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
Intelligence vs Wisdom
Deacon Tim Sullivan
We use the word “smart” all the time now, but we rarely use the word “wise.” And there’s a big difference between smartness and wisdom.
Our culture places a huge emphasis on intelligence, on being smart, on knowing a lot of facts and information. Our children’s progress is frequently measured in terms of smartness, usually represented by their grades in school. If our children are smart, if they do well in school, we parents think that then they will be successful in life and especially in their chosen careers.
Smartness has taken on a new dimension with what is called “artificial intelligence.” Artificial intelligence is generated not by human thought so much as by a technological process. Advertisements speak glowingly of the amazing power that is now available to us through artificial intelligence.
How often do we speak to our children, regardless of their age, about wisdom? Factual information disconnected from a sound moral foundation can be easily misused. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in ways that conform to objective moral norms. Intelligence by itself provides no assurance that an intelligent person will lead a life that is morally sound and leads to authentic happiness.
As parents, we should teach our children the important difference between intelligence and wisdom. In our conversations, we should give them real or hypothetical situations in which a person has to make a decision, and then ask our children what a wise person should do. That should lead to great conversations.
“Now with You is wisdom, who knows your works and was present when You made the world; who understands what is pleasing in Your eyes and what conforms to Your commands. Send her forth from Your holy heavens…that she may be with me…that I may know what is your pleasure. For she knows and understands all things, and will guide me discreetly in my affairs and safeguard me by her glory.” Wisdom 9:9-11
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.”