Bearing Abundant Fruit

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

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

Bearing Abundant Fruit

Jesus: “Remain silent, My little Carmelite. Do not be surprised if I say this often. Do you know who is truly wise? The one who says very little. True wisdom matures in the soil of silence, and only in silence can it take root. I am your Master and I instruct you. I prepared Myself for three years of activity by thirty years of silence. Being your Master, and united with Me, you will also find wisdom. Speak only when I give you the signal, expressing yourself only in the way you have learned from Me, or in the manner I would say it Myself. In a word, imitate Me. You will see that just a few words can produce good abundant fruits in souls (Jesus) (August 16, 1962)

Today’s Readings:

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.” (August 16, 1962)

Prayer Meditation- O Lord, thank You for teaching us how to bear the abundant fruit of the Spirit. It is only in remaining in You that we can bear the good fruit- joy, peace, love, self- control. Lord, let us not fall away from Your Tree of Life by opening our mouths too much- let our words be Your Words and not ours which so often get us into trouble! Help us to stay united to You so that we would find wisdom because the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy and insincerity. (James 3:17). Let our few words united to You produce abundant fruit in souls.

Blessed Are The People The Lord Has Chosen to Be His Own

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

Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Blessed Are The People The Lord Has Chosen to Be His Own

Jesus: “Do not worry, My dear little Carmelite. Do not think, ‘How will I make the Cause prevail?’ I work with chosen souls. Be satisfied with being good. Do you know how to be a good Carmelite? Live humbly. Live the hidden contemplative life in union with Me. Refrain your tongue and be on guard not to say unneeded words. (Jesus) (April 10, 1962)

Today’s Readings: “I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.” (Genesis 12)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, we thank You and praise You and glorify You for your promises to Abraham to make of him a great nation, a people You have chosen to be Your own! It looked impossible to Abraham at the time that the promise would be fulfilled and it looked impossible to Elizabeth that Our Lady’s Cause would prevail through her who, like us was just a weak instrument. But You assure us that You have chosen us right here, right now to advance Your Kingdom, not because we are so great but because You are great and with You all things are possible! So, help us to live humbly and to walk with You living a hidden life in union with You because we are the poor instruments that You are using during these times to give You Glory and to save souls.

Do Not Worry- His Grace is Sufficient

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

Saturday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Do Not Worry- His Grace is Sufficient

Jesus: “You please Me a great deal at this moment. You ask why? Continue to do you your best. What did your guardian angel tell you? Increase the adoration and homage to the Holy Majesty of God. You see how by your resolve to examine your conscience every hour, your soul is refined to become more apt to immerse itself in God and worship Him. Your homage also is greatly gaining in standing with the Holy Majesty of God. This proposition on your part requires a very great peaceful contemplation. But to the one who loves, nothing is impossible. I have provided you with sufficient examples of that. Your bad temper will go on, but out of this evil nature, I will accomplish a masterpiece if you agree to submit to My Divine Hand. (September 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Therefore, that I might not become too elated,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. (2 Corinthians 12)

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, the closer we get to You and the more we see ourselves, we can really feel the weight of who we are. St. Paul talks about a thorn in the flesh, Elizabeth has a bad temper and we all have something that is an obstacle to being the best version of ourselves. But the wonderful thing is, You know all about that- and You will accomplish a masterpiece in all of us if we submit to Your Divine Hand and let You do it because without You, we are nothing! (John 15). You tell us in the First Reading today that Your Grace is sufficient. You tell us in the Gospel that we are to seek first the Kingdom and not to worry about tomorrow. So let us keep trying to do our best and examine ourselves not in a scrupulous manner but with peaceful contemplation because to the one who loves nothing is impossible and nothing at all is impossible for God! Let us be glad in our weakness and submit our nothingness to the All whose power dwells in us!

The Extra Mile

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

Monday of the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

The Extra Mile

Jesus: “You are My little drop of water. Immerse yourself in the intoxicating wine of My infinite Divinity, both in its life-giving power and in its sweet aroma that you pour out for Me. May My good aroma pour out around you. When others perceive it, they will be led to Me. You see, we must be one. Do not be bound by the clay of the earth filled with worms. Let the earth be only that for you. Look at it as such and let us save souls from the worms that threaten and swarm them. Do penance and pray for them. Your acceptance of the sacrifice is the salt that, once poured over the swarming worms, they will fall like dead leeches. Let them be shriveled and annihilated. Let us have just one thought: the salvation of souls.

Today’s Readings: If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.”

Prayer Meditation- Lord You know so well that we have all heard this Gospel and yet how this goes against our flesh and our feelings. Because the truth is most days, we are ready to go to war over that tunic and we certainly are not going to walk even four feet for a spouse, a child, or a co-worker who at this moment is driving us nuts! However, Lord, the battle for today is to put away our feelings so that we can put on Your Heart- it is only with Your Grace that we can give to those who ask of us today. Even when it is difficult or we are tired or it may be inconvenient. This firm and persevering acceptance of sacrifices for love of You is what will produce abundant fruit in many souls! So let us walk that extra mile today- just leave the baggage behind!

Chosen Out Of The World

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

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter

Chosen Out Of The World

“That first meeting was the great step, My little one, when My Mother entrusted you to Me in a special way. Since then, My little one, you have been flying like an arrow towards Me. In your flight, never turn to look back at earth so that the world’s noise does not bother you.” (Jesus) (April 8, 1962)

Today’s Readings: Today’s Readings: Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world. (John 15)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, You have chosen us out of the world. Not to go live in some cloister somewhere, at least most of us who live in families and have jobs and are living the day to day life. But You have called us to come away from the world’s noise and to keep our eyes fixed on You in our sojourn here on Earth. Lord, many of us have felt it as we grow closer to You- friends and family who don’t “get” all the changes in us. Or how we view what was so important to us before in our work and our entertainments as so much straw! (Thomas Aquinas). Lord help us not to look back but to look up because we are Your children now- what we will be we do not know but we know we will be like You! (1 John 3:2). Help us to fly to You Lord today!

Being Peter

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

Third Sunday of Easter

Being Peter

The Lord Jesus told me that He had just given me, with wonderful strength, the grace of faith and confidence, because without these two virtues, no other virtues can take root in either me, or in any other soul. (Elizabeth) (March 24, 1963)

Today’s Readings: Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21)

Prayer Meditation- Lord, how many times like Peter have we denied You? And how many times is it because we are lacking virtue- the virtues of fortitude and courage that overcome the need for human respect and help us overcome the fear of the unknown. Peter loved Jesus but Peter blew it when Our Lord needed him- sometimes isn’t that every one of us? And yet Lord, You never fail to reach out to us with love and You never deny us Your strength and Your grace- they are there for the asking. Peter was reminded as we all should be that we will increasingly face circumstances in our life we cannot control especially with aging- at the end of the day Our Lord asks each one of us if we love Him- and no matter how much we have blown it may we have the grace to answer Yes, Lord, You know that I love You and I trust in You!