Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WOF 547: Fraud: a Scourge on the Common Good | 26 Oct 2026 | 00:31:53 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. One of the biggest political stories of this year can be summed up in one word: fraud. Minnesota, where we are recording this show, has been an epicenter of the systematic theft of public dollars. But this is not only a problem for us. It's a national epidemic. From California to New York, Arizona to Florida, and even Texas, the US Government Accountability Office estimates that American taxpayers lose between—get this—$233 billion up to $521 billion to fraud per year. On the high end, that is almost double the annual budget of New York state and more than the entire yearly GDP of the country of Denmark. The sheer scope of this swindle is bad enough. The fact that so much of it is taken from those who need the funds most—through the defrauding of Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs meant to support vulnerable people—makes the issue a national crisis. How should we respond to this scourge of dishonesty from the standpoint of Catholic social thought? Why is fraud such a grave injustice, especially in its effects on the common good? And what does the Bible say about taking what does not rightly belong to you? Here to offer a distinctively Catholic account of why the plundering of the public coffers is one of the great social injustices of our time is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 546: Do You Listen to Your Conscience? | 12 Oct 2026 | 00:36:49 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. What does it mean to listen to your conscience, especially in a culture that scoffs at the existence of moral values? Does the concept of conscience still mean anything today? Or is it a relic of what the secular world would have us believe was a naïve and superstitious past—a time of cartoon crickets and buzz-killing angels perched on our shoulders, scolding us into acting against our desires? Was the atheist Sigmund Freud right that conscience is merely the internalized echo of a tyrannical father, seeking to keep our conduct in check? And even if we grant that conscience has some kind of objective existence, how can we account for the fact that people reach radically incompatible moral conclusions while all claiming to follow it? For example, one person says conscience leads them to support abortion; another says conscience requires them to stand against it. Through all of this, how can we say that the conscience is "free" if its primary function is to impose rules? Here to help us untangle these questions, and to make the case that recovering the biblical conception of the conscience is more important than ever, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 545: Modern Christian Martyrdom | Pt. 2 | 28 Sep 2026 | 00:25:37 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you, as always, for joining us. In this episode, we'll conclude our conversation with Dr. Tod Worner and Bishop Barron on modern Christian persecution. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 544: Modern Christian Martyrdom | pt. 1 | 14 Sep 2026 | 00:26:18 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Recently, Dr. Tod Worner of The Evangelization & Culture Podcast sat down with Bishop Barron to discuss modern Christian persecution with Bishop Barron's new book, What Do Their Deaths Demand? Now, it's a topic we've explored here on this show, once before. In this new conversation, we'll take a deeper dive into that subject, exploring the specific witness of some of these martyrs, and examining this modern era which has seen more Christian persecution than any other in history. Here to discuss that with Dr. Tod Worner, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 543: Christian Charity vs. "Suicidal Empathy" | 31 Aug 2026 | 00:37:08 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The evolutionary behavioral scientist and public intellectual Gad Saad recently published an influential book entitled Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind. In it, Saad argues that much of the West has, unfortunately, come to embrace a perversely deficient understanding of empathy, twisting the natural and otherwise noble human capacity to feel and respond to other peoples' sufferings into a moral license to upend the moral, economic, and political order. According to the dictates of suicidal empathy, for example, society should prioritize criminals over victims, illegal immigrants over citizens, lawbreakers over law abiders, racial identity over competence, adult sexual expression over childhood innocence, and trans women––that is, men pretending to be women––over real women. Suicidal empathy's endgame, Saad warns, is nothing less than societal ruin and the eventual totalitarian eclipse of the individual. How, from a Catholic perspective, should we assess these claims? Is Saad's characterization of suicidal empathy and its dangers accurate? If so, how should we, as Christians, constructively respond? What role, in particular, should the biblical conception of love play in defining what it means to show true compassion and care for those in need? Here to discuss Saad's book and to explain how authentic Christian charity is—and is not—related to empathy, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 542: Why All Catholics Should Pray the Liturgy of the Hours | 17 Aug 2026 | 00:34:52 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The Liturgy of the Hours, or the "Divine Office," is often associated exclusively with the spiritual practices of priests, monks, and nuns. To be sure, praying the Hours is an essential part of the lives of those who have formally taken religious vows. However, the prayer of the Church, as the Liturgy of the Hours is also called, is precisely that: a way of sanctifying the day for the whole Church, both laity and clergy alike. With