The Word On Fire Show - Catholic Faith And Culture

What is the nature and purpose of prayer? The question may sound simple, but it unearths some complex philosophical and theological issues. If God is omniscient, what is the point of speaking with him, either out loud or in our thoughts if he already knows what we have to say? If God is all good and all powerful, why does it sometimes appear that our prayers go unanswered? More practically, what are we to make of the great diversity of prayers—liturgical prayer, petitionary prayer, worship prayer, the Rosary? Are some forms of prayer more efficacious than others? Here are some tips on how we can understand and grow in our prayer life.  A listener asks why Catholics pray for the dead and if we should pray for the souls of non-Catholics too. 00:00 | Intro 01:34 | Bishop Barron’s holiday season recap 02:45 | What prompted the publication of An Introduction to Prayer? 03:37 | What does it mean to pray? 05:31 | If God knows everything, why do we pray? 07:38 | If God is unchanging, how does prayer change things? 15

We bring you the sixth lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/ NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.  

A cultural shift seems to be underway, at least within the United States, that is potentially making society more open—perhaps even more positively disposed—to the wisdom of the Catholic social thought tradition. If there is an opportunity for Catholic teachings to have more cultural and political traction now, how should the Church take advantage of it? What counsel can the Church give on complex policy issues like education, immigration, the economy, and foreign policy? Today we discuss the Catholic understanding of the common good and how it is especially relevant in this moment. A listener asks, what is the kingdom of God? 00:00 | Intro 01:41 | Bishop Barron visits a mentor 02:52 | Religion: public or private? 06:56 | Assessing recent shifts in culture 08:09 | Common good vs. utilitarianism 10:49 | Dignity vs. autonomy 14:35 | Common good vs. social justice 18:37 | Common good vs. generic conservatism 21:25 | Nonnegotiable moral principles vs. variable prudential judgments 24:27 | Common good and e

Today we share the fifth lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/ NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

One of the defining features of the Christian moral and spiritual life is the supernatural virtue of hope. What is hope? What makes hope more than a mere superstition? How does hope help us live both individually and in community? Can hope have negative consequences, like motivating people to remain passive in the face of injustice? And what, if any, evangelical significance does hope have? Bishop Barron gives us five reasons why we should be hopeful in the new year. A listener asks how he can find the strength to pray again. 00:00 | Intro 01:14 | Bishop Barron’s 2024 highlights 02:47 | The Christian concept of hope 04:15 | Hope’s relationship to reason 05:12 | Hope’s practical value in life 06:24 | Distinguishing hope from faith 08:27 | Distinguishing hope from optimism 10:21 | Responding to critiques of hope 15:37 | Reason 1: Bible sales increase while “nones” appear to have peaked 19:53 | Reason 2: Woke ideology is losing its grip on the culture 23:27 | Reason 3: Protestants and Catholics have increased co

We bring you the fourth lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? Article: “Just a Little Stone in God’s Mosaic” More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/ NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Despite the enduring, progressive narrative that society favors and privileges men, the sociological data reveals men have and continue to experience devastating declines in education, earning power, economic mobility, relationship stability, and physical and mental health. Often vilified by secular culture as “toxic” merely for existing, men are often far sicker, poorer, more addicted, more depressed, more incarcerated, and more likely to commit suicide than women. However, more men than women now regularly go to church; numerous religious movements have been founded with the aim of helping men to overcome their spiritual, mental, and even physical weaknesses; and a new class of Christian men have been emerging on the political and cultural scene unapologetically calling for a return to traditional biblical values. How should we interpret this apparent masculinization of the faith and its effect on revitalizing the role of men in society? What insights does the Church offer, and what can we all learn fr

Today we bring you the third lesson of Bishop Barron's lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? Article: “Just a Little Stone in God’s Mosaic” More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/   NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

After spending nearly a month in Rome, Bishop Barron has just returned from the concluding session of the Synod on Synodality. However, numerous basic questions remain among the faithful: What challenges were discussed during this synod and what solutions, if any, did the attendees reach? What impact, if any, does either the structure or content of the synod have on the Church’s ability to evangelize effectively both in the US and abroad? A listener asks how parishes should adapt to today’s needs. 00:00 | Intro 01:27 | A visit to the Czech Republic 03:10 | What is synodality? 06:58 | The Instrumentum Laboris and its role in the synod 07:56 | Who attended the synod? 09:14 | Relating 2023’s synodal gathering to 2024’s 11:09 | Bishop Barron’s daily routine in Rome 16:20 | Communio theology as represented at the synod 19:27 | The teaching status of the recent synodal document 21:01 | Assessing the synod’s benefit to the Church 22:35 | Limitations of synodality as a ruling principle 25:23 | The question of women’s

