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Friends, Christ is truly risen! The Lord Jesus, crucified, dead and buried rises, not in myth or metaphor, but in his real flesh and real blood. This is his glory—and our glory as well! Christ’s resurrection is his promise to us that his life and love is more powerful than even death. Because God in Christ has descended into death, we know that in our own experience of death we will find him waiting as our advocate and friend. On this the holiest day of the Church’s year, let us rejoice that the Lord has rescued us from death’s power and with confidence in his power, let us live not in fear, but with courage, and through this holy courage may we live boldly as disciples of Christ the Lor...

The Liturgy of Good Friday brings all Christians face to face with the Cross of Christ and we should never reduce it to a mere symbol. Instead we should accept the cross for what it was meant to be- a brutal instrument of terror, torture and death imposed by humanity’s propensity towards cruelty and violence.  Before the cross was a symbol of our faith it was a weapon to foment fear and accomplish subjugation. This is the truth about the cross but because God in Christ accepted the cross and conquered it through his divine love, we Christians do not fear the cross, but instead we hold it up, display to all those worldly powers that would use  fear and threats as a means of coercion and c...

The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection, an elegant hardcover volume with beautifully carved linocut art, features the four central documents that most fully articulate the vision of the council—Dei Verbum, Lumen Gentium, Sacrosanctum Concilium, and Gaudium et Spes. In the style of The Word on Fire Bible, it also includes illuminating commentary from the postconciliar popes and Bishop Robert Barron interspersed throughout, so that readers will understand how the Church authoritatively interprets different passages. Order your copy here: https://www.wordonfire.org/vatican2

Friends, I am sharing with you the testimony of Father Aloysius Ezeonyoka, the pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Ventura CA.  Months ago I received a call that Father Al had been critically wounded in a shooting while visiting his family in Nigeria.  Through the grace of God, Father Al is still with us and his testimony is well worth attending to.  There is no grandstanding or self reference here, but instead a graciousness and wisdom that is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit. This week priests throughout the world will renew the sacred promises of their ordination at the Chrism Mass and on Holy Thursday, the Church will remember the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist.  Father ...

Friends, yesterday the Church celebrated Passion Sunday, and with this solemn commemoration we begin the great days of Holy Week, which will culminate in the Sacred Triduum— the holiest days of the Church’s year. In these days we turn our attention to the Crucified Christ, who descends into suffering and death and in doing so places his divine presence into the most terrifying facts of human existence, demonstrating that his desire is to be with us, without exception, in all of what it means to be human— even in the experience of death itself! It is only through the mystery of the Cross that we will come to the revelation of Easter. In these holy days let us pray for one another, and pray...

Friends, this Sunday's Gospel reveals, in miniature, the whole of the Christian spiritual life. Up until this point in the narrative, Jesus’ ministry involved a small, select group who closely followed him. Now, however, he breaks through our locked doors and sends us forth to breathe his spirit into the entire world. We live in light of his Resurrection day—a day of new creation, a restoration of the whole of the cosmos under God’s grace. SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to watch every Sunday Sermon: http://bit.ly/wof-subscribe ———VIDEO LINKS——— Bishop Barron on Effective Evangelization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfpdpvZPwrg Bishop Barron on Evangelizing Through Beauty: https://w...

Friends, I want to wish a very blessed and peaceful Easter to you. In today’s victorious and triumphant Gospel, we hear the fanfares announce in the most unambiguous way that God, the sworn enemy of death, has overcome the powers of sin through his sovereignty: Jesus has risen from the dead. As we rejoice with Christ, we are asked to share the Good News of Easter: - Jesus is Lord of all things—even sin and death - Jesus’ claims about himself are indubitably proven and ratified - God’s love is more powerful than anything in the world Watch the Spanish version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og0n9gjhZCo SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to watch every Sunday Sermon: http://bit.ly/wo...