so many forms of prayer already available, however, why should lay Catholics also consider praying the Hours? What, substantively, is distinctive about it? What are its origins? Moreover, given the size and complexity of the Hours—the full liturgy occupies four thick volumes of text with multiple ribbons to mark different sections—how, practically, can we get started? Here to explain the enduring theological and spiritual richness of the Liturgy of the Hours and how it deepens and enriches all Catholics' lives, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 541: "Heaven in Stone and Glass"—A New Feature Film by Bishop Barron | 03 Aug 2026 | 00:37:27 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. We're delighted to announce that a new feature film by Bishop Robert Barron will be hitting theaters—yes, theaters—soon. The full-length documentary, entitled Heaven in Stone and Glass, draws on the collective shock and sadness the world experienced watching Paris's Cathedral of Notre-Dame burn in 2019 to explore the enduring philosophical, theological, aesthetic, moral, and evangelical significance of the great Gothic cathedrals of France. Recognizing the potential destruction of Notre-Dame—happily, it has since been restored—as much more than the loss of a historic building, Bishop Barron personally walks us through Gothicism's soaring architecture and richly detailed symbolism to explain everything from the unity and diversity of creation, the nature of the human person, the objectivity of beauty, the meaning of the incarnation, the living communion of saints, and the hope of the beatific vision, and how all of this matters more than ever for a rapidly secularizing West at risk of losing its Christian civilizational identity. Here to share the story behind the making of the film, and what he hopes audiences will take away from it, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 540: How the Virtues Help Us Respond to an Increasingly Vicious Online Culture | 20 Jul 2026 | 00:36:59 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. From Bishop Barron's very first social media post close to 20 years ago, he and Word on Fire as a whole have recognized that the online world is a rough-and-tumble place. While most, over the years, have interacted with our content with charity and respect, even if they disagree, there's always been a gallery of trolls who traffic in insults and profanity and are only interested in taking potshots at the ministry rather than engaging in conversation. So it goes—that's just part of the price of entry into the digital world, especially when evangelization is your goal. The internet culture, however, seems to have taken a dark turn recently. Whatever limited restraint people used to show in their online interactions seems to have evaporated in a toxic cloud of mob-fueling—and mob-fueled—rage, replete with distortions, deceptions, and sometimes even explicit calls for violence. Exacerbated by the rise of the use of AI, bots, and anonymous accounts often based in foreign countries, it is increasingly difficult to know with whom you are engaging online or what their motives are. And sadly, physical threats from online sources are now also something we must take very seriously. So how should we move forward from here? Is it still possible to make evangelical headway in this increasingly noxious online environment? If so, what principles should guide the way? Here to discuss the challenges and possible solutions to the current state of the online world is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 539: Celebrating America's 250th Birthday | 06 Jul 2026 | 00:38:19 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The United States is celebrating its 250th birthday, marking two and a half centuries since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That a country as expansive and diverse as ours has remained united under a single Constitution for two and a half centuries—passing through multiple existential wars, including a civil war, and numerous periods of traumatic political and economic upheaval—is a monumental achievement by any historical standard. How might we assess this moment from a Catholic perspective? What is it about the United States of America that is politically and morally distinctive? What binds us together as a people? Is it accurate to say that we are a Christian nation? If not, what conception of "God" is operative in the founders' references to the divine? If so, what should we make of the future of America given the dramatic decline of Church attendance among both Catholics and Protestants in recent decades? Perhaps most importantly for this moment, what can we learn from our collective past as Americans to guide us into the future? Here to address these questions, and to share his experience participating in the recent Rededicate 250 event on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 538: Bishop Barron's Work on the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission | 22 Jun 2026 | 00:35:42 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Bishop Robert Barron has long defended religious freedom as a universal human right. As part of his ongoing advocacy—which includes a new book on how to confront persecution against Christians—he has recently completed serving on a presidential religious liberty commission charged with ensuring that people of all faiths can participate fully in society without fear of violence or unjust discrimination. One of the few Catholic ecclesial voices on the commission, his work addressed multiple abiding and practical questions. For example, at the conceptual level, what is religious freedom, and what role should the government play in protecting it? How can we define religious freedom in a way that prevents one religion's exercise of their freedom from infringing upon the freedom of other religions, or on those who claim no religion at