The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

What is beauty? Is beauty undefinable and entirely relativistic? Or is beauty an objective reality, backed by reason and understanding? How do Catholics define beauty, and how has Catholic Church evangelized through beauty over the centuries? In this episode of the Word On Fire Show, Bishop Barron answers these questions and more about the transcendental nature of beauty. The listener question com...

What really happens when we die? In a recent  interview  with Larry King, popular astro-physicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, offers a scientifically reduced answer to this philosophically rich question. In this episode of the Word On Fire Show, Bishop Barron reacts to Tyson's response and offers a more holistic understanding of human identity and death. A listener asks how God can be both a person and...

Normally, in each episode we take one listener question. But we've received such a large number of outstanding questions from around the globe that we've decided to devote another episode to answering a range of questions from listeners like you. Bishop Barron answers several questions, rapid fire, on many different topics. Topics Discussed 0:05   - Intro: Bishop Barron returns from his  CATHOLICI...

Bishop Barron is flying back from Europe after his Pivotal Players  recording trip, so instead of a live show, we're bringing you a special excerpt from his upcoming "David the King" series. Learn about Hannah and the "law of the gift" in this stirring commentary. Also, be sure to visit  DavidTheKing.com   and use the coupon code  DAVID  to save $10 on the DVD or Blu-ray version of the series! Bon...

Bishop Robert Barron and his Word on Fire production are in Italy, filming the next round of  CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players . Be sure to take advantage of special  behind the scenes access  from the Pivotal Players film trip!  Sign-up for exclusive footage at:  WordOnFireShow.com/Videos Topics Discussed 0:05   – Intro, the new Spiderman movie 1:28  – Does it ever get old for Bishop Barron to tr...

Bishop Robert Barron and his Word on Fire production team have just set off to Europe to film two brand new episodes for the hit television film series:  CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players . This second volume of biographical documentaries features some of the greatest figures in all of world history. Be sure to take advantage of special  behind the scenes access  from the Pivotal Players film trip!...

Have you ever had an opportunity to share your faith but opted to remain quiet? There are several reasons why we might shy away from these grace-filled moments. In this episode of the Word On Fire Show, Bishop Barron teaches us how to overcome the hurdles of evangelization and let loose our missionary potential. The listener question comes from an Australian medical student who wants to know how w...

Do you ever wish you could read more books? Have you ever thought about writing articles at the professional level or authoring your own book? Bishop Robert Barron has read a library's worth of texts, written fifteen books, and composed thousands of short works. In this episode of the Word on Fire Show, Bishop Barron offers helpful advice on how to improve your performance in the language arts. Bo...

In 2015 Bishop Robert Barron gave the opening keynote speech at the famous World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. In front of this massive crowd of Catholics, Bishop Barron explained how Christianity is the greatest form of humanism because of its unique claim that all humans are made in the image and likeness of God. As representatives of God, we share in the responsibility of bringing the po...

In 2015 Bishop Robert Barron gave the opening keynote speech at the famous World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. In front of this massive crowd of Catholics, Bishop Barron explained how Christianity is the greatest form of humanism because of its unique claim that all humans are made in the image and likeness of God. As representatives of God, we share in the responsibility of bringing the po...

Marriage has been one of the most talked about topics in the news over the past decade. Despite all the interest surrounding the institution of marriage, the numbers of people actually getting married has dwindled. In this episode Bishop Barron explores the beauty and goodness of married life by discussing the spirituality that undergirds this timeless institution. The listener question wonders wh...

Word on Fire Show host Brandon Vogt stopped into the Santa Barbara studio with his five children while on a cross-country road trip. The Vogt children were given the chance to ask Bishop Barron about God, Mary, and bananas in this special bonus episode of the Word on Fire Show. Topics Discussed 0:01   - Introduction, about the road trip and hellos 1:15  - How did Bishop feel when he first became a...

The best theological movements present the Church as an organism, not an organization. In this episode of our new series on the eight principles of Word on Fire, Bishop Barron explains how how the Communion of Saints works in and through the Mystical Body of Christ to evangelize the world. The listener questions asks about Catherine of Siena's three levels of prayer.  Topics Discussed 0:17   - Int...

