Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization,

using media both old and new to share the faith on every continent

and to facilitate an encounter with Christ and His Church.

The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring the transformative

power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today, we invite you to join Bishop Robert Barron

as he preaches the gospel and shares the warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you.

Friends, I want to focus this weekend on our second reading, which is taken from Paul's

magnificent first letter to the Corinthians.

By the way, when you have a chance this week, take out your New Testament and find First Corinthians, one of Paul's really great letters.

You can read it easily in one sitting, so take a look at it.

But the passage for this weekend has to do with the theme that has been central to my ministry for many years, and which ought to be central to every baptized Christian,

at least if the last four or five popes have been right.

I'm talking, of course, about evangelization.

Listen now to Paul as he speaks to the little church he had founded in Corinth.

If I preach the gospel, there is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it. That's so authentically the voice of Paul, too,

by the way, isn't it? You can hear his voice. If I preach the gospel, there's no reason for me to

boast. For an obligation has been imposed upon me and woe to me if I do not preach it.

Basically, Paul is explaining himself to his audience.

He's telling them and us what he's about.

He's identifying the center around which everything else in his life revolves.

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