"Revelation" - Flannery O'Connor "Pivotal Players" Episode

Friends, I was pleased to hear The EMMY Awards - Southeast have nominated our Flannery O'Connor film for an EMMY award: www.southeastemmy.com/southea...
I want to express my gratitude toward our entire team for their fine work on this beautiful episode, including Fr. Steve Grunow, Matt Leonard, John Cummins, and Manny Marquez.
Of all the "Pivotal Players" episodes, I'm particularly proud of this one, which I think is the most beautiful of the collection.
Watch this short excerpt from the episode, which explores one of Flannery's most beguiling short stories.
(Get access to the entire film at PivotalPlayers.com.)

[@laramaui4114]

This is so deep. I’m in tears. I think we are all Mrs. Turpins. Were it not for Divine Mercy. Flannery O’Connor was so profound, brilliant, real. It’s taken me all these years to really begin appreciating her work, her life.

[@user-pc8dl4cy3i]

Narrated with such grace and ease, Bishop Barron. Matches the music and the visuals. Memorable and I hope you win an Emmy. Bravo for this transcendent gem!

[@blindlemon9]

Flannery O’Connor is, along with Faulkner, the very greatest US writer of the Twentieth and Twentieth Centuries so far. Not just the finest Catholic fictionalist, mind you, but the world’s finest novelist of of the past couple of decades. Remarkable that she wrote a total of two novels. Read Wise Blood first. About four or five times. She is not a tricky reader, but her text is filled with beautiful poetry and symbolism. The layers must be peeled away carefully to reveal the astonishing (and non-preachy) truth. Wait until you find out who the dark ape-man swinging through the jungle in the background is. Utter brilliance.

[@PilgrimSurgeon]

Thank you, Bishop Barron, for making us understand why Flannery O'Connor's stories are so compelling.

[@pop6997]

If we don't recognise that we personally need a saviour, it's very difficult. I love this Bishop, and I'm learning so much from your ministry and introduction to these wonderful writers and thinkers. Everybody needs a challenge to move forward, and it's so cool that you re-introduce those people to us who are timeless 'relevant'. Ty. God Bless :)

[@marypinakat8594]

Thank you Bishop Barron for the most telling presentation and the video. You will always remain the best individual to have introduced one of the best Catholic Storytellers. *And you will certainly be remembered as yet another equally graced Storyteller par excellence of the current century and ever after.*

[@danielyoung5137]

When l die I hope Flannery O' Connor will be waiting for me at the entrance to Purgatory with that tight little smile and that soft gee-or-gee--ah accent , murmuring "come along now child, we got some work to do..."

[@markitsche987]

Thank you, Bishop Barron for this. You know, I'm really grateful to have had good professors in my life.

[@1962plummer]

My wife and i are Blessed with 8 children, You and Word on fire was an Oasis during the entire covad 19 . We are also Blessed as Palm Beach county is back to Mass .I am extremely grateful for you and your entire team! Ps your Lector gave me cause for pause his age and build till i listened Joseph Gloors video. wow awesome

[@erichuether9776]

God has blessed me n the ol lady with 8 as well! 16 years of changing diapers!

[@Elijah_Al-Naysaburi]

Pray for me my friends today , so I can spread god words among my family, my name is suhail =su+hail and I live in dubai (U.A.E) blessings 🌷🌷🌷

[@gerir8634]

Suhail_and_Free_Thinker prayers for you and all you love.🙏

[@tomrouleau1932]

I have

[@c00lsky2le6]

Suhail_and_Free_Thinker - Lord Jesus, you promises that when we stand up for your name, be not worry of what we need to know to say, but the Holy Spirit we speak through us. Help Suhal to have more courage and kindness be your witness today. Amen.

[@mariedeluie]

Dear Bishop Barron, Please pray for us! Here in Brazil (Country with the largest percentage of Catholics) we are being deprived of the Holly Communion and the other Sacraments, such as Confession. Although our president requested that the Churches should open, as it is considered essential activity, the governors and most bishops won't allow it! Spiritually, we are in grave danger. Please keep us in your prayers. I'm thankful for you beautiful evangelisation work!!! You are always in my prayers!!! God bless 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@vinniep2612]

Thanks Bishop Barron. Too often we act like the Pharisee and forget that he watched the Tax Collector travel the purple swinging bridge before him. God's continued blessings on your evangelization.

[@brookekennel2636]

Bishop, please pray for me. I have just lost my fourth child in two years. Before she died, God seemed to me telling me and my husband that she should be named Grace. I hoped that it meant she would survive--but she didn't, despite the prayers of everyone around us. Now I am confused and heartbroken and trying to find God's love in all of this, but it all just seems like dust and ashes.

[@BishopBarron]

I will pray for you. Turn especially to the Blessed Mother at this time.

[@Ihm513]

I agree with Bishop Barron. You will be in my prayers. Our Lady of Sorrows is praying for you.

[@CRAEager]

The artists' renderings are so beautiful and vivid! Is there an edition of O'Connor with such images? These, or something comparable.

[@mrs.cracker4622]

Thank you so much! Revelation is my very favorite Flannery O'Connor story. If you've ever sat in a rural Southern doctors waiting room you recognize the kind of characters and dialogue. She nailed it in the story.

[@curtschannel4]

Good video and thank you for all of the Mass services. Peace in Christ to all.

[@CopyPaste88]

This was the episode I enjoyed the most! Thank you, Bishop, for all your work and the Pivotal Players, made available for free on Holy Week 2020!

[@jgil1966]

X2

[@juanmaperegrino]

Definitely, my favorite was the one about the “Misfit”. That was shockingly beautiful.

