The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

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 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, 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!

Friends, today we share Fr. Stephen Gadberry's keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida. As Fr. Gadberry explains, every baptized Christian shares in Jesus' offices of priest, prophet, and king. In this talk, Fr. Gadberry focuses on the priestly role and discusses the responsibility of every Christian to pray and work in union with Christ for the sanctification of the world. 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, there are thousands of religions out there. So, why think Christianity is the right one? And why Catholic Christianity in particular? On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss these challenges which have been raised during Bishop Barron's Reddit #AMAs. A listener asks, do you have any advice for a Muslim considering conversion to Catholicism? Links The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: Decrees and Declarations

Friends, when universities turn to the secular narrative of the ego drama, which views education as directed to self-advancement alone, they suffer a loss of identity. In her talk at the recent Good News Conference, Jessica Hooten Wilson offers a different vision of education that is based on an apprenticeship to tradition and is oriented toward a contemplative life for both educators and students. Moving toward this vision creates a university system that orders its teachers and students to a good beyond themselves. Links Good News Conference The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa

Friends, do we have a right to choose how and when we die? Should we be worried about the rapid rise of euthanasia, including in the United States? Euthanasia has been in the news lately thanks to reports out of Canada, where last year, over 10,000 Canadians ended their lives via euthanasia. Those numbers are sure to go up, as Canada has loosened restrictions so that people can now choose euthanasia not only to avoid pain and suffering in the face of terminal disease, but simply for "mental health reasons." On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss these alarming trends and how to make the case that life is worth living. A listener asks, why does it matter where we go to worship the Lord as long as we're doing so? Links The Power of the Cross: Good Friday Sermons from the Papal Preacher by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa 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 Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. In the Mass, God is glorified and humans are sanctified. In his keynote address at the recent Good News Conference, Abbot Jeremy Driscoll walks us through the beauty and richness of the Mass, in which we worship the Lord and then are sent out to proclaim the Good News of Jesus' victory over sin and death. Abbot Jeremy is a Benedictine monk and was elected the 12th abbot of Mount Angel Abbey, elected by the community in March of 2016. He has taught theology at Mount Angel Seminary and at Sant' Anselmo in Rome. He continues to serve on various Vatican commissions, conducts conferences and retreats throughout the world, and continues to write and publish. 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, we just marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, the Second Vatican Council. Six decades later, can we say the Council was a success? A failure? Something in between? On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt discuss a provocative pair of op-eds published in the New York Times by Ross Douthat, who argues that the Council was both necessary and a failure, and yet cannot be undone. A listener asks, if God is without form, then at the Transfiguration, what was Jesus transformed into? Links "How Catholics Became Prisoners of Vatican II" – Ross Douthat "How Vatican II Failed Catholics—and Catholicism" – Ross Douthat The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection The Paschal Mystery: Reflections for Lent and Easter (Word on Fire Lent booklet) 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, how do we educate the whole person? Religious sister and mental health counselor Sr. Josephine Garrett talks about this question in her keynote speech at the recent Good News Conference. In her talk, Sr. Josephine shares how in order for the whole person to be educated, the object of the education must be properly ordered to the love of God. Links Good News Conference

Friends, did you know that the birth rate in America is the lowest it's ever been? Why have families stopped having so many kids, and what can we do about it? On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss a recent First Things article by Kevin DeYoung titled "The Case for Kids". A listener asks, how do you reconcile the fact that we have to honor our parents but also Jesus asking us to leave our parents to follow him? Links "The Case for Kids" by Kevin DeYoung (First Things) 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, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, has passed away at the age of 95 years old. In this special "Word on Fire Show" discussion, Brandon Vogt and I reflect on his life, impact, and key ideas and contributions. We specifically touch on five key areas: 1) True reform vs. false reform in the Church 2) Liturgical renewal 3) Importance of the Bible for theology 4) Synthesis of faith and reason 5) Christocentrism Links Bishop Barron's resources on Pope Benedict XVI The Pope Benedict XVI Reader (Word on Fire) 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, when society dismisses the natural law tradition, is it any wonder we see voluntarism take its place? I recently spoke with Ben Shapiro on his Daily Wire show about natural law, family, happiness and much more. Links Bishop Barron on Ben Shapiro's "Sunday Special" 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 in the Church, including the Holy Father, have been talking about "synodality." But what is it? What does it mean? How can it help the Church, and what are possible dangers? That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show." A listener asks, what is appropriate to bring with you into Eucharistic Adoration? Links Good News Conference

