Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism by Robert Barron
This collection of short essays (most are three or four pages long) is a good representation of Bishop Robert Barron's spiritual understanding. He is the main voice of Word on Fire, a Catholic organization dedicated to engaging the broader culture. The essays cover a wide range, from current events to literature and art in all its forms (music, painting, movies, etc.). He relates these bits of contemporary (and earlier) culture with the history and theology of the Catholic Church. The essays read like short homilies or brief editorials, explaining or introducing new perspectives on singular topics.
The book is divided into sets which focused on two items that do not immediately seem to go together or are historically seen as antithetical, like Sin and Mercy or Freedom and Discipline or the classic Reason and Faith. Barron shows through practical everyday examples how these disparate concepts are united in a faith-filled understanding of the real world and of God. His writing is delightfully straightforward and relatable. A reader can't get lost in technical jargon or arcane, overdrawn arguments. Barron takes complicated situations and makes them easier to understand or, at least, provides some insight into how an inscrutable situation can make sense.
Recommended.
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