The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture - Bishop Robert Barron

Latest Episodes:

WOF 425: Understanding the Mental Health Crisis Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

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?

Links

Bishop Barron's statement on surrogacy
Christ Brings All Newness: Essays, Reviews, and Reflections by Fr. Robert Imbelli

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WOF 424: Freedom and the Disciplining of Desire Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

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!

WOF 423: Simply Catholicism is the Answer Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

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?

Links

"How Liberalism Fails the Church" by Cardinal Francis George (Commonweal)
Register for the 2024 Wonder Conference (August 2-4, 2024 – Rochester, MN)

WOF 422: Being Formed by Ratzinger, De Lubac, and Balthasar w/ Fr. Joseph Fessio Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

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!

WOF 421: 7 Ways to be Spiritually Great Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

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?

Links

Ethics for Beginners by Peter Kreeft

WOF 420: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition Jan 15, 2024

Show notes

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

WOF 419: How to Become a Person of Love Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

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!

WOF 418: In the Beginning Was the Word Dec 25, 2023

Show notes

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!

WOF 417: The Baby King Who Takes on Caesar Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

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?

Links

Word on Fire Institute – Join Today!

WOF 416: The Philosophical Roots of Wokeism Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

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.

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