Today we bring you the second lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? Article: “Just a Little Stone in God’s Mosaic” More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/   NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Through a litany of trials and grace, Tammy Peterson found her way to the Catholic Church. We bring you the second half of an hour-long conversation she had recently with Bishop Barron. The two explore transubstantiation, the power of prayer, grace in suffering, and more. 00:00 | Intro 00:28 | Prayer as sustenance and as intercession across space and time 06:00 | What is transubstantiation? 11:50 | Praying Scripture 13:30 | Prayerful examination of a day 18:33 | Examining Dante’s Divine Comedy 20:08 | Dark nights of the soul 23:31 | Grace in suffering 31:27 | Remembering the body 32:58 | Singing and prayer 34:16 | Join the Word on Fire Institute 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 dono

Today we bring you the first lesson of Bishop Barron's lecture series on one of the most important, intriguing, strange, and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy! Links: Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar? Article: “Just a Little Stone in God’s Mosaic” More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/ Full lecture series at 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.

Through a litany of trials and grace, Tammy Peterson found her way to the Catholic Church. Today we bring you the first half of an hour-long conversation she had recently with Bishop Barron. The two explore the call of God, the power of the Rosary, the wisdom of Thomas Merton, and more. 00:00 | Intro 01:24 | Relating to God as a called child 06:25 | Attracting people into community 10:16 | Understanding true love 13:20 | Begin with prayer 14:19 | Prayer: sacred, centering, habitual, and “useless” 20:43 | The beauty of monastic life and practice 22:34 | The wisdom of Thomas Merton 24:18 | Distinguishing a natural spirituality from a properly supernatural one 28:05 | Learning to pray the Rosary 38:18 | Join the Word on Fire Institute 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

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

Parts of the global Church have a very different kind of challenge on their hands than we do in the West: how to handle explosive growth. In many parts of Africa, the Church is running out of room in their seminaries, convents, and monasteries because of rising vocations, and the laity are collectively practicing their faith in ways that put the Church in the West to shame. In Nigeria, upwards of 94 percent of Catholics go to Mass every week, while the U.S. can’t even reach 30 percent in weekly Mass attendance among Catholics. What explains this wide discrepancy? What are we in the West getting so wrong about evangelization, and what is the Church in Africa getting so right? A listener asks how she and her family can practice Sabbath rest.   00:00 | Intro 01:50 | DOWR Chancery dedication 03:00 | The African church as a robust exemplar 05:35 | Does Africa’s numerical strength translate to ecclesial strength? 07:12 | Lesson 1: Primacy of the supernatural 10:56 | Lesson 2: Hold fast to theological orthod

Today we bring you the first half of Bishop Barron’s May 2024 address at the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress in Bemidji, Minnesota. He discusses Eucharistic Adoration, wisdom from saints and holy people, and the power of “staying close to the fire.” Enjoy! 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 o f our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.  

How should we respond when the culture becomes inhospitable if not actively hostile to Christian values? Sadly, biblical and natural law points of view are unwelcome now in many of the institutions that constitute the core of our society, including corporations, public schools, higher education, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the legacy media, and even government entities themselves. What can Christians do to resist persecution by these secular powerhouses? How can we understand what it means to resist those who undermine Christians in light of Christ’s command to love our enemies? A listener asks how she can share the faith with her non-religious family members. 00:00 | Intro 01:48 | Matt Walsh’s recent “Am I Racist?” film 02:50 | Distinguishing bigotry from disagreement 03:56 | Distinguishing inhospitality from hostility 06:12 | Anti-Christian sentiment in history 08:43 | Taking opposition at its word 12:47 | How the Olympics opening ceremony provoked response 14:58 | Provocative acts of nonviolence 18:

Today we bring you Bishop Barron’s lecture from the 2023 New Ressourcement Conference. The New Ressourcement is a quarterly journal of theology and philosophy published by Word on Fire Academic. It serves the Church and the academy by publishing scholarly articles that demonstrate the depth and relevance of the Catholic tradition. In the talk, Bishop Barron explains the roots of this theological movement, his own coming-of-age experience in a postconciliar Church, and the particular concerns this movement aims to address. Enjoy!   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.

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 confess

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.