Friends, today we share Fr. Mike Schmitz's keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida. As Fr. Mike explains, joy is a choice, just like love. We can either chase the feeling or choose the reality. Joy comes from the fact that you know that God is here and that you are known and loved by him. The Christian life is a pursuit of the One who loved us first, the One in whom we find our true joy. Links Good News Conference

Friends, why is art important? An uptick in vandalism against famous pieces of art, calling to mind outbreaks of iconoclasm throughout history, has raised questions about art's value and purpose. On today's "Word on Fire Show," I discuss with Brandon Vogt why art matters. A listener asks, is God's true nature love or truth? What's the interplay between those two? Links The Great Story of Israel: Election, Freedom, Holiness 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, today we share Bishop Barron's 2022 Commencement Address at Benedictine College, which he offered on May 14, 2022. Well aware that he was on Benedictine ground, a place filled with the mind and spirit of St. Benedict, Bishop Barron shared some simple rules of life that flow from the heart of that great saint.

Friends, in many parts of the world the Catholic Church is shrinking. Parishes are closing or merging, pastors are devising strategies of consolidation. But for the Church to flourish, we can't just manage decline. We need strategies for growth. That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's "The Word on Fire Show." A listener asks, why should Catholics be pro-life? Links Newman on Doctrinal Corruption by Matthew Levering 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!

A new Word on Fire book titled With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life features essays by Catholic women who offer a call to pursue what is too often excluded from our picture of femininity: the intellectual life. Full of practical advice and personal testimonies, and featuring a foreword by celebrated scholar Tracey Rowland, this collection opens readers to the endlessly unique ways for a woman to follow the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all her soul, with all her heart, and with all her mind. Today we share an interview with the editor of the book, Rachel Bulman, conducted by Haley Stewart, Editing Manager of Word on Fire Spark. Links With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life edited by Rachel Bulman 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 is the role of religion in civic life? Must we bracket religion from the political sphere? Those are pressing questions as we near the midterm elections. On today's "Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss the relationship between politics and religion and the proper place of tolerance. A listener asks, do you have any recommendations for explaining the Eucharist to high schoolers? Links Light of the Saints by Cory Heimann and Tricia Dugat 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 recent discussion between Bishop Barron and the theologian Larry Chapp about Vatican II. The conversation ranges over several topics, including: Why evangelize? Deification through the Cross The 20th-century Biblical Renewal and the Liturgical Renewal Evangelization and the Use of Beauty Revival of Catholic Art If you missed the "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion with Larry Chapp, you can listen to that in episode #299 of this podcast. Links Larry Chapp's YouTube channel Word on Fire Vatican II Collection 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, Tertullian famously asked in the third century, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" What does philosophy have to do with theology, or reason with faith? However, on today's "Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss a provocative new article that wonders what Athens and Jerusalem have to do with Silicon Valley. How should we understand the intersection of reason, faith, and technology? A listener asks, how do you feel about neuroscience, and how does it fit in with your understanding of the soul? Links "The Three-City Problem of Modern Life" by Luke Burgis Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycle A) by Peter Kreeft

Friends, today we share Lesson 1 from our new Word on Fire Institute course titled "Evangelizing Protestants." The course is taught by Andrew Petiprin, the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen Fellow of Popular Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, also a former Episcopal priest who converted to Catholicism. Andrew takes you inside several important texts that express how the Church thinks about Protestants and explain how they belong with us in the Catholic Church. You'll look at works by St. John Henry Newman, Pope Pius IX, the Second Vatican Council, and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. In this first lesson of the course, Andrew shares a little about his personal journey and encourages Catholics to support any Protestant friends or family members who may be discerning coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. He also draws on the particular experience of St. John Henry Newman. Andrew sees Newman as a role model for all our Protestant brothers and sisters who are considering making this step. To watch the other lessons in this course, sign up for the Word on Fire Institute today! Links Word on Fire Institute

