Special Broadcasts

Dr. Chris interviews Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell about philosopher and convert St. Edith Stein and what she means for us today.

The Rutten Brothers talk about friendship, mission, and active participation in life as they review their movie of the month: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

Sharon digs deeper into the imagery of John 15, showing us how God the father is the husbandman of the vineyard, tending to the vines, pruning away the dead branches so that the vine may grow and flourish. If we allow, God will cut out our sinful tendencies. This discipline, while at times painful, is necessary for us to abide with Him. He wants us to bear eternal fruit that will last, and have a...

Jesus is either one among many or He is the One and Only. In a culturally diverse world, it is easy to see Christianity as simply one more religion among many. Jesus could easily be seen as just one more holy person among many. Is there any evidence that could lead us to staking our entire lives on the Christian claim? And the entire Christian claim rises and falls on the answer to this one questi...

Dr. Chris interviews Fr. Kris Cowles about what it means to be a Christian.

Our culture holds many different concepts of morality. In this episode, Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss three major theories–consequentialism, deontology/legalism, and virtue ethics–and how compatible each is with Catholicism. A listener asks about the Word on Fire strategy for discipleship after we evangelize someone.

“I am the true vine.” With this seventh and final “I am” statement, Chapter 15 of John’s Gospel focuses on our need to abide in Christ, remaining in His love. The image of a vine reminds us of the many allegories in the Bible related to wine, grapes and vineyards. Jesus uses the same imagery in John 15 when he describes the blessings to those who abide in him and the destruction that occurs to tho...

Distraction is anything that takes our focus away from where it needs to be.

Listen to this sample lesson from Bishop Barron’s film and study program “Eucharist,” and then get access to the full study program by joining the Word on Fire Institute.

Dr. Chris interviews Fr. Kris Cowles about his journey of faith.

Sharon gives us a wonderful teaching about first century Jewish wedding customs, which helps us to better understand the rich symbolism found in this chapter. In ancient Palestine, extended families lived together in an expansive house called an insula. The marital ritual began when the groom and his father journeyed to the bride’s home and negotiated the terms of the marriage. The son would retur...

All of us have gifts in our lives and all of us have real struggles in our lives. What weight do we give our blessings and what weight do we give our struggles?

Dr. Chris interviews Fr. Paul Rutten about men's spirituality and some specific ways that men can grow in their Catholic faith.

It’s an exciting day as we celebrate the launch of Bishop Barron’s newest book, Renewing Our Hope: Essays for the New Evangelization (CUA Press). The book pulls together 17 academic essays, talks, and papers that Bishop has composed over the past few years, and covers everything from evangelization to theology, philosophy, the sex abuse crisis, the priesthood, relativism, liberalism, and even cont...

The Rutten brothers talk about forgiveness, human dignity, relationships, and much more as they review their movie of the month: "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Chapter 14 has an abundance of nuptial imagery. God designed marriage as a way to image the Trinity. Just as life flows from the one flesh union of man and woman, the life of the Holy Spirit flows from the union of the Father and Son, who are one. From the beginning in Genesis, to the end in Revelation, the story of salvation is the story of the marriage between God and His people.

We spend our lives on any number of pursuits. It is a great gift to discover someone to whom you can give your life. Fathers are meant to be this gift for their children. Christ is this gift for us. In His strength and service, Jesus is the model of fatherhood: when you find something worth living for, the best gift is your presence.

How do we share the Faith in a culture where many people don’t understand what we mean by words like “sin” or “salvation”—and where the media constantly bombards us with the idea that the teachings of the Church are irrelevant, outdated, or bigoted? All too often, people aren’t even interested in hearing about the Faith! Especially when we seek to reach young people or bring back those who have le...

Dr. Chris interviews Carl Olson about the twentieth century American author and convert, Walker Percy.

Over the years, a number of saints have experienced a spiritual marriage with Jesus, and Sharon tells us the story of Catherine of Sienna who suffered from the invisible stigmata in her union with Christ. Turning back to the foot-washing, Sharon shows us the spiritual meaning of this story. Before a wedding, the bride must be blemish-free, washed free of the stain of sin. Baptism cleanses us from...

Homily from the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. What we love determines the course of our lives more than anything else.

Dr. Chris interviews Chris Motz about the importance of political engagement for Catholics.

Last month, Jon Steingard, frontman of the Christian rock group Hawk Nelson, revealed that “he no longer believes in God” after spending his life as a devout Christian. His prominent de-conversion was profiled by The TODAY Show, People Magazine, NPR, and numerous other outlets. In today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt explore the reasons Steingard gave to expla...

Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John marks the end of the Book of Signs and the beginning of the Book of Glory. The hour of glory—the hour of the crucifixion—has started. Chapters 13-16 are an extended discourse by Jesus, who is preparing his disciples for his exodus, his departure from this world back to his heavenly Father. The washing of the disciples’ feet is laden with nuptial imagery, a theme th...

Dr. Chris interviews Ken Ogorek about what it means to be a Christian.