Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism

by Robert Barron

G.K. Chesterton once said that Catholicism keeps its beliefs "side by side like two strong colors, red and white...It has always had a healthy hatred of pink."

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 come together and reflect new light in every direction.

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

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2016

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

[verbava · Rating 3 out of 5]

в есе про совість, the tiny whispering sound, беррон розповідає, зокрема, про своє письменницьке чуття, яке підказує, хороша вийшла стаття чи не занадто. далі він ще пише, що слабкі речі йому часом хочеться переробити, але за сам факт написання ніколи не буває соромно – і в цьому різниця між реакцією письменницького чуття на недовершеність і реакцією совісті на гріх. утім, оця друга частина його роздумів зараз менш важлива, а щодо першої – мабуть, про тексти з цієї збірки у нього був весь спектр відчуттів, від «добре» до «не занадто». принаймні в мене виникає враження, що гомілет і теолог культури з беррона значно сильніший, ніж апологет і полеміст. із цієї книжки запросто можна було б зробити дві: одну дуже гарну, з теологією повсякдення й роздумами про присутність бога у світі; другу – з доволі передбачуваними спробами теодицеї й полеміки з атеїзмом (і хоча беррон критикує опонентів за дискусію з якимось поверховим християнством, йому самому не вдається далеко втекти від цієї моделі). але така вже проблема медійного теолога: говорити доводиться і про те, що погано перетворюється на втішні для письменницького чуття тексти.

[Václav Kubíček · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sbírka mnoha Barronových esejí rozčleněná asi do pěti tématických celků. Podle svého přístupu ke knize získám tedy buď změt biskupových myšlenek anebo různostranný vhled do jeho postojů k filosofii, teologii a kultuře. Dobrou esej určuje dle Petra Kreeft v předmluvě dvanáct podmínek, namátkou jde o zajímavost myšlenek, potenciál změnit náš život, krátkost, jasnost a houbka zároveň, ale především by nás měla privádět blíž Bohu. Barronovi eseje jsou takové.

[Oliver Schnusenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was truly a pleasure reading this book from someone so committed to his Faith and so very able to explain it. Not only did the book deliver on the paradoxes, but there is so much material in these short essays that makes the reader want to dig deeper that I ordered five books just as I was reading this one. There are some very interesting historical bits as well. Just a fantastic read! Each essay is bitesize with a maximum of maybe four pages.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Dr Peter Kreeft says in his foreword (much more eloquently than I can), Bishop Barron has the unique talent of boiling down key elements of the Catholic faith into essays of just a few pages that get to the very heart of the Truth. At times, his essays made me ponder, at times I felt energized with zeal for evangelism, and at times I was brought to tears. In an age of polarization and conflicting commentaries, his words reminded me of the core of the Catholic faith and its overwhelming beauty.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, Catholic or not.

[Michaela Loughran · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars probably. As always, Bishop Barron is an engaging and articulate writer and thinker. As a collection of essays/speeches he has given in the past much of it was not new to me, but it was a good and interesting arrangement to put together all his essays that span the both/and of Catholic theology and social teaching. There were definitely some good reminders and beautiful explications of the depths of Catholicism that are easily misinterpreted in the modern era.

[cellomerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this series of short essays, Bishop Robert Barron defends the honour of Catholicism in a convincing and passionate way. I did not agree with every argument His Grace made, but I did have many learning moments from his writings, and I appreciate his powerful, broad-minded intellect and deep love for the Church.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant Paradoxes is part-apologetics and part-sermons; an assemblage of the author's best writings on the apparent paradoxes facing the Church today: faith and reason, sin and mercy, and suffering and joy among others. The book deftly navigates these by providing learned background (i.e. the writings of Aquinas, the lives of the saints) and real world examples in the culture. This makes the views and doctrine of the Church more approachable and relatable. Each passage is also only a couple of pages or so, making it perfect for reading during Lent or Advent.

