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4.5
This is my first read of Bishop Barron's writings, although I have listened to many of his interviews & sermons on YouTube.TBH, I am as drawn to how Bishop Barron writes as well as to what his content! His writing has such visual impact: abstractions are analyzed, made concrete, created into metaphor, & taken to a new plain.He doesn't hesitate to disagree w/modernity, conservative, or liberal perspectives as he states in the Introduction.This "strange" Christian life as he describes it, is created by three paths: "Finding the Center"; "Knowing You're a Sinner"; & "Realizing Your Life is Not about You". All three discussions fly in the face of current generations & really, ALL generations of humans, with our self help, feel good, success orientations.The first path, Finding the Center, is recognizing that there is a GOD, beyond ourselves, "The GREAT I AM", the GOD who created & creates, of the Hebrew Scriptures. When we acknowledge & move into this first Path, the other two Paths are logical progressions: to admitting that we are sinners, & realizing that our lives are not all about us...what revolting, challenging developments. JESUS, the Messiah/Christ becomes the ultimate divine, human person to seek & love us so much as to become the victim to reconcile us back into that TRIAD of perfection. How Bishop Barron described GOD through Jesus, following the Father's WILL & becoming our victim, yet reaching out, making the first move of loving forgiveness & reconciliation to the victimizers (us), spoke volumes to me. I hope I'm not misconstruing his writing, but it was a profound "take away" as I reflected on that Divine action & implication for living.With the Path's chapter, the author includes Biblical scenes, writings of classical or modern writers to illustrate (one comes away having read the BEST ever synopsis of each), modern people examples, & also, suggested practices to help follow each Path. It is amazing how GOD can choose such intellect & understanding, yet humility of person as Bishop Barron, to be HIS messenger among us at a most necessary time, in footsteps as Paul/Saul of the New Testament.I genuinely can say this book, THE STRANGEST WAY, is an excellent read for believer or non-believer alike: if only to realize that one's own life matters, but so does the OTHER; & often in the course of human relations, one, even wronged, may need to reach out first to mend fences.
