FIREBRAND DISPATCH #3
St. John Paul II - ‘Father’ of “The New Evangelization”
Hey, from TJ!
It has been a while since my last Dispatch, so this one is loaded. But don’t feel overwhelmed! Browse through the newsletter and cherry pick what most interests you.
If you’ve been feeling the drag of the culture—or the drag coming from inside the Church—this Dispatch is your shot of oxygen. This edition brings you some new articles (some with accompanying video or audio clips) and a powerful new podcast episode built to shake off the muck that keeps Catholics tired, discouraged, or stuck. Let’s get fired up!🔥
Don’t miss the news and updates at the bottom of this email
The Essentials 👀
Articles, Audio, and Videos
Article
FROM CONFIRMATIONS TO AFFIRMATIONS - MOVING BEYOND CONFESSION
A key ingredient in winning your eternal destiny is a discipline most Catholic don't consider
Video segment, and blog post
THE END OF CHRISTENDOM!
Fulton Sheen and the 500-Year Pattern: Why He Said We’re Living Through the End of Christendom and what we should take from it. It’s a short essay, and an episode segment featuring Fulton Sheen’s powerful words.
Article📝
NEW EVANGELIZATION, THE SEQUAL
“In many ways, we’re living through a level of resistance to the Gospel the Church hasn’t seen in several hundreds of years. And yet this is precisely the moment John Paul II was preparing us for”
Saint John Paul II couldn't have predicted this next wave of a faster, more fragile world more desperately in need of the Truth than ever.
Videos, and Article
WHERE YOU GO, I WILL FOLLOW!
The importance of docility and trust in God and in Christ's Church. - This is a GREAT little post with a Morning Motivation video, a short essay, and a clip from the movie “The Passion of the Christ talking about following the Lord, and following the Church, his Mystical Body with intention: when beauty and utility coexist.
“Catholics worship statues!”
Well…sometimes we do. But it’s not what you’re thinking! 🤔
I recently published the “official” first episode of Fire Branded, my new podcast, talking about moments when our connection to Jesus becomes lifeless. It’s a short podcast at 14-minutes. But I really don’t want you to miss the featured podcast later in this Newsletter, Escaping the Muck and Mire of Catholic Life so I hope you don’t get stuck at this one lol
🔥Motivating Moment!
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that God is goodness itself (not merely good), because goodness and existence are identical in Him (Summa Theologiae I, q.6). Every good thing we enjoy in our lives is because God exists, and all creation exists in Him. Remember to thank Him for specific Good things in your day!
FEATURED PODCAST 🔊
ESCAPE THE MUCK AND MIRE OF CATHOLIC LIFE!
This is one of my best episodes to date! In this episode of Stoking the Embers, I take you through the real messiness of Catholic life today — not the stuff coming from the world, but the muck we find inside the Church, inside the culture, and inside ourselves. From the drama over the Vatican’s guidance on “co-redemptrix,” to the way Catholic media weaponizes narratives, to Fulton Sheen’s sobering words about the “end of Christendom,” we’re pulling the curtain back on what’s actually going on.
Check it out over at StE for the episode, complete description, show notes and highlights. Video version is available on YouTube or the Video Room at CatholicFirebrand.com. Audio also available on Apple Music, Spotify and most anywhere you get your podcasts.
CLIP from the episode: “BREAKING FREE”
😇👉Please subscribe to my YouTube channel
“…stop confirming those negative ideas you have about yourself and start embracing positive affirmations instead.”
Featured Story
THE SECRET TO GLORIFYING GOD
Audio and Text
Psalm 93 shows us that our praise alone, in whatever form it takes, is 'not good enough'. So what is good enough, and why? This is an “audioblog”—an audio monologue with accompanying text. It’s a great read, and a powerful monologue, so don’t miss it
UPDATES AND NEWS
Discord Community (Firebrand Forum)
The community is growing faster than I expected! If you’re not a member of my Discord community yet, here’s an invite link for ya’ The community works over a computer browser, you don’t HAVE to download the app to your phone. New to Discord? It’s not as intimidating as it may seem. It’s very user friendly, intuitive, and you can’t break anything, so feel free to experiment
Coming VERY Soon to my Discord
Coming next week to The Firebrand Forum on Discord
The Scripture Sessions - A bible study channel exclusively on Discord. It will feature a short audio podcast about something from scripture, prompts to get you thinking, and give you ideas to think about, and then a discussion forum (text-based) for people to discuss their own reactions, insights, ideas, and to learn from, and be inspired by one another.
What We Already Do, and the “channels” where they happen
Discord works everywhere, it’s private, and puts you in touch with your Catholic family without social media madness.
Weekly chat topics - Live chat, or at your leisure. (#fan-the-flames). The chat topics are engaging, not bland. You’ll love it.
Casual hang-out chat (#the-fire-pit) It’s the main/default hangout area where people can chat, share pics or links. Very casual, and everybody has been enjoying it so far, which makes me so happy!
Question Box - Questions, answers, or advice, it doesn’t have to be religious in nature. Post questions, or contribute to responses to questions posted by others (#question-box)
Prayer Requests Channel. Post your own prayer request, or post some advice or encouragement for others’ prayer requests. (#prayer-requests)
Keep an eye out for an email with a link to a Discord tutorial video I’ll be recording soon,
LIVE Sessions are Moving
Folks are loving my lives! I engage in real time with the audience, answer questions, we have a few laughs, I even toy with the hecklers. I’ve been doing regular livestreams to TikTok but the platform/app makes it very technically difficult and limiting. So I’ll do those regular weekly “Lives” on YouTube going forward, and major podcast streams on Substack (Stoking the Embers) and all social channels.
A Final Note
You are more important than you know. Take yourselves seriously, because God does—and I take you very seriously. I believe in you. Believe in yourselves!
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF this adventure with me, and letting me be a part of yours! Remember, I’m here to serve. Reach out any time (DM on Discord, or on Socials)
God bless and be with you!
