Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture

by 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, Bishop 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.
"Seeds of the Finding God in the Culture" sheds new light on the influence of the Gospel in modern culture. Catholic books like these give you the tools to inspire a new vision and present a new lens on how to examine existing popular media, literature, and culture.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Faith, Theology, Christian

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2015

About the author

Bishop Robert Emmet Barron is an acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian. He is the former Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and also is the founder of Word On Fire (www.WordOnFire.org).

Bishop Barron is the creator and host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking ten-part documentary series and study program about the Catholic faith. He is a passionate student of art, architecture, music and history, which he calls upon throughout his global travels in the making of the documentary.

Word On Fire programs are broadcast regularly on WGN America, Relevant Radio, CatholicTV, EWTN, the popular Word on Fire YouTube Channel, and the Word on Fire website, which offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries, and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. In 2010, Father Barron was the first priest to have a national show on a secular television network since the 1950s.

Fr. Barron received his Masters Degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC in 1982 and his doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and has been a professor of systematic theology at the nation's largest Catholic seminary, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary since 1992. He was visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican.

In addition, Fr. Barron lectures extensively in the United States and abroad. Cardinal Francis George calls Fr. Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.

Fr. Barron was baptized at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago and grew up at St. John of the Cross parish in Western Springs, Illinois.
WordOnFire.org - Fr. Barron's website launched in 1999 and currently draws over 1 million visitors a year from every continent. Fr. Barron posts weekly video clips, commentaries and radio sermons and offers an audio archive of over 500 homilies. Podcasts of his sermons are widely used by tens of thousands of visitors each month.
TV - EWTN (The Eternal Word Television Network) and CatholicTV broadcasts Fr. Barron's DVDs to a worldwide audience of over 150 million people.

Radio - Since 1999, Fr. Barron's weekly Word on Fire program has been broadcast in Chicago (WGN) and throughout the country (Relevant Radio - 950 AM Chicago) to 28 million listeners in 17 states. Fr. Barron also is a regular commentator on the "Busted Halo Show" on the Sirius satellite radio network based in New York.

DVDs - Fr. Barron's DVDs are used as powerful faith formation tools in universities, schools, churches and homes around the country. The series includes Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues; Faith Clips; Conversion: Following the Call of Christ; and Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness.

YouTube - With over 180 online video commentaries by Fr. Barron, over 1 million viewers worldwide have made him the most popular of any evangelist on YouTube. These frequent, high-quality productions include brief and lively theological reviews of contemporary culture, including movies such as No Country for Old Men, Apocalypto, and The Departed, a three-part critical review of Christopher Hitchen's book God is Not Great, The Discovery Channel's The Jesus Tomb, the HBO series "The Sopranos", "Rome" and more.

Missions - MISSION CHICAGO features evangelization lectures by Fr. Barron at the behest of Cardinal George. These special missions and presentations throughout the Archdiocese are centered in downtown Chicago and attract business, civic, and cultural leaders.
Books - His numerous books and essays serve as critical educational and inspirational tools for seminarians, priests, parishioners and young people worldwide. His published works are also central to the numerous retreats, workshop and talks that h

Reviews

[Roseann · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the explanations through science and common sense. A must read.

[Sister · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by it. Bishop Barron basically shows us how to look at contemporary culture - movies, books, etc. - through a Catholic theological lens.

[Michael Barros · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a simple man, I read a Bishop Barron book, I give it 5 stars. Atheists are nerds.

[Joshua Polanski · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Goodreads would allow, I'd give Seeds of the Word two and a half stars instead of three.

Barron is thoroughly pastoral--not a bad thing for a pastor. The way he give a spiritual lesson from "Moneyball" or attest to the gospel through "World War Z" is always engaging and insightful. As the book progresses, Barron is less charitable to cultural artifacts, and instead of finding positive examples in culture, he mines the West for its worse. In these negative examples, Barron comes off as less insightful and more Dreher-esque. The book's organization, ending in much more sex and marriage talk than it started, adds to the potential "Benedict-option" feel. Yet, even in this more downtrodden, anti-postmodern part of the book, Barron still has his moments. About every third article from the final section on culture is still about as wonderful as his writings on film in the beginning. I especially appreciate the liturgical analysis of the Chicago skyline.

