Monday, August 20, 2012

Catholicism by Fr. Robert Barron - Starting Point

This is the starting point for the discussion on Catholicism by Fr. Robert Barron. The discussion should apply well to both the book and the DVD series.

Here's a mini-breakdown of your options...

Book:

Less expensive
Content is nearly identical to the DVD series, but a little filled out in places (I especially love the Introduction about "The Catholic Thing" which is a great intro to the DVD series as well).
The book is available in print, as an e-book or on audio.

DVD Series:

More expensive (though you can look for it on sale)
More accessible to a wider age range
Accompanied by beautiful art, music and various settings (historical, cultural, religious, etc.) that bring extra meaning to the overall content.

We have chosen this book/series because it offers a profoundly beautiful, but also challenging overview of the faith which strives to provide a substantial sense of what it means to be a Catholic.

*Please be careful not to confuse this book with Catholicism by Richard P. McBrien.

Here's a lovely quote sample from that introduction that I mentioned above:

"What is the Catholic thing? What makes Catholicism, among all of the competing philosophies, ideologies, and religions of the world distinctive? I stand with Blessed John Henry Newman who said that the great principle of Catholicism is the Incarnation, the enfleshment of God. What do I mean by this? I mean, the Word of God - the mind by which the whole universe came to be - did not remain sequestered in heaven but rather entered into this ordinary world of bodies, this grubby arena of history, this compromised and tear-stained human condition of ours. 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us' (Jn 1:14): that is the Catholic thing."

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