The Word On Fire Show - Catholic Faith And Culture

In this talk from the 2022 Good News Conference, Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla shares the story of her mother, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, patron saint of mothers, physicians, and unborn children. She also discusses her parents’ love through their many letters and their devotion to Our Lord, which solidified their union.  St. Gianna’s holiness had everything to do with her beloved husband, Pietro. They were both dedicated to working for the salvation of their spouse’s soul, and this commitment to love and holiness inspired their children to trust in divine providence. Learn more about the Good News Conference and sign up to attend this year’s conference at https://goodnewsconference.com. 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!

Friends, my favorite current TV show, “Mrs. Davis,” features an adventurous nun, a search for the Holy Grail, and an all-powerful algorithm. It also raises many interesting questions about artificial intelligence, God, free will, and our mystical union with Christ. In today’s “Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss these themes and more. (NOTE: This episode does not contain any major spoilers so it’s safe to listen before watching the series.) A listener asks, is artificial intelligence a threat or an opportunity for evangelization? Links The Mystical Body of Christ by Fulton Sheen w/ introduction by Brandon Vogt and foreword by Bishop Barron

In this talk from the 2022 Good News Conference, Fr. Paul Murray reminds us that the God whom we are seeking is endlessly seeking us. It is through beauty that our hearts can be pierced with the desire to know God more deeply, and it is often by stories and poetry that God communicates his message. Our God is a lover, a poet, and he goes after the least of us. Learn more about the Good News Conference and sign up to attend this year’s conference at https://goodnewsconference.com. 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!

Friends, an interesting article was published at The Gospel Coalition titled “Savior or Stoics? Why Modern Men Look for Spiritual Wisdom Outside the Church”. The author observed how a growing number of young men are filling a moral and spiritual void in their lives by turning to modern self-help books based on ancient Stoic thinkers. Authors such as Jordan Peterson, Ryan Holiday, and Navy SEAL Jocko Willink have won large followings of men by translating the principles of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus into modern advice. Why is Stoicism so appealing to many young men today? And what lessons might Christians learn from this development? That is what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.” A listener asks for recommendations before receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Links “Savior or Stoics? Why Modern Men Look for Spiritual Wisdom Outside the Church” by Shane Morris (The Gospel Coalition) Word on Fire Eucharist resources This is My Body: A C

In this talk from the 2022 Good News Conference, Britt Fisk, shares her wisdom on what it means to hand over complete trust to the Lord, particularly in times of great suffering. Though we may feel like we’re at a loss when we are not in control, this is the moment when the Lord meets us and asks us to hand over control and trust his will for our lives. As Britt affirms through her story of suffering, untold beauty comes from that surrender of control.  Learn more about the Good News Conference and sign up to attend this year’s conference at https://goodnewsconference.com. 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!

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!

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!  

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

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 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!

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!

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!  

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!

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

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!  

Friends, one 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

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!

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

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 t

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!