The book doesn't benefit much from being a collection. Barron repeats himself, his ideas, and even his rants, and it becomes clear that the articles were never edited to work better as a collection. A simple five minute re-read of each article could have fixed this small problem and made the book more enjoyable.

If you're looking for some interesting Christian musings (and I mean musings) on culture, I recommend Barron--just maybe speed through the final section.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to get help in viewing modern films, books, politics, and culture in general through spiritual lenses. However, I wish I was able to pick up on some more cultural references, and there were other movies/ books that I wish I could have heard his perspective on.
................

We live in a time where:
-Some people resort to steroids to cheat their way to an earthly pedestal. In A-Rod’s case, he didn’t start using steroids to get into the major leagues; he started using them to maintain his reputation as one of the greatest when he allowed social pressure to get the best of him.

-There’s a “hookup culture”, and some people (who aren’t even religious) get married in Churches but don’t fully appreciate the matrimonial sacrament.

-Pro-choice advocates view fetuses as lumps of cells that have not yet undergone the magical transformation of traveling down the birth canal, but were at least outraged when Sycloria Williams’s newborn (who was born prematurely during a delay in the abortion procedure) was disposed of in a dumpster by medical staff in 2006. Sycloria Wlliams pressed charges against Dr. Renelique (since she had changed her mind as soon as she looked into the face of her newborn), but it’s puzzling how she’s pressing charges for carrying out what she scheduled an appointment for.

-Some people get abortions based on gender (leading to a disproportionate population in China).

-Some people get abortion “reductions” to get rid of 1 of 2 twins or 2 of 3 triplets (whether to save money, etc.)... but how do they tell the survivor that their sibling(s) were murdered?

What does growth through freedom and guidance look like? “A good piano instructor lays out a plan for her changes. In the course of many years, she takes them through a whole series of exercises and practice sessions. She introduces them to relatively simple pieces of music and then, gradually, to Chopin, Mozart, and Beethoven. She invites them to play ragtime and boogie-woogie. She might finally demonstrate the process of composition and encourage them to write their own music. All this time, she is awakening and informing their freedom, pointing it toward the good, giving it purpose. Her ultimate goal -- again, if she is a good teacher -- is to establish perfect liberty in her students, that is to say, the capacity to play whatever they want. It’s not The Plan vs freedom; it’s The Plan undergirding freedom. God, whose glory is that we be fully alive, is something like the piano teacher” (31).
..............

The movie Eat, Pray, Love shows a slightly-misguided spiritual adventure. Julia Roberts takes a year off to explore the meaning of life. But even though it was great that she went sight-seeing, it’s a shame that she didn’t stop in any Church to actually worship. “There is a cute scene of Liz sitting on a bench next to a couple of nuns licking ice cream cones, but it never occurs to our spiritual seeker to wonder about the spiritual path those habited women had found. // If she had followed a Christian path, it would have led her to a very different conclusion than ‘God is in me, as me.’ // …I very much admired Liz’s honest prayer, and I respected her willingness to go on a spiritual journey. U just wish she had asked one of those nuns for advice!” (22).

Notes from the movie (after I watched part of it):
-When Julia Roberts asked her best friend how she knew she was ready to have a kid, this was her reply: “Having a kid is like getting a face tattoo: You’ve got to be fully committed.”

​-Julia Roberts mentions a fable where every day for a year, a poor man begged a statue of a great Saint for help in winning the lottery. One day, the exasperated statue comes to life and tells the poor man to buy a ticket (since he has to put in work for a chance to win). Similarly, Julia is putting in 3 “tickets” for chances to change her life (i.e., 3 different trips to constitute one year of a spiritual retreat).
...............

The Hunger Games and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” exhibit a sacrificial victim (like Jesus). In these cases, being chosen/ winning the lottery is NOT fun for the victim.

In the Nazi’s case, they chose their victims (the Jews) as a means for scapegoating. They blamed the jews for impurity in the human race and sacrificed them (against the Jews’ will) for “the greater good”.

