Robert E. BarronRezensionen

I was given this book by my local parish, along with page-by-page notes and some extremely helpful reflection questions prepared by our pastor, Fr. Chris. Along with these notes and questions, he included a short introductory letter, stating "Even if you don't understand every single idea, don't worry: there are plenty of ideas that will catch fire in you if you allow them to. May you be blessed by everything Jesus reveals to you!"
I read it slowly and contemplated Fr. Chris' notes and reflection questions. I feel deeply moved by my new appreciation for the Blessed Sacrament: a meal, a sacrifice and the Real Presence of Jesus.

The Eucharistic Revival in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is a three-year initiative that began in 2022 with the goal of:

Renewing the Church: By rekindling a deeper and more meaningful relationship between Catholics and Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist.
Encouraging devotion: By fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for the significance of the Eucharist as the central sacrament of the Catholic faith.

Here are some key aspects of the Eucharistic Revival:

Grassroots movement: It's envisioned as a movement driven by the participation of Catholics at all levels, from clergy and religious leaders to parishioners and families.
Focus on education and worship: The initiative emphasizes educational programs and resources to deepen understanding of the Eucharist, alongside renewed emphasis on reverence and active participation during Eucharistic celebrations.
National scope: While a national initiative, it encourages local parishes and dioceses to develop their own specific programs and activities tailored to their communities.

The Eucharistic Revival addresses concerns about:

Declining Mass attendance: The initiative aims to reverse a trend of declining participation in Catholic Mass over recent decades.
Shifting beliefs: It also seeks to address a perceived decline in belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist among some Catholics.

Overall, the Eucharistic Revival strives to revitalize the centrality of the Eucharist in the lives of American Catholics and strengthen the Church through a renewed focus on this core sacrament.

This little three chapter volume addresses the need for Eucharistic Revival in the Church.

A recent Pew Forum survey revealed the startling statistic that 69% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For the majority of Catholics today, the Eucharist is merely a symbol of Christ, and the Mass is merely a collectivity of like-minded individuals gathering to remember his life.

This indicates a spiritual disaster, for the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." In response to this crisis, Bishop Robert Barron, then the Chair of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, began working with his brother bishops on a solution. From these conversations, the National Eucharistic Revival was born.

Bishop Barron offers a threefold analysis of the Eucharist as sacred meal, sacrifice, and Real Presence,

In the first chapter Barron can not help but make a references to social justice. And, Catholic Social Teaching is is a prominent aspect of Catholic theology, which emphasizes the dignity of all people and the need for social justice. Prominent Catholic figures actively championed social justice movements, like Dorothy Day.

Public perception often associates Catholicism with social justice initiatives, including healthcare access, poverty reduction, and advocacy for immigrants and refugees. The Real Presence is not as frequently highlighted in public discussions, but it remains a fundamental belief and devotional practice for many Catholics. Younger Catholics might emphasize social justice more, while older generations might prioritize traditional aspects like the Eucharist.

Herein might be the issue of identity for Roman Catholics. There have been several surveys conducted to explore the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholics, particularly regarding their understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist and their engagement with social justice.

As noted almost 70% of self-identified Catholics believe that the bread and wine used at Mass are symbolic representations of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Only 31% affirmed the real presence (transubstantiation)—the belief that the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Christ. Another study by Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), published in 2023, challenged the Pew survey’s methodology but still demonstrated that a significant number of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence.

While there isn’t a specific poll directly comparing belief in the Real Presence to social justice, it’s essential to recognize that Catholic identity encompasses a wide range of beliefs and practices. Social Justice is a core aspect of Catholic teaching, emphasizing compassion, care for the marginalized, and working towards a just society. Many Catholics actively engage in social justice initiatives, advocating for human dignity, peace, and equality. Factors such as education, age, ethnicity, and frequency of Mass attendance influence these beliefs. For instance, churchgoing Catholics are more likely to believe in transubstantiation, but the majority still view bread and wine symbolically.

Liberal/progressive Catholics may prioritize social justice over doctrinal adherence or traditional devotions like Eucharistic adoration. Conservative Catholics are often more orthodox on doctrinal matters. Demographic factors like ethnicity, age, and church attendance impact social attitudes. Hispanic Catholics and older, more observant Catholics tend to be more traditional.

Many polls support the general idea of Catholics prioritizing social justice. A 2021 Pew Research Center study found that 79% of American Catholics believe the church should be "active in promoting social justice," with younger Catholics holding even stronger support. Polls on specific social justice issues found anywhere from 60–80% of Catholics aligned with related Church teachings on matters like the death penalty, immigration, and aid to the poor.

Almost 70% of Catholics who could be identified understand Christ’s presence as symbolical while about 80% of Catholics support social justice.

