WOF 459: Five Lessons to Learn from the African Church
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Release Date: 10/14/2024
WOF 488: The Legacy of Pope Francis
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Pope Francis passed away at the age of eighty-eight on Easter Monday. He was the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit pope, and the first pope to take the name “Francis,” after St. Francis of Assisi. What stood out in his twelve-year pontificate? How does his papacy compare with those of his immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope St. John Paul II? What should we continue to champion from Francis’ legacy as the Church charts her course into the future? Today we discuss Pope Francis’ influence on both the Church and the world. A listener asks how to deal with...
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WOF 487: “Ipsum Esse” & Catholic Social Teaching (Part 2)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Today we conclude Bishop Barron’s lecture at Charles University in Prague. During the talk, he 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! Link: Word on Fire Institute: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! 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 to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.
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WOF 486: Celebrating 25 Years of Word on Fire
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Word on Fire is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. That’s twenty-five years of proclaiming the Gospel, evangelizing the culture, and working hard to bring people to—or back to—Christ and his Church. It’s worth pausing to look back to remember where it all began and how the ministry has grown along the way. What is Word on Fire’s origin story? When, where, and why did Bishop Barron—then Fr. Barron—first conceive of the idea to found Word on Fire? What were the early years like? What have been some major developments along the way? What obstacles were encountered, what...
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WOF 485: “Ipsum Esse” & Catholic Social Teaching (Part 1)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Link: Word on Fire Institute: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! 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 to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your...
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WOF 484: Bishop Barron Joins Catholic Voices Podcast (Part 2 of 2)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Links: Brenden Thompson interview: Word on Fire Institute: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the...
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WOF 483: Bishop Barron on the Theology of Balthasar (12 of 12)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: Podcast: More Resources: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like...
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WOF 482: Bishop Barron Joins Catholic Voices Podcast (Part 1 of 2)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Links: Brenden Thompson interview: Word on Fire Institute: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the...
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WOF 481: Bishop Barron on the Theology of Balthasar (11 of 12)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: Podcast: More Resources: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners ....
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WOF 480: Are We Required to Love Everyone Equally?
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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...
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WOF 479: Bishop Barron on the Theology of Balthasar (10 of 12)
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
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! Links: Full lecture series available at the Word on Fire Institute: Podcast: More Resources: NOTE: Do you like this podcast? ! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of...
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Parts of the global Church have a very different kind of challenge on their hands than we do in the West: how to handle explosive growth. In many parts of Africa, the Church is running out of room in their seminaries, convents, and monasteries because of rising vocations, and the laity are collectively practicing their faith in ways that put the Church in the West to shame. In Nigeria, upwards of 94 percent of Catholics go to Mass every week, while the U.S. can’t even reach 30 percent in weekly Mass attendance among Catholics.
What explains this wide discrepancy? What are we in the West getting so wrong about evangelization, and what is the Church in Africa getting so right?
A listener asks how she and her family can practice Sabbath rest.
00:00 | Intro
01:50 | DOWR Chancery dedication
03:00 | The African church as a robust exemplar
05:35 | Does Africa’s numerical strength translate to ecclesial strength?
07:12 | Lesson 1: Primacy of the supernatural
10:56 | Lesson 2: Hold fast to theological orthodoxy
12:08 | How the Church engages cultures
16:13 | Lesson 3: Commitment to evangelize the culture
17:49 | The rhythm between “hunkering down” and “diving in”
19:50 | Lesson 4: Praise in public, criticize in private
23:13 | Lesson 5: Courage in the face of opposition
25:19 | Counter-claims for Africa’s religious success
28:49 | Listener question
31:28 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
Show Notes:
- Stats for Nigerian Church attendance: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253488/where-is-mass-attendance-highest-one-country-is-the-clear-leader
- Stats for American Mass attendance: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/12/9-facts-about-us-catholics/
- National Catholic Register article: https://www.ncregister.com/news/same-sex-blessings-and-the-catholic-church-in-africa
- E&C Online article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/pope-francis-isnt-actually-visiting-peripheries-hes-leaving-them-behind/
- Crux article: https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2023/01/running-the-numbers-africa-isnt-the-catholic-future-its-the-present
- Vatican News article: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/over-50000-christians-killed-in-nigeria-by-islamist-extremists.html
- 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.