WOF Show Podcast - Word on Fire: Recent Episodes
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Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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 being excluded from, and sometimes actively persecuted 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
32:49 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
Links: * Bishop Barron’s article in Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/olympics-anti-christian-display-reflects-cultural-decline-opinion-1933565 * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
Today we bring you Bishop Barron’s lecture from the 2023 The 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!
Links: The New Ressourcement*: https://newressourcement.wordonfire.org/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links: * Data for “Population Bomb”: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/book-incited-worldwide-fear-overpopulation-180967499/ * Article on Martha Nussbaum: https://www.opindia.com/2024/05/india-has-too-many-people-they-dont-have-enough-to-eat-philosopher-martha-nussbaum-makes-drastic-claims-population-reduction/ * Quote citation: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/apr/16/bill-maher-inflames-abortion-debate-by-saying-its-/ * Abortion statistic: https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide * Pew Research citation: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
We are happy to share Bishop Barron’s keynote address at the historic 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Enjoy.
Link:* Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links: * Interview with Selmer Bringsjord: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/selmer-bringsjord-on-life-and-logic/ * Interview with Charles Camosy: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/charles-camosy-sounds-the-alarm/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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!
Links:* Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links: * Pew Research Data: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/24/has-the-rise-of-religious-nones-come-to-an-end-in-the-us/ * Data on Women Leaving the Church: https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/young-women-are-leaving-church-in-unprecedented-numbers/ * Washington Examiner: “Faith and flag: Trump allies push for deeply conservative second term” * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
Links:* Part I of this discussion: WOF 448 * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Caroline Foreman
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
Links:* 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/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
Link:* Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
Link:* Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links:* Poll citation: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4400922-americans-ghosts-aliens-devil-survey/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links: Religulous* film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0815241/quotes/ * Bishop Barron’s CNN article: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/opinions/catholic-bishop-found-an-ally-in-bill-maher-barron/index.html * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links:* Article: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257276/famous-atheist-richard-dawkins-says-he-considers-himself-a-cultural-christian * Article: https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/ * Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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.
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links:* Learn about the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
We continue with the third lecture of Bishop Barron’s course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination.” We uncover the horrors of hell as Virgil takes Dante on a journey to see the three levels of sin and their corresponding punishments. This ever-relevant course is available in its entirety inside 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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
Most in contemporary secular culture have probably never heard of the name “Thomas Aquinas.” However, his thought remains more pertinent than ever—not only to theology and philosophy but also to current conversations on how to build a more stable, just, and prosperous political order. Today, we discuss the evergreen genius of St. Thomas Aquinas and how his legacy continues in the life and work of the contemporary Dominican theologian, Fr. Paul Murray.
A listener asks, does the devil know that his rebellion is ultimately futile?
00:00 | Intro
01:12 | Bishop Barron in Rome
02:01 | Aquinas’ impact on Bishop Barron’s formation
03:56 | Why medieval thinkers like Aquinas still matter
06:18 | The relationship between metaphysics and ethics
07:29 | God as Being itself rather than as the greatest of beings
12:43 | How God can be both transcendent and immanent
15:58 | God’s non-competitive relationship with Creation
21:29 | Defining true human and social goods
23:00 | Does metaphysical speculation have a role in politics?
25:45 | Fr. Paul Murray, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Dominican charism
29:54 | Listener question
31:49 | Word on Fire Institute
Links:* Learn about the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
We continue now with the next lecture from Bishop Barron’s popular course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” available in its entirety inside the Word on Fire Institute. We follow as Dante tries to go forward on his journey, but he is blocked by the beasts of sin. Enjoy this further glimpse into Dante’s evergreen, always-relevant poetic, moral, and theological genius.
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
A recent article in The Atlanticmagazine highlights the crisis of isolation befalling the United States. Americans have never been—or felt—more solitary, especially the younger generations. And the consequences are often fatal: loneliness is a major cause of the recent spikes in depression, anxiety, and suicide, which are at unprecedented levels. Today, we discuss the loss of our social bonds and how Catholic thought can help heal and re-unite us.
A listener asks, given free will, does God know what choices we will make?
00:00 | Intro
01:23 | Bishop Barron’s recent USCCB and diocesan work
02:22 | Why should a person’s chosen isolation matter to anyone else?
04:34 | Individuality vs. the Catholic conception of the individual
09:11 | Distinguishing between solitude and isolation
12:43 | Why in-person communities matter
14:00 | The role of unchosen communities in an individual’s development
16:09 | How to view the company of others
17:34 | Can one adequately substitute animal companionship for community?
22:06 | New media, smart devices, and screen time
26:45 | Advice to encourage more in-person gatherings
27:53 | Listener question
29:32 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
Links: “Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out” article in The Atlantic* * Screen time stats: https://www.harmonyhit.com/phone-screen-time-statistics/?clreqid=a5b99b78-5919-4ddd-a2d7-5cb3c4e66e6d&kbid=58587 * Learn about the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
Today we are excited to bring you the first lecture from Bishop Barron’s popular course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” which is available in its entirety inside the Word on Fire Institute. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into Dante’s evergreen, always-relevant poetic, moral, and theological genius.