all? And at the more concrete level, where, right now, are the greatest threats to religious freedom and what can we do both legislatively and individually to combat them? Here to address these and related questions, and to discuss his experience serving on the presidential commission, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 537: How to Keep the Momentum in the Surge of New Conversions | 08 Jun 2026 | 00:34:44 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. A wave of fresh converts has entered the Catholic Church in the United States, Australia, and parts of Europe. The evidence for this surge is far from anecdotal; even secular media outlets that are historically inclined to downplay positive stories about Catholicism widely reported packed sanctuaries this past Easter, the day those who have been preparing to enter the Catholic Church typically receive their first sacraments. This is welcome news for a Church that has grown accustomed to a half-century narrative of religious disaffiliation and cultural decline. So what's behind this uptick in conversions? What factors are leading young people—and young men in particular—to buck the trend of secularization and become Catholic? What is happening both in the world and within the Church that is making the faith become so attractive? Perhaps most importantly, what can and should Catholics, clergy and laity alike, do to both continue the momentum and help new converts to stick with faith? Here to offer his insights on what's driving this new growth and why, now more than ever, we should double our efforts to proclaim Christ in the culture is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 536: Bishop Barron's New Book on Persecution Against Christians | 25 May 2026 | 00:35:12 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Although not widely reported in legacy media outlets, Christianity is, by far, the most persecuted religion in the world. From the Middle East and Africa to India, China, North Korea, and elsewhere, Christian communities regularly experience widespread humiliation, imprisonment, kidnappings, expulsions, and even murderous mob violence. While not as severe, Christians in parts of Europe and even right here at home, in the US, also often endure discrimination, exclusion, and ridicule. There is no ambiguity about who is carrying out these attacks or what motivates them. Like the martyrs of past centuries, millions of our Christian brothers and sisters are currently suffering because they profess faith in Jesus Christ. In response to this ongoing outrage, Bishop Robert Barron has released a new book called What Do Their Deaths Demand? Christian Persecution Today. Intended for widespread distribution, the book spotlights heartbreaking stories of the continued targeting of Christian communities throughout the world, offers a theological explanation for why Christianity has been under assault since its inception, and, most importantly, provides actionable ideas for what all of us can do to respond. Here to discuss the book—and why its message is more urgent than ever—is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 535: Bishop Barron on Bishop Fulton Sheen | 11 May 2026 | 00:32:58 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The faithful recently rejoiced at the news that Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the great American evangelist who lived from 1895 to 1979, has moved forward in the canonization process. The Vatican recently announced that he will soon be beatified, which is one step away from being declared a saint. This is an especially happy development for Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, which, as an apostolate dedicated to evangelization, has a special devotion to Archbishop Sheen; in fact, his portrait hangs just beyond the studio doors where we are recording this show, next to our other patrons, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and Pope St. John Paul II. Looking back, what kind of enduring impact has Fulton Sheen had on evangelization and the Church? Looking forward, what can we continue to learn from him today, especially given the fact that the evangelical landscape has so drastically changed, both culturally and technologically, since Sheen's time? Here to celebrate Sheen's legacy, and how the great communicator continues to shape Word on Fire's own evangelical mission, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 534: The Evangelical Power of the Old Testament | 27 Apr 2026 | 00:41:17 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. The Old Testament is about three-quarters of the Bible. It is theologically and morally impossible for Christians to understand God's relationship with the world, the nature and purpose of human beings, original sin, salvation history, the person of Jesus Christ, and the foundation of the Church without it. Indeed, as far back as the second century AD, the Church condemned the heresy of Marcionism, which sought to distinguish the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament and to lop off the Old Testament from the biblical canon. There is and never has been, in short, Christianity without the Old Testament. Nevertheless, much of the text remains difficult for the faithful to understand and, even more so, to explain to others, especially to those who know nothing about it. To make matters more complicated, secular critics of the faith often try to use the Old Testament against it, arguing—like the Marcionites of the past—that belief in the Old Testament is both irrational and immoral. So how should Catholics respond? What are some strategies we can employ not only to make the Old Testament accessible but also evangelically compelling? Here to help us understand the Old Testament and its enduring evangelical power, especially in a highly secularized culture, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 533: Hollywood & Catholic Priests | 13 Apr 2026 | 00:39:01 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Hollywood is not known for being friendly to Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular, especially nowadays; unfortunately, there is no shortage of storylines and characters that mock and even demonize believers. At the same time, however, whenever the film industry wishes to depict a "religious looking" scene or add a transcendent element to the plot, it frequently employs Catholic architecture, Catholic sacramentals, and even Catholic priests to do so. What should we make of this ambivalence to the faith? What does Hollywood get wrong, and what, perhaps to our surprise, does Hollywood get right about Catholicism and the priesthood? What do these portrayals tell us more broadly about potential openness within the entertainment industry to God's existence, the divinity of Christ, good and evil, and life after death? Here to take a look at some pivotal classic and contemporary films that prominently feature Catholicism and Catholic priests, with an eye to unpacking their significance for the wider entertainment culture, is Bishop Robert Barron. WOF 533 00:00 | Introduction 01:19 | Bishop Barron's recent watchlist 02:44 | What movies have meant to Word on Fire 04:06 | Artificial intelligence and cinema 05:10 | Hollywood and the Catholic priesthood 07:06 | Examining the evangelical strategies of Christian studios 08:43 | Boys Town (1938) 12:10 | The Exorcist (1973) 21:13 | True Confessions (1981) 24:42 | The Mission (1986) 29:07 | Calvary (2014) 32:51 | How best to portray Catholicism and the priesthood in movies 34:17 | How best to watch movies depicting the priesthood 36:04 | Listener question: How did St. Thérèse help on CATHOLICISM? 38:26 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links:
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. | |||
| WOF 532: The Suffocating "Warmth" of Marxist Collectivism | 30 Mar 2026 | 00:45:48 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, Senior Director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Marxism, unfortunately, seems to be making a comeback. Despite its economically disastrous, politically oppressive, and horrifically inhumane track record, the atheistic philosophy that produced the Communist revolution and eventually led to the deaths of tens of millions of people has wheedled its way back to the center of our political culture. On the surface, this may sound surprising: Since the fall of the Berlin Wall over three decades ago, few public figures have openly identified as Marxist, and Communist political parties have typically occupied the outermost fringes of political influence. However, Marxist ideas–especially in the form of contemporary identity politics–have not only continued gathering momentum beneath the surface in universities, NGOs, the media, corporate HR departments, and government bureaucracies; high profile politicians, including the mayor of New York, Zohran Mandami, and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, now seem to be openly advocating for Marxist policies. So how did this morally and historically discredited ideology remerge in mainstream politics? Equally important, how should Christians and all people concerned with basic human rights and the common good respond? Here to discuss the dark history of Marxism, its contemporary forms, and how the Catholic Church has, and always will, stand against it, is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered00:00 | Introduction
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. | |||
| WOF 531: Social Media in Light & Darkness (pt. 3) | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:28:32 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. For the last two episodes, Evangelization & Culture Podcast host Tod Worner has been having a conversation with Word on Fire's founders about social media—a phenomenon that has certainly played a prominent role in the life of our own ministry. But what about its shadow side? How might faithful Catholics engage in social media? How might the Church? How do we cultivate a rich spiritual life in this ever-unfolding age of social media? Here to discuss this with Tod Worner and Fr. Steve Grunow is Bishop Robert Barron. Topics Covered00:00 | Introduction
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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| WOF 530: Catholic Ministry & Social Media (pt. 2) | 02 Mar 2026 | 00:22:20 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. In our last episode, Evangelization & Culture Podcast host Tod Worner began a conversation with Word on Fire's founders about social media, in which they explored the art and means of communication. In this next segment, we'll continue that conversation, now examining Catholic ministry and social media. What, if anything, does social media have to do with Pope St. John Paul II? How does it fit into Word on Fire's own principles? How would one even define social media? Here to discuss these things with Tod Worner and Fr. Steve Grunow is Bishop Robert Barron. Links:
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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| WOF 529: The Art & Means of Communication (pt. 1) | 16 Feb 2026 | 00:28:26 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. Today, we're bringing you a special episode—a conversation from our very own Evangelization & Culture Podcast, hosted by Dr. Tod Worner. Recently, Dr. Tod, as we like to call him, sat down with Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow and Bishop Barron to talk about social media. But rather than retread the usual tropes of social media conversations, Dr. Tod hosts a richer and more intimate conversation on the topic through the lenses of evangelization, art, communication, and more. Please enjoy this first segment, in which we'll look specifically at the art and means of communication.
