“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” is the simplest form of the Jesus Prayer. Bishop Robert Barron has professed the spiritual power of this short prayer for decades and was recently reintroduced to The Way of a Pilgrim, a short book, which narrates one man's quest to "pray without ceasing" by way of the Jesus Prayer. This episode serves as an encouragement for all Christians to adopt this prayer, which has long been a revered tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The listener question comes from an atheist who wonders what, precisely, is the correct way to read the Bible.
Topics Discussed
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
One of the most popular forms of content at Word on Fire continues to be Bishop Robert Barron's theological commentaries about movies. In fact, the very first Youtube video Word On Fire ever produced was a commentary on Martin Scorsese's Oscar-Winning film, “The Departed.” Since then, the bishop has reviewed dozens of movies and received high praise for his spiritual interpretations, even from the films' own directors. So for this episode, we thought we would ask Bishop Barron to share his ideas about two recent movies, namely, “Doctor Strange" and “Hacksaw Ridge” (SPOILER ALERT). The listener question asks where we Christians should draw the line for viewing graphic content.
Topics Discussed
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
Bishop Robert Barron recently had the privilege of speaking to around nine thousand students from the Catholic middle schools and high schools of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, he invited them to internalize three spiritual truths as they come of age. In today's episode, Bishop Barron recounts the event and explains some lessons that all Catholics but particularly young Catholics need to take to heart. The listener question asks what Gospel passages are difficult for the bishop to come to terms with and how Catholics ought internalize Jesus' more troubling messages.
Topics Discussed
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
Normally, in each episode we take one listener question. But we've received such a large number of outstanding questions from around the globe that we’ve decided to devote another episode to answering a range of questions from listeners like you. Bishop Barron answers several questions, rapid fire, on many different topics.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
October 31st, 2016 marked the beginning of the 500th year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which is decidedly the greatest split in Christian Church history. Pope Francis traveled to Sweden that Halloween weekend to meet with Lutheran Church leaders, commemorate the historical significance of the Reformation, and emphasize unity amongst the Christian faithful. In today's episode, Bishop Barron offers a brief history of the Reformation and explains his hopes for continued dialogue between Protestants and Catholics. The listener question asks about St. Augustine's views on the theological topic of predestination.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
How do we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in today's culture? In a talk he gave at the Religious Education Congress, Bishop Barron offers recommendations for effective evangelization, aimed to permeate our densely secularized society with the beauty and joy of Catholicism. In Part Two of the Bishop's great talk we hear him discuss the remaining four "Keys to the New Evangelization".
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
How do we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in today's culture? In a talk he gave at the Religious Education Congress, Bishop Barron offers recommendations for effective evangelization, aimed to permeate our densely secularized society with the beauty and joy of Catholicism. In Part One of the Bishop's great talk we hear him discuss three of his "7 Keys to the New Evangelization".
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
After perusing the latest Pew Study on why young people are leaving the active practice of Christianity, Bishop Barron noticed that (once again) the reasons they offer for abandoning Christianity are entirely not compelling. That is to say, any theologian, apologist, or evangelist worth his salt should be able easily to answer these objections to faith and hopefully encourage the youngster to reconsider the Truth of the Church. With this in mind for today's episode, Bishop offers smart, passionate responses to the common misconceptions and objections that continue to lure young people away from God. The listener question asks which books are best for evangelizing atheists from both a rational and emotional standpoint.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and, again, be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
We are taking the next few episodes of the show to discuss each of the great men and women featured in Word on Fire's epic new film series, CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players. Today we're focusing on the joyful English journalist and evangelist, G.K. Chesterton. A larger-than-life figure, Chesterton charmed his way into the heart of the modern culture and illuminated the dull philosophy of the age with his clever, Catholic brilliance. Our listener question asks Bishop Barron about praying for intercession from those souls who've not yet been named saints.
*In this episode we include a limited time Word on Fire Show discount on CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players with Coupon Code: FrBrown
Visit PivotalPlayers.com to purchase and act now because this offer expires soon!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
We are taking the next few episodes of the show to discuss each of the great men and women featured in Word on Fire's epic new film series, CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players. Today we're focusing on St. Catherine of Siena. One of the most beguiling figures in Church history, St. Catherine had a profound connection to the Lord that was displayed by her miraculous mysticism, her impact on the papacy, and her love for the poor. Our listener question asks Bishop Barron how he chose the Pivotal Players and what's next on the horizon for Word On Fire.
*In this episode we include a limited time Word on Fire Show discount on CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players with Coupon Code: SIENA33
Click on www.PivotalPlayers.com to purchase and act now because this offer expires soon!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
We have been taking the past few episodes of the show to discuss each of the great men and women featured in Word on Fire's epic new film series, CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players. Today we're focusing on a pivotal player of our own time, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Globally recognized as Mother Theresa, this diminutive Albanian nun was widely considered the greatest living saint during the latter half of the 20th century. Now, nineteen years after her death, she will be officially canonized, "Saint Teresa of Calcutta" by Pope Francis. In this episode Bishop Barron discusses her life, her faith, and why, according to Fr. Paul Murray, she's a saint who "loved Jesus in the night." Our listener question wonders how it's possible to unite our suffering with Jesus on the cross.