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Dr. Matthew Petrusek
Pope St. John Paul II used the term “culture of death” in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae to capture the secular world’s dark confluence of poisonous ideas and practices that lead—directly and indirectly—to spiritual and physical ruin.
Sadly, we’ve seen the the culture of death advance on many fronts. Today, we focus on the increasing legalization of suicide in the United States and abroad. Listen as we discuss the issue and how Catholics can and should respond to it.
A listener asks why we pray for the dead, and can we pray for the souls of atheists and non-Catholics?
00:00 | Intro
01:18 | Bishop Barron’s recent diocesan work
02:34 | The role of euphemism in the euthanasia debate
06:39 | Unpacking “autonomy” and “compassion”
12:31 | Responding to critics of the slippery slope argument
20:56 | The State’s role in moral disputes
24:40 | How can Catholics positively respond to euthanasia?
26:50 | Listener question
28:15 | Word on Fire Institute
Links: Evangelium Vitae * “It’s Not Your Life, It’s Not Your Death, It’s Not Your Choice”* article by Bishop Barron * https://www.compassionandchoices.org/resource/states-or-territories-where-medical-aid-in-dying-is-authorized * https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254197/assisted-suicide-in-the-united-states-where-is-it-legal
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Dr. Matthew Petrusek
Today we bring you Bishop Barron’s keynote address from the recent Good News Conference. In it, he speaks in depth about what it means to be a full witness to Jesus Christ. 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.
Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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
Links “Ivy League Presidents and the Collapse of Moral Reasoning” by Bishop Barron * Statistic on men in 4-year schools: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/18/fewer-young-men-are-in-college-especially-at-4-year-schools/ * Learn more about the Word on Fire Institute: Institute.WordonFire.org*
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Dr. Matthew Petrusek
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 IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.
Brandon Vogt
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
Links A Journey with Jonah: The Spirituality of Bewildermentby Fr. Paul Murray * Princesses of Heaven: The Flowers* by Fabiola Garza
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Brandon Vogt
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 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.
Brandon Vogt
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
Links Bishop Barron’s statement on surrogacy * Christ Brings All Newness: Essays, Reviews, and Reflections* by Fr. Robert Imbelli
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.
Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links “How Liberalism Fails the Church” by Cardinal Francis George (Commonweal) * Register for the 2024 Wonder Conference* (August 2-4, 2024 – Rochester, MN)
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Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links Ethics for Beginners* by Peter Kreeft
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Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links 2024 Lent Reflections Booklet – FREE copy!*
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Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links Word on Fire Institute – Join Today!*
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!
Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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”
Links The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley * Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List* by David Paul Baird, Andrew Petiprin, and Michael Ward
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!
Brandon Vogt
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!
Brandon Vogt
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?
Links The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley * The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales* by George MacDonald
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!
Brandon Vogt
Today, we’re excited to share Fr. Robert Spitzer’s keynote talk from the 2023 Wonder 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).
Links 100 Great Catholic Poems* edited by Sally Read
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!
Brandon Vogt
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!
Links America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything* by Christopher Rufo
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!
Brandon Vogt
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?
Links “It’s Time for Catholics to Embrace Halloween”* (Word on Fire) – Fr. Steve Grunow
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley * Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self* by Andrew Youngblood
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!
Brandon Vogt
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
Links Word on Fire Spark * Saintly Creatures: 14 Tales of Animals and Their Holy Companions* by Alexi Sargeant
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!
Brandon Vogt
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!
Links Word on Fire Institute* (free 30 day trial!)
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!
Brandon Vogt
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!
Links St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton * Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (Word on Fire Classics) * Pivotal Players: G.K. Chesterton (Word on Fire) – Watch FREE when you join the Word on Fire Institute * Chesterton.org*
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!
Brandon Vogt
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?
Links Bishop Barron at World Youth Day * Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal’s Pensees Edited, Outlined, and Explained by Peter Kreeft * Saintly Creatures: 14 Tales of Animals and Their Holy Companions* by Alexi Sargeant
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!
Brandon Vogt
Today, we’re thrilled to share with you the newest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with well-known Hollywood actors Ethan and Maya Hawke. Ethan has starred in many excellent movies while Maya is probably best known for her roles in the BBC adaptation of Little Women and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.
But more recently, Ethan and Maya joined forces to produce a new film titled Wildcat, a biopic about the Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor. Ethan wrote and directed the film, while Maya stars as Flannery herself.
Bishop Barron and the Hawkes enjoy a delightful and wide-ranging conversation about the film, Flannery O’Connor’s stories, and so much more.
So sit back and take in this latest conversation in our series “Bishop Barron Presents”. Enjoy!
Links* “Wildcat” film (IMDB)
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, why are we so tempted to scapegoat people, especially online? And how do we escape that trap?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss the great Catholic philosopher René Girard and his theory of scapegoating.
A listener asks, what does Bishop Barron think of classical education?
Links Bishop Barron Presents: Luke Burgis * All Desire is a Desire for Beingedited by Cynthia Haven * I See Satan Fall Like Lightning by René Girard * Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis * Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography* by Holly Ordway
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!
Brandon Vogt
J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, is one of the best-selling books ever, selling over 150 million copies. In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favorite “book of the millennium”.
