A recent article in The Atlantic magazine highlights the crisis of isolation befalling the United States. Americans have never been—or felt—more solitary, especially the younger generations. And the consequences are often fatal: loneliness is a major cause of the recent spikes in depression, anxiety, and suicide, which are at unprecedented levels. Today, we discuss the loss of our social bonds and how Catholic thought can help heal and re-unite us. A listener asks, given free will, does...

Today we are excited to bring you the first lecture from Bishop Barron’s popular course, “Dante’s Catholic Imagination,” which is available in its entirety inside the Word on Fire Institute. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into Dante’s evergreen, 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...

Pope St. John Paul II used the term “culture of death'' in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae to capture the secular world’s dark confluence of poisonous ideas and practices that lead—directly and indirectly—to spiritual and physical ruin. Sadly, we’ve seen the the culture of death advance on many fronts. Today, we focus on the increasing legalization of suicide in the United States and abroad. Listen as we discuss the issue and how Catholics can and should respond to it.  A listener asks...

Today we bring you Bishop Barron's keynote address from the recent Good News Conference. In it, he speaks in depth about what it means to be a full witness to Jesus Christ. 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 us today!

According to Fortune magazine, overall undergraduate enrollment experienced the steepest rate of decline on record from 2019 to 2022, and it has only worsened since then. There are several explanations, but one cause is entirely self-imposed: most universities and colleges have now replaced education with ideology, subverting the search for truth with political indoctrination. Today, we discuss the ideological takeover of higher education and how the Catholic conception of the university can...

Today, we are bringing you a recent conversation from the “Bishop Barron Presents” series between Bishop Barron and Congressman Ro Khanna. Congressman Khanna represents California’s 17th Congressional District, best known as the home of Silicon Valley. Over the course of the conversation, the Bishop and he discussed his background, Catholic social teaching, various policy matters, finding common ground, and why the American experiment is a great and worthwhile endeavor. Enjoy! NOTE:...

Friends, the Book of Jonah is one of the shortest books of the Bible, yet it’s packed with profound truths about hearing and obeying the voice of God. On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss this powerful little book. A listener asks, why did Jesus show up when he did and not at a different point in time? What would the world look like had he showed up later, or not at all? 00:00 | Intro 00:46 | Bishop Barron on Catholic Schools Week 01:51 | Bishop...

Friends, what’s the proper relationship between liberal democracy and the Catholic Church? Many smart and reflective people, on either side of the Catholic/American divide, have felt that the two systems, democracy and Catholicism, were incompatible. But why? Using the thought of the 19th century French diplomat and political philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, Bishop Barron explores this question in his 2023 Russell Kirk Lecture for the Heritage Foundation, titled “The Breakdown of the...

Friends, we are in the midst of a mental health crisis, with many calling it another pandemic. Record-high numbers of Americans are facing depression and suicide. Nearly half of young people report feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness. What’s behind this crisis, and how can the Church help? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.” A listener asks, is “just war theory” a concession to human weakness? How do we square that with Jesus’...

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s recent talk at the 2023 Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Conference held in London, England. His talk was titled “What is the True Nature of Freedom?” As Bishop Barron explains, freedom for excellence is not self-determination. It is the disciplining of desire so as to make the achievement of the good first possible and then effortless. Enjoy! NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for...

Friends, the Catholic Church seems locked in constant disagreements, often between so-called liberal and conservative Catholics. But is there a third way to lead us out of this quagmire? Cardinal Francis George offers a compelling answer, which Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of the “Word on Fire Show.” A listener asks, did Jesus ever get sick? 00:00 | Intro 01:13 | New episodes of “Bishop Barron Presents” are back! 03:24 | Who was Cardinal Francis George? 06:31 | Cardinal...

Friends, today we’re excited to share with you the newest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ. Fr. Fessio was formed by some of the greatest figures of twentieth-century Catholicism, including Henri de Lubac, Joseph Ratzinger, and Hans Urs von Balthasar. This fascinating conversation covers his life story, his education, his experience in Europe, the founding of Ignatius Press, and much more. Enjoy! NOTE: Do...