[Tom Brinkmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Bite sized bits of profound wisdom packaged in delightful and delectable packages. I would contend that one could not get up from this feast without being a better and wiser child of God and life.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good, but so deep and I just am not in the state to read it any more. Got to page 94

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series of short 2-3 page essays on everything varying from saints, modern ideas and ideologies, the church, faith and Catholicism.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays by Robert Barron, who is obviously well educated and level-headed. his essays are thought provoking and inspirational, divided into the general topics of "Sin and Mercy", "Reason and Faith", "Matter and Spirit", "Freedom and Discipline", and "Suffering and Joy". Although I enjoy all of Bishop Barron's writings, my favorite essay from this collection is titled "The Genesis Problem" from the "Reason and Faith" section. I will return to it and refer others to it again and again.

[Jon Wisnieski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Catholic Church needs more of Bishop Barron. He is incredibly knowledgeable and articulate and does a great job of engaging the culture as well as promoting conversation and intelligent, reasoned argument on all sorts of subjects, both controversial and non-controversial. This book and his podcasts have had a great impact on me and reigniting my passion for the Catholic faith and the wonderful tradition that it is.

[David Selsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely wonderful. Fantastic. As I wrote about Father Robert Barron's book, "Catholicism," he is profoundly adept at taking complicated Christological and theological ideas and concepts and explaining them beautifully for the layman. His vocabulary is crisp; his analogies and metaphors are spot-on. There is nothing that is not excellent in this book. The book is broken into three sections and all of the many essays that make up each section range from 3 to 6 pages. Were they originally homilies? Speeches for his podcast? I have no idea. I don't care. Whatever they were first written for and wherever they were first spoken, is fine with me. I'm thrilled to have all these nuggets of wisdom in the same place.

Father Barron is called the "priest of social media," or part of the New Evangelization; whatever you want to call the role he has taken to, bravo to him for being out here doing his thing, writing his stuff, doing his podcast, and making his appearances. I'm sure he has led thousands of people to the Catholic Faith or strengthened and clarified the faith of those who already identified as Christian or Catholics specifically. He's a wonderfully lucid thinker, but more important than that, he's a fantastic writer. Intellectuals and extremely smart people are all around us: in the fields of theology, philosophy, political theory, history--learned men and women who've spent decades studying their area of expertise. But can those individuals take their knowledge and write about it in a way for others who don't have that level of expertise so that others understand the material, are edified by it, and feel their worlds grow because of their exposure to it? That is a gift!

Writing talent like that is a blessing. Patrick Deneen immediately comes to mind as a political theorist who is a spectacular writer. Adopt Reed Jr, when it comes to the realm of Black politics, is a wonderful writer. Christopher Lasch, whom everyone always talks about (including Deneen), for my money, isn't a great writer, and as a result the fruits of his intellect aren't as easily appreciated by the lay reader.

What makes a spectacular writer, the likes of which Father Barron most certainly is? Tone, confidence, clarity, diction, sentence structure, pace. All of that and more. He has it in spades.

[rosey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to review this since it’s a collection of essays so i don’t remember everything since it can get a bit disjointed, but overall was an interesting read. Some of it very thought provoking, some good reminders/explanations on Christianity in general, some things i disagreed with and points where i questioned the author’s motivations for certain essays.

I liked the section on reason & faith, and how science is not necessarily in opposition with Christianity. I think there are some points in that section that would be new ideas to many atheists.

I felt there was a lot of cherry-picking from philosophers, scientists, pope francis’ statements, and other theologians to support certain arguments, and then purposely ignoring the parts of what the person said that didn’t align with the argument the essay was trying to make. E.g. Albert Einstein alluding to support of Christianity in his early life, then denouncing it at the end of his life. His supporting arguments are explored in depth, and the denouncing is brushed off as a random crazy thought he had before dying!

I also dislike the constant need from Catholic talks and lessons to interpret things as being against abortion, homosexuality, and other social/political issues. It often seems like a stretch to me when they draw the connection and makes me lose trust in the author.