However, few people know that Tolkien was an ardent Catholic. Holly Ordway has written a fascinating new volume titled Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography, which shows how his faith and his fiction were related, though in subtle and complex ways. This long-overdue spiritual biography gives new insight into his works by shedding fresh light on their author’s deepest-held convictions.
Brandon Vogt recently sat down with Holly to discuss her new book and the depth of Tolkien’s Catholic life.
Links Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography* by J.R.R. Tolkien
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!
Brandon Vogt
Many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition?
Brandon Vogt
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla shared the story of her mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
Brandon Vogt
Many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition?
Brandon Vogt
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla shared the story of her mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
Brandon Vogt
Many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition?
Brandon Vogt
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla shared the story of her mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
Brandon Vogt
Many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition?
Brandon Vogt
Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla shared the story of her mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children.
Brandon Vogt
The TV show "Mrs. Davis," raises interesting questions about artificial intelligence, God, free will, and mystical union with Christ.
Brandon Vogt
In his talk at the 2022 Good News Conference, Fr. John Riccardo spoke about the Christian call toward unwavering trust and hope.
Brandon Vogt
Many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition?
Brandon Vogt
In his talk at the 2022 Good News Conference, Fr. John Riccardo spoke about the Christian call toward unwavering trust and hope.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, what fuels our modern “culture of contempt,” so prevalent online? And how can Catholics resist it? A helpful new book by John Allen, Jr., Catholics and Contempt, seeks to answer those questions, and on today’s “Word on Fire Show” I discuss the book with Brandon Vogt.
A listener asks, do the three transcendentals include unity?
Links Catholics and Contempt: How Catholic Media Fuel Today’s Fights and What to Do About It by John Allen, Jr. * Word on Fire Bible, Vol III: The Pentateuch * This is My Body by Bishop Robert Barron * Word on Fire Rosary Initiative*
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, in February 2023, at the Sharing the Church’s Story Conference in London, I reflected on the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and how these counsels can be lived out by the laity.
Vatican II wanted great Catholic parents, great Catholic lawyers, great Catholic politicians, great Catholic writers and journalists, great Catholic business leaders, great Catholic bankers and investors, and more living their faith vibrantly and publicly. How do we accomplish that? By living out the evangelical counsels.
Links Sharing the Church’s Story Conference * Word on Fire Bible, Volume III: The Pentateuch*
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, a recent study from the Pew Research Center found that nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) believe that during Mass, the bread and wine used in communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” Only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation, which says the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.
This is a spiritual crisis, and in response, the United States bishops have launched a three-year Eucharistic revival to help Catholics understand the truth and beauty of this sacrament. On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss our hopes for the revival and the special resource Word on Fire created to accompany it.
A listener asks, if the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, is the Eucharist a person?
Links National Eucharistic Revival * Word on Fire Eucharist resources * This is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival*by Bishop Robert Barron ($2 per copy)
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, in February 2023, award-winning historian, author, and broadcaster Tom Holland and I discussed Western culture, the intellectual and moral aspects of Christianity, and the doctrine of original sin, among many other topics, at the Sharing the Church’s Story Conference in London.
Links Sharing the Church’s Story Conference * This is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival* by Bishop Robert Barron
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, many people are familiar with the Thomistic tradition, following St. Thomas Aquinas, but what about the Franciscan intellectual tradition, following St. Francis? Who are some of the great Franciscan theologians, and what can they teach us today? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, does God the Father love us as much as he loves Jesus and the Holy Spirit?
Links Venerable Jerome Lejeune Fellowship * Ordered by Love: An Introduction to John Duns Scotus by Thomas Ward * This is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival*by Bishop Robert Barron
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!
Brandon Vogt
At the 2022 Good News Conference, Bishop Barron had the opportunity to sit down with Jonathan Roumie for a conversation. They covered a wide range of topics, from “The Simpsons,” to “The Chosen,” to acting tips, to the Word of God.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, does Christianity still have a place in the public square? What can it contribute to the broader culture?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss some of the unique ways that Christianity has shaped the modern world.
A listener asks, what is the Catholic response to post-modernity, specifically the claim that everything is predicated on power?
Links As Kingfishers Catch Fire: Selected and Annotated Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins* edited with an introduction and notes by Holly Ordway
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, in his talk at the 2022 Good News Conference, Fr. John Riccardo speaks about the unwavering trust and hope that Christians are called to.
When tempted to despair, we are challenged to hope that the Lord is addressing the storms in our lives, the lives of others, and the life of the Church.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, what are the liberal arts, and why are so many schools getting rid of them? A recent article in The New Yorker titled “The End of the English Major” revealed that during the past decade, the study of English and history at the collegiate level has fallen by a full third.
Do the liberal arts still matter? Why should people study them? That’s what I discuss with Brandon Vogt on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, what is your response to the claim that more blood has been shed in history over the name of Jesus Christ than any other individual?
Links “The End of the English Major”(The New Yorker) – Nathan Heller * “Don’t Give Up on the Liberal Arts!” (Word on Fire) – Bishop Robert Barron * Subscribe to Bishop Barron’s YouTube channel * Subscribe to Word on Fire Institute YouTube channel*
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!
