Afleveringen
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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 advocacyâwhich includes a new book on how to confront persecution against Christiansâhe 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
Links:
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 InstituteWord 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.
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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 peopleâand young men in particularâto 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
Links:
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 InstituteWord 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.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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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 bookâand why its message is more urgent than everâis Bishop Robert Barron.
Topics Covered
00:00 | Introduction
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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 InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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. ThérÚse 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
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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 InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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, arguingâlike the Marcionites of the pastâthat 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 Covered00:00 | Introduction
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
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 InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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. Hollywood is not known for being friendly to Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular, especially nowadays; unfortunately, there is no shortage of storylines and characters that mock and even demonize believers. At the same time, however, whenever the film industry wishes to depict a "religious looking" scene or add a transcendent element to the plot, it frequently employs Catholic architecture, Catholic sacramentals, and even Catholic priests to do so. What should we make of this ambivalence to the faith? What does Hollywood get wrong, and what, perhaps to our surprise, does Hollywood get right about Catholicism and the priesthood? What do these portrayals tell us more broadly about potential openness within the entertainment industry to God's existence, the divinity of Christ, good and evil, and life after death? Here to take a look at some pivotal classic and contemporary films that prominently feature Catholicism and Catholic priests, with an eye to unpacking their significance for the wider entertainment culture, is Bishop Robert Barron.
WOF 533
00:00 | Introduction
01:19 | Bishop Barron's recent watchlist
02:44 | What movies have meant to Word on Fire
04:06 | Artificial intelligence and cinema
05:10 | Hollywood and the Catholic priesthood
07:06 | Examining the evangelical strategies of Christian studios
08:43 | Boys Town (1938)
12:10 | The Exorcist (1973)
21:13 | True Confessions (1981)
24:42 | The Mission (1986)
29:07 | Calvary (2014)
32:51 | How best to portray Catholicism and the priesthood in movies
34:17 | How best to watch movies depicting the priesthood
36:04 | Listener question: How did St. ThérÚse help on CATHOLICISM?
38:26 | 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.
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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. Marxism, unfortunately, seems to be making a comeback. Despite its economically disastrous, politically oppressive, and horrifically inhumane track record, the atheistic philosophy that produced the Communist revolution and eventually led to the deaths of tens of millions of people has wheedled its way back to the center of our political culture. On the surface, this may sound surprising: Since the fall of the Berlin Wall over three decades ago, few public figures have openly identified as Marxist, and Communist political parties have typically occupied the outermost fringes of political influence. However, Marxist ideasâespecially in the form of contemporary identity politicsâhave not only continued gathering momentum beneath the surface in universities, NGOs, the media, corporate HR departments, and government bureaucracies; high profile politicians, including the mayor of New York, Zohran Mandami, and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, now seem to be openly advocating for Marxist policies. So how did this morally and historically discredited ideology remerge in mainstream politics? Equally important, how should Christians and all people concerned with basic human rights and the common good respond? Here to discuss the dark history of Marxism, its contemporary forms, and how the Catholic Church has, and always will, stand against it, is Bishop Robert Barron.
Topics Covered00:00 | Introduction
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
01:48 | Winona-Rochester's record catechumen year
02:53 | A brief overview of Karl Marx
04:55 | What is dialectical materialism?
06:40 | Class conflicts in Marx's day
08:01 | Marx's early critique of capitalism
10:55 | Marx's critique of religion
17:12 | Marxism's pursuit of Utopia
20:06 | Rerum Novarum: Pope Leo XIII responds
23:08 | Reducing history to an economic substructure
24:20 | The legacy of Marxism
26:16 | Shared views between Marxism and contemporary identity politics
28:52 | Why harmful ideas take fair guises
31:23 | Critiquing collectivism
33:08 | US politicians and Marxist ideas
36:03 | Weren't early Christians fundamentally communist?
38:08 | Shouldn't we just try Marxism?
39:26 | Thomas Merton responds to Marxism
41:07 | Is it partisan to critique Marxism?
42:51 | Listener question: How do we respond to "my truth"?
45:12 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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. For the last two episodes, Evangelization & Culture Podcast host Tod Worner has been having a conversation with Word on Fire's founders about social mediaâa phenomenon that has certainly played a prominent role in the life of our own ministry. But what about its shadow side? How might faithful Catholics engage in social media? How might the Church? How do we cultivate a rich spiritual life in this ever-unfolding age of social media? Here to discuss this with Tod Worner and Fr. Steve Grunow is Bishop Robert Barron.
