Tips for Staying FIRED 🔥 up!

How to stay fired-up Catholics in a cold modern world

I recently did a TikTok LIVE session offering five tips for how Catholics can keep the fire of Jesus Christ burning in their hearts and lives in the bleak chill of our modern era. Here are those five tips.

(Psst…I’m going to do weekly live sessions on TIkTok and Instagram!)

Here are some ways to keep your Catholic life burning bright—practically and spiritually:

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🔥 1. Keep the flame fed: daily prayer and sacrament

Fire dies without fuel. The same is true of faith.

Pray daily—even briefly—but with honesty.

Tell God what’s in your heart. If you aren’t praying, you are dying. Pray at least three times a day. Once a day is fine for 5 year olds, but the rest of us need to maintain frequent contact with divine power through prayer.

Frequent the Eucharist and Confession. Grace is the oxygen your soul breathes.

Not everyone can make it to mass every day. But try to at least visit a Church or a Catholic chapel once or more during the week. Why a Catholic chapel and not any other quite prayer space? Because the Eucharist is in the Catholic spaces, and frequent visits to it are transformative.

Also, get to confession once a month—once every other month at the very least. We sin plenty in a week, so there’s no reason why any of us should go months and months without a reboot at the confessional.

St. Francis de Sales: “Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”

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Check out the podcast version of this TikTok Live session right here at StE

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💡 2. Stay close to the saints and Scripture

The saints are not just examples—they’re companions. Read about them, ask for their intercession, and keep Scripture nearby. Reading a little about the lives of the saints every day stoked the embers in my heart and I’ve been passionate about the saints, and sainthood since then. The saints are relatable because they lived the life that we live. They fought through trial and tribulation to live lives of heroic virtue. Because they’re so relatable, we have a clear and attainable image and model for what our lives can be when we’re passionate about becoming who God made us to be.

Pick a saint you identify with, and build a devotion to them. Have an icon, painting, or medal or that saint nearby. Put a quote from the saint in your work space to help keep you grounded and remind you of the saint’s virtue, life-wisdom, or devotion to God.

Also, read even a few verses of the scriptures daily. It should only take a couple of minutes. Then think about what you’ve read. If you spent three minutes reading a couple of verses, spend—at minimum—6 minutes thinking about what you read. There’s a treasure to be found there, and the Holy Spirit will help you sift it out. Sometimes a treasure you can’t find today will reveal itself later, so don’t be disheartened if you feel like you’ve come up short after your reading.

St. Teresa of Avila: “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things are passing; God never changes.”

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⚒️ 3. Practice small acts of charity and self-sacrifice

You don’t need to do great things—just consistent ones. Sanctity grows through small, daily acts of sacrifice for others.

Smile at the person you’d rather ignore. Pray for someone who has hurt you, or who irritates you. Do things that you don’t have to do but that your’e able to do for someone else. Build a habit of self-sacrifice because it mirrors the life of God Himself, and over time it become normal to us, crushes our self-centeredness, and breaks our pride. It’s the path to any virtue.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux: “To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.”

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🌅 4. Keep community around your flame

Lone embers go cold. We weren’t meant to do this in isolation, but to get to heaven together, as a family. That’s why community is so important in Catholic life. Join a parish group, men’s or women’s fellowship, or even a digital Catholic community. Talk about spiritual things openly. Stay connected with faithful Catholics who inspire and challenge you. Support each other, and learn from each other! Don’t be afraid of challenge or correction by your brethren; welcome it. Be inspired by them, model yourself after the person or people whose virtues and character you admire. And remember you’re going to inspire others, too. Iron forges iron.

Hey, here’s a hot take: I’m trying to build a community right here! Subscribe, participate in chats here on Substack. You might also consider joining my Discord server, The Firebrand Forum where I’m trying (and trying and trying) to build a community.

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🛡️ 5. Expect resistance—and press on

Spiritual fire will always meet the wind. Don’t read hardship as failure; often it means grace is working. It’s through resistance that we grow in strength. It is also through resistance that we come to see our own weaknesses, and vices. Remember the words of Our Lord, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” But “Take heart, for I have conquered the world”

St. Ignatius of Loyola: “When we are on God’s side, the enemy stirs up a thousand difficulties; when we turn from Him, he lets us be at peace.”

The on-demand version of today’s TikTok Live session will be available on-demand soon. Subscribe to be notified.

Check out the podcast version of this TikTok Live session right here at StE

Stay fired up, my friends!

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