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  • 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.

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  • 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.

  • 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 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.

  • 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 Virgin Mary and post-Ascension appearances of Jesus Christ into their faith life? We discuss the Catholic understanding of miracles and how the miraculous fits with a comprehensive evangelical vision of the life of the Church.

    A listener asks if it was a sin when those healed by Jesus in the Bible told others of their miraculous healing, though Jesus had told them not to tell.

    00:00 | Intro
    01: 20 | Update on Winona-Rochester's new pastoral center
    03: 10 | Distinguishing miracles from improbable or impossible events
    06:15 | Conditions necessary for the miraculous
    10:58 | The relationship between nature and grace
    14:10 | How miracles are confirmed
    16:44 | Science and miracles
    20:09 | Miracles and the Bible
    23:19 | If God's revelation is complete, why do miracles continue?
    25:50 | The Vatican's recent document on apparitions
    27:14 | Addressing skepticism of the miraculous
    31:05 | Listener question
    32:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

    Links: Poll citation: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4400922-americans-ghosts-aliens-devil-survey/ 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 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 in 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.

  • 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 has recently tempered his anti-Christian rhetoric and started focusing his biting wit on criticizing progressive woke ideology and condemning positions like neo-racism, the denial of biology, and the stifling of free speech in ways that the Catholic tradition would largely agree with.

    In light of this apparent shift, is it time for people of faith to reassess Bill Maher? Has one of Christianity’s most vocal opponents now become an ally or, perhaps, even a friend?

    A listener asks, “What is truth?”

    00:00 | Intro
    01:32 | Bishop Barron’s recent diaconate ordinations
    02:35 | Bill Maher’s analysis of religion
    04:47 | What rationalism misses in its critique of religion
    06:35 | Historic interpretive strategies for reading the Bible
    10:31 | Freedom of speech and cancel culture
    12:14 | On racial emphases
    14:11 | Equality vs. equity
    17:05 | Oppressors and the oppressed
    18:21 | The philosophical roots of classical liberalism
    20:01 | The value of classical liberalism over political progressivism
    22:14 | Critiquing classical liberalism
    26:18 | Is classical liberalism necessarily doomed?
    28:39 | Finding points of agreement
    30:41 | Listener question
    32:48 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

    Links: Religulous: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0815241/quotes/ Bishop Barron’s CNN article: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/28/opinions/catholic-bishop-found-an-ally-in-bill-maher-barron/index.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.

  • 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 ever-relevant. Watch it in its entirety in 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.

  • 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 became a Christian upon realizing that Christianity is necessary to preserve Western political norms.

    There are some complex and even troubling underlying questions about making the connection between Christianity and utility, especially as it relates to contemporary “Western values.” How is the utility defined and in response to what specific societal goals? Is Christianity’s utility limited to the West alone? Aren’t there some “Western values” that are antithetical to Christianity?

    A listener asks how to respond to the common criticism from atheists that Christians only believe in God because they are scared of death.

    00:00 | Intro
    01:32 | Bishop Barron’s recent farm visit
    03:00 | Recapping Richard Dawkins and the New Atheism
    07:14 | Unpacking Richard Dawkins as a “cultural Christian”
    12:38 | Can Christianity be culturally useful without a fixed cultural aim?
    14:13 | Making moral judgments without a fixed standard
    16:43 | The fundamentality of Christian thought in the West
    19:51| Remembering the doctrinal dimension of Christianity
    21:51 | Other influences in Western thought
    25:16 | Is linking Christianity and Western thought evangelically helpful?
    27:23 | Listener question
    29:44 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

    Show Notes: Article: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257276/famous-atheist-richard-dawkins-says-he-considers-himself-a-cultural-christian Article: https://unherd.com/2023/11/why-i-am-now-a-christian/ 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.

  • 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 ever-relevant course is available in its entirety in 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.

  • 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 “safety” and whether it overlaps with a Catholic understanding of the individual and common good.

    A listener asks, can a priest ever deny absolution during confession?

    00:00 | Intro
    01:51 | Bishop Barron’s Confirmation season
    02:30 | Understanding the contemporary use of “safety”
    07:45 | The relationship between risk, safety, and flourishing
    12:23 | The emotional life and its role
    16:14 | Physical safety as the highest good
    21:36 | Speech as a form of violence
    24:04 | The spiritual works of mercy vs. coddling
    25:16 | Safety and the cardinal virtues
    26:42 | Christ crucified and the value of safety
    27:58 | Listener question
    30:03 | Word on Fire Institute

    Links: Learn about 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.

  • 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? 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.

  • 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 how his legacy continues in the life and work of the contemporary Dominican theologian, Fr. Paul Murray.

    A listener asks, does the devil know that his rebellion is ultimately futile?

    00:00 | Intro
    01:12 | Bishop Barron in Rome
    02:01 | Aquinas’ impact on Bishop Barron’s formation
    03:56 | Why medieval thinkers like Aquinas still matter
    06:18 | The relationship between metaphysics and ethics
    07:29 | God as Being itself rather than as the greatest of beings
    12:43 | How God can be both transcendent and immanent
    15:58 | God’s non-competitive relationship with Creation
    21:29 | Defining true human and social goods
    23:00 | Does metaphysical speculation have a role in politics?
    25:45 | Fr. Paul Murray, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Dominican charism
    29:54 | Listener question
    31:49 | Word on Fire Institute

    Show Notes:

    Learn about 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.

  • We continue now with the next lecture from Bishop Barron’s popular course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” available in its entirety inside the Word on Fire Institute. We follow as Dante tries to go forward on his journey, but he is blocked by the beasts of sin. Enjoy this further glimpse into Dante’s always-relevant, poetic, moral, and theological genius.

    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 g