Topics Covered00:00 | Introduction
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
00:49 | Examining social media's shadow side
14:32 | Can teachers of the faith use social media without oversight
22:18 | How we prepare for online ministry
27:58 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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. In our last episode, Evangelization & Culture Podcast host Tod Worner began a conversation with Word on Fire's founders about social media, in which they explored the art and means of communication. In this next segment, we'll continue that conversation, now examining Catholic ministry and social media. What, if anything, does social media have to do with Pope St. John Paul II? How does it fit into Word on Fire's own principles? How would one even define social media? Here to discuss these things with Tod Worner and Fr. Steve Grunow is Bishop Robert Barron.
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.
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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. Today, we're bringing you a special episodeâa conversation from our very own Evangelization & Culture Podcast, hosted by Dr. Tod Worner. Recently, Dr. Tod, as we like to call him, sat down with Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow and Bishop Barron to talk about social media. But rather than retread the usual tropes of social media conversations, Dr. Tod hosts a richer and more intimate conversation on the topic through the lenses of evangelization, art, communication, and more. Please enjoy this first segment, in which we'll look specifically at the art and means of communication.
Topics Covered
00:00 | Introduction
Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
00:55 | The importanceâand challengeâof communication
05:00 | How the gospel spread before the use of mass media
10:51 | Art as evangelization
17:54 | Papal communication and early media
22:05 | Mass media figures and their influence on Word on Fire
27:51 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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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. As we continue this second half of a conversation from last year's Good News Conference in Orlando with Bishop Barron and Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow, we'll discover the ministry's patron saints, as well as some of the lessons that Word on Fire has learned through its years of evangelization. We'll also take a look at Word on Fire's plans for the future. Here to discuss these with Fr. Steve Grunow, in this second half of an hour-long conversation, is Bishop Robert Barron.
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.
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The Enlightenment believed reason was its own authority. Heteronomous authority was anathema. Autonomy was the ideal. Thus, the Church's hierarchical structure was viewed as enslaving. In light of this critique, Newman offered an insightful defense of freedom and truth in the Catholic Church.
Topics Covered: Consulting the faithful in matter of doctrine Conscience Reason and authority Bishops and theologians Links: Article: Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church Video: John Henry Newman on the Laity Read: On Consulting the Laity on Matters of Doctrine 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.
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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. In 2025, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. And in October of that same year, Bishop Barron and Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow gave a presentation at the Good News Conference in Orlando in which the two men took a deep dive into Word on Fire's origins. How did it begin? What were its animating principles? What were some of its earliest strategies? Where did the name "Word on Fire" even come from? Why, in short, did Word on Fire develop the way that it did? Here to discuss these roots with Fr. Steve Grunow, in this first half of an hour-long conversation, is Bishop Robert Barron.
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.
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Since the mind can infer truths of which it does not have certainty, what judges the validity of an inference in concrete matters? The Illative Sense. It is the power of judging and concluding when not having apodictic certainty. Bishop Barron explores Newman's analysis of the Illative Sense, explaining why it is an essential element in religious conversion.
Topics Covered: The Illative Sense The nature of certainty Formal Inference Informal Inference Links: Read: The Illative Sense (from the Grammar of Assent) Video: The Personalist Spirit of Newman's Thought Video: The Freedom of Truth: The Nature of Conscience in Aquinas and Newman Book: Communities of Informed Judgement 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.
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In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan show, evolutionary biologist and public intellectual Bret Weinstein observed that two emerging features of contemporary societies, especially, though not exclusively in the West, are challenging the very meaning and purpose of human life: 1) the decoupling of human sexuality from human reproductionâdefining sex primarily as recreational and 2) with the rise of AI and robotics, the real possibility that having a job will become entirely optional in the future. By secular standards, pursuing both of these goals seems entirely rational, if not laudable: raising children and going to work are, indeed, challenging, so why shouldn't we live in a world in which both become increasingly rare? Weinstein, howeverâwho doesn't profess adherence to any religious traditionâsuggests that humanity may lose something important, if not essential, if we continue down this path. Is he right to be concerned? Is it, in fact, wise to relegate having children and going to workâwhich defined how most people spent most of their adult lives throughout historyâentirely to the realm of subjective preference? Or, in seeking ever greater freedom from these responsibilities, are we undermining what it means to live a fully human life?
A listener asks: How can I respond to "God loves me the way I am"?
Topics Covered:00:00 | Introduction
Links: Papal Encyclical, Humanae Vitae: Vatican website Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
01:39 | Bishop Barron's Christmas season
02:48 | Examining Bret Weinstein's grim assessment
06:36 | Procreation as a sign of the covenant
09:34 | Why not frame children through the lens of lifestyle choice?
13:23 | The valorization of personal choice
16:31 | What about celibate priests?
17:52 | Work and technology
23:42 | Can AI or robotics truly replace the human genius?
25:48 | Limitations for using AI
28:06 | The necessity of work in giving a gift
30:02 | Why can't technology help us create heaven on earth now?