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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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| WOF 528: The Early Days w/ Bishop Barron & Fr. Steve (pt. 2) | 09 Feb 2026 | 00:21:35 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. As we continue this second half of a conversation from last year's Good News Conference in Orlando with Bishop Barron and Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow, we'll discover the ministry's patron saints, as well as some of the lessons that Word on Fire has learned through its years of evangelization. We'll also take a look at Word on Fire's plans for the future. Here to discuss these with Fr. Steve Grunow, in this second half of an hour-long conversation, is Bishop Robert Barron. Links:
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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| WOF 527: Reason and Authority (12 of 12) | 02 Feb 2026 | 00:22:29 | |
The Enlightenment believed reason was its own authority. Heteronomous authority was anathema. Autonomy was the ideal. Thus, the Church's hierarchical structure was viewed as enslaving. In light of this critique, Newman offered an insightful defense of freedom and truth in the Catholic Church.
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| WOF 526: The Early Days w/ Bishop Barron & Fr. Steve (pt. 1) | 26 Jan 2026 | 00:32:24 | |
Welcome back to the Word on Fire Show. I'm Matthew Petrusek, senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and the host of the Word on Fire Show. Thank you for joining us. In 2025, Word on Fire Catholic Ministries celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. And in October of that same year, Bishop Barron and Word on Fire CEO Fr. Steve Grunow gave a presentation at the Good News Conference in Orlando in which the two men took a deep dive into Word on Fire's origins. How did it begin? What were its animating principles? What were some of its earliest strategies? Where did the name "Word on Fire" even come from? Why, in short, did Word on Fire develop the way that it did? Here to discuss these roots with Fr. Steve Grunow, in this first half of an hour-long conversation, is Bishop Robert Barron. Links:
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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| WOF 525: The Illative Sense (11 of 12) | 19 Jan 2026 | 00:22:01 | |
Since the mind can infer truths of which it does not have certainty, what judges the validity of an inference in concrete matters? The Illative Sense. It is the power of judging and concluding when not having apodictic certainty. Bishop Barron explores Newman's analysis of the Illative Sense, explaining why it is an essential element in religious conversion.
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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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| WOF 524: The Dangers of Life Becoming Too Easy | 12 Jan 2026 | 00:37:37 | |
In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan show, evolutionary biologist and public intellectual Bret Weinstein observed that two emerging features of contemporary societies, especially, though not exclusively in the West, are challenging the very meaning and purpose of human life: 1) the decoupling of human sexuality from human reproduction—defining sex primarily as recreational and 2) with the rise of AI and robotics, the real possibility that having a job will become entirely optional in the future. By secular standards, pursuing both of these goals seems entirely rational, if not laudable: raising children and going to work are, indeed, challenging, so why shouldn't we live in a world in which both become increasingly rare? Weinstein, however—who doesn't profess adherence to any religious tradition—suggests that humanity may lose something important, if not essential, if we continue down this path. Is he right to be concerned? Is it, in fact, wise to relegate having children and going to work—which defined how most people spent most of their adult lives throughout history—entirely to the realm of subjective preference? Or, in seeking ever greater freedom from these responsibilities, are we undermining what it means to live a fully human life? A listener asks: How can I respond to "God loves me the way I am"? Topics Covered:00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 523: The Grammar of Assent (10 of 12) | 05 Jan 2026 | 00:21:03 | |
An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent was Newman's most difficult work. While not a formal epistemology (theory of knowledge), Newman prompted a movement away from modern epistemology, stressing certainty that is best found in logic and mathematics, to common sense epistemology, affirming truth that is not absolutely certain. Bishop Barron explains why this epistemology is proper to religious knowledge, which includes notional and real assent.
