The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

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 donor gifts for your generosity.

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 and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

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 orthodoxy 12:08 | How the Church engages cultures 16:13 | Lesson 3: Commitment to evangelize the culture 17:49 | The rhythm between “hunkering down” and “diving in” 19:50 | Lesson 4: Praise in public, criticize in private 23:13 | Lesson 5: Courage in the face of opposition 25:19 | Counter-claims for Africa’s religious success 28:49 | Listener question 31:28 | Join the Word on Fire Institute   Show Notes: Stats for Nigerian Church attendance: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253488/where-is-mass-attendance-highest-one-country-is-the-clear-leader Stats for American Mass attendance: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/12/9-facts-about-us-catholics/ National Catholic Register article: https://www.ncregister.com/news/same-sex-blessings-and-the-catholic-church-in-africa E&C Online article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/pope-francis-isnt-actually-visiting-peripheries-hes-leaving-them-behind/ Crux article: https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/01/running-the-numbers-africa-isnt-the-catholic-future-its-the-present Vatican News article: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html 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.

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 18:08 | Unpacking “turn the other cheek” 22:24 | Recent revival of religious interest 23:38 | Resistance as an act of love 25:07 | What’s to be done with anger? 26:22 | Pacifism and forceful resistance 28:51 | How the martyrs inform the Church 30:09 | Resistance to culture as a form of evangelization 31:11 | Listener question: How do I share my faith with non-religious family and friends? 32:49 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Bishop Barron’s article in Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/olympics-anti-christian-display-reflects-cultural-decline-opinion-1933565   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.

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 confession if we keep committing the same sin over and over again. 00:00 | Intro 01:49 | Seminarians kick off school year 03:00 | Assessing population decreases across the globe 05:36 | Increased attitudes against having children 08:24 | Unpacking “culture of death,” ego-drama, and theo-drama 11:33 | Childbearing as a societal good 12:35 | Population capping through public policy 14:07 | Human population and the environment 17:03 | Utilitarianism as a faulty moral theory for addressing population concerns 18:51 | Foregoing childbirth to spare potential children pain 21:20 | Foregoing childbirth to favor economic security 22:33 | Foregoing childbirth for lack of desire 24:55 | Old age without children 28:00 | The centrality of fruitfulness 29:14 | Pope St. Paul VI’s prophetic ban on artificial contraception 30:57 | How does the Church look forward? 34:05 | Listener question: Does repeating sins disqualify me from Confession? 36:35 | Join the Word on Fire Institute   Links: Data for “Population Bomb”: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/book-incited-worldwide-fear-overpopulation-180967499/ Article on Martha Nussbaum: https://www.opindia.com/2024/05/india-has-too-many-people-they-dont-have-enough-to-eat-philosopher-martha-nussbaum-makes-drastic-claims-population-reduction/ Quote citation: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/apr/16/bill-maher-inflames-abortion-debate-by-saying-its-/ Abortion statistic:  https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-worldwide Pew Research citation: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/the-experiences-of-u-s-adults-who-dont-have-children/ 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.  

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.

The nature and purpose of the human body was once considered obvious. But it has come under attack from secular culture in some strange and even disturbing ways in recent years. Now, unfortunately, it is up for grabs. The Word on Fire Institute sought to address this confusion surrounding the body at our recent Wonder Conference, “Nature and the Human Body.” Drawing on rich theological, philosophical, scientific, medical, moral, political, technological, and artistic resources, the conference sought to reclaim an authentic understanding and deep appreciation for the body—its resilience and fragility, its joys and its sufferings, its transcendence and its temporality, and, above all, its wonder. A listener asks how Catholics should think about near-death experiences and stories.   00:00 | Intro 01:23 | Hosting the Wonder Conference in Bishop Barron’s own diocese 02:25 | Why we needed Wonder 03:50 | Understanding the false dichotomy of faith and science 06:20 | Addressing the question of body/soul unity 12:38 | Inherent dangers in dividing body and soul 15:36 | Can Catholic ministries give platforms to evolutionary biologists? 17:11 | Highlights from Dr. Heather Heying’s Wonder talk 18:45 | Beginning with the logos and intelligibility 20:04 | The human difference 21:04 | Bishop Barron Presents: liturgical artist Jonathan Pageau 23:06 | Materialism as an incoherent philosophy vs. scientific worldview 26:30 | The intelligibility of creation 27:36 | Fr. Robert Spitzer and the transcendent body 33:46 | Hope for reconciling faith and science in the public square 35:16 | Listener question 37:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute   Links: Interview with Selmer Bringsjord: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/selmer-bringsjord-on-life-and-logic/ Interview with Charles Camosy: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/charles-camosy-sounds-the-alarm/ 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.