I did appreciate the different interpretations/explanations of things like how literally we should take scripture, the logistics of the resurrection/ascension (lol), etc. also really liked the essays on mother Teresa and Catholic snapshots from his time in Calcutta and Africa

[Phoebe S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of essays, and based on what I've been told from my friends who are a little better acquainted with Bishop Barron, I'm not sure if it's all new content. The organization of the essays into groups of paradoxes which the Church does not object to but rather embrace is for the most part done well. My favorite essays might have been "Pope Benedict and the Logic of Gratuity," "John Henry Newman at the Synod on the Family," "Why the Ascension of the Lord Matters," and "St. Irenaus and the God who Doesn't Need Us, " though there's a little something for everything.

I'm not sure the new atheists are as relevant as Bishop Barron claims them to be in this book. He talks of a more non-combative atheism later on, but it seems to me that those trying to irrefutably prove the nonexistence of God are in the minority. I much prefer when Barron addresses his essays more towards Catholics, though, granted, I am part of that demographic. Plus, due to the fact that some of these essays were likely not written for this book, there's a little bit of repetition, but nothing too bad or distracting. Overall, there are some meh essays, some quality ones, and some that are absolutely brilliant and will lead you to further understanding of the Catholic faith, whether or not you believe, thus I rate it a 4.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this book boasts of Barron to be the most readable and delightful Catholic essayist alive. (Dr. Peter Kreeft).
Well, I can't say whether he is right or wrong, because I haven't read a lot of essays from Catholic writers yet, but I do want to agree.

I also found the essays by Barron to be simply delightful and also full of insight. Barron didn't shy away from some of the most controversial topics (such as evolution theory, abortion, same-sex marriage, etc), but he touched upon these and many other topics with a clear, sound and rationally Catholic voice.

I bought this book kind of on impulse at the recommendation of fr. Elias (whose course on Revelations I was following), but I haven't regretted it one moment.

[Atlantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice read in short daily doses. Fr. Baron goes deep into philosophical and historical aspects of the Catholic Religion which (for me) needed intermittent reflections to fully absorb. I always appreciate Fr. Baron’s interpretation on things and this is a nice collection on various current and relatable topics which will challenge what you know about the Catholic religion and your faith.

[Pablo C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those familiar with the Catholic tradition (even if vaguely so), the perception of a certain constant contradiction has probably become a common frustration: salvation, yes, but through suffering. Freedom, yes, but through commandment. Mercy, yes, but through expiation. In this collection of short, clever essays, Barron turns that "but" into "yes, both, and". And the outcome is, yes, both realistic and hopeful.

[Tim Timberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book more than Bishop Barron's Seeds of the Word, but it still felt like most of the essays could've used another paragraph or two to more-fully explain their points. My favorite essays were the longer ones, such as the last essay on waiting.

This book about paradoxes has recommendations on the back from both George Weigel and Fr. James Martin, SJ.

[Michelle Hoyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

In the book he discussed various different ideologies and their impact on the Catholic faith and what Pope Francis and POPE Benedict discussed various aspects of the paradoxes.

[Phillip Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays on Catholicism. Barron delights with his insight and brings the Faith to life in new and exciting ways. A joy for any Catholic and a wonderful introduction for any non-Catholic.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bishop Barron's writing and arguments are wonderful. While the essay format isn't my favourite thing, I appreciated each and every one of Bishop Barron's essays. I would definitely like to read and learn more from Bishop Barron.

[Reuben Nuxoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good collection of articles on matters that relate to what a priest must talk about.

[Emerson John Tiu Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

...various reflections

[Revesk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume of essays is worth reading, no matter the reader's faith or complete lack of faith.

[Geo Forman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to start each day with a "big" thought before getting buried with the day-to-day. Multiple short (2-3 pages) essays; most pretty good, some excellent.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great daily prompts for my morning prayers. He always has something insightful to say that gets me to an increased understanding of the Catholic faith.

[Marcos Junior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressionante a capacidade do Bispo Barron de tratar de uma grande variedade de assuntos em artigos curtos mas cheios de sabedoria.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot of wisdom from Bishop Baron. I really enjoyed it - very readable.

[Benjamin Sisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Academic but Robert Barron makes the paradoxes of the faith comprehensible to any person.