Today, August 16th, 2010, the Oprah special on the Dominican Sisters of Mary in Ann Arbor will re-air. Check your local listings! Father Barron's book, The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path, speaks of the universal call to holiness and the mission of radical discipleship, which is so beautifully on display in the lives of these young women. Here is an excerpt from the book for your reflection:
“Thus, your life is not about you, in a general sense, because it is related to the infinite mystery of God, but in a more pointed sense, because it is always about God’s missionary purposes. The neo-Platonist philosopher Plotinus summed up the spiritual life in the phrase: to be alone with the Alone. Plotinian devotees would certainly agree that their lives are not about them, but they would have no sense of being sent anywhere by the Alone. There is not the slightest trace of this self-absorbed mysticisim in the biblical tradition. No one in the Bible is ever given an experience of God without being sent on a mission to do the work of God. Abraham hears the call and is then told to go to a distant land (Gen 12:1-2); Moses sees the burning bush and then is commissioned to liberate his people (Exod. 3:4-12); Isaiah sees the display of God’s glory in the temple and says “Here I am; send me” (Isa. 6:1-8); Saul is blinded by the light of Jesus’ presence and appointed a missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3-19). The biblical rule seems to be: first you see, then you go.”
ExpectingRain.com a website dedicated solely to writings of and about Bob Dylan, posted a link to Father Barron's comments on Dylan's song, All Along the Watch Tower, on their headlines section for Thursday, August 12. Be sure to scroll through the "archives" to see this listing.
The Integrated Catholic Life website just added Father Barron as a contributing editor. Read about it here!
Father Barron's commentary on Mel Gibson was re-posted at the following websites and blogs: