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 Ch…

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…

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…

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, Bish…

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 t…

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 . . .…

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 Hu…

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 o…

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, rel…

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.wor…

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 justi…

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? Beco…

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 d…

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 o…

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 becom…

Bishop Barron had the privilege of speaking to members of Parliament in London, England. He reflects on the presence of the Church in society, her endurance throughout the ages, and why Christianity is consistently a powerful cultural force. Enjoy. NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit min…

Over 83 percent of Americans still believe in miracles, but what, specifically, are miracles? What are the grounds for believing in them, especially for non-eye witnesses? In the Catholic context, who has the authority to deem an event miraculous? Should Catholics incorporate devotions to Church-approved supernatural events like apparitions of the …

We have arrived at the end of our journey with Dante. At the top of Mount Purgatory, Dante ascends the Paradiso and in the highest heaven, he beholds the divine glory of the beatific vision: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Bishop Barron's course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” is timeless and ever-relevant. Watch it in its entirety i…

The atheist political commentator and television host Bill Maher has long been a bitter critic of Christianity. In additional to regular swipes at Christians on his shows, Maher also devoted an entire documentary film, sardonically entitled Religulous, to lampoon what he takes to be Christianity’s moral and theological absurdities. However, Maher h…

Our journey continues through Dante's poetic imagery of the seven deadly sins. As Bishop Barron describes them in order of their severity, we discover that in order to atone for each sin, those in purgatory are punished with the repetitive practice of a countervailing virtue. Bishop Barron's course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” is timeless and e…

Is Christianity a useful religion to the West? Atheist Richard Dawkins recently claimed that, while still an atheist, he considers himself a “cultural Christian” because of Christianity’s utility in supporting Western cultural and political values, which he laments are under attack. Former atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali also recently shared that she becam…

Continuing the journey in the fourth lecture of Bishop Barron’s course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” we see notion that “we’re damned alone, but we’re only saved together” on full display as Dante climbs Mount Purgatory. While hell was a place of violence and self absorption, purgatory is a place of charity, hope, and faith. This timeless and ev…

Terms like “safe spaces,” “trigger warnings,” “harm reduction,” “micro-aggression,” “emotional wellbeing” and “fragility” are dominating the culture as well as the governance of many institutions. But by some measurements, our society is more physically compromised and mentally delicate than ever. Today, we discuss the contemporary embrace of “safe…

We continue with the third lecture of Bishop Barron’s course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination.” We uncover the horrors of hell as Virgil takes Dante on a journey to see the three levels of sin and their corresponding punishments. This ever-relevant course is available in its entirety inside the Word on Fire Institute. NOTE: Do you like this podcast? …

Most in contemporary secular culture have probably never heard of the name “Thomas Aquinas.” However, his thought remains more pertinent than ever—not only to theology and philosophy but also to current conversations on how to build a more stable, just, and prosperous political order. Today, we discuss the evergreen genius of St. Thomas Aquinas and…