Free And Now I See . . .: A Theology Of Transformation Ebooks Online
“Christianity is, above all, a way of seeing. What unites figures as diverse as James Joyce, Caravaggio, John Milton, the architect of Chartres, Dorothy Day, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the later Bob Dylan is a peculiar and distinctive take on things, a style, a way, which flows finally from Jesus of Nazareth. Origen remarked that holiness is seeing with the eyes of Christ. Teilhard de Chardin said, with great passion, that his mission as a Christian thinker was to help people see. And Thomas Aquinas said that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is a ‘beatific vision,’ an act of seeing. This book is about coming to vision through Christ.” — Robert Barron, from the Prelude
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (September 1, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0824517539
ISBN-13: 978-0824517533
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #154,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #66 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Roman Catholicism #2457 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Denominations & Sects #2644 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Spiritual Growth
I picked this book up knowing nothing about its content. As a reward, I received the most readable, sensible and well-supported view of Christianity I have ever read. This is not a religious book in the sense that it does not about Church or religions. (In fact, the author, Catholic Priest, seems to recognize that churchs and religions can be of the most difficult obstacles to understanding Christ.) Rather it is a book that focus on a multi-level interpretation of scripture and its call to transform our view of ourselves and our place in creation. This is done in part by reference to literary works be Dante, Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor and others in a successful effort to show a common search for the real Christ in us and in our midst. This book about transformation can transform the way you view the Bible and your place in and beyond the world. I set it aside to reread in two weeks and will probably do so several times.As an aside, Barron is very similar to Richard Rohr in many of his views. (He quotes Fr. Rohr's works at least once.) If you find Fr. Rohr interesting, Barron, intentionally or not, follows and expands many of his themes.
Barron draws on religious writings ranging from the Old and New Testament,Augustine, Thomas Aquinas (the subject of one of his previous books),Martin Luther and Dante to more contemporary writers like Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Paul Tillich, Hans Kung and Thomas Merton to position the story and meaning of Jesus' life in a profound new way. This book gave me, a lifetime seeker, powerful new insights into why Jesus really is the way, the truth, and the light. The writing style is intelligent, brilliant, yet wholly readable. You'll want to savor and underline many of the thoughts and observations. For example, the succinct interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is reason enough to get and read this book. Barron, a priest who is a theology professor at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois, provides us with a fresh way of viewing the Trinity which gives new meaning to the divine love it represents and what the Trinity says about how we can make love, and thereby personal fulfillment and happiness, integral aspects of our lives. If your looking for a book that will invigorate your faith and spiritual life, then get and treasure this book. It's a reference manual that you'll go back to often for encouragement and counsel. You'll keep it handy alongside books by Richard Rohr, Anthony DeMello and Thomas Keating. If anything its brilliance, scholarship, and insights exceed any of these authors. This book may well be for you the next best thing to having your own spiritual director. It could be the basis of a turning around, a metanoia, that will change your life!
Robert Barron's aptly titled book, "And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation" is a work that will potentially change your life, if only you invest the effort in its very readable, yet "dense" pages. They are to be pondered and incorporated into your heart. He synthesizes saints and sages, poets and writers, philosophers and theologians into a remarkable "symphony of voices" -- each enriching the others -- with Jesus Christ as the Conductor. The result is a mind- and heart-opening work, the likes of which you are unlikely to find anywhere else. This is not a book to be read or taken lightly, although a likely outcome is that your own heart will become lighter; and with time and grace, it will soar like a hawk. Our salvation is Fr. Barron's only interest. Chapter 13, "Jesus the Revealer of the True God: Christmas, Chalcedon, and the Cross", is itself worth the price of the book, even more. And while Fr. Barron has been extended deserved accolades (as on the front cover we see that he has entered the front ranks of contemporary American Catholic theologians), he writes for us -- the faithful. I cannot recommend this work highly enough. If it was possible, I would give it a sixth star.
Fr. Barron clearly establishes himself here as a trruly gifted theologian for the 21st century. By that I do not mean to imply he has any modernist leanings. He is simply the real deal in a field that is not exactly overflowing with new voices. Fr. Barron is equally gifted at taking deep theological and philosophical thought and presenting it in a way that is very accessible to the man/woman on the street. Most of his DVD's show him in that mode. This is a very excellent work of theology and if you like Ratzinger/Benedict XVI then you will like this as well. While he often reflects on previously established theological thought, he does so in a way that is fresh, thought provoking and indicitive of a person who is an original thinker. Well worth the time!!
Barron's writing is beautiful, almost at times poetic. His use of well known fiction to explain theology is unique.
This was the first book in theology that I read as a freshman as part of a small one-credit class led by Fr. David Burrell, and it helped me to fall in love with the discipline. Wonderful book.
It is easy to read, yet spiritually deep. I see it as being a reference book for me eventually...it's opening up a view of theology and God that I can resonate with and explains so much that I didn't understand...or have never thought of before! Love it and have read it twice so far!
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