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

Latest Episodes:

WOF 326: Reading All 150 Psalms Mar 07, 2022

Show notes

Bishop Barron recently had the experience of recording all 150 Psalms for the Catholic app Hallow. Listen as he shares about that experience, discusses his favorite Psalm, and helps us better understand this songbook of the Church.

A listener asks, how do I fall in love with God?

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!

Links

Hallow app - https://hallow.com/wordonfire
Confessions by St. Augustine (Word on Fire Classics)
Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton (Word on Fire Classics)
With All the Saints: My Journey to the Roman Catholic Church by Mark Galli

WOF 324: Understanding Genesis: Joseph Feb 21, 2022

Show notes

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 story?

A listener asks, how do you begin learning philosophy casually without getting bogged down?

Links

With All the Saints: My Journey to the Roman Catholic Church by Mark Galli
"Thomas and the New Atheists" – Bishop Barron talk

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!

WOF 323: Reading Scripture with the Early Church Fathers Feb 14, 2022

Show notes

Friends, today we share a sample lesson from Bishop Barron's new Word on Fire Institute course titled "Reading Scripture with the Early Church Fathers." In this course, Bishop Barron introduces the spiritual dynamics of Biblical exegesis in Origen and St. Augustine of Hippo. The Church Fathers did not separate Scripture and spirituality but saw the form of the spiritual life within the Scripture. As the key of the Scriptures, Christ is the key to the spiritual life. This course delves into the riches of how the Church reads Scripture, greatly inspired by the writings of Origen and St. Augustine.

Get the rest of the lessons by joining the Word on Fire Institute at https://wordonfire.institute.

WOF 322: Strange Rites Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

Friends, today we discuss an interesting new book titled Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton. Burton argues that while younger generations are supposedly the most secular according to surveys, they're actually notably religious—it's just that they have adopted strange new religions. She claims today's Americans are embracing a kaleidoscopic panoply of spiritual traditions, rituals, and subcultures, from astrology and witchcraft to SoulCycle and the alt-right. In search of the deep and the real, they are finding meaning, purpose, ritual, and communities in ever-newer, ever-stranger ways.

A listener asks, if religious faith is based on our response to the revealing God, how do we reconcile this with the plurality of religions?

Links

Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation)

WOF 321: Evangelizing the Open-Minded Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Friends, today we share a sample lesson from a new Word on Fire Institute course titled "Evangelizing the Open-Minded." In this course, Dr. Matthew Nelson explains how to engage people who are confident in their nonbelief but willing to seriously consider reasons for believing in Christianity.

Get the rest of the lessons by joining the Word on Fire Institute at https://wordonfire.institute.

WOF 320: Volume II of the Bible is Here! Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Friends, the long-awaited Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation) is now available! Today, we give you a peek inside. Brandon Vogt and I discuss what's new about this volume and why it's even better than Volume I.

A listener asks, if God is full of love, does God love the devil?

Links

Word on Fire Bible, Volume II (Acts, Letters, and Revelation)

WOF 319: Dante's Catholic Imagination Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

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.

Join the Word on Fire Institute today to get access to the rest of this great course!

WOF 318: What Makes Life Meaningful? Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

What makes life meaningful? What is meaning, and where do we find it? Those are the pressing 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 listener asks whether it's really true that nobody pursues evil for its own sake.

Links

Evangelization and Culture Journal - new issue on "Freedom"
"The 4 Horsemen of Meaning" (YouTube) - Bishop Barron, Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Pageau, and John Vervaeke
Lifeway Research Poll - "Americans' Views of Life's Meaning and Purpose Are Changing"
Pew Research Center Poll - "What Makes Life Meaningful? Views From 17 Advanced Economies"

WOF 317: Faith, Science, and Sin Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

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 before history.

This course introduces us to some of the richest insights of the Catholic intellectual tradition. We confront the problem of evil amidst God's good creation and consider these fundamental questions: What makes being human so special? How might modern science become a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block to understanding what we believe?

Links

Join the Word on Fire Institute!

WOF 316: Understanding Genesis: Jacob Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

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 today.

A listener asks, why is it that we just got this information from God, from the Bible, only 2,000 years ago? What happened to all those people who lived before the Bible?

Links

Word on Fire Institute

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

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