Although there is no direct correlation, Roman Catholics can have faith in the Real Presence and promote social justice; it still seems indicative that the conclusion to draw is that social justice is understood as Catholic but the Presence less so.

But in general terms, Catholic emphasis on social justice appears high, while personalized belief in the Real Presence varies demographically.

Social justice as a term and concept hasn't always been used explicitly in official documents. Similar ideas and principles related to the Church's teachings on the dignity of all people, fair treatment, and societal responsibilities have been expressed during the Church’s earliest period and consistently throughout history.

The official Papal document where the phrase "social justice" appears for the first time is Pope Pius XI's encyclical "Studiorum Ducem" published in 1923.

However, it's important to consider some things:

Frequency and emphasis: While mentioned in "Studiorum Ducem," the term "social justice" wasn't emphasized or extensively explored in this first instance.

Pope Pius XI later used the term more extensively in two major social encyclicals: Quadragesimo Anno (1931) and Divini Redemptoris (1937). These pronouncements during the Great Depression significantly solidified the concept of social justice within Catholic Social Teaching.

During the 1930s–1960s and the New Deal & Rise of "Liberal Catholicism," Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies, aimed at social welfare and economic justice, resonated with some Catholic social justice principles.

In the 1960s–1980s and the Second Vatican Council, the period saw significant internal reforms in the Catholic Church, emphasizing social justice more openly. Some Catholics remained drawn to the Democratic Party's social justice focus.

Correlation is not causation but drastic changes took place after the Second Vatican Council and in the US during the 1960s-1980s; there was significant period of decline.

As of 2020, polls showed that among Catholics who attended Mass once a week or more, 75% say they voted Republican. That percentage can be contrasted with that of the 54% of Catholics who only attend a few times a year and who voted for Biden.

Sounds promising? Here’s the catch: only 17% of U.S. Catholics attend Mass every Sunday. There is a direct line between the crisis of faith in the Eucharist and belief in the Sunday Obligation and the crisis of the Catholic vote.

As a result, there are hundreds of thousands of Catholics going to the polls and voting for candidates and ballot measures that pose a direct threat to the beliefs of their own Church and country.

Social justice is one of the many arguments without arguments, and none is more pervasive or more powerful than social justice according to Thomas Sowell (p. 159, Intellectuals and Society). It is a phrase without a clear definition, even though it is common and has been in use for more than a century. "All justice is inherently social, since someone alone on a desert island cannot be either just or unjust" (p. 159). Prefacing the word justice with social implies that justice should be "established among groups, rather than just among individuals. But the collectivization of justice does little to make the concept of social justice any clearer" (p. 160). Sowell points out that "the equality of formal justice is an equality of processes, not an equality of impact or consequences" (p. 160). The anointed though makes these objections without empirical evidence, an argument without an argument.

Life is seldom, if ever, fair. Whatever injustice that remains after society has done its best "cannot be called a social injustice, though it is an injustice in some cosmic sense--extending beyond society's rules and practices--because it goes back to happenstances into which people are born" (pp. 160-161).

Even more troubling is a groundbreaking peer-reviewed study published in March 2023, titled “Understanding left-wing authoritarianism: Relations to the dark personality traits, altruism, and social justice commitment,” wherein authors Dr. Ann Krispenz and Dr. Alexander Bertrams found that left-wing extremism is closely associated with “psychopathic tendencies.”

“Narcissistic individuals and those with psychopathic tendencies are more likely to strongly endorse left-wing antihierarchical aggression,” summarized the widely cited PsyPost website, which reports the latest research on human behavior.

“Individuals with dark personalities – such as high narcissistic and psychopathic traits – are attracted to certain forms of political and social activism which they can use as a vehicle to satisfy their own ego-focused needs instead of actually aiming at social justice and equality,” the authors explain.

Stated simply, left-wing psychopaths pretend to care about “social justice and equality,” but in reality are just feeding their massive “ego-focused” lust for power, glory and revenge.

It may not be directly as a result of the Church identification with social justice but the blending of the Church with this political view may not have helped an authentic, spiritual, and healthy organization. What is clear is the trend in adherence to Roman Catholicism over the last several decades has been of lesser allegiance.

Here's a breakdown of the key points:

Despite population growth, the number of Catholics globally has increased at a slower rate than the overall population. Between 1980 and 2020, the Catholic population grew by 57%,while the world population grew by 88%. As a result, the proportion of Catholics in the world population has decreased from 17.8% in 1980 to 13.8% in 2020.

The decline is more pronounced in developed countries, where secularization trends are stronger. For example, the Catholic population in Europe has decreased by 10% since 1980, while in North America it has remained mostly stable. In developing countries, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia, Catholic populations are still growing, but at a slowing rate.