Brandon Vogt
In his keynote talk at the 2022 Good News Conference, Bishop Barron speaks on the evangelical power of beauty in the Catholic tradition. True beauty leads by steady steps to the ultimate source of beauty, Christ.
To evangelize, we can show the Sistine Chapel or Chartres Cathedral; show someone how to read Brideshead Revisited, the stories of Flannery O’Connor, or the poetry of T.S. Eliot; listen to Beethoven’s “Seventh Symphony.” This great tradition of beauty has the power to draw people in.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, a major theme appearing throughout the teachings of Pope Francis is the danger of technocracy. In his 2015 encyclical, Laudato si’, he coined the term “technocratic paradigm,” using the term five times in the encyclical.
Should we be concerned about our technocratic society, one dominated by tech and science and which, in turn, aims to dominates nature? That’s what I discuss with Brandon Vogt today on “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, what’s the difference between the Protestant and Catholic understandings of the Church?
Links Word on Fire Liturgy of the Hours(Founder’s Discount ends 3/31) * Bishop Barron at The Heritage Foundation * Bishop Barron w/ Brett McKay on “Art of Manliness” * Bishop Barron w/ Alex O’Connor on “Within Reason” * Laudato si’ by Pope Francis * Letters from Lake Como: Explorations in Technology and the Human Race by Romano Guardini * After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man* by Michael Ward
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, in this conversation at the 2021 Good News Conference, Bishop Robert Barron and Fr. Mike Schmitz share about their vocation stories.
This is part of a much longer conversation the two shared. You can hear the full discussion in episode 331 of the “Word on Fire Show,” during which they discuss how they began their ministry on YouTube, their favorite movies, and what inspired them to approach their creative presentations to the Bible.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, today we share with you Chris Stefanick’s talk from the 2021 Good News Conference. In a world fraught with fear, anxiety, and denial, Chris explores the fundamental rules for living joyfully.
Links Good News Conference * Word on Fire Liturgy of the Hours*
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, in today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” we share Lecture 1 from Peter Kreeft’s new 12-part video series on “Socrates’ Children: The Great Debates of Philosophy.” In this lecture series, Dr. Peter Kreeft examines key ideas in philosophy by comparing and contrasting two representative philosophers in each lecture. The first lecture compares the father of philosophy, Socrates, with the Sophists, whose philosophy is marked more by cleverness and emotion rather than by wisdom and truth.
This video series is being released alongside Word on Fire’s new book series by Kreeft, titled Socrates’ Children: An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers. In this four-volume series, Kreeft examines with his characteristic wit and clarity, the big ideas of four major eras—ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary—and immerses the reader in the “great conversation” the ongoing dialogue among the great thinkers of history.
Links Socrates’ Children* books + video series
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, we often find two groups in the Church in tension with each other: those concerned with the liturgy and those concerned with social justice. On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss how to bridge this great divide, and why we should have enthusiasm for both the liturgy and the Church’s social doctrine.
A listener asks, can you repeat the argument for God that persuaded you as a high schooler?
Links Socrates’ Children: An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers* 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, today we share Fr. Stephen Gadberry’s keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida.
As Fr. Gadberry explains, every baptized Christian shares in Jesus’ offices of priest, prophet, and king. In this talk, Fr. Gadberry focuses on the priestly role and discusses the responsibility of every Christian to pray and work in union with Christ for the sanctification of the world.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, there are thousands of religions out there. So, why think Christianity is the right one? And why Catholic Christianity in particular?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss these challenges which have been raised during Bishop Barron’s Reddit #AMAs.
A listener asks, do you have any advice for a Muslim considering conversion to Catholicism?
Links The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: Decrees and Declarations*
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, when universities turn to the secular narrative of the ego drama, which views education as directed to self-advancement alone, they suffer a loss of identity.
In her talk at the recent Good News Conference, Jessica Hooten Wilson offers a different vision of education that is based on an apprenticeship to tradition and is oriented toward a contemplative life for both educators and students.
Moving toward this vision creates a university system that orders its teachers and students to a good beyond themselves.
Links Good News Conference * The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher* by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, do we have a right to choose how and when we die? Should we be worried about the rapid rise of euthanasia, including in the United States?
Euthanasia has been in the news lately thanks to reports out of Canada, where last year, over 10,000 Canadians ended their lives via euthanasia. Those numbers are sure to go up, as Canada has loosened restrictions so that people can now choose euthanasia not only to avoid pain and suffering in the face of terminal disease, but simply for “mental health reasons.”
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss these alarming trends and how to make the case that life is worth living.
A listener asks, why does it matter where we go to worship the Lord as long as we’re doing so?
Links The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher* by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. In the Mass, God is glorified and humans are sanctified.
In his keynote address at the recent Good News Conference, Abbot Jeremy Driscoll walks us through the beauty and richness of the Mass, in which we worship the Lord and then are sent out to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
Abbot Jeremy is a Benedictine monk and was elected the 12th abbot of Mount Angel Abbey, elected by the community in March of 2016. He has taught theology at Mount Angel Seminary and at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He continues to serve on various Vatican commissions, conducts conferences and retreats throughout the world, and continues to write and publish.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, we just marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, the Second Vatican Council. Six decades later, can we say the Council was a success? A failure? Something in between?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt discuss a provocative pair of op-eds published in the New York Times by Ross Douthat, who argues that the Council was both necessary and a failure, and yet cannot be undone.
