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Bishop Robert Barron

Join Bishop Robert Barron for a weekly podcast on faith and culture. Find more episodes at http://WordOnFireShow.com and submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.com.

The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The evolutionary behavioral scientist and public intellectual Gad Saad recently published an influential book entitled Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind. In it, Saad argues that much of the West has, unfortunately, come to embrace a perversely deficient understanding of empathy, twisting the natural and otherwise noble human capacity to feel and respond to other peoples' sufferings into a moral license to upend the moral, economic, and political order. According to the dictates of suicidal empathy, for example, society should prioritize criminals over victims, illegal immigrants over citizens, lawbreakers over law abiders, racial identity over competence, adult sexual expression over childhood innocence, and trans women––that is, men pretending to be women––over real women. Suicidal empathy's endgame, Saad warns, is nothing less than societal ruin and the eventual totalitarian eclipse of the individual. How, from a Catholic perspective, should we assess these claims? Is Saad's characterization of suicidal empathy and its dangers accurate? If so, how should we, as Christians, constructively respond? What role, in particular, should the biblical conception of love play in defining what it means to show true compassion and care for those in need? Here to discuss Saad's book and to explain how authentic Christian charity is—and is not—related to empathy, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:40 | Bishop Barron interviews JD Vance
 02:45 | How Saad defines "empathy"
 04:45 | Saad's argument on the exaggeration of empathy
 06:31 | Exploring the concept of "forbidden knowledge"
 09:30 | "It will destroy the West"?
 11:05 | Connecting wokeism and self-destructive empathy
 12:33 | Can we square wokeism's moralizing mandates with its amoral claims?
 13:40 | Tracing the movement's origins
 16:27 | Mistaking empathy for love
 22:01 | Recognizing the fallenness of our emotional lives
 27:39 | Does love equate to niceness and kindness?
 28:50 | What about "love thy neighbor"?
 30:42 | Distinguishing a proper preference for the poor from its unhealthy overemphasis
 32:46 | Addressing the Christian impulse beneath the wokeist trappings
 34:42 | Listener question: Where was God before time?
 36:33 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 543: Christian Charity vs. "Suicidal Empathy"

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The Liturgy of the Hours, or the "Divine Office," is often associated exclusively with the spiritual practices of priests, monks, and nuns. To be sure, praying the Hours is an essential part of the lives of those who have formally taken religious vows. However, the prayer of the Church, as the Liturgy of the Hours is also called, is precisely that: a way of sanctifying the day for the whole Church, both laity and clergy alike. With so many forms of prayer already available, however, why should lay Catholics also consider praying the Hours? What, substantively, is distinctive about it? What are its origins? Moreover, given the size and complexity of the Hours—the full liturgy occupies four thick volumes of text with multiple ribbons to mark different sections—how, practically, can we get started? Here to explain the enduring theological and spiritual richness of the Liturgy of the Hours and how it deepens and enriches all Catholics' lives, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:11 | Bishop Barron's diocesan travels
 02:35 | Why the Liturgy of the Hours matters to Word on Fire
 03:57 | Leading with beauty
 04:57 | Prayer and the importance of embodiment
 08:06 | The origins and practice of praying the Divine Office
 12:13 | How the Liturgy of the Hours shapes priests
 13:26 | Understanding the Liturgy of the Hours as the Divine Office
 14:22 | Relating the Liturgy of the Hours to the liturgy of the Mass
 15:11 | What makes a prayer liturgical?
 15:52 | Why the Psalms feature so prominently in the Divine Office
 20:06 | How the laity benefits from praying the Divine Office
 21:46 | "Pray without ceasing"
 23:17 | Getting started with the Liturgy of the Hours
 27:32 | Persevering through fatigue in prayer
 30:51 | The Divine Office and evangelization
 31:44 | Listener question: What effect does our prayer have on others?
 34:18 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 542: Why All Catholics Should Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. We're delighted to announce that a new feature film by Bishop Robert Barron will be hitting theaters—yes, theaters—soon. The full-length documentary, entitled Heaven in Stone and Glass, draws on the collective shock and sadness the world experienced watching Paris's Cathedral of Notre-Dame burn in 2019 to explore the enduring philosophical, theological, aesthetic, moral, and evangelical significance of the great Gothic cathedrals of France. Recognizing the potential destruction of Notre-Dame—happily, it has since been restored—as much more than the loss of a historic building, Bishop Barron personally walks us through Gothicism's soaring architecture and richly detailed symbolism to explain everything from the unity and diversity of creation, the nature of the human person, the objectivity of beauty, the meaning of the incarnation, the living communion of saints, and the hope of the beatific vision, and how all of this matters more than ever for a rapidly secularizing West at risk of losing its Christian civilizational identity. Here to share the story behind the making of the film, and what he hopes audiences will take away from it, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:24 | Bishop Barron ordains new priests
 02:57 | The role of film in the early days of Word on Fire
 06:04 | Connecting Heaven in Stone and Glass to Word on Fire's other films
 07:26 | Why a new film on cathedrals?
 09:00 | Personal origins of the new film
 11:23 | Unpacking the film's title
 15:18 | Explaining the full meaning of a church and cathedral
 19:20 | Theological reflections within a cathedral
 24:11 | Medieval times and the so-called Dark Ages
 25:51 | The objective reality of beauty
 28:44 | The role of the profane in the Gothic cathedrals
 32:33 | Overcoming blindness through appreciation and emulation
 33:36 | Evangelical opportunities for Heaven in Stone and Glass
 34:56 | Listener question: How can the laity advance beauty today?
 36:53 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 541: "Heaven in Stone and Glass"—A New Feature Film by Bishop Barron

