Is the Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for men? YES, ABSOLUTELY!
I visited one country recently where zealous members of the Movement were concerned that the perception in their country is that the Flame of Love is something old ladies pray in church. I was talking to leaders in another country with a conspicuous lack of men and they said their husbands joked about it being the ladies’ night out to pray. No, no NO! Yes, it’s great that the women are praying but there are two serious problems in viewing the Flame of Love this way.
First, the Flame of Love is so much more than just another prayer devotion. As a prayer devotion, it is one of the most powerful ever given to the Church with its ability to shatter the influence of evil but it is even bigger than that. It is nothing short of our Blessed Mother’s plan to renew the entire Church and world by the effect of Grace. It is on par with the first Pentecost. Shouldn’t men have a part in this?!
Listen to Jesus’ words:
By her [Mary’s] powerful intercession, she obtained from Me for families this great effusion of grace, which she also wants to extend to the whole world. As she said: ‘Nothing comparable to this has happened ever since the Word became Flesh.’ 1
The Lord Jesus had a really deep conversation with me. . . . .
1 Elizabeth Kindelmann, The Spiritual Diary (First Edition 2014), 187
He spoke to me at length about the time of grace and the Spirit of Love quite comparable to the first Pentecost, flooding the earth with its power. That will be the great miracle drawing the attention of all humanity. All that is the effusion of the effect of grace of the Blessed Virgin’s Flame of Love. 2
2 ibid. 149
And look at how our Blessed Mother describes it:
I assure you, my little one, that I have never before given into your hands such a powerful force of grace, the burning flame of the love of my heart. Ever since the Word became Flesh, I have not undertaken a greater movement than the Flame of Love of my heart who rushes to you. Until now, nothing could blind Satan as much. And it is up to you not to reject it, for this rejection would simply spell disaster. 3
3 ibid. 60
If the first problem is to underestimate the Flame of Love as “just a prayer devotion”, the second is to consign it exclusively to women. The Flame of Love is the greatest force given since Jesus walked the Earth to break the stranglehold of Satan on our families, our countries and our societies – to drive out the influence of evil in the world. IF MEN ARE NOT IN THE VANGUARD OF DRIVING EVIL OUT OF THE WORLD, TELL ME WHO SHOULD BE! Men, this is your calling – your calling to take up spiritual arms and make a difference in this world!
. . . . this priest understood the essential message, which is ‘to blind Satan.’ This is the principal and only purpose of the Flame of Love of the Blessed Virgin. She, herself, promised an outpouring of graces so great as have not happened on earth since the Word became Flesh. 4
4 ibid. 198
Yes, men, if you are not leading the charge to drive out Satan by the effect of grace, who is? The Flame of Love needs you and you need The Flame of Love. Answer the call.
If men are not in the vanguard of driving evil out of the world, tell me who should be!
A Special Note to FATHERS
Fathers, teaching your children to be active participants in grace begins with YOU!
Fathers, it is not enough to try to protect your children in our world; evil is too pervasive and accessible. If all you do is try to protect your children, you will fail. That’s fighting a defensive war and you can’t win a defensive war.
Yes, it is not enough to try to protect our children. We must teach them to go on the offensive; we must make them active participants in the life of grace so that when – not if but when – they are confronted with evil, THEY are the ones driving it out. Yes, the Flame of Love is for children – to bring them deeply into a life of grace – to make them the ones who drive out evil around them.
Fathers, teaching your children to be active participants in grace begins with YOU! You must be an active participant in grace; you must be actively driving evil out from around you; you need to be living the effect of grace of the Flame of Love. You must be the ones who show them the way, not just their mother. When they see YOU living a life of sacrificial love, of making Jesus so present in your life that Satan’s influence is completely driven out, then they will know driving out evil is possible and they will know how to do it.
This is especially true of our sons. You know how much you have been spiritually assaulted and tempted. It is worse for them. Do not leave them without the means to resist. You need to be saints for them; you need to show them the way to holiness and that is what the Flame of Love does; it is a rocket ride to holiness for everyday people. Jesus told Elizabeth Kindelmann:
Do not believe that this is impossible because you are a living proof. I placed you in a family setting, so others could see how they can and ought to live. You serve both the family and God at the same time. 5
5 ibid. 229
The world needs us to be great saints – not because we are great but because the need is great. Your children need you to be saints to show them that they can be saints. That’s what the Flame of Love does – the greatest outpouring of graces since the Word became flesh. Fathers, be saints for your children by participating in the grace of the Flame of Love. Yes, you need the Flame of Love and the Flame of Love needs you.