Statistics show that more people own a smartphone (4 billion) than own a toothbrush (3.5 billion). In this episode of our new series called The Eight Principles of the Word on Fire Ethos,  Bishop Barron discusses how readily available Internet access has made the new media an essential route of evangelization. The listener questions asks how virtue can possibly turn to vice.  Topics Discussed 0:17...

Joel and Ethan Coen, more famously known as the Coen brothers, are arguably the greatest filmmakers of our time. In this follow-up episode on the Coen brothers, Bishop Barron illuminates the Biblical motifs present in three of the Coen brothers' most unique films. The listener question asks about the nature of God. Topics Discussed 0:17   - Introduction, catching up with Bishop Barron. 1:38  - Wha...

"The Church exists to evangelize." These words from Evangelii Nuntiandi express the very nature of our mission. But what is evangelization? And how ought we to express Christ in the culture around us? In this episode, Bishop Robert Barron answers these questions and offers advice on exactly how an evangelist can move into the culture and plant the seeds of Christ. Evangelizing the Culture is the s...

Jesus boldly proclaimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life". In order to be His disciple, one must make Jesus Christ the foundation of life and proclaim His Lordship in every area of life. Much like the rose window in Chartres Cathedral, a well ordered soul revolves around the great center, which is Christ. In this episode, Bishop Robert Barron begins a series called The Eight Principles of t...

Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation has certainly emerged as the most talked-about religious book of 2017. There is a widely-felt instinct that something has gone rather deeply wrong with the culture and that classical Christianity, at least in the West, is in a bit of a mess. So, do we need the Benedict Option now? In this episode, Bishop Robert...

The Case for Christ is a film adaptation of Lee Strobel's best-selling book of the same name, one that has made an enormous splash in Evangelical circles and beyond. It is the true story of a young, ambitious (and atheist) reporter for the Chicago Tribune , who fell into a psychological and spiritual crisis when his wife became a Christian. In an attempt to bring his wife back to atheism, Lee used...

The Netflix original series "The Crown" , which has to do with the last months of the reign of King George VI and the first years of the reign of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, demonstrates how societies must be grounded in God-given moral values for them to flourish. In this episode, Bishop Barron brings to light the theological underpinnings of the show, which serve as an encouragement for an...

Thomas Joseph White's book The Incarnate Lord  discusses the importance of Jesus' identity. The classical tradition of Christology understood Jesus ontologically, that is to say, in terms of his fundamental being or existential identity; whereas modern and contemporary Christology tends to understand Jesus psychologically or relationally. The transition from an ontological Christology to a conscio...

Truth, beauty, and goodness are the three transcendentals that draw people to belief in God. As important as rational arguments and beautiful artwork are for preserving and sharing the faith, Christian goodness has proven to be an explosively powerful means of evangelization over the centuries. In this episode of the Word on Fire Show , Bishop Barron discusses the history of Christian moral goodne...

Is it ever necessary to label ourselves? Is it ever ok to label anyone else? Not according to internet celebrity and spoken-word poet, Prince Ea, whose viral video entitled "I Am Not Black, You Are Not White" claims that labels are the root of all social ills and that our identity is entirely separate from our physical reality. The video has reached over 100 million views on Facebook and over 11 m...

The Religious Education Congress, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Religious Education, is America's largest annual gathering of Roman Catholics, bringing together nearly 40,000 every year for a four-day event! 2017 marked the 20th year that Bishop Robert Barron has been in attendance. In addition to several interviews and book-signings Bishop Barron participated in at this ye...

Does God exist? That is the question Catholic comedian and television host, Stephen Colbert, debated with his Late Show guest, the popular actor and outspoken atheist, Ricky Gervais. The YouTube video clip of the two men going "head to head on religion" has gone viral, quickly garnering over 2.5 million views. In this episode of The Word on Fire Show , Bishop Barron breaks down each segment of the...