Friends, what is a Holy Hour? How do you do it, and why should you start? On today's episode of the "Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines you can adopt. A listener asks, if the Eucharist is so important, why isn't it mentioned in the Nicene Creed? Links The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo The Word Became Flesh: Reflection for Advent and Christmas edited by Matthew Becklo 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 conversation I had with leaders at Biola University on proclaiming and encountering Christ. It was wonderful to sit down with our Protestant brothers and sisters to discuss the importance of evangelization in today's culture. In this discussion, we explore how to evangelize through the new media, reach the disaffiliated, prepare to become an evangelist, and much more. Links Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux (WOF Classics)

Friends, on today's episode of the "Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss some comments recently made by Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, about space and religion. What does Catholicism have to say about the universe and the possibility of alien life? Should we be curious about the cosmos? And what opportunities might space exploration introduce to Catholic evangelists? A listener asks, given recent research on anti-aging, is aging a disease? Links WonderConference.com With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life edited by Rachel Bulman The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo 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 talk I recently gave to the service men and women at the United State Air Force Academy. After previously speaking at the Naval Academy about three sailors from the Bible, then at West Point about three soldiers from the Old Testament, I wondered, what should I speak of to the Air Force Academy? What came to me was the angels, those famous fliers in the pages of the Bible. I told the Air Force men and women that they are flyers, too, and so they should consider the angelic realm, the realm of pure spirits, those who fly into the very presence of God, becoming radiant by contact with him. I encouraged them to join the angels in flight, trust their life to a higher power, and become a person of right praise. Links The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life edited by Rachel Bulman 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, on today's episode of the "Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I recap two recent discussions I shared with Lex Fridman and Shia LaBeouf. With over two million views combined, these discussions struck a chord with people and I think they reveal several lessons for Catholics interested in drawing others closer to God. A listener asks, how do you get so many things done? Links Lex Fridman discussion Shia LeBeouf discussion The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life edited by Rachel Bulman Wonder Conference

Friends, today we share my recent "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion with Shia LeBeouf. Shia is an actor famous for his roles in Transformers, Honey Boy, and Peanut Butter Falcon, among other films. His most recent role is as the young Padre Pio in a new biopic on the great saint, a role which changed his life as he explains in this discussion. His story of conversion is profound and I think you will find it deeply moving. Links New book – The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo Wonder Conference – WonderConference.com 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 on the "Word on Fire Show," we conclude our series of discussions called "Understanding the Present Moment." Brandon Vogt and I have examined four massively influential figures who together help explain our present moment, how we arrived at where we are today. The ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture stem from these four thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand these figures and their key ideas, we will recognize them everywhere and be prepared to engage today's challenges. In today's fourth and final discussion, we focus on Michel Foucault, perhaps the least known of the four but maybe the one with the greatest direct impact on the way many in our culture think today. A listener asks, how do we understand God as bring if he's both Father and Son? Links Two new Thomas Aquinas books! – Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master by Bishop Barron and Thomas Aquinas: Selected Commentaries on the New Testament edited by Jason Paone Bishop Barron discussion with Lex Fridman (Youtube) The Holy Hour: Meditations for Eucharistic Adoration edited by Matthew Becklo 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 this new "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, Bishop Barron sits down with bestselling author Luke Burgis to discuss his new book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life. Why do we want what we want? And how do our desires shape us as people? How are desires related to freedom? In their conversation, Bishop Barron and Burgis discuss these topics and more, such as: René Girard Mimetic desire Social media The scapegoat mechanism Links Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis 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 on the "Word on Fire Show," we continue our series of discussions called "Understanding the Present Moment." Brandon Vogt and I are examining four massively influential figures who together help explain our present moment, how we arrived at where we are today. The ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture stem from these four thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand these figures and their key ideas, we will recognize them everywhere and be prepared to engage today's challenges. In today's third discussion, we focus on Jean-Paul Sartre. A listener asks, how does someone be selfless and yet love himself? Links The Installation of Bishop Robert Barron Wonder Conference – WonderConference.com 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 the homily I gave for my installation Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester, Minnesota. Celebrating the Feast of Sts. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, I correlated those three disciples to what Pope Benedict XVI identified as the three tasks of the Church: worship, service of the poor, and evangelization.