In Jesus’s case, his sacrifice was truly necessary for our redemption. He willingly “volunteered as tribute”, and instead of blaming Him for any hardships we face in life, we should ask for His help.
….........

Jesus is relatable because He is normal like us but just with extra gifts. Like Superheroes, these gifts should be used for the good of mankind (and not to settle old scores for selfish reasons). “I can’t help but hear an echo of the ancient Christological doctrine in the latest films featuring Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. All three of these superheroes are hybrids -- combinations of the extraordinary and the ordinary. In all three cases we have someone who, in his lowliness, is able completely to identify and sympathize with our suffering and, in his transcendence, is able to do something about it” (53).
…………

The Shack has heresies, but it is still a powerful story of hardship and forgiveness. “Would I recommend The Shack? Yes, absolutely, especially to those who have suffered a great loss. But, if I can borrow a metaphor, reading it is a bit like eating a watermelon: lots of good sweet stuff to eat, but you’ve got to spit out a few seeds!” (104).
……….

Like Simon Cowell and Judge Judy, we shouldn’t be afraid to stick to telling the truth if it’ll ultimately be good for someone (even if people aren’t initially happy to hear harsh words). “Perhaps we might consider all of the judges whom we obviously love to watch to be minor icons of the Judge in whose light we ought to live” (198).
…………

We should realize that the sex-abuse scandal isn’t a Catholic-specific problem and that it shouldn’t undermine the goodness of what the Church stands for. “To watch the television networks or read the newspapers, one would think that the sexual abuse of children is a uniquely Catholic problem, one indeed facilitated by a wicked cabal of priestly and episcopal conspirators. There are some in the mainstream culture who are unhappy with many of the positions the Catholic Church has taken on sexual issues, especially abortion, and who would like to marginalize the Church’s voice or eliminate it entirely from the public conversation. Biblically minded people should not find this the least bit surprising” (201).
………………

Science does NOT contradict faith. “May I mention just a handful of the literally thousands of Catholic clerics who have made significant contributions to the sciences? Do you know about Fr. Jean Picard, a priest of the seventeenth century, who was the first person to determine the size of the earth to a reasonable degree of accuracy? Do you know about Fr. Giovanni Battista Ricciolo, a seventeenth-century Jesuit astronomer and the first person to measure the rate of acceleration of a free-falling body? Do you know about Fr. George Searle, a Paulist priest of the early twentieth century who discovered six galaxies> Do you know about Fr. Benedetto Castelli, a Benedictine monk and scientist of the sixteenth century who was a very good friend and supporter of Galileo? Do you know about Fr. Francesco Grimaldi, a Jesuit priest who discovered the diffraction of light? Do you know about Fr. George Coyne, a contemporary Jesuit priest and astrophysicist who for many years ran the Vatican Observatory outside of Tuscon? Perhaps you know about Fr. Gregor Mendel, the Augustinian monk who virtually invented modern genetics, and about Fr. Teilhard de Chardin, a twentieth-century Jesuit priest who wrote extensively on paleontology, and about Fr. George Lemaitre, the formulator of the Big Bang theory of cosmic origins? Or Jesuit brother and Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno who, in 2014, became the first clergyman to be awarded the prestigious Carl Sagan Medal ‘for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public’? // Can we please, once and for all, dispense with the nonsense that Catholicism is the enemy of the sciences? When we do, we’ll expose the Seth MacFarlane telling of the story for what it really is: not scientific history but the basest sort of anti-Catholic propaganda” (264).
………

We should remember to read the Bible in the context of the culture back then. “There are lots of things that are indeed in the pages of the Scriptures but that are not essential to the overarching message of the Scriptures. They are things that were in the cultural milieu of the human authors but that are not ingredient in the revelation that God intends to offer. A good example of this would be the references to slavery that Maher cited. The institution of slavery was taken for granted in most ancient cultures, and therefore it is not surprising that biblical authors would refer to it or even praise it, but attention to the great patterns and trajectories of the Bible as a whole reveals that the justification of slavery is not something that ‘the Bible teaches,’ which is precisely why the fight against slavery in the Western culture was led by people deeply shaped by the Scriptures” (267).

