Sermons - Word on Fire

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we return now to Ordinary Time, and the Church asks us again to think about the baptism of the Lord, this time in light of Saint John’s distinctive account.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to this wonderful feast of the baptism of the Lord. And the first thing to know is that this was a profoundly embarrassing event for the first Christians.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, why has the story of the Epiphany—the three wise man paying homage to the Christ child—so captivated us over the centuries?

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, the great feast of the Holy Family follows immediately upon Christmas—a very interesting juxtaposition with a deep theological significance.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our readings for the fourth and final Sunday of Advent are all about maybe the central motif of the spiritual life.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our readings for this Third Sunday of Advent help us understand what to do while we wait for the Lord. An Advent spirituality of waiting is part of Christian life; our entire life, in a way, is waiting.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our first reading for this Second Sunday of Advent, taken from Isaiah 11, describes the Messiah’s arrival: He “shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,” and “the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him.”

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the New Year celebration of the liturgical year: the First Sunday of Advent.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the final weekend of the liturgical year and the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, which means that next Sunday is the final Sunday of the liturgical year.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Sunday we’re celebrating, with the whole Church, the dedication of the great cathedral of Rome: the Lateran Basilica.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, All Souls Day, November 2, falls on a Sunday this year, so we can really spend some time reflecting on this wonderful feast, which means so much to Catholic people.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we are treated to the wonderful and deeply challenging parable of the Pharisee and the publican from Luke 18.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, when something tragic happens and people offer their prayers, you’ll often hear now, “I've had it with thoughts and prayers.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in our second reading this Sunday, Paul writes to Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel.”

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Sunday, I want to talk to you once again about faith. As I’ve said before, faith is the most misunderstood word in the religious vocabulary.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Pope Benedict XVI memorably told us that the Church does three essential things: It worships God, it evangelizes, and it serves the poor.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, I want to focus on the first and second readings.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this year, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on a Sunday, so we have the great privilege of reflecting a bit more deeply on this marvelous and, frankly, disconcerting and odd feast.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, we’re reading from the fourteenth chapter of Luke—and it is very serious spiritual business.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time, I want to talk to you about a very important theme—namely, pride and its antidote.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, I want to focus this week on the second reading, which is from the marvelous Letter to the Hebrews.

Bishop Robert Barron Friends, the title of my ministry, Word on Fire, came from our Gospel for today. Jesus says to his disciples, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”