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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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As Bishop Barron shows in his new book, Vibrant Paradoxes, Catholicism is both/and, not either/or. It celebrates the union of contraries—grace and nature, faith and reason, Scripture and tradition, body and soul—in a way that the full energy of each opposing element remains in place. In this episode, Bishop Barron explores several examples of this both/and embrace. A listener asks about the difficult passage in Acts 5 involving Ananias and Sapphira.
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Thomas Aquinas not only shaped the Church, but influenced much of Western civilization. Who was this great saint? What are some of his important writings? And how should we begin to read his masterful Summa theologiae? Bishop Barron offers some answers in this week's episode. A bright 14-year-old listener asks about Bertrand Russell's famous criticism of Aquinas, and how to respond.
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 today, we've devoted the entire episode to 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.
What does God want me to do with my life? And how can I discern God's will for my day-to-day decisions? We all ask these questions and today Bishop Barron offers his advice. A listener also asks how Bishop Barron discerned his own call to the priesthood.
Find bonus links and resources for this episode at http://WordOnFireShow.com and be sure to submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.
How did God use a little-known seminary professor to launch a worldwide evangelization ministry? Bishop Barron shares the story behind his Word on Fire ministry, including the many twists and turns along the way. A Protestant listener who is interested in Catholicism asks for some good book recommendations.
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During this Easter season, when Christians around the world celebrate the rising of Jesus from the dead, Bishop Barron looks reflects on the evidence for this extraordinary event and what it means for us today. A listener asks, in response to a previous episode, how to teach our kids about God without watering down the faith.
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Today we discuss a viral video from Bill Nye the Science Guy, a pop-science leader, who wonders whether philosophy can provide any real answers to the questions of life. A listener asks whether Bishop Barron would accept an invitation to appear on HBO's "Real Time" with religious skeptic Bill Maher.
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