That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Thought

In Chapter 3, "That Than Which Nothing Greater Can Be Thought", Fr. Barron discusses the God whose nature utterly escapes human classification. As the great theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas put it, God cannot be placed in any genus. He is not "one being among many", nor even the "Supreme Being". Rather, says Aquinas, He is "the very act of to be itself" (in Latin, "ipsum esse subsistens").

In the book of Exodus, Moses encounters God in a bush that burns but is not consumed. Immediately, he is told to take off his shoes, for he stands on holy ground. Then, God instructs him to carry the message of salvation to his people enslaved in Egypt, for He has heard their cry. When Moses inquires of God's name, he receives a kind of non-answer: "I AM that I AM." From this curious episode, Aquinas draws his famous phrase.

As Fr. Barron observes, the same Aquinas who says that God cannot be classified, also wrote volumes upon volumes about God. Barron recalls another encounter between Moses and "I AM". Here, God meets Moses on Sinai and promises that, while he cannot see God's face (for no one can see God's face and live), he will be permitted to see God's back. God therefore places Moses in the cleft of a rock, placing His hand over the cleft, pulling it away only as He passes by. Similarly, said Aquinas, we cannot prove God's existence as such, but we can infer certain things about God by reasoning backward from His effects.

Still, the same God whose very name speaks to His transcendence is also remarkably immanent. Even as God escapes our attempts to grasp Him, neither can He be hidden from. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sin by attempting to grasp at divinity in eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. While their new found knowledge does not make them divine, neither does their attempt to hide from God prove successful. God seeks them out, and finding them, quickly uncovers their guilt. In a sense, the spiritual life is much less about "finding God" that about letting oneself be found by Him.

Discussion:

1) Have you ever had an experience of God that was completely beyond words, in which you realized His utter transcendence? What was it like? Have you ever had an experience of God in which you realized His immanence, His closeness and His care? What was it like?

2) The "problem of evil" is a question with which believers have struggled for centuries. At different times, attempts to solve this problem have been either evasive (atheism or a mitigated theism) or trite (certain Christian theologies). Given what you know about God, how would you respond to a person who admits that she struggles with belief in God?

Happy Are We

In Chapter 2, "Happy Are We", Fr. Barron discusses the teaching of Jesus, including the way to joy through the freedom of "detachment", the necessity of nonviolence, and the ultimate Christian imperative to "love one another as I [Jesus] have loved you."

What becomes clear in this chapter is that so much of what Jesus teaches is a natural extension of who Jesus is. God detaches Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, from His own glory, and is thus free to make His home among men. Jesus is, in His very person, the identification of God with man. It is only natural, therefore, that Jesus says, "As you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." Jesus is the nonviolent Love of the Father, and thus undermines violence through the supremely nonviolent acceptance of His passion and death.

Because Jesus' teaching is so inextricably linked to His identity, we frequently find it strange, confusing, hard or even impossible to accept. And yet, we say with Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life."

Discussion:

1) What part of Jesus' teaching do you find easiest to accept or to live out? What do you find attractive or compelling about Jesus' teaching? How do you integrate this into your daily life?

2) What part of Jesus' teaching do you find most difficult to accept or to live out? What do you find strange or confusing about Jesus' teaching? How do you resolve this problem?

Amazed and Afraid

In Chapter 1, "Amazed and Afraid", Fr. Barron discusses the central doctrine of Catholicism, that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ.

While walking in Caesarea-Philippi, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" The disciples offer all kinds of answers, from "Jeremiah, or one of the prophets" to John the Baptist risen from the dead! All of these answers are wrong. Then Jesus asks the group, "But who do you say that I am?" The rest of the group fall silent, but Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, exclaims, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Theologians call God becoming human the mystery of the "Incarnation". "Enfleshment" would be an appropriate synonym. It is the mystery of the God who, through He utterly transcends creation, deigns to become a part of His creation. Here is the God who radically identifies with His people, even in the depth of human misery and despair, as displayed in the brutal torture and death of Jesus.

Discussion:

1. Jesus continues to ask us today: "Who do you say that I am?" Who is Jesus Christ for you? What is the nature of your relationship with Him?

2. How does God become "incarnate", "enfleshed", for you? How do experience God in the tangible realities of daily life?

Welcome! Salvete!

Welcome to JOURNEY, a blog devoted to discussing Fr. Rober Barron's "Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith"!

Here we will post short summaries of each chapter, along with discussion questions. We can discuss the chapters in the "comments" boxes below each post.
I also hope to post videos from Fr. Barron's "Catholicism" documentary, which is currently airing on PBS, by way of an introduction to each chapter.

Of course, I'm always open to suggestions, so if you have any ideas for making this page better, please don't hesitate to chime in!

I hope you enjoy the book, and that it deepens your appreciation of the beauty, the love, and the joy of Catholicism!