A listener asks, if God is without form, then at the Transfiguration, what was Jesus transformed into?
Links “How Catholics Became Prisoners of Vatican II” – Ross Douthat * “How Vatican II Failed Catholics—and Catholicism” – Ross Douthat * The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection * The Paschal Mystery: Reflections for Lent and Easter* (Word on Fire Lent booklet)
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, how do we educate the whole person? Religious sister and mental health counselor Sr. Josephine Garrett talks about this question in her keynote speech at the recent Good News Conference.
In her talk, Sr. Josephine shares how in order for the whole person to be educated, the object of the education must be properly ordered to the love of God.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, did you know that the birth rate in America is the lowest it’s ever been? Why have families stopped having so many kids, and what can we do about it?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss a recent First Things article by Kevin DeYoung titled “The Case for Kids”.
A listener asks, how do you reconcile the fact that we have to honor our parents but also Jesus asking us to leave our parents to follow him?
Links “The Case for Kids” by Kevin DeYoung (First Things*)
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, has passed away at the age of 95 years old.
In this special “Word on Fire Show” discussion, Brandon Vogt and I reflect on his life, impact, and key ideas and contributions.
We specifically touch on five key areas:
1) True reform vs. false reform in the Church
2) Liturgical renewal
3) Importance of the Bible for theology
4) Synthesis of faith and reason
5) Christocentrism
Links Bishop Barron’s resources on Pope Benedict XVI * The Pope Benedict XVI Reader* (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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, when society dismisses the natural law tradition, is it any wonder we see voluntarism take its place? I recently spoke with Ben Shapiro on his Daily Wire show about natural law, family, happiness and much more.
Links Bishop Barron on Ben Shapiro’s “Sunday Special”*
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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, many people in the Church, including the Holy Father, have been talking about “synodality.” But what is it? What does it mean? How can it help the Church, and what are possible dangers? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, what is appropriate to bring with you into Eucharistic Adoration?
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, today we share Fr. Mike Schmitz’s keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida.
As Fr. Mike explains, joy is a choice, just like love. We can either chase the feeling or choose the reality. Joy comes from the fact that you know that God is here and that you are known and loved by him. The Christian life is a pursuit of the One who loved us first, the One in whom we find our true joy.
Links Good News 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!
Brandon Vogt
Friends, why is art important? An uptick in vandalism against famous pieces of art, calling to mind outbreaks of iconoclasm throughout history, has raised questions about art’s value and purpose. On today’s “Word on Fire Show,” I discuss with Brandon Vogt why art matters.
A listener asks, is God’s true nature love or truth? What’s the interplay between those two?
Links The Great Story of Israel: Election, Freedom, Holiness* by Bishop Robert Barron
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!
Brandon Vogt
Today, we share an interview with the editor of "With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life," Rachel Bulman, conducted by Haley Stewart, Editing Manager of Word on Fire Spark.
Brandon Vogt
What is the role of religion in civic life? We discuss the relationship between politics and religion and the proper place of tolerance.
Brandon Vogt
Today, we share an interview with the editor of "With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life," Rachel Bulman, conducted by Haley Stewart, Editing Manager of Word on Fire Spark.
Brandon Vogt
What is the role of religion in civic life? We discuss the relationship between politics and religion and the proper place of tolerance.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, today we share a recent discussion between Bishop Barron and the theologian Larry Chapp about Vatican II.
Brandon Vogt
We discuss a provocative new article and how we should understand the intersection of reason, faith, and technology.
Brandon Vogt
We share Lesson 1 from our new Word on Fire Institute course titled “Evangelizing Protestants" from Andrew Petiprin, the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen Fellow of Popular Culture and former Episcopal priest and convert to Catholicism.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, what is a Holy Hour? How do you do it, and why should you start? Brandon Vogt and I discuss this most powerful spiritual discipline.
Brandon Vogt
We share a conversation with leaders at Biola University on encountering Christ and the importance of evangelization in today’s culture.
Brandon Vogt
Brandon Vogt and I discuss some comments recently made by Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, about space and religion.
Brandon Vogt
Here's a talk I recently gave to the service men and women at the United State Air Force Academy on angels, those famous fliers in the pages of the Bible.
Brandon Vogt
Two recent discussions with Lex Fridman and Shia LaBeouf struck a chord with people, revealing lessons in drawing others closer to God.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
In our next discussion of four thinkers with ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture, today we focus on Jean-Paul Sartre.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
In our next discussion of four thinkers with ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture, today we focus on Jean-Paul Sartre.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
We continue discussing four thinkers with ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture. Today, we focus on Friedrich Nietzsche.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Brandon Vogt
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Friends, today we conclude our “Word on Fire Show” series on how to understand Genesis by focusing on Joseph, the great figure who went from slave to ruler of Egypt. How should we understand his sinking into slavery and prison? Or his gift for interpreting dreams? As Christians, what’s the big takeaway from the Joseph […]
Word on Fire
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we offer a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what’s new about this volume and why it’s even better than Volume I.
