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 Gratitude
Deacon Tim Sullivan
It is so fundamental to Christian life to understand that we have nothing of our own and all that we have comes from God. This is a big challenge in a country where personal achievement and recognition receive so much emphasis.
None of us would even exist if it weren’t for God’s desire to share His love with humanity, so we should have a deep sense of humility and thankfulness for the gift of our lives. I recommend that parents give their children the details of their ancestry as a way of helping the children have a sense of all of the things that had to happen in the past for them to even exist, events the children had no control over.
In addition to our existence, we should thank God for the skills we have, our education, our opportunities, and the people that have contributed to our well-being. Even more important is gratitude for our spiritual blessings, the foremost of which is salvation through Jesus Christ.
Our children should know that through our faith in Jesus, grace becomes active in every aspect of our lives. So all of us should be thankful for having the power to overcome temptation, to choose the good that God offers us and to follow His plan for our lives.
Our gratitude should be constantly expressed with our children in prayers and songs. One of my favorite contemporary hymns is called “Give Thanks.”
“In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
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.”