The Word On Fire Show - Catholic Faith And Culture

Friends, today I take several questions from kids all over the world, including: 1:40 - Why did Jesus appear so long ago? 4:26 - Why did God the Father send Jesus to be born if God could be born himself? 7:28 - How can you be happy in heaven if someone you love isn’t there? 12:10 - What would happen if Jesus didn’t get crucified? 14:38 - Can God die? 18:35 - How will God end the world? 21:08 - How did the devil get kicked out of heaven? By my research, once you’re in heaven, I thought you can’t get kicked out? 26:10 - Does God like when we discover something?

Friends, today we share a sample lesson from a new Word on Fire Institute course titled “Living the Liturgical Year in the Home,” taught by Haley Stewart. In her course, Haley Stewart unpacks the treasures of the Liturgical Year and explores how liturgical living can strengthen the Domestic Church or the life of faith in the family. Want more? Throughout the month of Lent, enjoy a FREE trial of the Word on Fire Institute at https://wordonfire.institute/lent

Friends, cynicism is on the rise. Our culture is increasingly pessimistic, characterized by a general distrust of others people's motives. So, how do we escape this decline? That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss in today's episode of “The Word on Fire Show.” A listener asks, how can adult children evangelize their parents who have left the faith? 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 Upworthy - “We are being lured by the siren song of cynicism. We have to choose a different route”

Friends, today we share a sample lesson from a new Word on Fire Institute course titled “The Art of Happiness,” taught by Dr. Arthur Brooks. Blending social science and Catholicism, this course combines cutting-edge research and top-notch scholarship with the lives of great saints and our incredible inheritance of Church teaching. There are even surprising places to discover where secular science reinforces sacred wisdom. Plus, you’ll receive clear take-aways and action items that you can put into practice right now—to build more happiness for yourself, and to help you share more joy and peace with your family, your friends, and everyone else God puts before you! Want more? Throughout the month of Lent, enjoy a FREE trial of the Word on Fire Institute at https://wordonfire.institute/lent 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

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

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!

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. 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 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? 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 mi

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

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! 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!

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” 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 t

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! 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 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 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!

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 was really about? Fr. Blake Britton discovered the truth and beauty of the council while he was in seminary and he has witnessed firsthand the power of its teachings in the life of his own parish. In  his new book, Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church, Britton presses beyond the political narrative foisted upon the post-conciliar Church and contends that Vatican II was neither conservative nor liberal, but something much more beautiful and challenging. Today, Word on Fire Institute Fellow Robert Mixa sits down with Fr. Britton to discuss how Catholics can reclaim the teaching of Vatican II and embrace it as

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 realistic possibility of reuniting the Christian churches, and if not, what are the major stumbling blocks? What is the role of saints? Why aren't they considered to be idols? What is the Catholic view of the apocrypha (deuterocanonical books)? What about apparent contradictions in the Bible? Does this undermine the Bible’s inerrancy? 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!

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 intellectual questions with watered-down catechesis. Instead, we must remember the central teachings of Christianity. We must present the fullness of truth, the reality of the Incarnation, and the good news of grace. 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 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. Irenaeus The God of Faith and Reason: Foundations of Christian Theology by Robert Sokolowski 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, at the recent FOCUS SEEK, 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 comes to discernment? How should one discern between dating versus pursuing a religious vocation? What should women in particular look for when discerning a religious order? How should one sift through fears and anxieties during discernment? What is something that Bishop Barron learned as a priest, that he wish he had known as a seminarian? 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!

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 have the option to include spirituality in their treatment.  A listener asks, where does one go to get the Catholic Church’s official interpretation of Scripture? 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!