logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
14m 42s

The Church Is Built on the Rock

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON
About this episode

Friends, this year, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul falls on a Sunday, and I want to spend some time reflecting especially on Saint Peter. Around the year 64, Shimon Bar Yonah, a fisherman from Galilee, was put to death brutally in the Circus of Nero. But while the Roman Empire is long gone and the successor of Nero doesn’t exist, the empire of this fisherman, Peter the Apostle, is everywhere, and in May, his 266th successor walked out onto the loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica, built over the very spot where he was buried. 

Up next
Oct 7
The Gospel Is Jesus Christ
Friends, in our second reading this Sunday, Paul writes to Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel.” The Gospel is not the ethical teachings of Jesus or the doctrinal teachings of Saint Paul; the Gospel is Jesus himself. And ... Show More
14m 55s
Sep 29
Trust in God’s Plan
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 religious vocabulary. And both the first reading and the Gospel today shed very interesting light on the nature of faith, which is not a kind of su ... Show More
14m 55s
Sep 24
Love for the Poor
Friends, Pope Benedict XVI memorably told us that the Church does three essential things: It worships God, it evangelizes, and it serves the poor. This week, the first reading from the prophet Amos and the Gospel parable of the rich man and Lazarus bring that third task vividly t ... Show More
14m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Patristic Pilgrims’ Progress
Christianity is the odd religion that does not require pilgrimage, but Christians do it anyway, and in great numbers, as they have since the earliest days of the Church. Many of the early Fathers made the journey to the holy sites. They trekked to the Holy Land to walk in Jesus’ ... Show More
14m 14s
Jun 2022
Peter - part 2 - Unlocking The Bible
Part 88 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson shows that Peter is teaching what various aspects of true submission are. He also gives advice to wives to win their unbelieving husbands. David sees that Peter is advising his readers on good attitudes ... Show More
39m 47s
May 2022
Peter - part 1 - Unlocking The Bible
Part 87 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series David Pawson says that 1 Peter is relevant wherever Christians are fearful of persecution. Peter tells believers how to endure for Jesus. So we need this letter today. It is warm and encouraging. Peter had known wha ... Show More
38m 14s
Jan 2014
17-What a Difference a Century Makes
This 17th episode is titled “What a Difference a Century Makes.”During the mid-4th Century, the history of the Church walked apace with the history of the Roman Empire. With the death of Constantine the Great, the rule of the Empire divided among his 3 sons, Constantine II, Const ... Show More
20m 38s
Sep 2024
The Pope Asks Elders Paisios & Porphyrios: Will You Come to the Vatican?
The Pope wanted Elders Paisios and Porphyrios to visit him at the Vatican…how did they respond? 0:00 Beginning 0:21 The Invitation from the Pope and the Elders’ Response —Commentary by Elder Savvas Hagiorite on the meaning of the Elders' Response— 1:00 The Pope is a heretic 1 ... Show More
4m 20s
Jan 2014
21-The New Center
This episode is titled – “The New Center.”Spread over 3 pages in Vol. 3 of his monumental work History of the Christian Church, author Philip Schaff makes a compelling argument for why it was inevitable Christianity would eventually emerge from the Roman catacombs to join the Sta ... Show More
12m 34s
May 2025
The Papacy in the Bible: Jesus Is the Master Builder
Is the Papacy in the Bible? Jeff delves into Matthew 16 and Isaiah 22 to explain the foundations of the Papacy and the authority granted to Peter. He explores the importance of organized leadership and the historical context of the 'rock' metaphor in the Old and New Testaments. J ... Show More
37m 3s
Feb 2015
75-The Witness of Stones
This episode is titled “The Witness of Stones.”I’ve had the privilege of doing a bit of touring in Europe. I’ve visited the cathedral at Cologne, Germany on several occasions. I’ve been to Wartburg Castle where Luther hid out. Mrs. Communion Sanctorum and I did a 2-week tour of F ... Show More
12m 57s
Feb 2014
27-Orthodoxy, with an Eastern Flavor
This Episode of CS is titled, “Orthodoxy, with an Eastern Flavor.”We need to begin this episode by defining the term “Orthodoxy.”It comes from Greek. Orthos means “straight” & idiomatically means that which is right or true. Doxa is from the verb dokein = to think; doxa is one’s ... Show More
22m 11s
Nov 2024
Day 331: Peter Preaches to the Gentiles (2024)
In today’s reading from Acts, the Holy Spirit guides Peter to initiate ministry to the Gentiles, beginning with the family of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. Upon hearing Peter preach, Cornelius’ entire household receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized. Commenting on today's s ... Show More
22m 15s