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from hence to yonder place,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. (Matthew 17:20)

Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
    Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, thou art there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, thou art there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there thy hand shall lead me,
    and thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalm 139:7-10)

¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Prayer- O Lord even in all of the blessings You pour upon us each day You want to give us so much more! O Lord we cannot flee from Your Presence, You are always there! Let us entrust ourselves completely to You, giving You every moment trusting in You always and never in ourselves. Fiat Jesus, They Will be done!

Faithful And Prudent Servant

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

Memorial of Saint Augustine

Faithful And Prudent Servant

What you must love and seek the most in it are the internal and external humiliations. Never believe that you are important. Your principal task is to consider yourself as nothing; never stop doing this. Even after your death, this should be happening. It is for that reason also that you receive the graces of internal and external humiliations. In this way, you can remain faithful in spreading my Flame of Love. Take advantage of every opportunity; seek these external and internal humiliations with your own effort, because what you seek for yourself increases your humility even more.” (Mary) (September 29, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we read today in the Gospel and in the Diary about being faithful and being vigilant! To be prepared, to be faithful in our tasks, to remember most of all that we are nothing and that You are all! To accept internal and external humiliations and to offer them to You for the salvation and sanctification of all souls! No one lived in complete faithfulness and in total union with You like Our Lady. When we feel tired and confused and just not sure what the right next step is let us turn to Her as our model and guide to Your Most Holy and Divine Will which is Love and Mercy itself! Blessed Lady may we do all of our actions under Your Maternal Gaze!

““Wherever you are, you are in Me. You are all Mine. Nothing but sin could ever separate us. You can’t possibly escape My love! It is all-encompassing. Serve it. Wait upon Me. How often I have served you in the outpouring of My tenderness! What have I not done for you, My dear little child? If you suffer, suffer with Me. All these discomforts caused by the weather—I bore them all, like you, on the open roads. Always be one with Me in everything that happens to you. How I love this attitude—being ready to merge. Isn’t that love itself? A longing for at-onement? “I garner up your faith, rewarding it with grace. And if you give yourself to grace, I respond by giving you a greater grace. And so, step by step you will soon rise to heights you never suspected. For there is no end to My gifts and it is My joy to commune with you unceasingly.”” (He and I, Gabrielle Bossis, 8/26)

Scripture Meditation- ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.¹⁸ I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:17-18)

¹⁷ But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Prayer Reflection- My Jesus how thankful I am that nothing can every separate us and we cannot escape Your Love! Let us always be ready to be in union with You, even in our sufferings which You bore for us not only in the Passion but in all the small things of life. May our feet journey together!

Many Are Invited But Few Are Chosen

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

Many Are Invited But Few Are Chosen

Jesus: “You know, do you not, that I invited you to My private war camp? Do not be attracted by the passing comfort of this world. The coming of My Kingdom must be your only purpose in life. My words will reach a multitude of souls consecrated to Me. Trust! My grace will be with you and I will help all of you in a miraculous way.” (Jesus) (August 8, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, many are invited but few are chosen. Not because You do not want to choose them, You choose everyone, but because so few have readied themselves for what You are asking of us. We can be so poorly dressed- not dressed for the Kingdom but dressed for the passing comforts of this world. Our garments and our baggage drag us down. Lord, You have given us the perfect wedding garment- the garment of our baptism which we keep clean by the sacramental life including confession and frequent reception of the Eucharist, prayer, and living on the food of Your Word every day. You have invited us all to Your private war camp in these times- so let’s suit up and ready ourselves because we are the chosen little army You are gathering to reach a multitude of souls!

As For Me and My House We Will Serve The Lord

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

Saturday of the Nineteenth Week of Ordinary Time

As For Me and My House We Will Serve The Lord

“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 after they have established their own homes. (Jesus) (January 17, 1964)

Today’s Readings: If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24)

Prayer Meditation- Lord in these days where the culture seems against us and families can be so divided, we are comforted in knowing that You love each and every one of our family members, especially the prodigals and that You never give up on them. You have asked us as mothers and fathers to stay faithful to our vocation, to keep our homes and our hearts open because we have trained our children in the way that they should go and You have promised that when they are older ,they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22). Even if we are less than perfect, if we but ask, You fill in those deficiencies with Your Grace if we bring all of these problems to You. So let us believe and declare that yes, as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord! Mama Mary keep us all safe under Your Mantle until all find their way home!

Pearl of Great Price

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

Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time

Pearl of Great Price

“Divine Sculptor, form me in Your image and likeness, so that at the hour of my death You recognize the work of Your holy hands. O blessed Divine Hand that carves and caresses at the same time. My soul burns with desires when You say that You need my sacrifice. What a great distinction! I bless You, beloved Jesus, and exalt You without end.” (Elizabeth) (September 1, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” (Matthew 13)

Prayer Meditation- Lord we will soon honor St. Ignatius of Loyola who gave up everything in his past for the pearl of great price. We all have these big holes in our hearts until we abandon ourselves to You! As St. Augustine said, our hearts are restless until we rest in You! Lord, some of us grew up in the Church and some of us may not have and some of us wandered in darkness and confusion or we may have wandered off the path.  And when we found You, especially in the Sacraments and Your One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we left everything to follow You!  Because You never give us on us and You never let us go! Lord may we fill our minds with spiritual reading including the Bible so that You may form us into Your likeness. Mother Mary, as St. Louis Marie de Montfort has taught us, place us in Your mold as we strive to live for Jesus!