Friends, we all strive to be spiritually great. We want to be magnanimous, great-souled men and women. But how do we get there? The Church offers a concrete seven-fold path, and that’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode. A listener asks, I’m coming back into the Church after a 15 year absence, and all the words [of Mass] have changed. What happened? 00:00 | Intro 00:55 | Bishop Barron’s California recap 02:18 | How spiritual works of mercy relate to...

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s recent talk at Harvard University titled “The Catholic Intellectual Tradition,” sponsored by the Harvard Catholic Forum. Bishop Barron explores some foundational themes in the Catholic intellectual tradition, including God, the human person, sin and grace, society, and freedom. All flow from Christology, our understanding of Jesus, so that, as St. Bonaventure said, Christ is truly found at the center of all the disciplines pursued in the...

Friends, each of us wants to be a good person. But how do we actually do that? How do we truly become a person of love? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode. A listener asks, if I did not inherit the sins of my parents, why did I inherit the sins of Adam and Eve? 00:00 | Intro 00:46 | Update on Winona-Rochester Diocesan Pastoral Center 02:38 | Dorothy Day and the need for corporal and spiritual works of mercy 04:41 | The seven corporal works of...

Friends, the prologue of the Gospel of St. John is one of the richest and most densely textured writings in the scriptures as John expresses the very nature of God and the profundity of the Incarnation that we celebrate every Christmas. Merry Christmas to you on behalf of my whole Word on Fire team! NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support...

Friends, is the Christmas story little more than a sweet, saccharine tale about a cute baby being born? Or do the Gospels present something more subversive and revolutionary, a battle between two great kings? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode. A listener asks, whose body is the Body of Christ in the Eucharist? Infant, crucified, or resurrected Jesus? 00:00 | Intro 01:31 | Bishop Barron at Good News Conference 03:56 | The surprising...

Today, we’re excited to share with you Bishop Barron’s keynote talk from the 2023 Acton University conference, hosted by The Acton Institute. “Wokeism” is arguably the most influential public philosophy in our country today. It has worked its way into the minds and hearts of our young people, into the world of entertainment, and into the boardrooms of powerful corporations. But what is it precisely, and where did it come from? Bishop Barron argues in his presentation that “wokeism” is a...

Friends, can everything in the world be reduced to atoms bumping against each other, and chemical reactions in our brains? Or is there something more to reality than its material elements? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again. A listener asks, if feelings are not acts of the...

Today, we’re excited to share with you a talk that Bishop Barron recently gave at the University of Notre Dame titled “What Makes a University Catholic?” The talk was cosponsored by the Notre Dame Student Government, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and Campus Ministry. Enjoy! NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit...

Friends, an exciting group of psychologists, scientists, and thought leaders are rediscovering the beauty and brilliance of the Bible. What’s causing so many of them to look at the Bible with fresh eyes? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “Word on Fire Show” episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again. A listener asks, how can Jesus be,...

Today, we’re excited to share Fr. Robert Spitzer’s keynote talk from the 2022 Good News Conference on “The Evidence for God from Science.” Fr. Spitzer introduces a growing amount of evidence for God found in contemporary science, along with data suggesting a rising number of young scientists who are open to God. Fr. Spitzer is the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center. He has authored several books including New Proofs for the Existence of God:...

Today, we’re excited to share with you the newest episode in our “Bishop Barron Presents” series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with writer, filmmaker, and activist Chris Rufo. Chris is the author of a new book titled America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. He has directed four documentaries for PBS and is a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and a contributing edi­tor of the public policy magazine City Journal. His reporting and activism...

Today, we share a discussion between Brandon Vogt and Fr. Steve Grunow, Word on Fire’s CEO and resident Halloween expert. Several years back, Fr. Steve wrote an article for Word on Fire’s website titled “It’s Time for Catholic to Embrace Halloween” that went viral and remains one of our most popular articles of all time. In today’s discussion, Fr. Steve explains what Halloween is fundamentally about, whether it is of pagan origin, and what a properly Catholic celebration of Halloween looks...