Friends, in this sermon for Palm Sunday, I explore three peculiar images in Mark’s account of Christ’s Passion and death, and how these details inspire us to live faithfully in the light of our Lord’s sacrifice. Watch the Spanish version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbgKyH0QJ0c SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to watch every Sunday Sermon: http://bit.ly/wof-subscribe ———VIDEO LINKS——— Bishop Barron on Palm Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpVbF1k0h-o Bishop Barron on the Power of the Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VZEnDWcpzg Bishop Barron on Why Jesus Had to Die the Way He Did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcKV65-9uY Bishop Barron on the Scandalous Cross of...

This unique collection covers fourteen of the Church’s most important magisterial social documents, including the full texts of Pope Leo XIII’s “Rerum Novarum” and Pope St. John Paul II’s “Centesimus Annus,” and excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI’s “Caritas in Veritate” and Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si’.” Unlike other anthologies, however, which only include encyclicals, this volume also features excerpts from the Old and New Testaments, the Didache, Church Fathers such as St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, and various saints and scholars, including St. Thomas Aquinas, Bartolomé de las Casas, Servant of God Dorothy Day, St. Teresa of Kolkata, and St. Óscar Romero. Learn more and order...

Friends, this beautiful collection includes the “Spiritual Exercises” of St. Ignatius; a selection of poems from Gerard Manley Hopkins, introduced and annotated by Dr. Holly Ordway; and a selection of letters by the great Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier, introduced by Bert Ghezzi. Learn more and order your copy: https://www.wordonfire.org/ignatius

Friends, 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 2021 and Beyond" (https://bit.ly/3mvLiAI). Brandon Vogt and I discuss the article, focusing on three of Crain's predictions for 2021: more Christians will be hesitant to speak publicly about their faith, Christians will increasingly see apologetics as a contributor to (unhealthy) disagreement, and belief in a generic God will continue to be acceptable in culture, but belief in Jesus as God will become increasingly gauche. A listener asks, wha...

Friends, what is the “dark night of the soul”? How does it differ from general depression, sadness, or confusion? That's what Brandon Vogt and I explore in this new episode of “The Word on Fire Show.” We unpack this spiritual concept from St. John of the Cross, and discuss a famous saint from recent times who experienced this “dark night” in a profound way. A listener asks, does God have a sense of humor? If so, is it objective so that everyone should find it funny? 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 ...

Friends, 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 genocidal, contradicting the New Testament presentation of God as loving and merciful. That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss in today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show." A listener asks, what are your thoughts on Carl Jung? What do you agree with and disagree with? 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 ...

Friends, today’s Gospel reveals the essence of Christianity. To believe in Christ means much more than to accept a set of propositions. Christianity involves entering into the space opened up by the death of the Son of God to receive his saving love. When you do this, you are born again; when you do this, you have eternal life. Watch the Spanish version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiH0C9gMeX8 SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to watch every Sunday Sermon: https://bit.ly/wof-subscribe ———VIDEO LINKS——— Bishop Barron on Being Born Again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ1pLyLdnhM Bishop Barron on Who Can Be Saved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8COHAt0JWA Bishop Barron on Why...

Friends, today’s readings contain within them the theme of God’s covenants with his people. God has made the whole of creation, but out of the totality of the nations on earth, he chose a particular people—the Israelite nation—to be “peculiarly his own,” forming them through a series of covenants and laws. These laws, in their fulfillment, come into the hearts of all peoples through the Eucharist, which inscribes the new and everlasting covenant upon the heart, soul, and mind. Watch the Spanish version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoOtjjCbSpQ SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel to watch every Sunday Sermon: http://bit.ly/wof-subscribe ———VIDEO LINKS——— Bishop Barron on Abraham, I...

Friends, as algorithms promote aggression, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture of contempt within social media. I want to address the toxic, poisonous quality attached to much of the dialogue found online by answering these main questions: - What is this culture of contempt? - Where does it come from? - What do we do about it? ———VIDEO LINKS——— Bishop Barron on Social Media and the Catholic Culture of Contempt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbLR4pUCW1Q Bishop Barron on the Worst of Religion, the Best of Religion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Q7u75C_gk Those Who are Just Must be Kind — Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ilaI0q1a8 ———WATCH——— ...