Episodes
540 Episodes
WOF 287: The Future of Catholic Schools
According to a recent *Wall Street Journal* headline, "Catholic Schools Are Losing Students at Record Rates, and Hundreds Are Closing." Catholic schools peaked in the 1960s with about 5.5 million students in 11,000 schools. Today, Catholic
WOF 286: Sanctifying the World
Bishop Barron recently visited the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he had the great privilege of preaching at their baccalaureate Mass. In his homily, shared today on the podcast, he said we must remember that the primary purpose
WOF 285: Recapping Bishop Barron vs. The Cosmic Skeptic
On today's episode, Brandon Vogt and I discuss my recent conversation with [Alex O'Connor](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7kIy8fZavEni8Gzl8NLjOQ) (aka @CosmicSkeptic), one of the most popular atheists in the world. We replay and unpack s
WOF 284: Called Into the Depths (Naval Academy Address, Part 2 of 2)
Today we share the second half of Bishop Barron's 2020 address at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, titled "Called Into the Depths." He discussed three sailors from the Bible: the patriarch Noah, the prophet Jonah, and our Savio
WOF 283: Is Church Really that Important?
A [new Gallup survey](https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx) found that the proportion of Americans who consider themselves members of a church, synagogue, or mosque has dropped below 50%
WOF 282: Called Into the Depths (Naval Academy Address, Part 1 of 2)
Today we share the first half of Bishop Barron's 2020 address at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, titled "Called Into the Depths." He discussed three sailors from the Bible: the patriarch Noah, the prophet Jonah, and our Savior
WOF 281: Creating a Bible for the Ages
The *Word on Fire Bible* series is one of the most ambitious and significant projects we've ever taken on. Listen as Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss where the idea came from and the future of the project. They also give you a sneak peek a
WOF 280: Catholics, Media Mobs, and the Culture of Contempt
Today we share Bishop Barron's talk at the 2021 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress titled "Catholics, Media Mobs, and the Culture of Contempt." The talk focuses on how to address the swell of negative and nasty behavior we're seeing o
WOF 279: Overcoming Disagreement Fatigue
From politics to COVID, this past year has been filled with disagreement. That led Christian apologist Natasha Crain to write an article titled ["Disagreement Fatigue and 2020: How the Events of the Year Will Shape Christian Interactions in
WOF 278: The Identity of Jesus
Today we share Bishop Barron's talk from the [FOCUS SEEK 2021](https://seek.focus.org/) conference. The talk is titled "The Identity of Jesus" and explores how Christ had the authority to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and bring about
WOF 277: The Dark Night of the Soul
What is the "dark night of the soul"? How does it differ from general depression, sadness, or confusion? Bishop Barron and Brandon explore this spiritual concept from St. John of the Cross, and discuss a famous saint from recent times who e
WOF 276: Approaches to the Question of God (Part 2 of 2)
Today we share the second half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." ([Click here to listen to the first half.](https://www.wordonfireshow.com/episode274/)) He gave the talk
WOF 275: Understanding Violence in the Old Testament
Parts of the Old Testament depict God commanding the Israelites to massacre entire populations—every man, woman, child, and animal. How should Christians make sense of these passages? They seem to present God as angry, vindictive, and genoc
WOF 274: Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self (Part 1 of 2)
Today we share the first half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." He gave the talk at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as part of their Kenrick Lecture series.
WOF 273: Abandonment to Divine Providence
Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's spiritual classic, *Abandonment to Divine Providence*, taught that everything falls under God's will, from our delights to our challenges, and our happiness will only be fully realized in cooperating with that
WOF 272: Talking to Princeton Students About God (part 2 of 2)
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and graciously hosted by Th
WOF 271: How to Draw Young People Back to the Church
Why do so many young people drift away from God and the Church, and how can we help them return? This is a pressing question for all Catholics, but especially for parents who are brokenhearted about their own sons or daughters who have beco
WOF 270: Evangelization 101 (part 1 of 2)
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and graciously hosted by Th
WOF 269: Kids Q&A w/ Bishop Barron (February 2021)
Today, Bishop Barron answers questions from children all over the world, including:
WOF 268: What Books Did J.R.R. Tolkien Read?
It's commonly assumed that J.R.R. Tolkien, author of *The Hobbit *and *The Lord of the Rings*, was an arch-conservative, a backward-looking person, and that he valued nothing that smacked of the modern day. But in a groundbreaking new book