[Wendy Wong Schirmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As some have noted, most of these bite-sized essays are available on Bishop Barron's Word On Fire website. But "bite sized" and "brief" does not mean "lacking in substance." These are tasty morsels worth chewing on. In each essay, Barron is excellent at communicating succinctly what's at stake philosophically and theologically. He's also a good example of how, within reason, one is able to develop the ability to read almost anything through an orthodox Catholic lens. Barron's two great heroes are St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Irenaeus, and their insights and their implications are very much on display here. In addition, anyone who doubts Barron's orthodoxy-- often because he doesn't take up their pet causes or peeves at times of their choosing-- should read this book.

I also managed to get this book for free, although I paid for shipping and handling. Even though most of these are available prior to the release of the book, I however, liked not only the convenience of their being collated in book form but their having a table of contents that grouped thematically. I also tend to be one of those people who annotates everything I read, with notes in the margin that include my thoughts and references to other reading. What's more, I tend to annotate the table of contents, also, with comments on what particular themes any of these essays is good at illustrating.

So the usefulness of Seeds of the Word isn't just in the content. It's the way it provides a lay of the land.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, diverse selection of topics all dealing with how to apply Catholic living and teaching to cultural trends and outlooks. The thing I like most about this is Barron's rhetoric- even when he is talking about someone he doesn't like, or is talking about something he disapproves of, he approaches the topic from a position of respect and relationship. The only thing I would have enjoyed more would have been a kind of primer for lay Catholics on how to formulate these kinds of discussions in our own lives- how to find those 'seeds of the word' and use them to spread the Gospel. This is more of a collection of examples of Barron himself doing so, and would have been more effective if there had been even one added essay explaining the bare bones of the process for those young and old who need a little more development in how they evangelize with a true, comprehensive love.

[Marcos Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

O Bispo norte-americano Robert Barron mostra com inúmeros exemplos como a palavra de Deus está presente na cultura moderna, espalhada por filmes, livros, debates, vídeos, ações. Com elegância e bom humor, ele nos dá uma aula de como interpretar as obras da cultura popular, e como elas encontram eco na tradição religiosa cristã. Um belíssimo livro, instigante, aberto ao diálogo, que usa de argumentação racional para tratar da doutrina, escapando da posição defensiva e negando-se a colocar a fé como âmbito da vida privada. Seu livro é um convite para que católicos saiam do armário e discutam publicamente sua visão de mundo, mostrando que não se trata de crença irracional e sim uma fé com base na razão, como já ensinava João Paulo II.

[Chloë · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book is the declaration that suclarism will lead to the destruction and ultimate imorality of civilization, multiple anti-abortion arguments, and the basic "things went wrong for this person because s/he didn't follow the word of God." It was very hard to swallow. The only reason I kept reading was because this was an assigned book in one of my classes. The second half of his book is better, though. He draws more similarities between the Bible and current events rather than critiquing them. Of course, he still lets his hatred for Obama, atheists, secularism, and abortion known every few chapters.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thought provoking collection of essays that everyone should read. Bishop Barron has the writing talent and educational background to help us to see how God and Christianity in particular can be seen everywhere, even in the most unexpected places. He warns us not to be complacent and where we need to make changes. This is just a small part of his contribution to Catholic teachings and evangelization that have inspired believers and non believers alike. Bishop Barron can be considered a modern day prophet.

[robert miecznikowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morality in every day words

What more would you like to see and read about of what the world's thinking on morality today, in films, books, and every day happenings then discussed in an easy to comprehend manner by Robert Barron. You will not find a reference manual to get answers to defend why we need correct moral thinking in today's world than Barrron's pieces. It is easy reading and hopefully well read,we need it today. I highly recommend this book.

[Thomas Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, well-presented and entirely relevant. Fr. (now Bishop) Barron is both witty and straight-shotting, as always. His book is a must-read, for those curious about how to find faith in today's world or those lapsed and looking to return, and everyone in between. I do think he reaches way too far to find certain themes in the works he analyzes in the first part, but that is a mild problem and the message is worth hearing anyway.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read, but if you wanted to, you could also use it as devotional reading--every chapter is about a topic in the current culture, and the book is divided into sections based on books, movies, and culture in general. It's, like I said, a really quick read (these were columns, I think), but it's a good introduction to Bishop Barron's thought, his writing style, and the "seeds of the word" that we find throughout 21st century America.

