The Light Entrusted to You: Keeping the Flame of Faith Alive

by John R. Wood

We keep the flame of our faith alive by sharing it with others. But we cannot share what we do not know and love ourselves. That's why author John Wood wrote this practical, inspiring primer, which explains the Catholic faith in six simple and engaging lessons that can be applied to everyday life. The first letters of the six lessons spell the acronym SAINTS, illustrating that the Catholic faith has the power to form ordinary men and women into extraordinary Christians, in other words, saints. Using popular movies, songs, stories, sports, and life experiences, author John Wood illuminates the wisdom of Catholicism and equips us to share it with others, especially our own children.

297 pages, Paperback

Published January 17, 2018

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn’t a quick read. It wasn’t a particularly hard read, mind you, but there’s a lot to it. John Wood has put together a “curriculum” he calls Saints in the Making University (SIMU). But it’s not about going to school, it’s about living your faith in your family. It’s about digging in and owning it.

“I am not asking you to die for the faith,” Wood writes in the beginning of the book. “I am asking you to live for it – to open yourself up to receiving a gift that nobody can ever take from you. The goal of our faith is salvation. Salvation means getting to heaven, and leading others to heaven. Getting to heaven means becoming the saints God created us to be.”

It’s a tall order, but he doesn’t shy away from it. He begins by outlining three steps that everyone goes through: Inspire, Desire, and Fire. The following chapters unpack each of the letters in the word “SAINT,” which stand for Saving Grace, Athletics, Instructor’s Manual, Need to Know Him, Theology of the Body, and Sacrifice and Service.

There are a lot of good ideas in this book, and I think there are things for every end of the spectrum. Have young kids? No problem! Single? Gotcha covered. Married with no kids at home? Yep, you too.
This is a very practical guide, full of insight and wisdom and — what I appreciated the most — hope. Wood doesn’t hide from the facts and challenges, but he also holds his reader to a high standard. I highlighted my copy and will be revisiting these ideas again as I put them intro practice.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A parent-to-parent guide to help you share Catholicism with your family by living Catholicism with your family. The author is not a theologian or professor: he’s an eye doctor and a parent who loves his children and his faith. The chapters are cleverly titled to form the acronym “SAINTS,” and the topics covered range from saints to Scripture to sports (yes, sports). A more-detailed table of contents or an index would be helpful in this book, but the information in the book is solid and Wood’s delivery is engaging. Read my full review.