In February 2025, Bishop Barron returned to the Palace of Westminster in London, UK, to address religious leaders and members of Parliament. The focus of his talk was the rhythm of divine mercy—the abounding love that arises within us when we accept the grace of Christ. Today we bring you the second half of that talk. Enjoy!
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We continue celebrating twenty-five years of proclaiming the Gospel; evangelizing the culture; supporting the faithful; and inviting the disaffiliated, the forsaken, and those who have fallen away back to Christ and his church. However, over the years, attacks against Bishop Barron and Word on Fire have come from many sources, including online anti-evangelists who hate religion in general and Christianity in particular and from those who posture themselves as the Church’s greatest defenders. What is the substance of these detractions? What motivates them? Do they pose an actual threat to the ministry? What can they teach us as evangelists about how to respond constructively to public criticism, especially when it’s vicious?
A listener asks how we should understand the meaning and implications of “turning the other cheek.”
00:00 | Introduction
01:32 | Standing for life with the DOWR seminarians
02:27 | Do any of your critics surprise you?
03:40 | Early interaction with YouTube comments
05:28 | Criticism #1: You’re too conservative—or too liberal
06:38 | Your critique of “beige Catholicism” is unfair and trivializing
09:45 | Criticism #2: Prioritizing beauty is a luxury
14:00 | Criticism #3: The thinkers you reference are only appropriate in academic settings
17:18 | Criticism #4:You’ve joined Balthasar in promoting universal salvation
20:01 | Criticism #5: You’re too political—or not political enough
25:46 | Criticism #6: Your critiques of wokeism are one-sided and unfair to social justice
31:57 | Criticism #7: You’re too supportive of Vatican II—or not supportive enough
35:50 | Criticism #8: You don’t discern the platforms on which you appear
41:29 | Advice for responding to public criticism
42:33 | Listener question: How do I “turn the other cheek” without enabling the offender?
44:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.
In February 2025, Bishop Barron returned to the Palace of Westminster in London, UK, to address religious leaders and members of Parliament. The focus of his talk was the rhythm of divine mercy—the abounding love that arises within us when we accept the grace of Christ. Today we bring you the first half of that talk.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.
Pope Francis passed away at the age of eighty-eight on Easter Monday. He was the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope to take the name “Francis,” after St. Francis of Assisi. What stood out in his twelve-year pontificate? How does his papacy compare with those of his immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope St. John Paul II? What should we continue to champion from Francis’ legacy as the Church charts her course into the future? Today we discuss Pope Francis’ influence on both the Church and the world.
A listener asks how to deal with regret from the past.
00:00 | Introduction
01:21 | Meeting Pope Francis
04:33 | Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI
06:36 | Pope Francis as first Latin-American pope
08:10 | Pope Francis as first Jesuit pope
10:22 | Pope Francis as first to be called “Francis”
11:09 | Master of the beau geste
13:36 | The Church as “field hospital”
15:16 | Resisting a “technocratic mindset”
19:01 | Clarifying the “universal designation of goods”
21:24 | Understanding the “two popes”
26:11 | Concerns about Francis’s papacy
29:37 | Pope Francis’s perception of the American church
32:25 | Honoring Pope Francis’s legacy
33:50 | Listener question: How do I let go of regrets?
35:24 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.