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, Pope Benedict memorably told us that the church does three essential things. I've always found this really

clarifying. The church worships God, the church evangelizes, and the church serves the poor. Those three

basic things. Everything we do can fit under one of those

three headings. And now if you look at the three popes prior to our present pope, you can see each one,

I think, emphasizing one of those. John Paul II, evangelization. He was the pope of the new evangelization,

going around the world, announcing the gospel. Pope Benedict himself, I would say, was the Pope of the new evangelization going around the world announcing the gospel.

Pope Benedict himself, I would say, is the worship of God. That was a primary concern of his,

the liturgy, the right praise of God. Pope Francis, who would doubt it, I think care for the

poor was a paramount concern of his. Now, mind you, all three were interested in all three. That's true.

But there was a kind of emphasis we can see in those three popes. Do you remember when Pope Francis was elected,

one of his colleagues, Cardinal Hummus, of Brazil, came up to him. He'd just been elected, and he said,

...