And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation Book

During Lent in our family, it is tradition to give up something daily that we cherish to recall the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. The late Fr Colin McKenna, our parish priest, suggested we also add something each Lent in order to nourish our soul spiritually during this season of renewal. Reading this book was my chosen nourishment for this Lenten season.

In this learned and gestalt tour of Christianity through the eyes of a diverse group of remarkable thinkers, ministers, poets, artists and ministers, Fr Robert Barron takes us on a journey from darkness to light, by encouraging us to see things differently. This is exactly what Jesus encourages us to do -- to go beyond the mind that we have through metanoia, or soul transformation. "The Kingdom of God is spread out on earth, but people do not see it.", He said. Minds, eyes, ears, senses, perceptions -- all have to be opened, turn around, and revitalized. Metanoia -- and seeing by virtue of a soul transformation -- is Jesus' first recommendation during his earthly ministry, and is the theme and course of this book. Starting with sin and evil and continuing on a journey to love and light, Fr Barron shows us what metanoia means, and what Jesus recommended. It is the transformation from the terrified and self-regarding small soul, to the confident, trusting, and soaring great soul. The seeing of the Kingdom, in short, is not for the pusillanimous, but for the magnanimous.

This book is very densely packed with wisdom and insight. The chapter on the Beatitudes, Jesus' magnum opus during his earthly ministry, is worth every moment spent reading it. It is especially mind opening given the special lens of metanoia Fr. Barron puts on it. At times the book was a challenge for me to unpack. Except for a couple of formal religion classes in school, I've not read a lot of theology. However the illustrations of the new way of seeing through metanoia are very artfully crafted, explanatory, and inspiring. Fr Robert Barron takes us on a journey with poets, writers, artists, saints and philosophers to illustrate how to move from blindness and fear, to freedom and vision through Christ. My soul was nourished and eyes opened through reading this book. And Now I See . . .