[Erin Miroglio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. This collection of essays, some of which I’d already read online, really opened my eyes to how I can better interpret the world through the lens of Christianity.

Our faith is so relevant, and Bishop Barron helps you see how engaging with the culture, finding, seeds of the word” is an effective means of evangelizing.

[Fr. Jeffrey Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is clear that this book is written for a very general, not necessarily even Catholic audience. It is not one of Bp. Barron's most insightful works. However, even when overly general, the man is an excellent theologian in conversation with the wider culture, so I can still recommend the book, it just was not great for me.

[Jason Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this one for free as part of a Word On Fire promotional event and wasnt dissapointed.

I'm not sure I'd of paid for it though since much of its content can either be found on Barron's website or in his videos. Still, it's nice to have short, thought provoking, easily readable, essays from a Catholic perspective on popular topics gathered together in one book.

[Lisa Tibor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was kind of irritated by the author. Sometimes I read Catholic literature and find it helpful or inspiring. This was not that... and I couldn't get myself to finish the book. It's probably my particular viewpoint and this author may be the right thing for someone else.

[Michelle M. Silvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Bishop Barron is an excellent voice for the Catholic religion. As an individual who is dismayed by the secular shift in today's world, I find comfort, reason, and hope in his words.

[Chris Reisor · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read his blog, you've probably read some or many of these before, or at least some version of them. All of his insights are worthy of multiple readings and reflections, though.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is obviously well-read and in touch with the world at large. Bishop Barron is excellent at making connections and displaying sound logic in presenting his views.

[Bridget Ruffing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal. Everyone should read this boolk, Catholic, Protestant, Atheist and everyone in between.

[Jenny Artho · Rating 5 out of 5]

God is everywhere in everything!!! He Loves us so deeply!!!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite of his at all

[Molly Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will say that Bishop Barron is very engaging and a good writer so the book was for the most part entertaining to read. The first fourth of the book-the movie portion-imo should have been the whole book and he should have dared to talk more about movies that actually challenged him or that were movies he liked that were not just contemporary movies that came out from 2008-2015 (I really don’t think anyone thought that he would like Eat Pray Love, why bother talking about it?). At first I wondered why he always was writing about random pop atheists, why bother engaging with someone who you know you’re going to disagree with and who will disagree with you? You’re not going to get anywhere and allowing people to scream into the void is often the best way to stop that sort of argument. But his last essay gave me some insight on that: because it gets him views on YouTube to do so. Well, I personally think it’s a waste of time to constantly engage with things you disagree with rather than finding things that challenge you or that you agree with, but there ya go.

There were some truly frustrating things Bishop Barron said in this book that make me feel like he only wants to appear like he’s listening-not actually listen to people. Specifically, the way he talks about the sex abuse crisis is abhorrent. He compares supporting marriage equality to the support of dropping an atomic bomb on Japan in 1945 or to the support of slavery in the 1800s (pg 166) and says that what gay people do and want is not “decent,”(pg 167) but then when talking about the sex abuse crisis he says “we should not be surprised that people behave badly” (pg 199) and that the reason the sex abuse crisis is a crisis is because “the Church has enemies” (pg 200) and that “only 3-4% of Catholic priests were credibly charged with sex abuse” (pg 201). Ah, so when my queer family members and friends are in consensual adult relationships they are not being decent, but when a priests sexually assaults children, we shouldn’t be surprised when people “behave badly”? By the way, the issue wasn’t the number of priests who were sexual abusers, though that was a problem and that number seems extremely low considering just in my one parish I have seen 4 priests be removed because of sexual misconduct over the last 20 years (three of them were in consensual sexual relationships with adults, which still breaks their vows of celibacy but at least it was in a consensual relationship, and one of them was defrocked because he raped an adult). The issue was that the church hid this information, moved the priests around to different parishes where they had access to more people they could abuse, and tried to make it so the priests never suffered legal consequences. And everyone in leadership in the church knew about this, many of the bishops also participated in this. That’s significantly different than a teacher or coach taking advantage of kids, as the school system will fire the teachers and call the cops or CPS on those teachers if they have evidence that they are abusing children. Anyone can see that.