In this brief but illuminating text, Bishop Barron offers a threefold analysis of the Eucharist as sacred meal, sacrifice, and Real Presence, helping readers to understand the sacrament of Jesus' Body and Blood more thoroughly so that they might fall in love with him more completely.

Discover the profound truth flowing out of Jesus' words at the Last Supper: "Take, eat; this is my body. . . . Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant."

With all due respect, the good bishop can go do one.

toward postliberal Catholicism

bishop speaks on sexual crisis

The sexual abuse scandal has gripped the Catholic Church for the past thirty years, and continues to wreak havoc even today.. Many Catholics are understandably asking, Why should I stay? Bishop Robert Barron explains why this is not the time to leave, but the time to stay and fight. Reading the current crisis through the lenses of Scripture and Church history, Bishop Barron shows that we have faced such egregious scandals before; that the spiritual treasures of the Church were preserved by holy men and women who recommitted themselves to fighting evil; and that there is a clear path forward for us today. For Catholics questioning their faith, searching desperately for encouragement and hope, this book will offer reasons to stay and fight for the Body of Christ.

A summary of Bishop Barron's career to date, and a fabulous overview of his approach to evangelisation. The tone of the book is conversational; John Allen provides the framing and context around extended interview excerpts, which are arranged by theme. There is, inevitably, a degree of repetition from section to section, but this defect will actually be of use to those exploring the book by topic. The examination is deep enough that it will appeal to existing followers of Word on Fire, but would also make a perfect introduction to Bishop Barron's ministry. Highly recommended.

Barron condenses the breadth and depth of the Church into a small book, and even manages to convey some of its profundity.

“The Three Hours' Agony" or Tre Ore is a liturgical service held on Good Friday from noon until 3 o'clock to commemorate the Passion of Christ. Specifically, it refers to the three hours that Jesus hung on the Cross and includes a series of homilies on the seven last words spoken by Christ. Bishop Barron was invited by Timothy Cardinal Dolan to preside over the Tre Ore service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and the content of his presentation is featured here.

The Emperor Napoleon is said to have confronted Cardinal Consalvi, the secretary of state to Pope Pius VII, saying that he, Napoleon, would destroy the Church—to which the Cardinal deftly responded, “Oh my little man, you think you’re going to succeed in accomplishing what centuries of priests and bishops have tried and failed to do?

I am not Catholic, although I go to mass every Sunday (plus a few). My immediate family and much of my extended family are Catholic and I've always seen a certain beauty to the core of Catholic belief and the idea of thousands of years of tradition.

I've known for years in a sort of peripheral way about the sex abuse scandals surrounding the Church, but so far as I'm aware, it's always been several levels removed. I hope I'm not wrong. I'd heard that something big had happened in the Philadelphia diocese and that cover-ups from the church were involved, but I'd never really looked into the extent of details. Bishop Barron starts with the details, heinous as they are. He doesn't look to sweep it under the rug, which I can appreciate.

He then goes on to clarify a few things. The abuse cases in the Catholic Church have been dropping for decades. They've dropped even more dramatically after 2002 when additional protections were put into place, including more stringent background screening and the involvement of lay/non-church panels. This is good news. Corruption will happen. People will fail. Even among those who are supposed to know better--to be better. But one should always trust... and then verify. This does that, and I'm happy to hear it happening.

It's also interesting to put the modern scandals in something of a historical context. There are a great many disturbing verses in the Old Testament and Bishop Barron goes into many of them, pointing out that they are in fact examples of sex and love gone awry. I do not agree with the Catholic Church entirely on their teachings of love and sexuality, but it is interesting to see the parallels and the basis he is coming from. Going from there into two thousand years of Church scandal also does serve to apply some perspective. Church leaders have done terrible things over the last two millennia--but I would argue that any organization that old has some pretty impressive skeletons in their closets. And for the most part, the Church has dealt with these issues and emerged the stronger for it. I only hope that this is another such case.

I think the thing that annoyed me most about Bishop Barron's commentary--and perhaps this is my point of view as a non-Catholic--was the idea that it was instrumented by the devil. He doesn't particularly go out and say it, being very careful in his wording, but I thought the implication was clear.

It seems so thoroughly thought through, so comprehensively intentional. Certainly, in the ordinary run of history, bad things happen, but this scandal is just too exquisitely designed. ... If the Church had a personal enemy--and indeed the devil is known as the enemy of the human race--it is hard to imagine that he could have come up with a better plan.

Overall, it was an disturbing yet thought provoking read. It certainly won't be the text that convinces me to convert--I would be surprised if such a document existed--but it does make hopeful to know that there are those among the leadership of the Church like Bishop Barron.

If you are Catholic or even if you know someone Catholic and want to know more about the recent scandals and where the Church may go from here, you could do far worse than giving this a chance. It's a quick 100 pages, but it certainly has an impact.

