Info

The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Join Bishop Robert Barron for a weekly podcast on faith and culture. Find more episodes at http://WordOnFireShow.com and submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.com.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December


Categories

All Episodes
Archives
Categories
Now displaying: Category: Catholic
Mar 18, 2024

According to Fortune magazine, overall undergraduate enrollment experienced the steepest rate of decline on record from 2019 to 2022, and it has only worsened since then. There are several explanations, but one cause is entirely self-imposed: most universities and colleges have now replaced education with ideology, subverting the search for truth with political indoctrination. Today, we discuss the ideological takeover of higher education and how the Catholic conception of the university can help provide an antidote. 

A listener asks, if priests are meant to represent Jesus, are nuns supposed to represent Mary?

00:00 | Intro
01:47 | Catholic social thought tradition and the higher education crisis
03:50 | Differences between Catholic and secular universities
04:50 | Seeking while knowing the truth
07:33 | Resisting relativism
09:30 | Catholic staff ratios for Catholic universities
11:16 | Segregating Catholic identity
13:51 | Academic freedom at Catholic universities
15:46 | Dicy freedom of speech claims
17:06 | Catholic universities and male participation
18:37 | Higher education and vocational training
20:35 | High costs and accessibility
21:51 | What can we do to course-correct universities that have lost their way?
24:50 | Listener question
26:01 | Word on Fire Institute


NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Mar 11, 2024

Today, we are bringing you a recent conversation from the “Bishop Barron Presents” series between Bishop Barron and Congressman Ro Khanna. Congressman Khanna represents California’s 17th Congressional District, best known as the home of Silicon Valley. Over the course of the conversation, the Bishop and he discussed his background, Catholic social teaching, various policy matters, finding common ground, and why the American experiment is a great and worthwhile endeavor. Enjoy!


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 us today!

Mar 4, 2024

Friends, the Book of Jonah is one of the shortest books of the Bible, yet it’s packed with profound truths about hearing and obeying the voice of God. On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss this powerful little book.

A listener asks, why did Jesus show up when he did and not at a different point in time? What would the world look like had he showed up later, or not at all?

00:00 | Intro
00:46 | Bishop Barron on Catholic Schools Week
01:51 | Bishop Barron’s recent conversation with Jordan Peterson
02:47 | Intro to the book of Jonah
04:41 | Jonah’s opening narrative
09:25 | Lessons from Luke’s road to Emmaus and Jonah
11:00 | The significance of Jonah’s storm
14:31 | The significance of Jonah’s fish
16:58 | Answering Jonah’s critics
18:22 | Jonah’s concluding narrative
20:17 | Jesus’ words on Jonah
22:48 | More resources on Jonah
23:34 | Listener question
26:17 | New book—Princesses of Heaven: The Flowers
27:13 | Special announcement about future of WOF Show

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Feb 26, 2024

Friends, what’s the proper relationship between liberal democracy and the Catholic Church? Many smart and reflective people, on either side of the Catholic/American divide, have felt that the two systems, democracy and Catholicism, were incompatible. But why?

Using the thought of the 19th century French diplomat and political philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, Bishop Barron explores this question in his 2023 Russell Kirk Lecture for the Heritage Foundation, titled “The Breakdown of the Tocquevillean Equilibrium.” Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Feb 19, 2024

Friends, we are in the midst of a mental health crisis, with many calling it another pandemic. Record-high numbers of Americans are facing depression and suicide. Nearly half of young people report feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness. What’s behind this crisis, and how can the Church help? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”

A listener asks, is “just war theory” a concession to human weakness? How do we square that with Jesus’ teachings on non-violence?

00:00 | Intro
01:09 | USCCB recap on surrogacy
03:49 | Why the mental health crisis matters to bishops
06:00 | Social media's role in damaged mental health
09:39 | Community's role in healing mental health
13:03 | The connection between psychological and spiritual suffering
16:09 | Religious disaffiliation and mental illness
17:47 | Who is St. Dymphna?
18:40 | A word for those wrestling with poor mental health
20:55 | Listener question
24:17 | New book—“Christ Brings All Newness”

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Feb 12, 2024

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s recent talk at the 2023 Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Conference held in London, England. His talk was titled “What is the True Nature of Freedom?”