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. From Bishop Barron's very first social media post close to 20 years ago, he and Word on Fire as a whole have recognized that the online world is a rough-and-tumble place. While most, over the years, have interacted with our content with charity and respect, even if they disagree, there's always been a gallery of trolls who traffic in insults and profanity and are only interested in taking potshots at the ministry rather than engaging in conversation. So it goes—that's just part of the price of entry into the digital world, especially when evangelization is your goal.
 
The internet culture, however, seems to have taken a dark turn recently. Whatever limited restraint people used to show in their online interactions seems to have evaporated in a toxic cloud of mob-fueling—and mob-fueled—rage, replete with distortions, deceptions, and sometimes even explicit calls for violence. Exacerbated by the rise of the use of AI, bots, and anonymous accounts often based in foreign countries, it is increasingly difficult to know with whom you are engaging online or what their motives are. And sadly, physical threats from online sources are now also something we must take very seriously. So how should we move forward from here? Is it still possible to make evangelical headway in this increasingly noxious online environment? If so, what principles should guide the way? Here to discuss the challenges and possible solutions to the current state of the online world is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:46 | Bishop Barron celebrates 40 years
 02:50 | Bishop Barron's early days online
 06:58 | Online changes in recent years
 12:16 | Anonymity online
 17:42 | Applying the cardinal virtues: 1) Temperance
 22:23 | 2) Fortitude
 24:05 | 3) Justice
 26:15 | Recognizing sins of speech
 29:23 | 4) Prudence
 31:23 | How we move forward
 34:23 | Listener question: How would you define respect?
 36:23 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 540: How the Virtues Help Us Respond to an Increasingly Vicious Online Culture