In the end, we are not Catholics because our leaders are flawless, but because we find the claims of Catholicism both compelling and beautiful. We are Catholics because the Church speaks of the Trinitarian God whose very nature is love; of Jesus the Lord, crucified and risen from the dead; of the Holy Spirit, who inspires the followers of Christ up and down the ages; of the sacraments, which convey the Christ-life to us; and of the saints, who are our friends in the spiritual order. This is the treasure; this is why we stay.

B

CD: Advent

Not bad. Bland in some way. Or perhaps that's the wrong way to describe it. The thoughts themselves are so measured that one can project onto them whatever one wants to find. I am a cradle Catholic and card-carrying to this day, but scholastic theology only appealed to me in my teens when I liked things which were not ambiguous. I think Jesus' questions are why I stay. Perhaps that's the real gift here, that in reading this I reflect on why I stay.

A great, quick read from Bishop Robert Barron (although written earlier in his career). The writing itself was a little clunky in a few places and the book didn't present any new ideas, rather a collection and simplification of many ideas in the tradition, but it was a great introduction for a beginner like me. It was also interesting to see many of the themes that his apostolate, Word on Fire, follows were presented here very early.

In this stirring manifesto, Bishop Robert Barron explains why this is not the time to leave the Church, but the time to stay and fight. Reading the current crisis through the lenses of Scripture and Church history, Bishop Barron shows that we have faced such egregious scandals before; that the spiritual treasures of the Church were preserved by holy men and women who recommitted themselves to fighting evil; and that there is a clear path forward for us today.
For Catholics questioning their faith, searching desperately for encouragement and hope, this book will offer reasons to stay and fight for the Body of Christ.

"The life and spiritual teachings of the Catholic Church's greatest classical theologian as seen through the eyes of a contemporary theologian." "A promising young theologian examines the life and work of Catholicism's premier scholar and discovers a saint deeply in love with Jesus Christ. He shares with the reader not only the deep spirituality within Aquinas's theological writings but also Aquinas's little-known spiritual writings on prayer, and much more. Throughout, he applies these teachings to our daily lives."--BOOK JACKE

Recommended for suffering Catholics during this difficult time in history. A call for new saints to fight and rise up!

A revealing presentation as he sheds light on the Seven Deadly Sins - those great spiritual blocks that inhibit our relationship with God and others - and the antidote to them, the Seven Lively Virtues! Fr. Barron uses Dante's DIVINE COMEDY to expose the sinful patterns in our lives and show how they are effectively counteracted by the cultivation of virtue through the development of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This fascinating journey shows the path that God has designed to lead us to health, happiness and holiness.

This 90-minute film defines the “New Evangelization" and takes us on a fascinating tour to witness examples of new ardor, new expressions, and new methods of evangelization in action. This DVD set also includes 4 hours of extra features including two speeches from Bishop Barron, as well as full interviews and insights on the New Evangelization with George Weigel, Ross Douthat, Brad Gregory, and Brandon Vogt.

Painting a beautiful and mysterious image of what it takes to be a follower of Jesus Christ, Bishop Barron lays out the three intriguing paths one takes on their journey to holiness.

“What I propose to do in this book is to take you on a guided exploration of the Catholic world, but not in the manner of a docent, for I am not interested in showing you the artifacts of Catholicism as though they were dusty objets d’art in a museum of culture. I want to function rather as a mystagogue, conducting you ever deeper into the mystery of the incarnation in the hopes that you might be transformed by its power.” –Father Robert Barron

Since the first century, Christians have detected "seeds of the Word" in the surrounding culture. No matter how charred or distorted the fragments, we can always uncover inklings of the Gospel, which can then lead people to God. Through this evocative collection of essays, Father Robert Barron finds those "seeds" in today's most popular films, books, and current events. How do Superman, Gran Torino, and The Hobbit illuminate the figure of Jesus? How does Bob Dylan convey the prophetic overtones of Jeremiah and Isaiah? Where can we detect the ripple of original sin in politics, sports, and the Internet culture? Finding the "seeds of the Word" requires a new vision. This book will train you to see.

Barron sets forth a thoroughgoing vision for an evangelical catholic theology that is steeped in the tradition and engaged with the contemporary world. Striking a balance between academic rigor and accessibility, the book covers issues of perennial interest in the twenty-first-century church: who God is, how to rightly worship him, and how his followers engage contemporary culture.

Catholicism is both/and, not either/or. It celebrates the union of contraries--grace and nature, faith and reason, Scripture and tradition, body and soul in a way that the full energy of each opposing element remains in place.

In Vibrant Paradoxes, bestselling author Bishop Robert Barron brings together themes and motifs that many would consider mutually exclusive or, at best, awkward in their juxtaposition. But seen through the Incarnation, these opposites crash together and reflect new light in every direction. This book will train you to see.