Bishop Robert Barron
Scorsese's 'Silence' and the Seaside Martyrs
I have long been an ardent fan of Martin Scorsese’s films. Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator, Gangs of... Read more
Ben Hur: A tale of Christ, a tale of grace
Lew Wallace’s nineteenth century novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, inspired two silent movies in the early decades of the twentieth... Read more
World Youth Day 2016: Source of hope
When I arrived in Kraków for the 2016 World Youth Day, I was pretty exhausted, having left Los Angeles some fifteen... Read more
The Cross of Jesus: God's awful work of love
I would like to continue reflecting on Fleming Rutledge’s extraordinary book The Crucifixion, which I consider one of the most insightful... Read more
How strange is the cross
Fleming Rutledge’s The Crucifixion is one of the most stimulating and thought-provoking books of theology that I have read in the past... Read more
Thomas Aquinas and the art of making a public argument
There is, in many quarters, increasing concern about the hyper-charged political correctness that has gripped our campuses and other forums... Read more
Four lessons on Divine Mercy from the Woman at the Well
I had the enormous privilege last week of addressing English-speaking priests from around the world who had gathered in Rome... Read more
Why 'Last Days in the Desert' is so boring
With his latest film, Last Days in the Desert, Rodrigo Garcia has accomplished something truly remarkable. He has taken a portion of... Read more
Shakespeare and the fading of the Catholic world
Last week the world marked the 400th anniversary of the death of the greatest writer in the English language and one... Read more
Why you should read C.S. Lewis' 'The Great Divorce'
In my capacity as regional bishop of the Santa Barbara pastoral region, which covers two entire counties north of Los... Read more
Porn and the curse of total sexual freedom
The most recent issue of Time Magazine features a fascinating and deeply troubling article on the prevalence of pornography in our culture. The focus... Read more
"Miracles from Heaven" and the Problem of Theodicy
As any apologist worth his/her salt will tell you, the great objection to the proposition that God exists is the fact of... Read more
First thoughts on 'Amoris Laetitia'
On a spring day about five years ago, when I was rector of Mundelein Seminary, Francis Cardinal George spoke to... Read more
The disturbing fact of the resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the be-all and the end-all of the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t... Read more
Blasting holes through the buffered self
Last week, during the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, I had the enormous privilege of sharing a breakfast with Fr.... Read more
Confirmation and Evangelization
Just a few days ago, I had the enormous privilege of performing my first confirmation as a bishop. It took... Read more
'The Revenant' and search for higher justice
*Contains spoilers* Alejandro Iñárritu’s new film “The Revenant” is one of the most talked about movies, and for good reason.... Read more
Saint of Light, Saint of Darkness
Like so many others around the world, I was overjoyed to hear of the recent decision of the Vatican to... Read more
Grace, nature, and what Advent is finally about
The readings for the third Sunday of Advent put me in mind of one of the most significant themes in... Read more
René Girard, Church Father
René Girard, one of the most influential Catholic philosophers in the world, died last week at the age of 91.... Read more