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| WOF 522: What's It Like to Be a Catholic Bishop? | 29 Dec 2025 | 00:42:15 | |
St. Pope John Paul the II memorably observed that the Catholic Church comes from the eucharist and that the eucharist, in turn, comes from priests. As Bishop Barron noted in a recent letter to his diocese, "by an inescapable logic [therefore] no priests, no Church." We should add, however, that priests come from bishops, which expands the ecclesial logic to this: no bishops, no priests; no priests, no eucharist; no eucharist, no church. In other words, bishops not only hold an important administrative position within the Church; tracing their authority back to the apostles and, ultimately, to Jesus Christ himself, they constitute the very sacramental and liturgical foundation of Catholicism itself. That, to say the least, is a weighty responsibility. So what is it like to be a bishop? How does one come to hold this office? What, specifically, do bishops have authority over–and what don't they have authority over? What kind of relationship do they have with each other and with the Holy Father, the pope? What are their day-to-day obligations and activities? And what are some challenges they face that both clergy and laity may not be aware of? A listener asks what made Bishop Barron want to be a priest. Topics Covered:01:38 | Bishop Barron's Thanksgiving in Chicago Links:
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| WOF 521: The Philosophical Habit (9 of 12) | 22 Dec 2025 | 00:22:19 | |
Newman believed that a liberal arts education would instill a philosophical habit of mind in students, helping students reason to the foundational principles of every discipline and see how everything fits together. The philosophical habit of mind distinguishes between significance and triviality, helping society and individuals order everything to the Good.
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| WOF 520: Defending Religious Freedom | 15 Dec 2025 | 00:36:35 | |
Religious freedom, especially for Christians, is under attack across the globe, including in the West–including right here in the United States. Whether insidiously in the form of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that block Christians from employment and advancement opportunities, or, overtly, like vandalism against churches, or, in some parts of the world, murderous violence against Christians themselves, in terms of sheer numbers–and this fact is often ignored–Christians are, by far, the most persecuted religious group in the world. While defending religious freedom is important for people of all faiths, or no faith at all, it is thus especially urgent for believers in Christ. How, then, can we work together as a church and as a society to make progress on this front? Taking a step back, what, specifically, is religious freedom and why is it a universal human right? What is the relationship between the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech? And how can we respond to the secular charge that religious freedom is merely a backdoor means for the faithful to impose their beliefs on others? A listener asks how we can grow in confidence that Catholicism is the one true religion. Topics Covered:00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 519: The Queen of the Sciences (8 of 12) | 08 Dec 2025 | 00:20:51 | |
Theology is the queen of the sciences. It is not just one science among many but the principal organizing science. If it is taken out of this central organizing place, something else will take its place. In this lesson, Bishop Barron helps us understand why Newman thought theology was of crucial importance in education.
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| WOF 518: What Is the Christian Way of Caring for the Poor? | 01 Dec 2025 | 00:42:22 | |
Poverty is not only a complex problem to address economically–not to mention sociologically, psychologically, and culturally; it is also often caught up in political and ideological currents, both domestically and internationally, that run counter to a Catholic understanding of human dignity and the common good. So what, then, is the authentically Catholic way of caring for the poor? What does it mean to say that Catholicism has a preferential option for the poor? How, moreover, can the Church coherently both advocate for reducing poverty on the one hand while praising the embrace of voluntary poverty on the other?
