Shows / Sermons - Word on Fire
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- Sermons - Word on Fire
Do You Want to Be a Saint?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, All Saints Day falls on a Sunday this year, so the Church can give special attention to this important solemnity. Léon Bloy…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
With All Your Heart, Soul, and Mind
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel this Sunday is from the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus has been doing battle with the scribes…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Coin Belongs to Caesar, But Caeser Belongs to God
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Twenty-ninth Sunday of the year, our Gospel features the question from the Pharisees about paying taxes. In response to…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Invitation Has Been Offered
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel today is the parable of the wedding banquet, and like all the parables, it’s kind of unsettling. What we’re meant to…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Peace of Christ
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in our second reading this Sunday, Paul tells the church of Philippi, “Have no anxiety at all.” It’s hard to imagine that…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Hubris of Man, the Humility of God
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our second reading, a passage from the second chapter of Paul to the Philippians, is one of the master texts in the New…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Love God—Not His Benefits
Bishop Robert Barron Friends for this Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear a story from Jesus that tends to bother everybody: the parable of the…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
You Belong to the Lord
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our Gospel for this Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time is the familiar story of Peter asking the Lord how many times he should…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Will the Good of the Other
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, I want to begin with our very brief second reading from Paul to the Romans. It…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
A Living Sacrifice
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, I want to begin with our very brief second reading from Paul to the Romans. It…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Church Prevails
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church brings us once again, with Jesus and the disciples, to Caesarea…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
How Not to Read the Story of the Syrophoenician Woman
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the story of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus famously puts off this…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
A Tiny Whispering Voice
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in my evangelical work online, I often encounter people who are skeptical of religion and dismissive of its claims. I usually ask…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Heart of Christianity
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, I want to focus on the Second Reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. The…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
What Life Is All About
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, and we’re going to finish our reading of the thirteenth chapter of…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
All Things Work Together for Good
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we continue this weekend reading from the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, which is dedicated to the parables of…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Let the Word of God Take Root in You
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continue our reading of the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter 13, Jesus gives a series…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Your King Shall Come to You
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, our first reading is from the prophet Zechariah, who is a very important figure for…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Be Attached to God Alone
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we’re reading this week again from the tenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, and Christ’s teaching here is—as always—astonishing…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Fear No One
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Jesus cannot be reduced to just one ethical teacher among many. But this doesn’t mean that his teaching isn’t important or…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Jesus Sees Something in You
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel is about Jesus sending the Twelve on a mission. Whenever we hear about the…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
From the Exodus to the Eucharist
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we’ve come to the great Solemnity of Corpus Christi—a celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Our first…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we’ve come to Trinity Sunday, one of my favorite Sundays of the year. The Trinity is not just a little puzzle for theologians…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Tongues of Fire
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we’ve come to the great Solemnity of Pentecost, which is, along with Christmas and Easter, one of the most important feasts of…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
What Is the Spirit Calling You to Do?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, today is the great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, which is situated between Easter and Pentecost. The Ascension is when…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Five Signs of the Holy Spirit
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the Sixth Sunday of Easter, which means we’re coming to the end of the Easter season—and coming toward the Solemnity…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Dwelling Place of God
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, there’s a somewhat hidden theme that runs like a golden thread through the readings, and that…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Cut to the Heart
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, all during the Easter season, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, and this Sunday, we hear part of Peter’s oration on…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Pattern and Presence of Jesus
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Third Sunday of Easter, we read once again the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus—a literary masterpiece…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Both His Wounds and His Peace
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, peace be with you—an echo of the words of the risen Jesus in our Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter, also called Mercy…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Earthquake of the Resurrection
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Happy Easter! We’ve come to the high point of the Church’s liturgical year, the reason why we’re Christians at all. If Jesus…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
God Enters Into Our Darkness
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come now to Palm Sunday, also called “Passion Sunday” because we read, in its entirety, one of the Passion narratives from the…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Jesus Wept
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Lent, we’ve been journeying through some marvelous stories in John: the woman at the well two weeks ago, the man born blind…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Light of the World
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear the incomparably rich story of the man born blind, which has beguiled Christians up and…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Thirsting for God
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Third Sunday of Lent, we hear the story from John’s Gospel of the woman at the well—a kind of master class in…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Adventure of Salvation
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, on this Second Sunday of Lent, our first reading about Abraham and Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration orient us to a basic…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Serpent’s Slogans
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we commence the holy and wonderful season of Lent, the time of preparation for Easter. I always think of Lent as something like…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Which Path Will You Choose?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Sunday, right before the commencement of Lent, the Church is giving us something of great moment to reflect on—namely, the…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Become Someone for Others
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, a great professor of mine at Mundelein Seminary, Dr. Richard Issel, once said, “If you want to be happy, stop worrying about…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Do You Want to Be Happy?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for the next several weeks, we’re going to be reading in our Gospel from the primal teaching of Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Unity in Christ
Bishop Robert Barron Friends for this Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, our first reading from the prophet Isaiah and our Gospel from Matthew both have a section…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Lamb Who Takes Away the Sin of the World
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we return now to Ordinary Time, and the Church asks us again to think about the baptism of the Lord, this time in light of Saint…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Side by Side with Sinners
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to this wonderful feast of the baptism of the Lord. And the first thing to know is that this was a profoundly…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Answer to Your Deepest Longing
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, why has the story of the Epiphany—the three wise man paying homage to the Christ child—so captivated us over the centuries? I…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Protect the Life of Christ in You
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, the great feast of the Holy Family follows immediately upon Christmas—a very interesting juxtaposition with a deep theological…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Are You Willing to Surrender to God?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our readings for the fourth and final Sunday of Advent are all about maybe the central motif of the spiritual life. Our culture…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Waiting in Action
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our readings for this Third Sunday of Advent help us understand what to do while we wait for the Lord. An Advent spirituality of…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, our first reading for this Second Sunday of Advent, taken from Isaiah 11, describes the Messiah’s arrival: He “shall sprout from…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Season of Sacred Waiting
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the New Year celebration of the liturgical year: the First Sunday of Advent.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Marks of Spiritual Leadership
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the final weekend of the liturgical year and the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Old World Has Been Shaken
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, we come to the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, which means that next Sunday is the final Sunday of the liturgical year.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Place of Right Praise
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Sunday we’re celebrating, with the whole Church, the dedication of the great cathedral of Rome: the Lateran Basilica.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Why We Pray for All Souls
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, All Souls Day, November 2, falls on a Sunday this year, so we can really spend some time reflecting on this wonderful feast…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Are You Revolving Around God—Or God Around You?
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we are treated to the wonderful and deeply challenging parable of the Pharisee and…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Power of Prayer
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, when something tragic happens and people offer their prayers, you’ll often hear now, “I've had it with thoughts and prayers.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Gospel Is Jesus Christ
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, in our second reading this Sunday, Paul writes to Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Trust in God’s Plan
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this Sunday, I want to talk to you once again about faith. As I’ve said before, faith is the most misunderstood word in the…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Love for the Poor
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, Pope Benedict XVI memorably told us that the Church does three essential things: It worships God, it evangelizes, and it serves…
- Sermons - Word on Fire
The Use – and Abuse – of Power
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, for this Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, I want to focus on the first and second readings.
- Sermons - Word on Fire
Christ, and Him Crucified
Bishop Robert Barron Friends, this year, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross falls on a Sunday, so we have the great privilege of reflecting a bit…