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The United States is celebrating its 250th birthday, marking two and a half centuries since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That a country as expansive and diverse as ours has remained united under a single Constitution for two and a half centuries—passing through multiple existential wars, including a civil war, and numerous periods of traumatic political and economic upheaval—is a monumental achievement by any historical standard. How might we assess this moment from a Catholic perspective? What is it about the United States of America that is politically and morally distinctive? What binds us together as a people? Is it accurate to say that we are a Christian nation? If not, what conception of "God" is operative in the founders' references to the divine? If so, what should we make of the future of America given the dramatic decline of Church attendance among both Catholics and Protestants in recent decades? Perhaps most importantly for this moment, what can we learn from our collective past as Americans to guide us into the future? Here to address these questions, and to share his experience participating in the recent Rededicate 250 event on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:28 | Bishop Barron visits Orlando (The US bishops consecrate the nation to the sacred heart of Jesus
 02:50 | Rededicate 250 in Washington DC
 04:01 | Is this a Christian nation?
 07:10 | How did the Founding Fathers view God?
 08:51 | Mere Christianity or Protestant theology?
 12:30 | The founding documents and God
 14:38 | The Declaration of Independence: a declaration of dependence on God
 16:07 | Connecting freedom with human dignity
 22:33 | Relating equality with freedom
 24:21 | Can patriotism and piety agree?
 27:04 | Responding to the post-liberal critique of the American experiment
 34:01 | Evangelism and the American Republic
 35:28 | Listener question: Is praying for politicians effective?
 37:49 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 539: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Bishop Robert Barron has long defended religious freedom as a universal human right. As part of his ongoing advocacy—which includes a new book on how to confront persecution against Christians—he has recently completed serving on a presidential religious liberty commission charged with ensuring that people of all faiths can participate fully in society without fear of violence or unjust discrimination. One of the few Catholic ecclesial voices on the commission, his work addressed multiple abiding and practical questions. For example, at the conceptual level, what is religious freedom, and what role should the government play in protecting it? How can we define religious freedom in a way that prevents one religion's exercise of their freedom from infringing upon the freedom of other religions, or on those who claim no religion at all? And at the more concrete level, where, right now, are the greatest threats to religious freedom and what can we do both legislatively and individually to combat them? Here to address these and related questions, and to discuss his experience serving on the presidential commission, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:16 | Bishop Barron visits diocesan schools
 02:26 | How Bishop Barron came to join the Religious Liberty Commission
 04:03 | The makeup of the Religious Liberty Commission
 05:00 | Basic structure of the meetings
 07:38 | Being a Catholic bishop on the commission
 09:51 | The privatization of religion
 10:36 | Where does religious liberty originate?
 12:36 | The public nature of religious liberty
 13:51 | Why religious liberty is the first freedom
 15:11 | Is religious liberty just religious license?
 16:36 | The role of government in religious liberty
 18:00 | Separation of church and state?
 22:33 | Principal threats to religious liberty
 26:26 | Testimonies shared with the Commission
 27:30 | How we move forward
 28:18 | The question of religious exemptions
 30:53 | Religious liberty and evangelization
 32:17 | Listener question: To what extent do denominations matter?
 35:07 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 538: Bishop Barron's Work on the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. A wave of fresh converts has entered the Catholic Church in the United States, Australia, and parts of Europe. The evidence for this surge is far from anecdotal; even secular media outlets that are historically inclined to downplay positive stories about Catholicism widely reported packed sanctuaries this past Easter, the day those who have been preparing to enter the Catholic Church typically receive their first sacraments. This is welcome news for a Church that has grown accustomed to a half-century narrative of religious disaffiliation and cultural decline. So what's behind this uptick in conversions? What factors are leading young people—and young men in particular—to buck the trend of secularization and become Catholic? What is happening both in the world and within the Church that is making the faith become so attractive? Perhaps most importantly, what can and should Catholics, clergy and laity alike, do to both continue the momentum and help new converts to stick with faith? Here to offer his insights on what's driving this new growth and why, now more than ever, we should double our efforts to proclaim Christ in the culture is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:34 | Bishop Barron's recent confirmation season
 04:34 | Recent growth in Catholicism
 06:13 | What cultural factors are contributing to these numbers?
 19:11 | How the liturgy and a renewed interest in the Mass attract members
 23:08 | Mysticism and attraction to the Church
 24:27 | Is "modernizing" the Church necessary for growth?
 26:08 | Evangelical efforts to support
 30:20 | How we maintain momentum without perpetuating a trend
 31:09 | Advice for new converts
 32:48 | Listener question: Should I baptize my kids before myself?
 34:24 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 

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.

WOF 537: How to Keep the Momentum in the Surge of New Conversions

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Although not widely reported in legacy media outlets, Christianity is, by far, the most persecuted religion in the world. From the Middle East and Africa to India, China, North Korea, and elsewhere, Christian communities regularly experience widespread humiliation, imprisonment, kidnappings, expulsions, and even murderous mob violence. While not as severe, Christians in parts of Europe and even right here at home, in the US, also often endure discrimination, exclusion, and ridicule. There is no ambiguity about who is carrying out these attacks or what motivates them. Like the martyrs of past centuries, millions of our Christian brothers and sisters are currently suffering because they profess faith in Jesus Christ. In response to this ongoing outrage, Bishop Robert Barron has released a new book called What Do Their Deaths Demand? Christian Persecution Today. Intended for widespread distribution, the book spotlights heartbreaking stories of the continued targeting of Christian communities throughout the world, offers a theological explanation for why Christianity has been under assault since its inception, and, most importantly, provides actionable ideas for what all of us can do to respond. Here to discuss the book—and why its message is more urgent than ever—is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:38 | The final meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission
 02:51 | Why this book, and why now?
 05:16 | Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa's foreword
 06:46 | Aid to the Church in Need
 07:47 | Why Christian persecution is largely ignored
 09:00 | Part 1: The Most Persecuted Religion
 15:36 | Part 2: Why the Persecution of Christians?
 22:41 | The fundamental quandary
 25:09 | Part 3: So What Can We Do?
 32:09 | Listener question: Should we present the crucifixion more positively?
 34:38 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 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.