Word on Fire
Today, we share Lesson 1 from Bishop Barron’s latest Word on Fire Institute course titled “Dante’s Catholic Imagination.” Listen as Bishop Barron leads us on a journey through the life of Dante and his major work, The Divine Comedy, the great literary treasure dedicated to the dynamics of the Christian spiritual life.
In this first lesson from the course, Bishop Barron introduces us to Dante Alighieri, the thirteenth-century Italian poet who authored the epic poem. This seminal work captures the Catholic imagination of the dynamic afterlife in three distinct sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
Word on Fire
What makes life meaningful? What is meaning, and where do we find it? Those are the pressings questions Brandon Vogt and I discuss today on “The Word on Fire Show.” We also recap my conversation with Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Pageau, and John Vervaeke, and highlight two recent surveys dealing with the question of meaning. A […]
Word on Fire
Today we share a sample from our new Word on Fire Institute course titled “Faith, Science, and Sin” taught by Dr. Christopher Baglow. Dr. Baglow considers the mysteries of the Catholic faith in dialogue with scientific discoveries, allowing us to avoid the shallowness that John Paul II says debases the Gospel and leaves us ashamed […]
Word on Fire
Friends, today we continue our “Word on Fire Show” series on how to understand Genesis by focusing on Jacob, the son of Isaac and a patriarch of the ancient Jews. How should we understand his early struggle with Esau, the famous “Jacob’s ladder,” and his mysterious wrestling match and name change? That’s what we discuss […]
Word on Fire
During the past five decades, the Second Vatican Council has been alternately celebrated or maligned for its supposed break with tradition and embrace of the modern world. But what if we’ve gotten it all wrong? Have Catholics—both those who embrace the spirit of Vatican II and those who regard it with suspicion—misunderstood what the council […]
Word on Fire
Bishop Barron takes several questions from non-Catholics, including: How does the Catholic Church think about sola Scriptura and Bible interpretation? Since we can’t know beyond a reasonable doubt that Christianity is true, why should I become a Christian? Any tips for a Protestant transitioning to Catholicism? Why are some sins considered mortal? Is there a […]
Word on Fire
In a recent talk, Bishop Barron presented on the importance of not dumbing down the faith as we engage in religious education. Young people enjoy asking about and discussing the big questions, from God’s existence, to how to be a good and moral person, to the problem of suffering. A disconnect takes place when we meet these […]
Word on Fire
Friends, today we continue our “Word on Fire Show” series on how to understand Genesis by discussing Abraham and Isaac. Watch and learn about these two pivotal figures in salvation history. A listener asks, where can I learn more about God’s non-competitive transcendence? Links Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard Against Heresies by St. […]
Word on Fire
Friends, at the recent FOCUS SEEK conference, seminarians and young people discerning their vocation asked me range of questions about calling and vocations, including: Did Bishop Barron ever consider religious life? How should we use philosophy to approach and interact with theology? What should we do about a “dark night of the soul” when it […]
Word on Fire
Modern psychiatry tends to downplay spirituality, but in today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss a new Scientific American article suggesting that “Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God.” The author explains how belief in God is associated with significantly better treatment outcomes for many patients, and therefore patients should […]
Word on Fire
Earlier this year, Bishop Barron joined Sal Di Stefano from Mind Pump Media for a great conversation. They discussed the great social upheaval and political division in our culture—including its intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions—and why a purely secular framework is not enough to solve it. Links Dei Verbum Reading Challenge NOTE: Do you like […]
Word on Fire
Today we continue our series on “Understanding Genesis.” Last time we focused on Creation and today we’re discussing Adam, Eve, and the Fall. How should we understand the creation of Adam and Eve? What actually happened at the Fall? Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss. A listener asks, why would Mark end his Gospel with […]
Word on Fire
Today we share a Q&A session between Bishop Barron and Maronite clergy following a talk he shared on the priesthood. In the Q&A, he answered several questions, including: Did Adam love Eve for the sake of God? What is Mary’s role in Jacob’s ladder? Do you have practical advice for people feeling confined by their […]
Word on Fire
Pope Francis just announced he’s planning to declare a new Doctor of the Church, St. Irenaeus of Lyon. Who was he? What were his key ideas? Why does he still matter? That’s what Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss in today’s episode. Topics include: What’s a Doctor of the Church, and why should Irenaeus be […]
Word on Fire
In today’s episode, we share a talk Bishop Barron gave to the Catholic educators of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He exhorted teachers to boldly proclaim the resurrection and lordship of Jesus, affirming that all Catholic teachers are, fundamentally, evangelizers. NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, […]
Word on Fire
Today we begin a five-part series of discussions on the book of Genesis. In this first episode, we focus on the Creation story. Genesis is of course the first book in the Bible and perhaps the most foundational, but it’s also the source of so much confusion. Bishop Barron clarifies what the author is […]
Word on Fire
C.S. Lewis wrote more than 30 books which have collectively sold over 100 million copies, including the Chronicles of Narnia series, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters. But of those thirty books, there was only one which Lewis described himself as “almost my favorite among my books,” yet he was disappointed that “in general [the […]
Word on Fire
Dr. Christian Smith has written a new book titled Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation. It’s based on new research about how parents successfully raise children to become religiously-practicing adults. In this episode, Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt walk through his findings and discuss what actually helps […]
Word on Fire
