The Power of Prayer

Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies

Bishop Robert Barron

Spirituality, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Friends, when something tragic happens and people offer their prayers, you’ll often hear now, “I've had it with thoughts and prayers. We have to act.” In some extreme cases, people of prayer are mocked, as though prayer is just something completely ineffectual that we should leave behind in favor of action. We’re the first generation in recorded human history ever to feel this way. Human beings, across cultures, have always believed in the power and efficacy of prayer. Our first reading this week from Exodus 17 beautifully displays this power—and the fact that prayer, far from undermining action, sustains and supports it.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
0:04.0	Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization,
0:09.0	using media both old and new to share the faith on every continent
0:15.0	and to facilitate an encounter with Christ and His Church.
0:19.0	The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture
0:21.4	and bring the transformative power
0:24.0	of God's word
0:25.0	where it is most needed.
0:27.2	Today, we invite you to join
0:29.0	Bishop Robert Barron
0:30.4	as he preaches the gospel
0:31.8	and shares the warmth
0:33.4	and light of Christ
0:34.7	with each one of us.
0:40.3	Peace be with you. Friends, as I record these words, we're going through a tough time in our country with
0:45.3	outbreaks of violence, violence against politicians, against public commentators,
0:52.3	even against school kids.
0:53.3	It's just been a really rough season. And
0:57.1	something else has come to the fore at this time, which is really bothering me. The tendency of some
1:04.1	people in our public life to disparage prayer. So you'll hear this a lot now when something
1:10.6	tragic happens and people offer their prayers
1:13.2	and the reaction is, I've had it with thoughts and prayers. We have to act. Or, you know, keep your
	...

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