Ignition: A Podcast for the New Evangelization

Dr. Chris and Renae conclude their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking at the final prayers before Communion and those who distribute Holy Communion to us. PLUS, an announcement about a change in Ignition's format. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking at the final prayers before Communion and those who distribute Holy Communion to us. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking at the prayers after the Our Father and their focus on God's peace to us. Enjoy!

Looking for God in our daily lives isn't like a real life version of "Where's Waldo?" It's not so much a matter of seeing different things, but of seeing things differently. That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

When the storms of life threaten to sweep us away, it can be helpful for us to take a step back and remember when and how we first became enamored with the Lord. That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, concluding their discussion of the First Eucharistic Prayer and turning to the Our Father. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking more closely at the First Eucharistic Prayer. Enjoy!

Too often we live and act as if the things that we are doing and responsible for are all on us. But that's simply not true, because, as Jesus Himself said, apart from Him, we can do nothing. What does this mean, not only in our spiritual lives, but in every aspect of our lives? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Smack dab between Christmas and Lent we find, on February 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. But what is this feast about, and how & why can we celebrate it in our own lives? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will conclude this series with a look at Jesus' message to Laodicea and what it means for those of us today. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at His message to Philadelphia and what it means for those of us today. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at His message to Sardis and what it means for those of us who live our faith with comfort and complacency. Enjoy!

Many of us are familiar with the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men, i.e. the ones who rode camels and visted Baby Jesus. But is that really what happened? What do we actually know about these men and what does it matter to us today? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at His message to Thyatira and what it means for us about testing those who claim to speak truth. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will finish our look at Jesus' message to the church in Pergamum and begin to look at His message to Thyatira. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at Jesus' message to the church in Pergamum and what it means for us today. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at Jesus' message to the church in Smyrna and what it means for us today. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we will look at Jesus' message to the church in Smyrna and what it means for us today. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we continue to unpack Jesus' message to the church in Ephesus. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we continue to unpack Jesus' message to the church in Ephesus. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we unpack John's opening vision of Jesus and begin to look at the message to the church in Ephesus. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we dive into John's opening vision of Jesus and what it tells us about Him. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. In this episode, we dive into John's opening vision of Jesus and how to interpret the Bible. Enjoy!

Perhaps the most mysterious book of the Bible -- Revelation -- begins with messages from Jesus to seven churches in the ancient world. But saints and scholars alike have long noted that these messages apply to us as well. How? That's what Dr. Chris is going to discuss in a short series on the opening chapters of the book of Revelation. Enjoy!

Jesus tells us about the necessity of baptism throughout the Gospels. What does this mean? And what happens to those who die without baptism? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Who is St. Michael the Archangel, and why do we pray to him? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

The reason that we believe the teachings of the Church isn't merely because someone said so; rather, there is a rationale for every doctrine we hold to as Catholics. Not only that, but every doctrine has a relevance for our daily lives. That's what Dr. Chris and Renae Kranz discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

The title says it all: what is evangelization, and why are we supposed to to it? That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode. Enjoy!

How can we as Catholics not only understand Sacred Scripture, but apply it to our daily lives? That's the question that Dr. Chris addresses in this episode of Ignition, using the Book of Revelation as an example. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking more closely at the First Eucharistic Prayer. Enjoy!

In the culture in which we live, words are used and misused to further political and cultural agendas, and in order for us to fruitfully live and share our faith in Jesus Christ, we need to recognize and reject the misuse of words. That's what Dr. Chris and Renae Kranz discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

As familiar as most Catholics are with the Holy Eucharist, many of us don't know what we are supposed to "do" after receive Communion: how do we pray right after Communion? How do we "live" after Communion? That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode of Igntiion. Enjoy!

With so many people who are indifferent to our faith, why should we share our Catholic faith with faith followers of Jesus Christ from other Christian traditions? That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Many people -- including many Catholics -- wonder why the Church makes such a big deal about artificial birth control. The answer? Because this issue speaks to crucial questions about the nature of the human person and human love. That's what Dr. Chris continues to discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

Many people -- including many Catholics -- wonder why the Church makes such a big deal about artificial birth control. The answer? Because this issue speaks to crucial questions about the nature of the human person and human love. That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

Many people -- including many Catholics -- wonder why the Church makes such a big deal about artificial birth control. The answer? Because this issue speaks to crucial questions about the nature of the human person and human love. That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

The Church says that the liturgy -- the formal worship of the Church -- is the source and summit of the Christian life. But what does that look like in our daily lives? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

It seems like everyone has an opinion and about everything, and even more, that you should to. But is that true? Do we need to have an opinion about anything and everything? Why, or why not? And what does that have to do with our relationship with God? That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

Every person is made for the intellectual life, and every disciple of Jesus Christ is called to be an intellectual. But that doesn't mean what we usually think it does: reading and waxing philosophically. In fact, even an illiterate person can and should be an intellectual. So what does it mean to live the intellectual life? That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

Dr. Chris and Renae continue their deep dive into what we do and why we do it at the Mass, looking more closely at Eucharistic Prayer III. Enjoy!

There are a lot of "faith facts" that we can learn as Catholics, but why bother? What difference do those doctrines make, anyway? Using the writings of speaker & writer Frank J. Sheed, that's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode of Igntion. Enjoy!

One of the least-known books of the Bible is the Song of Songs; yet this book is described by some ancient Jewish rabbis as the holiest book of the Old Testament. Why? That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

There are always answers to our questions about Catholic teaching. So what are the questions that young adults are asking today? That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

One of the most biblical and "religious" of words is "sin", but in the word of Inigo Montoya from the movie The Princess Bride, I do not think it means what we think it means. Sin isn't just a matter of external actions, or what the Pope thinks is wrong... it's contrary to reason, truth and love. That's what Dr. Chris discusses in this episode. Enjoy!

Just as in the military, it's important in the Christian battle to review what's working, what isn't, and what to do differently, and to recognize, appreciate and accept the many gifts that God gives us. That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

In order to be attentive to our neighbor, our Lord and His will for our life, we need to be present... we need to focus. And while our world tells us that we can do many things at the same time, the fact is we cannot. Multitasking? Yes. Multifocusing? No. That's what Dr. Chris and Robyn Bruggeman discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

We tend to think of idol worship as a thing of the past; after all, very, very few of us have golden statues in our homes that we worship. But that's not the only form that false gods can take, and in this episode, Dr. Chris and Renae Kranz discuss some of the more subtle forms of idol worship that many of us succumb to, and what we can do about it. Enjoy!

One of the more overlooked keys to fruitful evangelization and missionary discipleship is listening well. Why is that, and how can we do it better? That's what Dr. Chris and Renae Kranz discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

While we ought not be childish in our faith, we are called to be childlike, and one of the ways that we can do so is by engaging in friendship and conversation with those around us in less self-conscious ways. Why? So that we can lead them closer to Jesus. But how? That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode. Enjoy!

In a culture in which more and more people feel alone, it's imperative that as disciples of Jesus Christ, we be open to friendship with others, including those who live in different states or stages of life than our own. That's what Dr. Chris and Traci Austin discuss in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!

Jesus said that if we abide in His word, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free. In our day, though, it's popular not only to deny Jesus' word, but to deny our ability to know the truth at all. And yet the Catholic Church proclaims -- as she always has -- that reason is a gift from God by which we can indeed know the nature of reality and what it means. That's what Dr. Chris talks about in this episode of Ignition. Enjoy!