In this Q&A session with students at Yale University from February 2021, Bishop Barron answered a variety of questions from students, including: Do you think that the culture’s view of sex has kept people outside of the Church? How do we charitably share our view? What did you decide to give up for Lent? How […]
Word on Fire
A recent poll from the Survey Center on American Life revealed that people are rapidly losing their close friends, especially men. The number of American men who view themselves as having “no close friends” quintupled over the last 30 years, increasing from 3 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2021. Why is this […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, featuring theologian and educator Dr. Larry Chapp. Larry and Bishop Barron discuss topics such as: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement Traditionalism and liberalism in the Catholic Church The Second Vatican Council And several other topics Stay tuned for future “Bishop Barron Presents” conversations. These […]
Word on Fire
Today we continue our discussion of a recent article by Tim Keller, the popular Protestant pastor, titled “The Fading of Forgiveness: Tracing the Disappearance of the Thing We Need Most.” We previously explored why forgiveness has faded in our culture. Today, we focus on the path forward, how we can practice and encourage more […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, this one featuring American legal scholar, political philosopher, and public intellectual Robert George. Robert and Bishop Barron discuss virtue, focusing on topics such as Natural law, the “woke” phenomena, how we can engrain virtue in our society today, and more. Stay tuned for future “Bishop Barron […]
Word on Fire
Today we discuss a recent article by Tim Keller, the popular Protestant pastor, titled “The Fading of Forgiveness: Tracing the Disappearance of the Thing We Need Most”. Why are people increasingly skeptical about forgiveness? Keller proposes two reasons: a therapeutic culture, and religion without grace. A listener asks, how did God create the universe […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, this one with author Dr. Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen. Jennifer and Bishop Barron discuss the history of ideas that shaped American culture, and her two books, American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas and The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History. Stay tuned for future […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, featuring author and political science professor Dr. Jason Blakely. In Jason’s conversation with Bishop Barron and Jared Zimmerer, he discussed topics found in his new book, We Built Reality: How Social Science Infiltrated Culture, Politics, and Power, including hermeneutics, economics, and more. Stay tuned for future […]
Word on Fire
Today we share an interview about Brandon Vogt’s new book Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church, recently published by Word on Fire. The book is full of concrete advice and practical strategies to help draw any loved one back to the Church. Return includes one of the best summations of why […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion, featuring literary and theological scholar Jessica Hooten Wilson. Jessica recently sat down with Bishop Barron and Jared Zimmerer to discuss caring for the soul through human formation, focusing on topics such as: – The humanities within education– Flannery O’Connor– Dostoevsky– Walker Percy Stay tuned for future […]
Word on Fire
Is parenthood suffocating or liberating? Do children keep you from self-discovery, or can they facilitate you finding your identity? Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss those questions in light of two controversial articles about parenting, one in Time Magazine and another in the New York Times. A listener asks, what does a priest go through […]
Word on Fire
Today we share the latest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series, featuring editor and author Sohrab Ahmari. Bishop Barron sits down to discuss Sohrab’s new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos. Sohrab named his son after St. Maximillian Kolbe, and the book originated in his hope […]
Word on Fire
Bishop Barron recently joined Jordan Peterson for a second long discussion titled “Christianity and the Modern World,” which has been viewed over 780,000 times. On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” we revisit and reflect on some of the key moments in the dialogue. A listener asks, how can I answer my […]
Word on Fire
Bishop Barron recently delivered the commencement address to the graduating class at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The entire point of a Catholic intellectual formation is to produce great souls. A great soul doesn’t invent her own values; rather, she intuits the marvelous intellectual, moral, and aesthetic values that are found in the […]
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF287.mp3
According to a recent Wall Street Journal headline, “Catholic Schools Are Losing Students at Record Rates, and Hundreds Are Closing.” Catholic schools peaked in the 1960s with about 5.5 million students in 11,000 schools. Today, Catholic schools boast only 1.6 million students in 5,900 schools. What explains this decline? And what can we do about it?
Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss the situation of Catholic schools, the purpose of Catholic education, and where Catholic schools should move in the future.
A listener asks, how can we be better friends with our friends who are not Christian?
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF286-Audition.mp3
Bishop Barron recently visited the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he had the great privilege of preaching at their baccalaureate Mass. In his homily, shared today on the podcast, he said we must remember that the primary purpose of a Catholic university is evangelization, the proclamation of the lordship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, education must equip and form graduates to sanctify the world, so that the light of Christ can be brought into workplaces, classrooms, and trades.
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!
Word on Fire
https://www.youtube.com/embed//h32o8E90jh
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFS285.mp3
On today’s episode, Brandon Vogt and I discuss my recent conversation with Alex O’Connor (aka @CosmicSkeptic), one of the most popular atheists in the world. We replay and unpack some of the most important clips from the dialogue. (Watch the full dialogue here.)