Friends, today on the "Word on Fire Show," we continue our series of discussions called "Understanding the Present Moment." Brandon Vogt and I are examining four massively influential figures who together help explain our present moment, how we arrived at where we are today. The ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture stem from these four thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand these figures and their key ideas, we will recognize them everywhere and be prepared to engage today's challenges. In today's second discussion, we focus on Friedrich Nietzsche. A listener asks, what's the difference between the theological virtues of faith and hope? Links Wonder Conference – WonderConference.com 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!

Today we share the second half (listen to the first half here) of Bishop Barron's presentation titled "Breaking Through the Buffered Self," which he offered for the prestigious 2022 Albert Cardinal Meyer Lecture series hosted at Mundelein Seminary back in March 2022. In the talk, Bishop Barron looks at the intellectual matrix that has made the army of the disaffiliated possible, namely, what Charles Taylor calls the culture of the "buffered self," the ego cut off from any living contact with the transcendent. Then, using the three great transcendentals—the good, the true, and the beautiful—as his framework, he proposes ways to break through the buffered self and to open the restless heart to a consideration of God and the things of 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!

Friends, as you may have heard, Pope Francis recently appointed me the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota). I will be formally installed on July 29. On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss how I found out, how the process works, how it will affect Word on Fire, and what I'm looking forward to most in my new diocese. A listener asks, what is it like to act in persona Christi from a physical and emotional perspective?

Today we share Bishop Barron's presentation entitled "Breaking Through the Buffered Self," which he offered for the prestigious 2022 Albert Cardinal Meyer Lecture series hosted at Mundelein Seminary back in March 2022. In the talk, Bishop Barron looks at the intellectual matrix that has made the army of the disaffiliated possible, namely, what Charles Taylor calls the culture of the "buffered self," the ego cut off from any living contact with the transcendent. Then, using the three great transcendentals—the good, the true, and the beautiful—as his framework, he proposes ways to break through the buffered self and to open the restless heart to a consideration of God and the things of God. (This is Part I of his lecture series. We will share Part II on a future episode.)

Friends, today on the "Word on Fire Show," we kick off a new series of discussions called "Understanding the Present Moment." Brandon Vogt and I will look at four massively influential figures who together help explain our present moment, how we arrived at where we are today. The ideologies undergirding much of the unrest in our culture stem from these four thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand these figures and their key ideas, we will recognize them everywhere and be prepared to engage today's challenges. In today's first discussion, we focus on Karl Marx. A listener asks, what advice would you give to a man discerning the permanent diaconate? Links Redeeming the Time: Gospel Perspectives on the Challenges of the Hour 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!

In this new "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, Bishop Barron sits down with bestselling author Tara Isabella Burton to discuss her new book, Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World. 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. In their conversation, Bishop Barron and Tara discuss topics such as: Are people actually moving away from religion? The unaffiliated The retreat into self Christian truth claims Why people leave organized religion And numerous other topics Links Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton Redeeming the Time: Gospel Perspectives on the Challenges of the Hour by Bishop 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, our culture is obsessed with self-determination: finding our own voice, setting our own agenda, doing things according to our own lights. But is this problematic? And what does the Bible have to say about self-determination? On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss how, in the Christian tradition, heroes are never those who "find themselves," but rather those who heed the voice of God and remain obedient to the mission that God has given them. A listener asks, how do you possibly balance a passion for baseball with your faith life? Links "Why Doing What Is Right in Your Own Sight Is Such a Bad Idea" by Bishop Barron The New Apologetics: Defending the Faith in a Post-Christian Era edited by Matt Nelson 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 this new "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, Bishop Barron sits down with evolutionary biologists Dr. Heather Heying and Dr. Bret Weinstein, the best-selling authors of A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life. They discuss several topics, such as: Evolution, science, and religion The importance of public discourse G.K. Chesterton's fence The problems of pornography Links The New Apologetics: Defending the Faith in a Post-Christian Era

Friends, what can St. Benedict, a sixth century monk, teach us about evangelization today? That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss in today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show." We explore several Benedictine principles including humility, justice, the cultivation of beauty, the intellectual life, community, and becoming masters of the spiritual life. Also, a listener asks whether I truly do my own dishes. Links "Bishop Barron Presents: Tara Isabella Burton" "The Making of a Catholic Priest" – YouTube film with Fr. Stephen Gadberry 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!