Click on www.PivotalPlayers.com to get your copy of this film series right now!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
We are taking the next few episodes of the show to discuss each of the great men and women featured on Word On Fire's epic new film series, Catholicism: The Pivotal Players. The focus of this episode is Saint Thomas Aquinas. Widely considered one of the greatest minds in the history of Western Civilization, Thomas angelically and definitively articulated our Catholic understanding of God in his famous Summa Theologica. Our listener question asks about Thomas' argument of God as the "unmoved mover."
*In this episode we include a limited time Word on Fire Show discount on Catholicism: The Pivotal Players with Coupon Code: DumbOx
Click on www.PivotalPlayers.com to purchase and act now because this offer expires soon!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
We are taking the next six episodes of the Word on Fire show to discuss each of the great men and women featured on Word On Fire's epic new film series, Catholicism: The Pivotal Players. The focus of this episode is Saint Francis, the great reformer of the Church from the early 13th century who truly embodied the life of Christ through his radical ministry of mercy and love. Our listener question asks about mysticism in the Church today.
*In this episode we include a limited time Word on Fire Show discount on Catholicism: The Pivotal Players with Coupon Code: Fran1226
Click on www.PivotalPlayers.com to purchase and act now because this offer expires soon!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
"Beige Catholicism" is a phrase Bishop Barron coined early in his career as a way of describing the Church's lackluster adoption of the post-conciliar movement. Much of Bishop Barron's evangelical work, including his famous Catholicism book and film series, focuses on bringing Christ's radical distinctiveness and the Tradition's beautiful vibrancy back into our understanding of the Church. In this episode Bishop Barron details the problems with beige Catholicism as well as the path to a solution. Finally, a listener asks about the Benedict Option for Catholics struggling to keep the faith alive in contemporary culture.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
How should we go about evangelization? Especially for those of us living in a highly-secularized society, what techniques should we employ and what pitfalls ought we avoid? Bishop Robert Barron shares his advice in Part Two of his popular keynote talk on evangelizing the culture.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
How should we go about evangelization? Especially for those of us living in a highly-secularized society, what techniques should we employ and what pitfalls ought we avoid? In this episode we get advice from one of the greatest evangelists of the postmodern age, Bishop Robert Barron, as we listen to Part One of his popular keynote talk on evangelizing the culture.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron..
Whenever there's a survey asking Christians, "What's one area in your spiritual life you'd like to improve?", the answers almost inevitably center around prayer. In today's episode, Bishop Barron explains what precisely prayer is and then offers some simple steps as well as some more advanced techniques to help us all grow in intimacy with God. With this goal in mind, Bishop Barron leads listeners down five different avenues of prayer that range from informal dialogue to the mass itself. Finally, the listener question comes from a seminarian in Phoenix who wonders where Catholics should draw the line when it comes to the teachings of a notable 21st-century Christian writer.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
Normally, in each episode we take one listener question. But we've received such a large number of outstanding questions from around the globe that we’ve decided to devote this entire episode to answering questions from listeners like you. Bishop Barron answers several questions, rapid fire, on many different topics.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
Pope Francis recently invited Bishop Barron to speak to hundreds of English-speaking priests at a gathering in Rome for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In today's episode, Bishop Barron reflects on the talk he shared with his fellow clergymen about Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well. From this account, he distills four major lessons on divine mercy. The listener question comes from a practicing Catholic in London who wonders whether a vigorous spiritual life is necessary if we are ultimately reconciled to God.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
Bob Dylan is one of the most spiritually interesting songwriters of our generation. In today's episode, Bishop Barron reflects on some of Dylan's best-known hits to show how they subtlety put Biblical themes on display. A listener wonders if Bishop Barron has any tips on how to evangelize in a secular workspace.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
What is Catholic social teaching and what does it have to say about the economy, business, and our everyday work lives? That's what Bishop Barron explains in this episode. Surveying the insights of popes and saints, he shows why the Catholic Church rejects socialism and embraces a nuanced, careful endorsement of the market economy.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron
Venerable Fulton Sheen is remembered as one of the greatest Catholic evangelists of the twentieth century. A master of both television and radio, he shared the Gospel with millions using his unique blend of wit, humor, and insight. Bishop Barron reflects on Sheen's legacy and the lessons he offers us. A deacon listener asks how Bishop Barron prepares his own homilies each week.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron
It's been widely hailed as the greatest sermon ever preached and a masterpiece of religious and social ethics. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, commences with the "beatitudes", a series of eight blessings that Jesus gives to those who suffer, mourn, and express purity of heart. Bishop Barron walks through each beatitude and unveils its deeper meaning. A listener asks whether, according to Thomas Aquinas, God loves everyone the same or has a special hatred for sinners.
NOTE: Click here to donate to our new Pivotal Players series and receive your free gifts!
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron
We all face the Big Questions of life—it doesn't matter whether we're religious or not. We wonder about God, identity, meaning, morals, and death. Bishop Barron tackles some of the Big Questions and compares how the world generally answers them with how the Catholic Church responds. A listener asks about the relationship between God's providence and our free will.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron
There's a common tendency to read the opening chapters of Genesis as scientific texts. But is this the best way? Or even the right way? Bishop Barron offers guidance on how to properly understand the Biblical creation story. A listener wonders how we should manage the relationship between Church and state.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron