Word on Fire is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. That?s twenty-five years of proclaiming the Gospel, evangelizing the culture, and working hard to bring people to?or back to?Christ and his Church. It?s worth pausing to look back to remember where it all began and how the ministry has grown along the way. What is Word on Fire?s origin story? When, where, and why did Bishop Barron?then Fr. Barron?first conceive of the idea to found Word on Fire? What were the early years like? What have been some major developments along the way? What obstacles were encountered, what lessons learned? And what does the future look like for the next five, ten, and even fifty years?

A listener asks how he might be able to become a part of the Word on Fire religious order. 

00:00 | Introduction
01:22 | Minnesota bishops visit state capital
02:55 | A brief look at Bishop Barron?s early priestly life
06:18 | Bishop Barron?s cathedral project
06:58 | Word on Fire?s beginning
09:49 | Beginning the Catholicism series
11:24 | Cardinal Francis George
14:30 | Early days with Fr. Steve Grunow
15:41 | Reddit?s ?Ask Me Anything?
18:48 | Sunday Sermons
23:22 | Bishop Barron Presents
25:45 | The Word on Fire Show
27:07 | Public speaking events
28:32 | Speaking at Google and Facebook
29:57 | Expanding into the United Kingdom
31:17 | Word on Fire?s Institute and Publishing
33:58 | The Word on Fire Bible
37:08 | Looking into the future
38:32 | A message to donors
39:17 | Listener question: How can I join Word on Fire?s Third Order?
40:35 | 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.

Today we bring you the first half of Bishop Barron?s lecture at Charles University in Prague. In this talk, Bishop focuses on St. Thomas Aquinas? distinctive notion of God as ?ipsum esse? and its connection with some of the principal themes of Catholic social teaching. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Today we?re bringing you the second half of a conversation between Bishop Barron and Brenden Thompson during a trip to London. Brenden is Programme Manager of the Word On Fire Institute in the United Kingdom where he works to promote the faith in a deeply secularized culture. In this conversation, they explore Bishop Barron?s unique methods for public speaking and preaching, among other related topics. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Today we conclude Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. Throughout these lectures, we came to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy the final lesson!

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.

Today we?re bringing you the first half of a conversation that Bishop Barron had with Brenden Thompson during a trip to London. Brenden is Programme Manager of the Word On Fire Institute in the United Kingdom where he works to promote the faith in a deeply secularized culture. In this conversation, they explore Bishop Barron?s unique methods for public speaking and preaching, among other related topics. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Here is the eleventh lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. As we journey through these lectures, we will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Are Christians required to love everyone equally? This question has recently become a matter of public and even political debate. So how should we answer? It seems necessary to ask what ?loving thy neighbor? means in practice; for example is the love between friends, the love between spouses, the love within a family, the love among compatriots, and even the love of an enemy all the same kind of love? Do these relationships all entail the same kinds of moral responsibilities? Might it be reasonable to say, for example, that we have a greater obligation to care for our own children over others? children, our own friends over strangers, and our own country over other countries? If so, however, how can Christians coherently claim that we love all people equally?

A listener asks how to forgive and let go of bitterness. I help my kids return to church?

00:00 | Introduction
01:43 | Bishop Barron?s recent trip to London
02:08 | Understanding love in the great commandments
03:50 | Love for specific relationships
06:13 | Properly framing love of self
06:58 | Love your enemies
08:03 | Critiquing love as granting another?s desires
09:07 | The distinct love for God
11:17 | Who is my neighbor?
12:55 | Ordo amoris: the order of love
17:52 | Equal regard vs. equal treatment
20:36 | Is it ever okay to circumvent ordo amoris?
22:20 | Does the Good Samaritan counter ordo amoris?
23:40 | Does Luke 9:60 counter ordo amoris?
26:52 | The evangelical impact of understanding love
27:43 | Listener question
29:54 | 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.

We bring you the tenth lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Today we continue with lesson nine on our walk through Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Depression and anxiety have exploded in the past decade in the United States, especially, though not exclusively, among young people. Tragically, anxiety and depression frequently contribute to suicide and suicide attempts, with young men in particular taking much of the brunt of this epidemic of self-harm. Many suffer in silence, with neither family members nor friends aware of their mental, spiritual, and sometimes even physical anguish. What can we do to reintroduce hope, purpose, peace, and perhaps even joy into the lives of those who are feeling lost? What can both Catholic belief and practice offer in particular?  

A listener asks: How can I help my kids return to church?

00:00 | Introduction
01:51 | Bishop Barron visits Catholic schools
02:56 | Addressing the US depression epidemic
07:57 | The insufficiency of non-spiritual tools for depression
14:02 | Secularism?s role in depression
17:32 | 1) Faith frees us from the illusion of control
19:09 | 2) Faith offers us metaphysical hope
20:38 | A Christian response to hopeless feelings
21:46 | 3) Faith moves us to focus on the here and now, not on future worries
25:25 | 4) Faith helps us live for the good of the other
28:07 | 5) Faith liberates us from fear of death and the insignificance of labors
30:18 | Distinguishing dark nights of the soul from depression
32:37 | Practical advice for those in the dark
34:33 | Listener question
37:20 | 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.

We continue our walk through Bishop Barron?s lecture series with lesson eight on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

A debate has been raging on social media recently about the role work should play both in our individual and communal lives. One side argues that Americans are not only spending too few hours at work, but at a deeper cultural level, they believe the United States and much of the West has become lazy and prone to immediate gratification that undermines efficiency, personal wealth, and national power and prosperity. The other side maintains that, although work is good and necessary for individual and societal wellbeing, time spent at work also compromises individuals? creativity and ingenuity. This debate is not only rhetorical; how we conceive of the relationship between work and leisure has very real cultural, economic, and even political consequences. What principles should we appeal to to get the balance right?

A listener asks: Does Jesus have a last name?

00:00 | Introduction
01:36 | Word on Fire turns 25!
02:54 | What is work?
04:53 | Understanding work within a fallen world
09:46 | Connecting human dignity and the dignity of work
12:59 | Prosperity vs. the prosperity gospel
15:28 | Is intellectual work better than manual, or vice versa?
17:37 | What if I?m unwilling to work?
20:50 | What if I?m unable to work?
21:35 | Understanding leisure
25:38 | How the Mass relates to play
29:57 | Relating work to leisure
32:24 | Listener question: Does Jesus have a last name?
33:50 | 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.

Today we present the seventh lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

What is the nature and purpose of prayer? The question may sound simple, but it unearths some complex philosophical and theological issues. If God is omniscient, what is the point of speaking with him, either out loud or in our thoughts if he already knows what we have to say? If God is all good and all powerful, why does it sometimes appear that our prayers go unanswered? More practically, what are we to make of the great diversity of prayers?liturgical prayer, petitionary prayer, worship prayer, the Rosary? Are some forms of prayer more efficacious than others? Here are some tips on how we can understand and grow in our prayer life. 

A listener asks why Catholics pray for the dead and if we should pray for the souls of non-Catholics too.

00:00 | Intro
01:34 | Bishop Barron?s holiday season recap
02:45 | What prompted the publication of An Introduction to Prayer?
03:37 | What does it mean to pray?
05:31 | If God knows everything, why do we pray?
07:38 | If God is unchanging, how does prayer change things?
15:53 | If God is all-good, why do prayers go unanswered?
18:40 | How is prayer different for the Christian?
21:56 | The importance of liturgical prayer
23:47 | Understanding contemplative prayer
28:24 | Properly understanding the intercession of the saints
31:25 | Practical principles for growing in prayer
33:41 | Forgiveness as a prerequisite for answered prayers
35:07 | Listener question
37:31 | 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.

We bring you the sixth lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

A cultural shift seems to be underway, at least within the United States, that is potentially making society more open?perhaps even more positively disposed?to the wisdom of the Catholic social thought tradition. If there is an opportunity for Catholic teachings to have more cultural and political traction now, how should the Church take advantage of it? What counsel can the Church give on complex policy issues like education, immigration, the economy, and foreign policy? Today we discuss the Catholic understanding of the common good and how it is especially relevant in this moment.

A listener asks, what is the kingdom of God?

00:00 | Intro
01:41 | Bishop Barron visits a mentor
02:52 | Religion: public or private?
06:56 | Assessing recent shifts in culture
08:09 | Common good vs. utilitarianism
10:49 | Dignity vs. autonomy
14:35 | Common good vs. social justice
18:37 | Common good vs. generic conservatism
21:25 | Nonnegotiable moral principles vs. variable prudential judgments
24:27 | Common good and education
28:23 | Common good and the economy
30:30 | Common good and immigration
33:38 | Common good and foreign policy
35:38 | Listener question: What is the kingdom of God?
37:38 | 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.

Today we share the fifth lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

One of the defining features of the Christian moral and spiritual life is the supernatural virtue of hope. What is hope? What makes hope more than a mere superstition? How does hope help us live both individually and in community? Can hope have negative consequences, like motivating people to remain passive in the face of injustice? And what, if any, evangelical significance does hope have? Bishop Barron gives us five reasons why we should be hopeful in the new year.

A listener asks how he can find the strength to pray again.

00:00 | Intro
01:14 | Bishop Barron?s 2024 highlights
02:47 | The Christian concept of hope
04:15 | Hope?s relationship to reason
05:12 | Hope?s practical value in life
06:24 | Distinguishing hope from faith
08:27 | Distinguishing hope from optimism
10:21 | Responding to critiques of hope
15:37 | Reason 1: Bible sales increase while ?nones? appear to have peaked
19:53 | Reason 2: Woke ideology is losing its grip on the culture
23:27 | Reason 3: Protestants and Catholics have increased cooperation
25:36 | Reason 4: The public response to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral
30:01 | Reason 5: The Church continues to grow
31:27 | Listener question
33:53 | 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.

We bring you the fourth lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Despite the enduring, progressive narrative that society favors and privileges men, the sociological data reveals men have and continue to experience devastating declines in education, earning power, economic mobility, relationship stability, and physical and mental health. Often vilified by secular culture as ?toxic? merely for existing, men are often far sicker, poorer, more addicted, more depressed, more incarcerated, and more likely to commit suicide than women.

However, more men than women now regularly go to church; numerous religious movements have been founded with the aim of helping men to overcome their spiritual, mental, and even physical weaknesses; and a new class of Christian men have been emerging on the political and cultural scene unapologetically calling for a return to traditional biblical values. How should we interpret this apparent masculinization of the faith and its effect on revitalizing the role of men in society? What insights does the Church offer, and what can we all learn from this to better evangelize both men and women?   

A listener asks why?procreation aside?God created a woman for Adam as opposed to another man.

00:00 | Intro
01:49 | Bishop Barron back from Rome
02:25 | Assessing grim statistics about men
04:27 | Contributing cultural movements to masculine discouragement
11:04 | Channeling masculine aggression
14:47 | A complementary view of male and female
17:52 | The return of men to the Church
22:35 | Resources for recovering masculinity from its shadow side
25:21 | Holy male exemplars
27:15 | What the Church offers for masculine vision
28:49 | Listener question
30:53 | 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.

Today we bring you the third lesson of Bishop Barron's lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

After spending nearly a month in Rome, Bishop Barron has just returned from the concluding session of the Synod on Synodality. However, numerous basic questions remain among the faithful: What challenges were discussed during this synod and what solutions, if any, did the attendees reach? What impact, if any, does either the structure or content of the synod have on the Church?s ability to evangelize effectively both in the US and abroad?

A listener asks how parishes should adapt to today?s needs.

00:00 | Intro
01:27 | A visit to the Czech Republic
03:10 | What is synodality?
06:58 | The Instrumentum Laboris and its role in the synod
07:56 | Who attended the synod?
09:14 | Relating 2023?s synodal gathering to 2024?s
11:09 | Bishop Barron?s daily routine in Rome
16:20 | Communio theology as represented at the synod
19:27 | The teaching status of the recent synodal document
21:01 | Assessing the synod?s benefit to the Church
22:35 | Limitations of synodality as a ruling principle
25:23 | The question of women?s ordination
28:00 | Concerns for the authority of the local bishops? conferences
29:41 | Has this synod perennially changed the Church?
31:15 | The possibility of future synods
32:01 | Listener question
34:04 | 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.

Today we bring you the second lesson of Bishop Barron?s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Through a litany of trials and grace, Tammy Peterson found her way to the Catholic Church. We bring you the second half of an hour-long conversation she had recently with Bishop Barron. The two explore transubstantiation, the power of prayer, grace in suffering, and more.

00:00 | Intro
00:28 | Prayer as sustenance and as intercession across space and time
06:00 | What is transubstantiation?
11:50 | Praying Scripture
13:30 | Prayerful examination of a day
18:33 | Examining Dante?s Divine Comedy
20:08 | Dark nights of the soul
23:31 | Grace in suffering
31:27 | Remembering the body
32:58 | Singing and prayer
34:16 | 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.

Today we bring you the first lesson of Bishop Barron's lecture series on one of the most important, intriguing, strange, and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Through a litany of trials and grace, Tammy Peterson found her way to the Catholic Church. Today we bring you the first half of an hour-long conversation she had recently with Bishop Barron. The two explore the call of God, the power of the Rosary, the wisdom of Thomas Merton, and more.

00:00 | Intro
01:24 | Relating to God as a called child
06:25 | Attracting people into community
10:16 | Understanding true love
13:20 | Begin with prayer
14:19 | Prayer: sacred, centering, habitual, and ?useless?
20:43 | The beauty of monastic life and practice
22:34 | The wisdom of Thomas Merton
24:18 | Distinguishing a natural spirituality from a properly supernatural one
28:05 | Learning to pray the Rosary
38:18 | 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.

Today we bring you the second half of Bishop Barron?s May 2024 address at the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress in Bemidji, Minnesota. He concludes his discussion of Eucharistic Adoration, wisdom from saints and holy people, and the power of ?staying close to the fire.? Enjoy!

Show Notes:

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Parts of the global Church have a very different kind of challenge on their hands than we do in the West: how to handle explosive growth. In many parts of Africa, the Church is running out of room in their seminaries, convents, and monasteries because of rising vocations, and the laity are collectively practicing their faith in ways that put the Church in the West to shame. In Nigeria, upwards of 94 percent of Catholics go to Mass every week, while the U.S. can?t even reach 30 percent in weekly Mass attendance among Catholics.

What explains this wide discrepancy? What are we in the West getting so wrong about evangelization, and what is the Church in Africa getting so right?

A listener asks how she and her family can practice Sabbath rest.

00:00 | Intro
01:50 | DOWR Chancery dedication
03:00 | The African church as a robust exemplar
05:35 | Does Africa?s numerical strength translate to ecclesial strength?
07:12 | Lesson 1: Primacy of the supernatural
10:56 | Lesson 2: Hold fast to theological orthodoxy
12:08 | How the Church engages cultures
16:13 | Lesson 3: Commitment to evangelize the culture
17:49 | The rhythm between ?hunkering down? and ?diving in?
19:50 | Lesson 4: Praise in public, criticize in private
23:13 | Lesson 5: Courage in the face of opposition
25:19 | Counter-claims for Africa?s religious success
28:49 | Listener question
31:28 | 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.

Today we bring you the first half of Bishop Barron?s May 2024 address at the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress in Bemidji, Minnesota. He discusses Eucharistic Adoration, wisdom from saints and holy people, and the power of ?staying close to the fire.? 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 o f 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.

How should we respond when the culture becomes inhospitable if not actively hostile to Christian values? Sadly, biblical and natural law points of view are unwelcome now in many of the institutions that constitute the core of our society, including corporations, public schools, higher education, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the legacy media, and even government entities themselves. What can Christians do to resist persecution by these secular powerhouses? How can we understand what it means to resist those who undermine Christians in light of Christ?s command to love our enemies?

A listener asks how she can share the faith with her non-religious family members.

00:00 | Intro
01:48 | Matt Walsh?s recent ?Am I Racist?? film
02:50 | Distinguishing bigotry from disagreement
03:56 | Distinguishing inhospitality from hostility
06:12 | Anti-Christian sentiment in history
08:43 | Taking opposition at its word
12:47 | How the Olympics opening ceremony provoked response
14:58 | Provocative acts of nonviolence
18:08 | Unpacking ?turn the other cheek?
22:24 | Recent revival of religious interest
23:38 | Resistance as an act of love
25:07 | What?s to be done with anger?
26:22 | Pacifism and forceful resistance
28:51 | How the martyrs inform the Church
30:09 | Resistance to culture as a form of evangelization
31:11 | Listener question: How do I share my faith with non-religious family and friends?
32:49 | 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.

Today we bring you Bishop Barron?s lecture from the 2023 New Ressourcement Conference. The New Ressourcement is a quarterly journal of theology and philosophy published by Word on Fire Academic. It serves the Church and the academy by publishing scholarly articles that demonstrate the depth and relevance of the Catholic tradition.

In the talk, Bishop Barron explains the roots of this theological movement, his own coming-of-age experience in a postconciliar Church, and the particular concerns this movement aims to address. Enjoy!

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In 1968, a book called The Population Bomb written by entomologist Paul Ehrlich helped spark panic in the west that the global population was reaching a breaking point, saying too many human beings would soon cause widespread famine and social chaos.

This view that a growing human population is an existential threat to humanity remains widespread to this day. For example, University of Chicago political philosopher Martha Nussbaum recently stated that given the world?s current population, ?no one should be having any children.? Contemporary empirical evidence, however, points in exactly the opposite direction. Deaths are already outpacing births in many regions of the world, resulting in precipitous declines in national populations. Is this good news for humanity? Are public policies aimed at population control justified? Is there such a thing as an ideal population size? Should anyone care about whether others choose to have children or not?

A listener asks whether we should continue going to confession if we keep committing the same sin over and over again.

00:00 | Intro
01:49 | Seminarians kick off school year
03:00 | Assessing population decreases across the globe
05:36 | Increased attitudes against having children
08:24 | Unpacking ?culture of death,? ego-drama, and theo-drama
11:33 | Childbearing as a societal good
12:35 | Population capping through public policy
14:07 | Human population and the environment
17:03 | Utilitarianism as a faulty moral theory for addressing population concerns
18:51 | Foregoing childbirth to spare potential children pain
21:20 | Foregoing childbirth to favor economic security
22:33 | Foregoing childbirth for lack of desire
24:55 | Old age without children
28:00 | The centrality of fruitfulness
29:14 | Pope St. Paul VI?s prophetic ban on artificial contraception
30:57 | How does the Church look forward?
34:05 | Listener question: Does repeating sins disqualify me from Confession?
36:35 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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We are happy to share Bishop Barron?s keynote address at the historic 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Enjoy.

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The nature and purpose of the human body was once considered obvious. But it has come under attack from secular culture in some strange and even disturbing ways in recent years. Now, unfortunately, it is up for grabs. The Word on Fire Institute sought to address this confusion surrounding the body at our recent Wonder Conference, ?Nature and the Human Body.? Drawing on rich theological, philosophical, scientific, medical, moral, political, technological, and artistic resources, the conference sought to reclaim an authentic understanding and deep appreciation for the body?its resilience and fragility, its joys and its sufferings, its transcendence and its temporality, and, above all, its wonder.

A listener asks how Catholics should think about near-death experiences and stories.

00:00 | Intro
01:23 | Hosting the Wonder Conference in Bishop Barron?s own diocese
02:25 | Why we needed Wonder
03:50 | Understanding the false dichotomy of faith and science
06:20 | Addressing the question of body/soul unity
12:38 | Inherent dangers in dividing body and soul
15:36 | Can Catholic ministries give platforms to evolutionary biologists?
17:11 | Highlights from Dr. Heather Heying?s Wonder talk
18:45 | Beginning with the logos and intelligibility
20:04 | The human difference
21:04 | Bishop Barron Presents: liturgical artist Jonathan Pageau
23:06 | Materialism as an incoherent philosophy vs. scientific worldview
26:30 | The intelligibility of creation
27:36 | Fr. Robert Spitzer and the transcendent body
33:46 | Hope for reconciling faith and science in the public square
35:16 | Listener question
37:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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Recently, Bishop Barron traveled to the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. He gave a homily during a breakout session to all the priests present there, and now we are bringing it to you. Enjoy!

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Some recent polling suggests that the number of those who identify with no religion has hit a ceiling, and it may even be declining. At the same time, a number of high-profile cultural influencers?even some formerly hostile to the faith?have either converted to Christianity or announced that they now identify as ?cultural Christians.? Moreover, religion and politics, once considered verboten to mix, now seem to find themselves deeply intertwined.

How do we assess these cultural and political developments from an evangelical perspective? Is it really the case that society is becoming more receptive to Christianity? Are all these developments positive for the Church, or should we take a more cautious approach to evaluating what all this means for the future? 

A listener asks what he can share with non-Catholics to perhaps change their minds.

00:00 | Intro
01:32 | Bishop Barron?s update on the diocesan pastoral center
02:24 | Tracing the decline of Christianity in the West
06:07 | Assessing the decline of ?nones? today
09:59 | Men, women, and trends of religious disaffiliation
13:45 | Public conversions and the indispensability of Christianity in culture
18:46 | Christianity, moral principles, and the legal system
23:09 | Is there broader cultural significance for the National Eucharistic Revival?
24:26 | Hopeful signs for Christianity in conversation
27:54 | Is interest in a broad Christianity simply good?
28:59 | What we can learn from the African and Eastern Churches
30:42 | Listener question
33:00 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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Today, we bring you the latter half of Bishop Barron's conversation with Patrick J. Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. In this engaging discussion, the two address topics relating to freedom, truth, and the political order.

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Does being committed to social justice necessarily entail neglecting the liturgy? Conversely, do reverent liturgies entail downplaying or even ignoring the Church?s mission to care for the poor? The answer to both questions is a resounding, no. How should we understand the right relationship between the liturgy of the Church and the virtue of justice, including social justice? And practically speaking, how can we, as a Church, overcome the unnecessary divisions between so-called ?liberal Catholics? and ?conservative Catholics?? 

A listener asks if someone can be Catholic but not believe in the Resurrection.

00:00 | Intro
01:20 | 10th National Eucharistic Congress recap
02:32 | Understanding the role and meaning of the liturgy
05:06 | The power of the spoken word in the liturgy
07:16 | The physicality of the liturgy
09:10 | Distinguishing between authentic and inauthentic liturgies
11:13 | Did Vatican II negatively effect the liturgy?
12:45 | Understanding justice as a cardinal virtue
14:45 | Relating justice and charity
18:24 | Social justice within a Catholic framework
20:34 | The relationship between loving God and loving neighbor
26:00 | Connecting the liturgy and social justice
27:33 | Is social justice possible without the liturgy?
28:51 | How cloistered monks and nuns serve the Church
30:01 | Bridging the divide between separated Catholics
31:40 | Listener question
33:50 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

Bishop Barron?s article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/barron/the-higher-you-go-liturgically-the-lower-you-should-go-in-service-of-the-poor/

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Today, we bring you the first part of Bishop Barron's conversation with Patrick J. Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. In the discussion, they touch on topics relating to freedom, truth, and the political order.

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.

We bring to you the second part of Bishop Barron?s discussion with Dr. Tod Worner on the way a Catholic, and indeed all Christians, should approach the crossroads of Religion and politics.

Enjoy!

00:00 | Intro
00:26 | The relationship between morality, religion, and democracy
04:03 | The public nature of Christianity
06:04 | Is vitriol built into democratic politics?
09:34 | Argument over quarrel
14:32 | What is "the herd" doing today and how should Catholics respond?
15:57 | Life without transcendence
19:00 | The role of mediating institutions
22:07 | Catholic social teaching on wealth and power
23:50 | Remembering humanity's fallenness
26:06 | Principles for voting faithfully
27:28 | Is democracy worth retaining?
31:37 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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We recently hosted a Word on Fire Institute member event in London. At the event, Bishop Barron reflected on five animating sensibilities for evangelization. Enjoy.

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Today, we bring to you the first part of Bishop Barron?s discussion with Dr. Tod Worner on the way a Catholic should navigate the crossroads of religion and politics. 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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Bishop Barron had the privilege of speaking to members of Parliament in London, England. He reflects on the presence of the Church in society, her endurance throughout the ages, and why Christianity is consistently a powerful cultural force. Enjoy.

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Over 83 percent of Americans still believe in miracles, but what, specifically, are miracles? What are the grounds for believing in them, especially for non-eye witnesses? In the Catholic context, who has the authority to deem an event miraculous? Should Catholics incorporate devotions to Church-approved supernatural events like apparitions of the Virgin Mary and post-Ascension appearances of Jesus Christ into their faith life? We discuss the Catholic understanding of miracles and how the miraculous fits with a comprehensive evangelical vision of the life of the Church.

A listener asks if it was a sin when those healed by Jesus in the Bible told others of their miraculous healing, though Jesus had told them not to tell.

00:00 | Intro
01: 20 | Update on Winona-Rochester's new pastoral center
03: 10 | Distinguishing miracles from improbable or impossible events
06:15 | Conditions necessary for the miraculous
10:58 | The relationship between nature and grace
14:10 | How miracles are confirmed
16:44 | Science and miracles
20:09 | Miracles and the Bible
23:19 | If God's revelation is complete, why do miracles continue?
25:50 | The Vatican's recent document on apparitions
27:14 | Addressing skepticism of the miraculous
31:05 | Listener question
32:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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We have arrived at the end of our journey with Dante. At the top of Mount Purgatory, Dante ascends the Paradiso and in the highest heaven, he beholds the divine glory of the beatific vision: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Barron's course, ?Dante?s Catholic Imagination,? is timeless and ever-relevant. Watch it in its entirety in the Word on Fire Institute.

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The atheist political commentator and television host Bill Maher has long been a bitter critic of Christianity. In additional to regular swipes at Christians on his shows, Maher also devoted an entire documentary film, sardonically entitled Religulous, to lampoon what he takes to be Christianity?s moral and theological absurdities. However, Maher has recently tempered his anti-Christian rhetoric and started focusing his biting wit on criticizing progressive woke ideology and condemning positions like neo-racism, the denial of biology, and the stifling of free speech in ways that the Catholic tradition would largely agree with.

In light of this apparent shift, is it time for people of faith to reassess Bill Maher? Has one of Christianity?s most vocal opponents now become an ally or, perhaps, even a friend? 

A listener asks, ?What is truth??

00:00 | Intro
01:32 | Bishop Barron?s recent diaconate ordinations
02:35 | Bill Maher?s analysis of religion
04:47 | What rationalism misses in its critique of religion
06:35 | Historic interpretive strategies for reading the Bible
10:31 | Freedom of speech and cancel culture
12:14 | On racial emphases
14:11 | Equality vs. equity
17:05 | Oppressors and the oppressed
18:21 | The philosophical roots of classical liberalism
20:01 | The value of classical liberalism over political progressivism
22:14 | Critiquing classical liberalism
26:18 | Is classical liberalism necessarily doomed?
28:39 | Finding points of agreement
30:41 | Listener question
32:48 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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Our journey continues through Dante's poetic imagery of the seven deadly sins. As Bishop Barron describes them in order of their severity, we discover that in order to atone for each sin, those in purgatory are punished with the repetitive practice of a countervailing virtue.

Bishop Barron's course, ?Dante?s Catholic Imagination,? is timeless and ever-relevant. Watch it in its entirety in 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.

Is Christianity a useful religion to the West? Atheist Richard Dawkins recently claimed that, while still an atheist, he considers himself a ?cultural Christian? because of Christianity?s utility in supporting Western cultural and political values, which he laments are under attack. Former atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali also recently shared that she became a Christian upon realizing that Christianity is necessary to preserve Western political norms.

There are some complex and even troubling underlying questions about making the connection between Christianity and utility, especially as it relates to contemporary ?Western values.? How is the utility defined and in response to what specific societal goals? Is Christianity?s utility limited to the West alone? Aren?t there some ?Western values? that are antithetical to Christianity?

A listener asks how to respond to the common criticism from atheists that Christians only believe in God because they are scared of death.

00:00 | Intro
01:32 | Bishop Barron?s recent farm visit
03:00 | Recapping Richard Dawkins and the New Atheism
07:14 | Unpacking Richard Dawkins as a ?cultural Christian?
12:38 | Can Christianity be culturally useful without a fixed cultural aim?
14:13 | Making moral judgments without a fixed standard
16:43 | The fundamentality of Christian thought in the West
19:51| Remembering the doctrinal dimension of Christianity
21:51 | Other influences in Western thought
25:16 | Is linking Christianity and Western thought evangelically helpful?
27:23 | Listener question
29:44 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

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Continuing the journey in the fourth lecture of Bishop Barron?s course, ?Dante?s Catholic Imagination,? we see notion that ?we?re damned alone, but we?re only saved together? on full display as Dante climbs Mount Purgatory. While hell was a place of violence and self absorption, purgatory is a place of charity, hope, and faith.

This timeless and ever-relevant course is available in its entirety in the Word on Fire Institute.

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Terms like ?safe spaces,? ?trigger warnings,? ?harm reduction,? ?micro-aggression,? ?emotional wellbeing? and ?fragility? are dominating the culture as well as the governance of many institutions. But by some measurements, our society is more physically compromised and mentally delicate than ever. Today, we discuss the contemporary embrace of ?safety? and whether it overlaps with a Catholic understanding of the individual and common good.  

A listener asks, can a priest ever deny absolution during confession?

00:00 | Intro
01:51 | Bishop Barron?s Confirmation season
02:30 | Understanding the contemporary use of ?safety?
07:45 | The relationship between risk, safety, and flourishing
12:23 | The emotional life and its role
16:14 | Physical safety as the highest good
21:36 | Speech as a form of violence
24:04 | The spiritual works of mercy vs. coddling
25:16 | Safety and the cardinal virtues
26:42 | Christ crucified and the value of safety
27:58 | Listener question
30:03 | 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.