The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Bishop Robert Barron
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Join Bishop Robert Barron for a weekly podcast on faith and culture. Find more episodes at http://WordOnFireShow.com and submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.com.

  1. 3D AGO

    WOF 533: Hollywood & Catholic Priests

    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: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    39 min

  2. MAR 30

    WOF 532: The Suffocating "Warmth" of Marxist Collectivism

    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 Covered 00:00 | Introduction 01:48 | Winona-Rochester's record catechumen year 02:53 | A brief overview of Karl Marx 04:55 | What is dialectical materialism? 06:40 | Class conflicts in Marx's day 08:01 | Marx's early critique of capitalism 10:55 | Marx's critique of religion 17:12 | Marxism's pursuit of Utopia 20:06 | Rerum Novarum: Pope Leo XIII responds 23:08 | Reducing history to an economic substructure 24:20 | The legacy of Marxism 26:16 | Shared views between Marxism and contemporary identity politics 28:52 | Why harmful ideas take fair guises 31:23 | Critiquing collectivism 33:08 | US politicians and Marxist ideas 36:03 | Weren't early Christians fundamentally communist? 38:08 | Shouldn't we just try Marxism? 39:26 | Thomas Merton responds to Marxism 41:07 | Is it partisan to critique Marxism? 42:51 | Listener question: How do we respond to "my truth"? 45:12 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    46 min

  3. MAR 16

    WOF 531: Social Media in Light & Darkness (pt. 3)

    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 Covered 00:00 | Introduction 00:49 | Examining social media's shadow side 14:32 | Can teachers of the faith use social media without oversight 22:18 | How we prepare for online ministry 27:58 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    29 min

  4. MAR 2

    WOF 530: Catholic Ministry & Social Media (pt. 2)

    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: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    22 min

  5. FEB 16

    WOF 529: The Art & Means of Communication (pt. 1)

    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. Topics Covered 00:00 | Introduction 00:55 | The importance—and challenge—of communication 05:00 | How the gospel spread before the use of mass media 10:51 | Art as evangelization 17:54 | Papal communication and early media 22:05 | Mass media figures and their influence on Word on Fire 27:51 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    28 min

  6. FEB 9

    WOF 528: The Early Days w/ Bishop Barron & Fr. Steve (pt. 2)

    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: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    22 min

  7. FEB 2

    WOF 527: Reason and Authority (12 of 12)

    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.  Topics Covered: Consulting the faithful in matter of doctrine  Conscience  Reason and authority  Bishops and theologians  Links: Article: Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church Video: John Henry Newman on the Laity Read: On Consulting the Laity on Matters of Doctrine Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    22 min

  8. JAN 26

    WOF 526: The Early Days w/ Bishop Barron & Fr. Steve (pt. 1)

    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: Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/   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.

    32 min
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Join Bishop Robert Barron for a weekly podcast on faith and culture. Find more episodes at http://WordOnFireShow.com and submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.com.

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