As Bishop Barron explains, freedom for excellence is not self-determination. It is the disciplining of desire so as to make the achievement of the good first possible and then effortless. Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Feb 5, 2024

Friends, the Catholic Church seems locked in constant disagreements, often between so-called liberal and conservative Catholics. But is there a third way to lead us out of this quagmire?

Cardinal Francis George offers a compelling answer, which Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of the “Word on Fire Show.”

A listener asks, did Jesus ever get sick?

00:00 | Intro
01:13 | New episodes of “Bishop Barron Presents” are back!
03:24 | Who was Cardinal Francis George?
06:31 | Cardinal George’s critique of liberal Catholicism
09:45 | Why liberal Catholicism falls short of giving life
12:26 | Cardinal George’s critique of conservative Catholicism
18:11 | Cardinal George’s solution: simply Catholicism
20:53 | How Is Catholicism for our times and against our times?
23:38 | What Cardinal George might say to us today
24:39 | Listener question
26:41 | 2024 Wonder Conference

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Jan 29, 2024

Friends, today we’re excited to share with you the newest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ.

Fr. Fessio was formed by some of the greatest figures of twentieth-century Catholicism, including Henri de Lubac, Joseph Ratzinger, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. This fascinating conversation covers his life story, his education, his experience in Europe, the founding of Ignatius Press, and much more. Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Jan 22, 2024

Friends, we all strive to be spiritually great. We want to be magnanimous, great-souled men and women. But how do we get there? The Church offers a concrete seven-fold path, and that’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode.

A listener asks, I’m coming back into the Church after a 15 year absence, and all the words [of Mass] have changed. What happened?

00:00 | Intro
00:55 | Bishop Barron’s California recap
02:18 | How spiritual works of mercy relate to corporal works of mercy
05:08 | Why loving others includes meeting spiritual needs
05:44 | 1) Admonish the sinner
08:24 | 2) Instruct the ignorant
10:17 | 3) Counsel the doubtful
13:32 | 4) Comfort the sorrowful
15:54 | 5) Bear wrongs patiently
19:00 | 6) Forgive all injuries
22:18 | 7) Pray for the living and the dead
26:18 | Listener question
28:32 | New book—Ethics for Beginners by Peter Kreeft

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Jan 15, 2024

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s recent talk at Harvard University titled “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition,” sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum.

Bishop Barron explores some foundational themes in the Catholic intellectual tradition, including God, the human person, sin and grace, society, and freedom. All flow from Christology, our understanding of Jesus, so that, as St. Bonaventure said, Christ is truly found at the center of all the disciplines pursued in the university.

Get your copy of Word on Fire's 2024 Lent Reflection booklets: WordonFire.org/Lent2024

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Jan 8, 2024

Friends, each of us wants to be a good person. But how do we actually do that? How do we truly become a person of love? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode.

A listener asks, if I did not inherit the sins of my parents, why did I inherit the sins of Adam and Eve?

00:00 | Intro
00:46 | Update on Winona-Rochester Diocesan Pastoral Center
02:38 | Dorothy Day and the need for corporal and spiritual works of mercy
04:41 | The seven corporal works of mercy
05:50 | Corporal works of mercy as measuring marks for self-examination
06:36 | 1) Feed the hungry, 2) give drink to the thirsty, 3) clothe the naked
10:53 | Direct aid for the needy vs. indirect aid
12:57 | 4) Visit the imprisoned—is this literal?
14:41 | How acts of love can lead to peace
17:27 | 5) Shelter the homeless
18:53 | 6) Visit the sick
21:02 | 7) Bury the dead
22:57 | How ordinary parents can pursue corporal works of mercy
24:12 | Listener question
27:21 | 2024 Lenten Reflections booklet from Word on Fire

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Dec 25, 2023

Friends, the prologue of the Gospel of St. John is one of the richest and most densely textured writings in the scriptures as John expresses the very nature of God and the profundity of the Incarnation that we celebrate every Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you on behalf of my whole Word on Fire team!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Dec 18, 2023

Friends, is the Christmas story little more than a sweet, saccharine tale about a cute baby being born? Or do the Gospels present something more subversive and revolutionary, a battle between two great kings? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode.

