About the Book
Gospel of John—spoken by a man born blind after being healed by Jesus—guide this rich theological investigation from Bishop Robert Barron into the heart of all Christian experience: transformation. What does it mean to encounter the light of Christ? How does this light change our way of seeing?
To answer these questions, And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation takes readers on an expedition into the riven self of humanity, the uncanny nature of God, and the healing power of Jesus. Bishop Barron shows that conversion to God, revealed in Christ, is about transforming the mind and soul—from a mind of fear to a mind of trust, and from a pusilla anima (small soul) to a magna anima (great soul)—and that theology itself supports this transformation. But he also shows that this change conduces not just to a new way of believing or thinking but to a new way of being.
Blending insights from the great minds of the theological tradition with the work of literary masters such as Dante, William Faulkner, and Flannery O’Connor, And Now I See is a unique and unforgettable portrait of what it means to have our eyes opened and see the light.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRELUDE: Change Your Way of Seeing
PART ONE: The Riven Self
Chapter 1 - The Mind of Fear
Chapter 2- Originating Sin
Chapter 3- The Doctrine of Original Sin
Chapter 4 - The Mind of Trust
Chapter 5- The Imago in Fullness and Emptiness
PART TWO: The Uncanny God
Chapter 6 - No Grasping, No Hiding
Chapter 7- The Serenity and the Creativity of God
Chapter 8- The Self-Sufficiency and the Lowliness of God
Chapter 9 - The Lordliness and the Lowliness of God
Chapter 10- Love
PART THREE: The Healing
Chapter 11 - Jesus the Judge
Chapter 12 - Jesus the Paradigm of the New Humanity
Chapter 13 - Jesus the Revealer of the True God
Conclusion - To Light a Fire on the Earth
Bibliography
Index
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
What People Are Saying...
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With this book Robert Barron enters the front ranks of contemporary American Catholic theologians."
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—Andrew Greeley
Professor of Sociology at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago
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I have reviewed many books over the past thirty years. I have learned from most, admired many, and deeply appreciated some. But of relatively few was I moved to think, 'This is a book I'd love to have written.' Well, Robert Barron's And Now I See is a book I would love to have written. It is a splendid and enchanting work.
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—Fr. Robert Imbelli
Associate Professor Emeritus of Theology at Boston College
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Robert Barron, an inspired writer, illuminates the teachings of ‘the great tradition,’ showing how they coalesce with the best literary witnesses to liberate us to our true selves. His reflections range from the philosophical to the poetic, themselves inspired by the riches of the tradition they unearth.
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—David Burrell
Theodore Hesburgh Professor Emeritus in Philosophy and Theology at University of Notre Dame
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“The reading of this book is like a guided visit to some vast treasure house where we are invited to explore the rich heritage of Christian thought. With the eyes of artists and the insights of poets, we walk with saints, philosophers, and theologians, challenged to move from blindness and fear to freedom and vision through Christ. At the end of the visit, we realized that we have actually begun, with renewed energy and enthusiasm, a journey—a pilgrimage—along the path of faith and conversation, trust and love. This is a book 'for all seasons'!”
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—Sr. Agnes Cunningham, SSCM