Igniting our Faith | Bishop Robert Barron

As there is a growing number of “nones” or religiously unaffiliated in our country, we must make a renewed commitment to the work of handing on the faith.

Jean Twenge’s new book ‘iGen’ focuses on the generation born between 1995 and 2012 called “iGen’ers” and their disconnect with religion.

The more we emphasize the uniqueness of Christianity, the less the faith speaks to the wider culture; and the more we emphasize the connection between faith and culture, the less distinctive Christianity becomes.

“The Case for Christ” is interesting for any number of reasons, but I think it is particularly compelling for its subtle portrayal of the psychological, spiritual and intellectual dynamics of evangelization.

Moral rectitude, the concrete living out of the Christian way, especially when it is done in an heroic manner, can move even the most hardened unbeliever to faith, and the truth of this principle has been proven again and again over the centuries.

Like so many of his other films, it is marked by gorgeous cinematography, outstanding performances from both lead and supporting actors, a gripping narrative, and enough thematic complexity to keep you thinking for the foreseeable future.

This meditative film has a great deal to tell us about communication, language and the patience required to enter into the cultural environment of a higher intelligence.

I’m in the process of re-reading a spiritual classic from the Russian Orthodox tradition: “The Way of a Pilgrim.” This little text, whose author is unknown to us, concerns a man from mid 19th-century Russia who found himself deeply puzzled by St. Paul’s comment in first Thessalonians that we should “pray unceasingly.”