A listener asks, whose body is the Body of Christ in the Eucharist? Infant, crucified, or resurrected Jesus?

00:00 | Intro
01:31 | Bishop Barron at Good News Conference
03:56 | The surprising subversiveness of the Christmas story
05:44 | Christmas details—Caesar and his census
08:31 | Christmas details—“no room in the inn”
10:37 | Christmas details—swaddling clothes
12:06 | Christmas details—laid in a manger
13:36 | Christmas details—shepherds as first witnesses
15:47 | Christmas details—“do not be afraid”
18:38 | Christmas details—“heavenly host” of angels
23:47 | Why did God come as a baby?
25:16 | Listener question
26:43 | Join the WOF Institute

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Dec 11, 2023

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s keynote talk from the 2023 Acton University conference, hosted by The Acton Institute.

“Wokeism” is arguably the most influential public philosophy in our country today. It has worked its way into the minds and hearts of our young people, into the world of entertainment, and into the boardrooms of powerful corporations. But what is it precisely, and where did it come from?

Bishop Barron argues in his presentation that “wokeism” is a popularization of critical theory, a farrago of ideas coming out of the French and German academies in the mid-twentieth century. Until we understand its origins in the thinking of Adorno, Horkheimer, Derrida, Marcuse, and Foucault, we will not know how critically to engage this dangerous philosophy.

 

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Dec 4, 2023

Friends, can everything in the world be reduced to atoms bumping against each other, and chemical reactions in our brains? Or is there something more to reality than its material elements?

That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, if feelings are not acts of the will, what is contrition? A feeling, an act of the will, both, or neither?

00:00 | Intro
00:58 | Word on Fire’s New Ressourcement Conference
03:10 | The problem with Materialism
07:56 | The problem with Determinism
10:57 | Consciousness and the problem it poses to Materialism
16:34 | Rationality, C.S. Lewis, and atheism
19:44 | Beauty as a path to transcendence
23:25 | Materialism’s inadequacy as a source of meaning
26:03 | The Meaning Crisis without the Highest Good
29:48 | Listener question
31:36 | New book—“Popcorn with the Pope”

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Nov 27, 2023

Today, we’re excited to share with you a talk that Bishop Barron recently gave at the University of Notre Dame titled “What Makes a University Catholic?”

The talk was cosponsored by the Notre Dame Student Government, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and Campus Ministry.

Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Nov 20, 2023

Friends, an exciting group of psychologists, scientists, and thought leaders are rediscovering the beauty and brilliance of the Bible.

What’s causing so many of them to look at the Bible with fresh eyes? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, how can Jesus be, at the same time, a God and a human being since God’s nature and human nature have many differences?

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Nov 13, 2023

Today, we’re excited to share Fr. Robert Spitzer’s keynote talk from the 2022 Good News Conference on “The Evidence for God from Science.” Fr. Spitzer introduces a growing amount of evidence for God found in contemporary science, along with data suggesting a rising number of young scientists who are open to God.

Fr. Spitzer is the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center. He has authored several books including New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy (2010) and Science at the Doorstep to God: Science and Reason in Support of God, the Soul, and Life after Death (2023).

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Nov 6, 2023

Today, we’re excited to share with you the newest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with writer, filmmaker, and activist Chris Rufo.

Chris is the author of a new book titled America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. He has directed four documentaries for PBS and is a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and a contributing edi­tor of the public policy magazine City Journal. His reporting and activism have inspired a presidential order, a national grassroots movement, and legislation in twenty-two states.

Sit back and take in this latest conversation in our series “Bishop Barron Presents”. Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Oct 30, 2023

Today, we share a discussion between Brandon Vogt and Fr. Steve Grunow, Word on Fire’s CEO and resident Halloween expert.

