Today we bring you the first half of Bishop Barron’s lecture at Charles University in Prague. In this talk, Bishop focuses on St. Thomas Aquinas’ distinctive notion of God as “ipsum esse” and its connection with some of the principal themes of Catholic social teaching. Enjoy!

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

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Today we’re bringing you the second half of a conversation between Bishop Barron and Brenden Thompson during a trip to London. Brenden is Programme Manager of the Word On Fire Institute in the United Kingdom where he works to promote the faith in a deeply secularized culture. In this conversation, they explore Bishop Barron’s unique methods for public speaking and preaching, among other related topics. Enjoy!

• Brenden Thompson interview: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/meet-uk-program-director-brenden-thompson/
• 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.

Today we conclude Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. Throughout these lectures, we came to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy the final lesson!

• Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute:  https://institute.wordonfire.org/
• Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar?
• More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/

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.

Today we’re bringing you the first half of a conversation that Bishop Barron had with Brenden Thompson during a trip to London. Brenden is Programme Manager of the Word On Fire Institute in the United Kingdom where he works to promote the faith in a deeply secularized culture. In this conversation, they explore Bishop Barron’s unique methods for public speaking and preaching, among other related topics. Enjoy!

• Brenden Thompson interview: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/meet-uk-program-director-brenden-thompson/
• 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.

Here is the eleventh lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. As we journey through these lectures, we will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy!

• Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute:  https://institute.wordonfire.org/
• Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar?
• More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/

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.

Are Christians required to love everyone equally? This question has recently become a matter of public and even political debate. So how should we answer? It seems necessary to ask what “loving thy neighbor” means in practice; for example is the love between friends, the love between spouses, the love within a family, the love among compatriots, and even the love of an enemy all the same kind of love? Do these relationships all entail the same kinds of moral responsibilities? Might it be reasonable to say, for example, that we have a greater obligation to care for our own children over others’ children, our own friends over strangers, and our own country over other countries? If so, however, how can Christians coherently claim that we love all people equally?

A listener asks how to forgive and let go of bitterness. I help my kids return to church?

00:00 | Introduction 01:43 | Bishop Barron’s recent trip to London 02:08 | Understanding love in the great commandments 03:50 | Love for specific relationships 06:13 | Properly framing love of self 06:58 | Love your enemies 08:03 | Critiquing love as granting another’s desires 09:07 | The distinct love for God 11:17 | Who is my neighbor? 12:55 | Ordo amoris: the order of love 17:52 | Equal regard vs. equal treatment 20:36 | Is it ever okay to circumvent ordo amoris? 22:20 | Does the Good Samaritan counter ordo amoris? 23:40 | Does Luke 9:60 counter ordo amoris? 26:52 | The evangelical impact of understanding love 27:43 | Listener question 29:54 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

• Ordo amoris article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/first-love-locally-jd-vance-and-ordo-amoris/
• 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.

We bring you the tenth lesson of Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy!

• Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute:  https://institute.wordonfire.org/
• Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar?
• More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/

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.

Today we continue with lesson nine on our walk through Bishop Barron’s lecture series on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy!

• Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute:  https://institute.wordonfire.org/
• Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar?
• More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/

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.

Depression and anxiety have exploded in the past decade in the United States, especially, though not exclusively, among young people. Tragically, anxiety and depression frequently contribute to suicide and suicide attempts, with young men in particular taking much of the brunt of this epidemic of self-harm. Many suffer in silence, with neither family members nor friends aware of their mental, spiritual, and sometimes even physical anguish. What can we do to reintroduce hope, purpose, peace, and perhaps even joy into the lives of those who are feeling lost? What can both Catholic belief and practice offer in particular?  

A listener asks: How can I help my kids return to church?

00:00 | Introduction 01:51 | Bishop Barron visits Catholic schools 02:56 | Addressing the US depression epidemic 07:57 | The insufficiency of non-spiritual tools for depression 14:02 | Secularism’s role in depression 17:32 | 1) Faith frees us from the illusion of control 19:09 | 2) Faith offers us metaphysical hope 20:38 | A Christian response to hopeless feelings 21:46 | 3) Faith moves us to focus on the here and now, not on future worries 25:25 | 4) Faith helps us live for the good of the other 28:07 | 5) Faith liberates us from fear of death and the insignificance of labors 30:18 | Distinguishing dark nights of the soul from depression 32:37 | Practical advice for those in the dark 34:33 | Listener question 37:20 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

• Anxiety and depression stats: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr213.pdf
• Suicide stats: https://wisqars.cdc.gov/fatal-injury-trends/
• 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.

We continue our walk through Bishop Barron’s lecture series with lesson eight on one of the most important and influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, Han Urs von Balthasar. We will come to understand his life, his theology, and his ongoing impact on the Church and our work to evangelize the culture. Enjoy!

• Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute:  https://institute.wordonfire.org/
• Podcast: WOF 149: Who Was Hans Urs von Balthasar?
• More Resources: https://www.wordonfire.org/topics/hans-urs-von-balthasar/

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.