A listener who was raised Christian, but became atheist for many years, asks advice on re-engaging with Christianity.
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF284-Audition.mp3
Today we share the second half of Bishop Barron’s 2020 address at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, titled “Called Into the Depths.” He discussed three sailors from the Bible: the patriarch Noah, the prophet Jonah, and our Savior Jesus Christ.
The sea can be thought of as something frightening and terrifying, standing athwart the purposes of God with its unforgiving power and discouraging darkness. However, when we allow ourselves to be swallowed up by the Lord’s will, we will find a peace that is sure and unshakable, even in the midst of the worst storms.
Links * Support the Word on Fire Bible project, and get a sneak peek at Volume II!
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFS283.mp3
A new Gallup survey found that the proportion of Americans who consider themselves members of a church, synagogue, or mosque has dropped below 50% for the first time in American history. In 1999, around 70% of Americans attended a church, synagogue, or mosque–today it’s just 47%. Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss these results, what they mean, and why it matters whether someone belongs to a church. They also respond to commenters on Reddit who reveal why they stopped going to church and will never go back.
A listener asks, why doesn’t the spiritual life get easier?
Links * Support the Word on Fire Bible project
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF282-Audition.mp3
Today we share the first half of Bishop Barron’s 2020 address at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, titled “Called Into the Depths.” He discussed three sailors from the Bible: the patriarch Noah, the prophet Jonah, and our Savior Jesus Christ.
The sea can be thought of as something frightening and terrifying, standing athwart the purposes of God with its unforgiving power and discouraging darkness. However, when we allow ourselves to be swallowed up by the Lord’s will, we will find a peace that is sure and unshakable, even in the midst of the worst storms.
Links * Support the Word on Fire Bible project, and get a sneak peek at Volume II!
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFs281_V2.mp3
The Word on Fire Bible series is one of the most ambitious and significant projects we’ve ever taken on. Listen as Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss where the idea came from and the future of the project. They also give you a sneak peek at Volume II of the series, which will cover Acts, Letters, and Revelation.
Support the Word on Fire Bible project and claim your copy of Volume II!
A listener asks, why doesn’t the spiritual life get easier?
Links * The Pope Benedict XVI Reader * Support the Word on Fire Bible project
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF280-FINAL.mp3
Today we share Bishop Barron’s talk at the 2021 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress titled “Catholics, Media Mobs, and the Culture of Contempt.” The talk focuses on how to address the swell of negative and nasty behavior we’re seeing online, not just in general but especially among Catholics.
Links * The Pope Benedict XVI Reader from Word on Fire * Support the Word on Fire Bible project, and get a sneak peek at Volume II!
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFS279.mp3
From politics to COVID, this past year has been filled with disagreement. That led Christian apologist Natasha Crain to write an article titled “Disagreement Fatigue and 2020: How the Events of the Year Will Shape Christian Interactions in 2021 and Beyond.”
Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss the article, focusing on three of Crain’s predictions for 2021: more Christians will be hesitant to speak publicly about their faith, Christians will increasingly see apologetics as a contributor to (unhealthy) disagreement, and belief in a generic God will continue to be acceptable in culture, but belief in Jesus as God will become increasingly gauche.
A listener asks, what form was Jesus in before the incarnation?
Links * The Rosary w/ Bishop Barron * Word on Fire Vatican II Collection
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF278-FINAL.mp3
Today we share Bishop Barron’s talk from the FOCUS SEEK 2021 conference. The talk is titled “The Identity of Jesus” and explores how Christ had the authority to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and bring about the will of God through the Church.
Links * Support the Word on Fire Bible series! * FOCUS
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFS277.mp3
What is the “dark night of the soul”? How does it differ from general depression, sadness, or confusion? Bishop Barron and Brandon explore this spiritual concept from St. John of the Cross, and discuss a famous saint from recent times who experienced this “dark night” in a profound way.
A listener asks, does God have a sense of humor? If so, is it objective so that everyone should find it funny?
Links * The Rosary w/ Bishop Barron * Word on Fire Vatican II Collection
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOF276-Audition.mp3
Today we share the second half of Bishop Baron’s talk titled “Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God.” (Click here to listen to the first half.) He gave the talk at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as part of their Kenrick Lecture series.
Many—especially the young—in today’s time have absented themselves from the practice of faith. Our culture and time is anomalous in the extreme, in that it’s the first ever to widely entertain God’s nonexistence. Christians, at least in the West, are facing a practically unprecedented crisis of disaffiliation. But there are paths out of the cave, and that’s what Bishop Barron reveals.
Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: https://wordonfire.org/vatican2
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!
Word on Fire
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/wordonfire/WOFS275.mp3
Parts of the Old Testament depict God commanding the Israelites to massacre entire populations—every man, woman, child, and animal. How should Christians make sense of these passages? They seem to present God as angry, vindictive, and genocidal, contradicting the New Testament presentation of God as loving and merciful. That’s what Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss in today’s episode.
A listener asks, what are your thoughts on Carl Jung? What do you agree with and disagree with?
LINKS * Word on Fire Vatican II Collection * The Rosary with Bishop Robert Barron
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!