WOF 536: Bishop Barron's New Book on Persecution Against Christians

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The faithful recently rejoiced at the news that Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the great American evangelist who lived from 1895 to 1979, has moved forward in the canonization process. The Vatican recently announced that he will soon be beatified, which is one step away from being declared a saint. This is an especially happy development for Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, which, as an apostolate dedicated to evangelization, has a special devotion to Archbishop Sheen; in fact, his portrait hangs just beyond the studio doors where we are recording this show, next to our other patrons, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and Pope St. John Paul II. Looking back, what kind of enduring impact has Fulton Sheen had on evangelization and the Church? Looking forward, what can we continue to learn from him today, especially given the fact that the evangelical landscape has so drastically changed, both culturally and technologically, since Sheen's time? Here to celebrate Sheen's legacy, and how the great communicator continues to shape Word on Fire's own evangelical mission, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 
Topics Covered
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:22 | Winona-Rochester's confirmation season
 02:19 | What is beatification?
 04:44 | Who was Fulton Sheen?
 07:15 | Sheen's theology of the Church as mystical body of Christ
 11:38 | Sheen's theology of grace
 15:10 | The quiet influence of Fulton Sheen in Bishop Barron's life
 20:44 | The Pivotal Players: Fulton Sheen
 21:59 | Examining Sheen's universal appeal
 26:22 | Fulton Sheen and social media
 29:49 | Word on Fire and Fulton Sheen
 30:20 | Listener question: How do I best use social media to evangelize?
 32:23 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 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.

WOF 535: Bishop Barron on Bishop Fulton Sheen

Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The Old Testament is about three-quarters of the Bible. It is theologically and morally impossible for Christians to understand God's relationship with the world, the nature and purpose of human beings, original sin, salvation history, the person of Jesus Christ, and the foundation of the Church without it. Indeed, as far back as the second century AD, the Church condemned the heresy of Marcionism, which sought to distinguish the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament and to lop off the Old Testament from the biblical canon. There is and never has been, in short, Christianity without the Old Testament. Nevertheless, much of the text remains difficult for the faithful to understand and, even more so, to explain to others, especially to those who know nothing about it. To make matters more complicated, secular critics of the faith often try to use the Old Testament against it, arguing—like the Marcionites of the past—that belief in the Old Testament is both irrational and immoral. So how should Catholics respond? What are some strategies we can employ not only to make the Old Testament accessible but also evangelically compelling? Here to help us understand the Old Testament and its enduring evangelical power, especially in a highly secularized culture, is Bishop Robert Barron.
 

 

 Topics Covered 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:33 | Bishop Barron visits Washington
 03:38 | How many Catholics read the Bible
 09:37 | Understanding the Bible through the interpretive tradition of the Church
 11:13 | The historical critical method of the Old Testament
 13:10 | The influence of Joseph Ratzinger on Bishop Barron's biblical approach
 16:00 | The otherness of God
 20:28 | Why God's self-sufficiency matters for reading the Old Testament
 22:57 | God as radically transcendent and personally involved
 25:25 | God, creator of all people and the father of Israel
 26:43 | Critique #1: The Old Testament God is violent
 30:09 | Critique #2: The Old Testament God is a moody, jealous diva
 32:52 | Critique #3: The Old Testament God is not the New Testament God
 34:53 | Critique #4: The Old Testament is just a collection of myths
 37:23 | Advice for evangelists regarding the Old Testament
 39:34 | Listener Question: What is the Bible's role for Catholics
 40:45 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 Links: • 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.

WOF 534: The Evangelical Power of the Old Testament

Jesus has naturally been a key person of interest for Western thought, but over the last few hundred years, there have been some major shifts in what scholars describe as the "quest for the historical Jesus."
 
Bishop Barron provides an overview of these developments and the problematic attempt to separate the "Jesus of history" from the "Christ of Faith."
 

 
A listener asks what Bishop Barron would say about Jesus walking on water.
 Links The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians • by N.T. Wright
 Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration • by Pope Benedict XVI
 Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week • by Pope Benedict XVI
 Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives • by Pope Benedict XVI
 

 
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WOF 228: The Quest for the Historical Jesus

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