The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Friends, why do we love being distracted from the important things of life? The great French philosopher Blaise Pascal observed, "The sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room."

On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss why it is so hard to be still and contemplate reality, and how we can get better at it.

A listener asks, what are some things laity can do to build unity in the Church?

• Bishop Barron at World Youth Day
• Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees Edited, Outlined, and Explained by Peter Kreeft
• Saintly Creatures: 14 Tales of Animals and Their Holy Companions by Alexi Sargeant

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Today, we're thrilled to share with you the newest episode in our "Bishop Barron Presents" series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with well-known Hollywood actors Ethan and Maya Hawke. Ethan has starred in many excellent movies while Maya is probably best known for her roles in the BBC adaptation of Little Women and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

But more recently, Ethan and Maya joined forces to produce a new film titled Wildcat, a biopic about the Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor. Ethan wrote and directed the film, while Maya stars as Flannery herself.

Bishop Barron and the Hawkes enjoy a delightful and wide-ranging conversation about the film, Flannery O'Connor's stories, and so much more.

So sit back and take in this latest conversation in our series "Bishop Barron Presents". Enjoy!

• "Wildcat" film (IMDB)

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Friends, why are we so tempted to scapegoat people, especially online? And how do we escape that trap?

On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss the great Catholic philosopher René Girard and his theory of scapegoating.

A listener asks, what does Bishop Barron think of classical education?

• Bishop Barron Presents: Luke Burgis
• All Desire is a Desire for Being edited by Cynthia Haven
• I See Satan Fall Like Lightning by René Girard
• Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life by Luke Burgis
• Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography by Holly Ordway

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, is one of the best-selling books ever, selling over 150 million copies. In a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers, The Lord of the Rings was judged to be their favorite "book of the millennium".

However, few people know that Tolkien was an ardent Catholic. Holly Ordway has written a fascinating new volume titled Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography, which shows how his faith and his fiction were related, though in subtle and complex ways. This long-overdue spiritual biography gives new insight into his works by shedding fresh light on their author's deepest-held convictions.

Brandon Vogt recently sat down with Holly to discuss her new book and the depth of Tolkien's Catholic life.

• Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography by J.R.R. Tolkien

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Friends, is work something good or bad? Is it central to being human, or a punishment resulting from sin? And how do we understand our work theologically, tying it to God?

On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss the Catholic Church's view toward the dignity of work and the rights of workers, learning from Dorothy Day, St. Josemaría Escrivá, and several recent popes.

A listener asks, what do you mean by the term "transcendence," and how does it differ from immanent?

• The Theology of Bishop Barron by Matthew Levering
• Catholic Social Teaching Collection by Word on Fire

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Today we share with you Bishop Barron's keynote talk from the 2023 Wonder Conference, hosted by Word on Fire.

His keynote addressed scientism, the view that authentic truth claims can be made only in regard to those matters treatable through the scientific method, and offered three paths of scape: the intelligibility of the world, the immateriality of the mind, and the inescapability of metaphysics.

• A Grand Slam for God: A Journey from College Baseball Star to Catholic Priest by Fr. Burke Masters

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Friends, death is a topic most of us try to avoid. So, why does Catholicism teach we should meditate regularly on our death?

On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss the ancient Christian practice of memento mori (remember your death), and how Christ solves the four problems that death poses to each of us: identity, futility, loss, and the end of earthly joys.

A listener asks, what should Catholics think about near death experiences and stories?

• Understanding the Hillbilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O'Connor's Narrative Art by Fr. Damian Ference
• Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope by Mathew McCullough
• The Soul's Upward Yearning: Clues to Our Transcendent Nature from Experience and Reason by Fr. Robert Spitzer

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Today we share Bishop Barron's 2023 Commencement Address at Hillsdale College, delivered on May 13, 2023.

In his address, Bishop Barron examined not the question of what we are to do in life—important as that is—but rather what kind of person we ought to be? Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness or do we seek our own advantage? In a way, he says, there is no question in the moral and spiritual order more fundamental than that.

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

Friends, what makes great leaders great? Why do certain men and women seem to lead with such effectiveness?

On today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Brandon Vogt and I discuss several great leaders including Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope St. John Paul II, and Queen Elizabeth II.

A listener asks, how can I be sure if I'm acting out a theo-drama or an ego-drama?

• Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture by Matthew Petrusek
• The Thomistic Response to the Nouvelle Théologie: Concerning the Truth of Dogma and the Nature of Theology by Raymond-Léopold Bruckberger

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!

We know Church leaders need to be trained well in theology, morality, scripture, liturgy, and pastoral ministry. But if we want them to be able to wield those skills as effective leaders, they must also be great communicators.

After all, sharing the Good News is, at its heart, the task of communicating. Communication is a linchpin skill that unlocks the full potential of all other skills, and church leaders often get very little training in it.

That's why most parishes fail to engage 93% of parishioners, and it's why Matthew Warner wrote his excellent new book titled Why They Follow: Lessons in Church Communication from That One Lost Sheep, which was just published by Word on Fire.

Today, Brandon Vogt sits down with Matthew to discuss the book and the communications tips and strategies he recommends.

The Church needs great communicators. This book will teach you to be one. It belongs on every church leader's desk.

• Why They Follow: Lessons in Church Communication from That One Lost Sheep by Matthew Warner

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 of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!