Fanning the Flame

     It was March 19, the feast of St. Joseph.

     Feeling burdened and insecure, I had gone to the Adoration chapel to make a visit and seek divine assistance. Later that evening, because of my suggestion, our faith enrichment group was going to read The Flame of Love, an abridged version of Elizabeth Kindelmann’s diary. Although familiar with the FOL Movement since late last spring, I could not articulate much about it, let alone facilitate a study. So why was I going to do it? Although filled with fear and apprehension, it did seem like the next step to take.

His Deepest Desires

     Then the sweet Redeemer asked me to pray with Him the prayer that expresses His deepest desires:

May our feet journey together.

May our hands gather in unity.

May our hearts beat in unison.

May our souls be in harmony.

May our thoughts be as one.

May our ears listen to the silence together.

May our glances profoundly penetrate each other.

May our lips pray together to gain mercy from the Eternal Father.

Amen.

     I made this prayer completely mine. The Lord meditated on it many time with me, asserting these are His eternal longings. He taught me this prayer, so I would in turn teach it to others. With all our strength and mind, let us make our own His eternal thoughts and burning desires.
                An excerpt from the diary of Elizabeth Kindelmann*


     What a beautiful, powerful prayer Our Lord shared with Elizabeth: a prayer that expresses His eternal longings. The very longings that He has for each one of us! Let us look at them together and discover the love of our Savior.

Our Rose Continues to Open

     “I am going to record what the Blessed Virgin told me in this year, 1962. I kept it inside for a long time without daring to write it down. It is a petition of the Blessed Virgin: ‘when you say the prayer that honors me, the Hail Mary, include this petition in the following manner: ‘Hail Mary full of grace. . . Pray for us sinners, spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love over all of humanity, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”                                                                                                                       Conversation between Elizabeth Kindelmann and Our Blessed Mother


     Elizabeth received this request from Our Lady in the early part of 1962. She brought the request to the bishop on February 2, and his response to Elizabeth was, “Why the very old Hail Mary should be recited differently?” It is not recorded in her diary what Elizabeth’s response to the bishop was, but she obviously must have spoken to Jesus about her conversation with the bishop. Our Lord reassured Elizabeth by saying: “It is exclusively thanks to the efficacious pleas of the Most Holy Virgin that the Most Holy Trinity granted the effusion of the Flame of Love. By it, ask in the prayer with which you greet My Most Holy Mother: ‘Spread the effect of grace of thy Flame of Love over all of humanity, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.’ So that, by its effect, humanity is converted.”

The Flame of Love

   “I place this new instrument in your hands. Take this flame. You are the first to whom I entrust it. It is the Flame of Love of my Heart. First, light your own heart and then, pass it on to others. With this flame you will light all hearts in the world. The miracle will be this. This flame will become a fire, and with its shining light, this fire will blind Satan.” Our Blessed Mother to Elizabeth Kindelmann


     Elizabeth Kindelmann lived in Budapest, Hungary, under Communistic rule. She was a lifelong Catholic and a Third Order Carmelite.She had a difficult life from childhood, having been orphaned by the time she was five. Married at sixteen and widowed by the age of thirty two, she struggled tirelessly to support her family. Burdened by family cares, her relationship with God suffered.
Although she still attended Mass, it was with great effort. For three years Elizabeth experienced the dark night* and was tormented by the devil. On July 16, 1961, the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, after receiving the Sacrament of Penance, Elizabeth prostrated herself before a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Although she was not filled with peace, Elizabeth felt as if she had left her wounded soul at Carmel. The following day she begged and prayed, “Dear heavenly Mother, I do not want to be ever unfaithful to you. Do not abandon me, hold me tight. I do not trust myself. My steps are so unsteady.”