33:01 | The active dimension of rest
37:03 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent was Newman's most difficult work. While not a formal epistemology (theory of knowledge), Newman prompted a movement away from modern epistemology, stressing certainty that is best found in logic and mathematics, to common sense epistemology, affirming truth that is not absolutely certain. Bishop Barron explains why this epistemology is proper to religious knowledge, which includes notional and real assent.
Topics Covered: Why assent is not certitude Religious Liberalism Notional and Real Assent Conscience Links: Article: A Meditation on the Grammar of Assent Video: Dr. Reinhard Huetter on Newman 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.
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St. Pope John Paul the II memorably observed that the Catholic Church comes from the eucharist and that the eucharist, in turn, comes from priests. As Bishop Barron noted in a recent letter to his diocese, "by an inescapable logic [therefore] no priests, no Church." We should add, however, that priests come from bishops, which expands the ecclesial logic to this: no bishops, no priests; no priests, no eucharist; no eucharist, no church. In other words, bishops not only hold an important administrative position within the Church; tracing their authority back to the apostles and, ultimately, to Jesus Christ himself, they constitute the very sacramental and liturgical foundation of Catholicism itself. That, to say the least, is a weighty responsibility. So what is it like to be a bishop? How does one come to hold this office? What, specifically, do bishops have authority overâand what don't they have authority over? What kind of relationship do they have with each other and with the Holy Father, the pope? What are their day-to-day obligations and activities? And what are some challenges they face that both clergy and laity may not be aware of?
A listener asks what made Bishop Barron want to be a priest.
Topics Covered:01:38 | Bishop Barron's Thanksgiving in Chicago
Links: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: https://www.usccb.org/ Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
02:45 | The origins of the office of bishop
04:51 | The theological dimension of the bishop's role
06:41 | The liturgical symbols of the office
10:45 | Bishop Barron's coat of arms
12:12 | How does one become a bishop?
16:10 | How are dioceses formed?
17:20 | Relating bishop to archbishop
18:51 | Understanding the bishop's authority
20:03 | What is a chancery?
21:03 | Essential tasks of the bishop
29:38 | Bishop Barron's approach to his official duties
33:01 | The meaning and authority of a conference of bishops
37:19 | Myths about Catholic bishops
40:06 | Listener question: What made you become a priest?
41:41 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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Newman believed that a liberal arts education would instill a philosophical habit of mind in students, helping students reason to the foundational principles of every discipline and see how everything fits together. The philosophical habit of mind distinguishes between significance and triviality, helping society and individuals order everything to the Good.
Topics Covered: Pattern recognition Sapientia Useless education is useful Advantages and disadvantages of the philosophical habit of mind Links: Article: The Philosophical Habit of Mind: Aristotle and Newman on the End of Liberal Education Video: Alasdair MacIntyre on Newman's Idea of a University 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.
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Religious freedom, especially for Christians, is under attack across the globe, including in the Westâincluding right here in the United States. Whether insidiously in the form of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that block Christians from employment and advancement opportunities, or, overtly, like vandalism against churches, or, in some parts of the world, murderous violence against Christians themselves, in terms of sheer numbersâand this fact is often ignoredâChristians are, by far, the most persecuted religious group in the world. While defending religious freedom is important for people of all faiths, or no faith at all, it is thus especially urgent for believers in Christ. How, then, can we work together as a church and as a society to make progress on this front? Taking a step back, what, specifically, is religious freedom and why is it a universal human right? What is the relationship between the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech? And how can we respond to the secular charge that religious freedom is merely a backdoor means for the faithful to impose their beliefs on others?
A listener asks how we can grow in confidence that Catholicism is the one true religion.
Topics Covered:00:00 | Introduction
Links: Dignitatis Humanae: Vatican document Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/
01:36 | Concluding Winona-Rochester's diocesan synod
03:24 | The work of the Religious Liberty Commission
07:33 | Responding to Religious Liberty Commission criticism
09:11 | The inherent priority of religious liberty
12:32 | Distinguishing the freedoms of religion, conscience, and speech
14:26 | Is religious liberty necessary for worship?
16:33 | Understanding "due limits" to religious liberty
19:33 | Proposition or imposition?
20:24 | Civil authority and religious authority
22:40 | Truth and relativism
27:25 | How poor conceptions of religion undermine religious liberty
28:27 | Advocating for religious liberty
30:06 | Religious freedom in society
31:36 | Why religious liberty matters for evangelization
32:48 | Listener question: How can we know Catholicism is true?
36:01 | Join the Word on Fire InstituteNOTE: 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.
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Theology is the queen of the sciences. It is not just one science among many but the principal organizing science. If it is taken out of this central organizing place, something else will take its place. In this lesson, Bishop Barron helps us understand why Newman thought theology was of crucial importance in education.
Topics Covered: Theology as the queen of the sciences Consequences of supplanting theology The Liberal Arts The Philosophical Habit 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.
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