Families of Light

“All of you are children of the light.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:5

The Value of Consistency
Deacon Tim Sullivan

Children, especially teen agers, love flexibility from their parents. This allows them to negotiate many issues. They believe that the longer and harder they negotiate, the more likely the parents will give in. Parents can choose flexibility in order to be more popular with their children.

However, something happens in the lives of our children that makes flexibility of parents less attractive. As children mature, they want to know what parents really think. They don’t want parents to say only what they think the children want to hear. The consistency from the parents that they once fought against becomes the reason the children now come to the parents for advice. Consistency that is based on solid reasoning eventually brings respect.

While teens like to think of themselves as free and independent, the truth is that they are great imitators. While for a time they are likely to imitate each other, eventually they are more likely to imitate their parents.

What parents know to be good and true, what they exemplify in their own lives, is very likely to be followed by their children. The children will one day embrace the principles of the parents that they had rebelled against in their younger days.

“I, too, was once a child with a father, in my mother’s eye, a tender child, unique. This was what he used to teach me, ‘Let your heart treasure what I say; keep my principles and you will live.’” Proverbs 4:3-4

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.