Recently, Bishop Barron traveled to the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. He gave a homily during a breakout session to all the priests present there, and now we are bringing it to you. 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.

Some recent polling suggests that the number of those who identify with no religion has hit a ceiling, and it may even be declining. At the same time, a number of high-profile cultural influencers—even some formerly hostile to the faith—have either converted to Christianity or announced that they now identify as “cultural Christians.” Moreover, religion and politics, once considered verboten to mix, now seem to find themselves deeply intertwined. How do we assess these cultural and political developments from an evangelical perspective? Is it really the case that society is becoming more receptive to Christianity? Are all these developments positive for the Church, or should we take a more cautious approach to evaluating what all this means for the future?  A listener asks what he can share with non-Catholics to perhaps change their minds. 00:00 | Intro 01:32 | Bishop Barron’s update on the diocesan pastoral center 02:24 | Tracing the decline of Christianity in the West 06:07 | Assessing the decline of “nones” today 09:59 | Men, women, and trends of religious disaffiliation 13:45 | Public conversions and the indispensability of Christianity in culture 18:46 | Christianity, moral principles, and the legal system 23:09 | Is there broader cultural significance for the National Eucharistic Revival? 24:26 | Hopeful signs for Christianity in conversation 27:54 | Is interest in a broad Christianity simply good? 28:59 | What we can learn from the African and Eastern Churches 30:42 | Listener question 33:00 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Pew Research Data: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/24/has-the-rise-of-religious-nones-come-to-an-end-in-the-us/   Data on Women Leaving the Church: https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/young-women-are-leaving-church-in-unprecedented-numbers/   Washington Examiner: “Faith and flag: Trump allies push for deeply conservative second term”   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.

Today, we bring you the latter half of Bishop Barron's conversation with Patrick J. Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. In this engaging discussion, the two address topics relating to freedom, truth, and the political order. Links:   Part I of this discussion: WOF 448 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.

Does being committed to social justice necessarily entail neglecting the liturgy? Conversely, do reverent liturgies entail downplaying or even ignoring the Church’s mission to care for the poor? The answer to both questions is a resounding, no. How should we understand the right relationship between the liturgy of the Church and the virtue of justice, including social justice? And practically speaking, how can we, as a Church, overcome the unnecessary divisions between so-called “liberal Catholics” and “conservative Catholics”?  A listener asks if someone can be Catholic but not believe in the Resurrection.   00:00 | Intro 01:20 | 10th National Eucharistic Congress recap 02:32 | Understanding the role and meaning of the liturgy 05:06 | The power of the spoken word in the liturgy 07:16 | The physicality of the liturgy 09:10 | Distinguishing between authentic and inauthentic liturgies 11:13 | Did Vatican II negatively effect the liturgy? 12:45 | Understanding justice as a cardinal virtue 14:45 | Relating justice and charity 18:24 | Social justice within a Catholic framework 20:34 | The relationship between loving God and loving neighbor 26:00 | Connecting the liturgy and social justice 27:33 | Is social justice possible without the liturgy? 28:51 | How cloistered monks and nuns serve the Church 30:01 | Bridging the divide between separated Catholics 31:40 | Listener question 33:50 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Bishop Barron’s article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/barron/the-higher-you-go-liturgically-the-lower-you-should-go-in-service-of-the-poor/ 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.

Today, we bring you the first part of Bishop Barron's conversation with Patrick J. Deneen, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. In the discussion, they touch on topics relating to freedom, truth, and the political order.   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.

We bring to you the second part of Bishop Barron’s discussion with Dr. Tod Worner on the way a Catholic, and indeed all Christians, should approach the crossroads of Religion and politics. Enjoy! 00:00 | Intro 00:26 | The relationship between morality, religion, and democracy 04:03 | The public nature of Christianity 06:04 | Is vitriol built into democratic politics? 09:34 | Argument over quarrel 14:32 | What is "the herd" doing today and how should Catholics respond? 15:57 | Life without transcendence 19:00 | The role of mediating institutions 22:07 | Catholic social teaching on wealth and power 23:50 | Remembering humanity's fallenness 26:06 | Principles for voting faithfully 27:28 | Is democracy worth retaining? 31:37 | Join the Word on Fire Institute 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.

We recently hosted a Word on Fire Institute member event in London. At the event, Bishop Barron reflected on five animating sensibilities for evangelization. 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

Today, we bring to you the first part of Bishop Barron’s discussion with Dr. Tod Worner on the way a Catholic should navigate the crossroads of religion and politics. Enjoy!   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.