our mission is to enkindle the fire of faith in catholic men & women and those who are curious about what Catholics believe and do.
The word “enkindle” means to set afire, to incite, rouse, to make luminous and glowing. In the Prayer to the Holy Spirit, we ask the Holy Spirit to enkindle in us the fire of his love.
Our goal is to help Christians become believers of authentic passion, people on fire, filled with a zeal to know God’s will, to know His truth and to live with a sincere desire to obey God in all aspects of life.
We will fulfill our mission with a variety of resources, a frequent blog, podcasts featuring lively interviews, articles and booklets that can be downloaded and links to other resources helpful to Christian men and women.
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
“Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!”
LATEST UPDATES
Families of Light
“All of you are children of the light.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:5
The Importance of Integrity
Deacon Tim Sullivan
While integrity is a big word that young children may not readily understand, it’s one of the most important principles of life, it must be explained and emphasized with our kids and it must be modeled by parents.
Having integrity means that we always try to do what is right in every situation. We don’t behave in one way in a certain situation or with a certain person or persons and then in the opposite way in another situation or with other people. We’re always the same person, always following a high standard of behavior.
For example, children might be tempted to use bad language when they are with kids who also use bad language, while they would not be so likely to use bad words around kids who never use bad language.
A person of integrity does not act on impulse but thinks before he or she acts. Such a person exercises self-control, choosing what is good and rejecting what is not good. This is something we always have to work at. And it’s especially important to focus on self-control in childhood and adolescence, so that good habits can be formed which will serve us later in life.
Having integrity brings order, peace and freedom in our lives. Without integrity, we make bad decisions, we become dominated by our weaknesses and we are unhappy.
“When a man walks in integrity and justice, happy are his children after him.” Proverbs 20:7
BLOGS
Our newest blog posting raises the issue of what essential characteristics of the Catholic faith are missing in the lives of many, many Catholics, not necessarily through any fault of their own. Deacon Tim identifies 3 such elements. Some parishes are working to rectify this situation, but there’s a lot of work to be done.
podcasts
Deacon Tim gave a talk on The Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph on June 8, 2021. He describes chastity as more than an aspect of sexuality. Chastity is presented as a function of personal integrity. The talk is especially challenging for husbands and fathers. It can be found on Youtube at https://youtu.be/Lcq7Gr097pY.
Is the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible purely historical? Is the Holy Spirit still with us? Do our Catholic parishes resemble the dynamic vitality evident in the earliest Christian community? What’s missing and what can we do about it? Deacon Tim and Cyndi discuss these issues.
RESOURCES/HOMILIES
Two recent and popular homilies:
The Power of Grace. December 12, 2023. Grace as a reality of God’s divine presence in our lives.
Simon and the Eucharist. August 13, 2023. How Simon is a model for preparing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
CATHOLIC BOOT CAMP
Deacon Tim has developed a series of from 4 to 6 presentations under the title, “Catholic Boot Camp.” They cover the foundations for living the full Catholic life, and include issues which most Catholics would not list on their job descriptions for being Catholic. The themes of the Boot Camp include the following: 1. Why Jesus? His Mission and Purpose, 2. The Church: Its Mission and Power, 3. The Person: Our Individual Identity, Mission and Purpose, 4. The Bible: Essentials Every Catholic Should Know, 5. The Call To Be Disciples and 6. Evangelization Catholic Style. So far Deacon Tim has presented the Catholic Boot Camp at St. Bernard Church in Tulsa, Saint Mark Church in Pryor, Oklahoma and Saint Joseph Church in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
“Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”