A listener asks advice on how God being in a non-competitive relationship with human beings applies to his mission as an evangelist. Topics Covered:
00:00 | Introduction Links:
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| WOF 517: The Idea of a University (7 of 12) | 24 Nov 2025 | 00:20:40 | |
Newman's articulation of the nature of university education in his The Idea of a University is crucial today in that a polytechnic model has replaced classical liberal education and theology has been exiled from most institutions.
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| WOF 516: How to Have a Civil Debate in a Polarized World | 17 Nov 2025 | 00:40:31 | |
Charlie Kirk's assassination revealed a disturbing new cultural and political reality for those who share any of Kirk's views: it is possible, in our day and age, to be shot for speaking your mind. How can we recover from this dark event, whose effects have reverberated across the globe? How can we reclaim the possibility of disagreement with each other without resorting to violence? What conditions must be in place to make civil debate both possible and productive again, especially as our society appears to be growing more polarized?
A listener asks for advice on a healthy way to end an argument when it's clear you're at an impasse.
00:00 | Introduction Links:
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| WOF 515: Developments Contrasted with Corruptions (6 of 12) | 10 Nov 2025 | 00:22:40 | |
In this lesson, Bishop Barron explains how Newman distinguishes between doctrinal development and corruption. A thorough explanation of this crucial issue requires a robust presentation of Newman's seven notes. Bishop Barron does just that! Topics Covered:
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| WOF 514: Celebrating St. John Henry Newman Becoming a Doctor of the Church | 03 Nov 2025 | 00:40:31 | |
Pope Leo XIV has recently formally declared St. John Henry Newman—who was canonized only in 2019 by Pope Francis—a doctor of the Catholic Church, a recognition given only to 37 other saints in Catholicism's over 2000 year history. This places Newman among great figures like St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Theresa de Avila, St. Catherine of Sienna, and the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux. What is the significance of giving St. John Henry Newman—an Englishman and Anglican convert to Catholicism who was born over 200 years ago—this title? What is it about Newman's approach to communicating the faith that earned him this great honor—and why now? Equally important, how can contemporary evangelists draw inspiration from his work to proclaim the Gospel in a drastically different world, religiously and morally, from Newman's 19th century Victorian England?
A listener asks for advice on how to give better homilies at Mass.
00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 513: The Play of Lively Minds (5 of 12) | 27 Oct 2025 | 00:21:59 | |
Newman thinks that the fullness of an idea can best be manifested when it enters the play of lively minds. It grows and develops through the Church. Newman's organic imagery opens up an interesting way of thinking about the difference between development and corruption in matters of doctrine. Topics Covered:
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| WOF 512: The Development of Christian Doctrine (4 of 12) | 20 Oct 2025 | 00:21:00 | |
Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine is perhaps his greatest contribution to theology. In this essay, Newman considers why "development" is an important lens through which to understand the Church and her teachings.
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| WOF 511: Newman as a Catholic (3 of 12) | 13 Oct 2025 | 00:21:07 | |
In this lesson, Bishop Barron explains what led Newman to enter the Roman Catholic Church. Newman's study of Church history was part of it, giving a personal tinge to his famous quote: "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant." Topics Covered:Newman's study of the Fourth Century theological controversies Article: Newman on Conversion | |||
| WOF 510: Newman as an Anglican (2 of 12) | 06 Oct 2025 | 00:21:03 | |
In this lesson, Bishop Barron presents Newman's autobiographical Apologia Pro Vita Sua, focusing on Newman's years as an Anglican prior to his conversion to the Catholic Church.
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| WOF 509: The Importance of St. John Henry Newman (1 of 12) | 29 Sep 2025 | 00:20:17 | |
In this lesson, Bishop Barron introduces St. John Henry Newman and explains his theological significance in his own day and ours. He is a pivotal player in Church history, being compared to St. Thomas Aquinas for his brilliance.