Several years back, Fr. Steve wrote an article for Word on Fire’s website titled “It’s Time for Catholic to Embrace Halloween” that went viral and remains one of our most popular articles of all time.

In today’s discussion, Fr. Steve explains what Halloween is fundamentally about, whether it is of pagan origin, and what a properly Catholic celebration of Halloween looks like.

00:00 | Intro 
00:56 | Why is Halloween fascinating? 
02:11 | What is Halloween fundamentally about? 
03:10 | All Saints, All Souls, and Halloween 
05:01 | Excesses in how Halloween is sometimes celebrated 
06:36 | Is Halloween essentially a pagan holiday? 
08:33 | Is Halloween evil, a doorway to darkness? 
11:10 | Memento mori and Halloween 
12:34 | Connection between Halloween and costumes 
14:18 | “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
14:54 | Candy and Halloween 
16:31 | What would a properly Catholic celebration of Halloween look like?

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Oct 23, 2023

Friends, the New Atheism movement rose quickly in the early 2000s, led by vicious critics of religion such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. What made their polemics so popular and effective? And how did the New Atheist movement decline and fade almost as quickly over the past few years?

That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of an excellent new book by Justin Brierley titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, does the Catholic Church teach that the Holy Spirit has a gender?

00:00 | Intro
00:50 | Bishop Barron’s visit to Harvard University
02:55 | Justin Brierley – The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God
03:32 | What is the New Atheism?
07:17 | What led to the rise of the New Atheism?
10:22 | Why the New Atheism appealed to young people
12:46 | How the New Atheism began to unravel
15:43 | How the New Atheism revitalized Christian apologetics
17:19 | The New Atheism’s failure to provide a satisfying alternative to religion
21:50 | New questions being asked by seekers and skeptics
24:21 | Listener question
26:49 | New book – Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Oct 16, 2023

Today, we share a fun discussion between Brandon Vogt and Haley Stewart, Editor of Word on Fire Spark, our new imprint of books for young readers. Topics include:

  • Were you a reader growing up? What were some of your favorite books?
  • How would you assess the current landscape of childrens’ books? What’s good? What’s missing?
  • What is Word on Fire Spark and how did it come to be?
  • What is the mission/vision for Spark? How will Spark books stand out among other books for children?
  • Upcoming books from Word on Fire Spark
  • Forthcoming “Spark the Imagination” podcast
  • The Spark Bible – a new Bible for young Catholic readers

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Oct 9, 2023

Friends, five years ago, we started what has become the largest online community of Catholic evangelists: the Word on Fire Institute.

Where did this come from, what’s the purpose of the Institute, and what’s coming next? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”

A listener asks, will God still create humans in heaven?

00:00 | Intro
01:17 | Bishop Barron’s USCCB meeting
02:13 | Updates from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester
04:06 | Where did Word on Fire Institute come from?
08:00 | Building an army of Catholic evangelists
09:36 | St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the Word on Fire Institute
11:04 | Introducing Dr. Petrusek, new Senior Director of the Institute
12:52 | What a fully-formed evangelist looks like
14:53 | Why evangelists should be familiar with popular culture
17:36 | Why Catholic evangelists must understand the “nones”
19:31 | The future of the Word on Fire Institute
21:01 | Master’s Degree in Evangelization and Culture w/ University of St. Thomas
22:43 | Listener Question
24:40 | Join the Word on Fire Institute!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Oct 2, 2023

Today we share Bishop Barron’s keynote talk from the 2023 Chesterton Conference from July 27, 2023, in Minneapolis, MN. The theme of the conference was “Chesterton and St. Francis” as it is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Chesterton’s biography of St. Francis, and Bishop Barron spoke about the enduring genius of that book. Enjoy!

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Sep 25, 2023

Friends, why do we love being distracted from the important things of life? The great French philosopher Blaise Pascal observed, “The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.”

On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss why it is so hard to be still and contemplate reality, and how we can get better at it.

A listener asks, what are some things laity can do to build unity in the Church?

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next » 14