All in all this book is a product of its time and writer. 2015 was a different vibe and the complainants the Bishop has seem extremely juvenile in comparison to the issues we face now. You’re really going to get mad at Obama because he wants to have an open dialogue about abortion and gun rights(pg 142)? Trump is trying to destroy democracy as we speak. Dodge is taking my social security number and deleting it bro. We live in an oligarchy ruled by idiots.

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeds of the Word: Finding God in Culture by Bishop Robert Barron is a look into films, books, politics and society and culture as we see evidence of God and the human longing for God. Christians have searched for “seeds of the Word” in their lives and the surrounding culture. Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries which includes a YouTube channel and a documentary on the Catholic faith, Catholicism. According to Barron, no matter how charred or distorted, the seeds of the Gospel are all around us, especially in the most unusual places. Seeds of the Word is a collection of essays in which Bishop Barron finds those seeds in today’s most popular arenas like superheroes, sports and social commentary. Barron also confronts the growing anti-Catholic sentiment and where atheists and the secular world get faith and God wrong.
Seeds of the Word was given to me by cousins of mine and while I am not a practicing Catholic, my Christian faith has its roots in the Catholic Church as I was baptized as a baby and have my first communion. I have read many books which make similar assertions of finding God in the world around us, I was curious about Bishop Barron’s claims. From the opening article, Bishop Barron is clear, concise and uses evidence from each film, book and social commentary to support his claims as well as his counter arguments. I found Bishop Barron to be very insightful and interesting. From philosophy to Scripture and historical records, Bishop Barron presents the information very clearly and makes sound arguments for his theses. I highly recommend Seeds of the Word for Bishop Barron’s insights and honesty.

Seeds of the Word: Finding God in Culture is available in paperback and eBook

[Phil Wujek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting work! This is a compilation of short essays grouped into four categories. It is hard to simplify this work for a short review, but here goes. Bishop Barron states that there are "seeds of the Word" in the world's culture. He divides his essays into four categories. "Imago Dei: God in Film," "Take and Read: God in Books," "City on a Hill: God in Politics," and ""Rays of Truth: God in the Culture." While each essay is short, three or four pages, don't think that you'll be skimming like crazy through this. The man is articulate and it wouldn't hurt to keep a dictionary nearby during your reading of this. I haven't run across anyone who can communicate like this since Bishop Fulton Sheen!

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not one continuous story but a collection of essays on a variety of topics in which we can see "Seeds of the Word" or echoes of Christianity and the Bible all throughout our culture. Bishop Barron uses popular films (Twilight, Gran Torino, etc.), books, and examples in politics to connect back to how they are explicitly or implicitly connected to the Faith. Most of the essays, which are only about 3-4 pages each and have titles such as "Victor Hugo's Retelling of the Gospel," and "World War Z and the Council of Trent" or "The Fault in Our Stars and the Sacred Heart of Jesus," are excellent!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

jan2024 review//
It was good spiritual reading when I first shifted to another country. I started this book on my first few days in a foreign country, before I found church community there. // commemorating the part it played in my spiritual journey in that particular season.
I generally love the writings of Bishop Barron. My favorite excerpt from this book (which I remember) were his analogies from the Lord of the rings, and the hobbit, and how it relates to sin (eg greed) and the spiritual life.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt uneven to me. The early chapter on movies piqued my interest, but later chapters did not seem to follow the same pattern of looking at elements of popular culture through the eyes of faith. That being said, there were numerous essays in this compilation of Barron's work that shed light on Catholic faith and doctrine, and it's worth reading, though maybe best taken in small doses.

[Andrew Buyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful. After reading this book, one is well-equipped to see the "Seeds of the Word" in books, movies, the culture, and politics. This book has changed the way I see movies and read books and has increased my enjoyment in them because I am better able to appreciate the beauty within them.