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
Promoting Candor
Deacon Tim Sullivan
Jesus frequently highlighted the characteristics of children, going so far as saying that we must all be like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. One of the characteristics of children that Jesus modeled in His own life was their capacity for candor.
Candor is defined as the quality of being open, honest and frank in expression. This quality should be encouraged in family life. Just as children are likely to say things in a blunt and unfiltered way, the home should be a place where everyone can generally say in a direct manner what they are thinking. If a particular comment crosses the line, that can be addressed as a teachable moment.
The opposite of candor is guile, a word that isn’t used much these days. Guile is defined as deception, normally associated with sly efforts to conceal the truth. Guile is far more popular than candor these days, with all the hype for marketing, politics and self-promotion.
Jesus never held back the truth when it was time for the truth to be spoken. For this He was crucified. When He selected Nathaniel as an apostle, He described him as “one in whom there was no guile.” Jesus said in Matthew 5:37 “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
If Jesus could be frank and open with everyone, then we should be frank and open with Him and everyone else. And we should foster this candor with our children.
“So now have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16
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:
Who Are We Missing? May 12, 2024 (The Ascension). The disciples weren’t ready for Jesus to leave them.
Tree Problems. June 9, 2024. Adam and Eve and a house divided. The source of the problem.
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.”