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| WOF 508: How to Build on Conversion Momentum | 22 Sep 2025 | 00:19:17 | |
We recently looked at some of the reasons that may be contributing to the resurgence or interest in Catholicism out in the culture. Today, we look at five suggestions on how we can preserve that momentum and hopefully increase it. 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 507: 1,700 Years of the Nicene Creed | 15 Sep 2025 | 00:21:41 | |
For 1,700 years, the universal church has confessed the Nicene Creed. This anniversary year, Bishop Barron spoke at a Greek Orthodox church in Rochester, Minnesota, to reflect upon the creed's origins. Enjoy. Link:
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| WOF 506: Why Are So Many Young People Becoming Catholic? | 08 Sep 2025 | 00:39:13 | |
Both interest and conversions to the Catholic Church have been surging both here and in parts of Europe, especially among young adults. To be sure, secularism still dominates the culture, but the once common wisdom that an increasingly secular society would eventually lead to the death of Christianity and its evacuation from the public square doesn't seem so common anymore. What are the causes of this apparent religious revival among young people? What can we do as evangelists to maintain and build on the momentum? A listener asks about the most effective way to make an initial evangelical impact on young people. 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 505: Bishop Barron's Q&A with Irish Pilgrims | 01 Sep 2025 | 00:28:14 | |
This week, we bring you the rich question and answer session from Bishop Barron's recent Jubilee address to Irish pilgrims in Rome. He takes on a variety of questions about faith, doubt, mission, happiness, and more. Enjoy. Link:
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| WOF 504: The Meaning and Purpose of Beauty (Part 2) | 25 Aug 2025 | 00:33:04 | |
This week we bring you the second half of a recent discussion about the meaning, purpose, and objectivity of the transcendental of beauty between the Editor-in-Chief of Evangelization & Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, Dr. Tod Worner, and Bishop Barron. 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 503: Our Call to Radical Self Gift | 18 Aug 2025 | 00:36:59 | |
Bishop Barron gave a Jubilee address in Rome recently to Irish pilgrims in which he looked at the great Old Testament figures and examined what it looks like to be called out of one's self into radical self gift. Enjoy. Link:
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| WOF 502: The Meaning and Purpose of Beauty (Part 1) | 11 Aug 2025 | 00:36:41 | |
This week we bring you the first half of a recent discussion between Managing Editor of the Word on Fire Evangelization & Culture Journal, Dr. Tod Worner, and Bishop Barron. The two discuss the meaning, purpose, and objectivity of beauty. 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 501: Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist | 04 Aug 2025 | 00:28:14 | |
Today, we're listening to a talk Bishop Barron gave within one of his classic study programs, the Eucharist series. He addresses Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist. Enjoy. Link:
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| WOF 500: Catholic Social Thought in the Age of AI | 28 Jul 2025 | 00:45:51 | |
In taking the name Pope Leo XIV, the new pope has signaled that the Church finds itself in an era marked by tumultuous social change. The question remains whether the Catholic social thought of his predecessor Leo XIII's time is still applicable today given the radically different world we now live in—a world increasingly defined by the rise and possible dominance of artificial intelligence, robotics entering into mainstream life, the breakdown of regular physical contact among people, and the rise of transhumanism. Can Catholic social thought help us to navigate these uncharted waters? A listener asks: How does one respond to "Science doesn't care what you believe"? 00:00 | Introduction
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| WOF 499: Four Culminating Themes of the Bible (Part 2) | 21 Jul 2025 | 00:27:42 | |
We bring you the second half of Bishop Barron's keynote address at this year's inaugural international Evangelisation & Culture conference in London. In the first half, Bishop Barron focused on the first two of four themes of the Bible, namely, creation and the God of Israel. Today, we conclude his address with the final two themes, right praise and kingship, and we learn how these patterns are gathered together in Christ Jesus. Link:
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| WOF 498: How to Strengthen Catholic Identity in Catholic Schools | 14 Jul 2025 | 00:39:03 | |
If Catholic schools are already Catholic, why would they need to become more so? The unfortunate reality, however, is that some Catholic educational institutions are not living up to their name. As some frustrated parents, priests, and even teachers who are afraid of losing their jobs for being "too Catholic" around their colleagues know well, some schools actively promote values that contradict Church teachings. What has led to Catholic education in some instances to deviate from its mission? And what, more importantly, can we do about it? A listener asks how to love God if God is love. 00:00 | Introduction
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