[@danielyoung5137]

When l die l hope Flannery O'Connor will meet me at the entrance to Purgatory and smile and in that Georgia accent, say, "Come along, child --- seems you've got you a little work to do." Thank you, Bishop.

[@workin4alivin585]

There, but for the Grace of God, go I. God let me fall just far enough to humble me, to show me how "good" people end up in hard places. Worst of all, someone who has been given (lavished with) so much Grace should never sin again, yet I do. I am the most miserable of sinners. I am grateful for a Savior who has Mercy on human weakness and blindness.

[@borrico1965]

Amazing story! Very creative of Flannery O’Connor to write such story alluding to Gospel parables. 🙏🏼

[@svensven8994]

Thanks so much for putting this together. She was so full of wisdom!

[@olgamarinho]

Wooooow! Congratulations, Bishop and all the team!! The best!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@pineapplepeanuts]

Well deserved recognition! I watched this and became an O'Connor fan, after only hearing about her in some of the low level lit classes I took in college. When you take lit classes in today's mostly secular colleges, the significance of the faith of the writer - and faith in general - seems to be downplayed or filtered out, perhaps out of contempt for "superstition." But of course its inseparable from the writer and their work and O'Connor is proof of that. Maybe one day today's generation will wake up to it.

[@annettekeyser7167]

Thankyou Bishop Barron. Again wonderful Teachings.🙏

[@fragwagon]

Thank you, this is one of her stories that I had missed.

[@tryhardf844]

Greetings from Puerto Rico,your excelency.

[@mariaelizabeth8369]

Wow! Thank you for this Bishop Barron!

[@kidart89]

This was very powerful. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@tessamartinez6977]

Thank you BRB! I believe grace interrupted my life just now.

[@SL_A4]

Thank you

[@karleinegraham8682]

I was introduced to Flannery O'Connor by Father Robert Lauder (St Johns University and the Diocese of Rockville Centre NY) in his list of The Catholic Novels. I have her Collected Works (over 1200 pages) which is kept in print by a foundational gift. I had to go to the middle of the volumn to read "Revelation" after your rendering. Bishop Barron, thanks for your insight into this literary work which allowed me to appreciate this great lady of American Letters even more.

[@chrisdsouza23171]

Thank you Bishop Barron enjoyed it

[@vrcarlos6955]

That was soul moving.

[@garyshmanek4708]

Always enjoy your comments and insights Bishop Barron. I'm anticipating your review of Dylan's new album-which I haven't been able to stop listening to. Peace, gary

[@MatthewWayne33]

Beautiful

[@Richie016]

I appreciate your approach towards the works of novelists in your writings Bishop, valuable lessons!

[@ofcourse7357]

Loved the doctor's waiting room and the pig farm!

[@jeremydavie4484]

I love your ministry and Flannery O'Connor! She is definitely my favorite author when I read her stories in English. My teacher did a great job at explaining and unlocking the religious truths within her stories. Where can I find the artwork like the art in this video? I absolutely loved it.

[@laramaui4114]

Please do an entire documentary on Flannery.

[@SondraRankin]

Deep! Revelation. So good!

[@joannapeters4738]

Wow

[@jochu7443]

Are you still going to upload more daily mass videos?

[@laramaui4114]

Self rightoeus, judgemental> the sins of pride. We are so guilty of this. We are replicas of Mrs. Turpins but don’t readily see this. The Warning, the Revelation of who we really are and the God-given grace to turn our lives around. This story deeply connects with the messages of Garabandal .

[@rubikaa8707]

Sir please explain in Tami

[@TheMaximumsecurity]

Hi bishop could you do a talk on the current issue on racism and the uprising it is causing in America like you do the movie reviews? Thanks

[@klausbuck7069]

The short story, Revelation, is about them shared human experience. By its very nature, it is a repudiation of racism. Bishop Barron's summary captures this.

[@nelsonphilip4520]

Thank you I think?? To be honest, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I am confused about the pecking order of the faithful entering the Kingdom of Heaven. My understanding is that on the day of judgment that I will stand before the Almighty and give account of my self. And were much was given, much will be expected. And I will be judged irrespective of all the others.

[@Urbanity_Kludge]

The pecking order is allegory not literal. It's trying to help the proud understand how much their pride is hurtful. The people you despise the most are greater in God's eyes

[@chrismartinez8414]

Very engaging, but admittedly ironic that Bishop is concerned about “spiritual complacency” when his “Dare we hope” argument (and others like it) may have added to that complacency.

[@BishopBarron]

Why?! Hope is not the same as expectation. Thomas Aquinas says that we only hope for difficult things.

[@eukaristiya]

Bishop Barron I am discerning for the priesthood and deeply concerned about the Catholic Church of the 21st century that I am going to give my life for. Would it be okay to ask for your opinion?

[@hemantapegu1053]

Because of materialistic, consumeristic and secularistic attitudes due to too much focus indivualistic prosperity...

[@Kitiwake]

I wonder why she chose to Irish surnames as her Christian and surnames?

[@luthermckinnon9663]

"Revelation" is insulting to old wart hogs.

[@talkingthapelo]

first

[@blujeans9462]

Sounds to me that what you are saying is that the sinner that has repented of their sins and is walking the straight and narrow life is less welcomed in heaven than the sinner who still has not repented?

[@chrdelgro]

Repentance is a perpetual movement in the life of a Christian thus, the past tense does not apply. If one thinks they walk the straight and narrow, they are already blinded to the truth, so how then can they judge the journey of another? Salvation is not a question of welcoming, but that of choosing to constantly seek Christ's redemption throughout ones life.

[@carolusramusservusdei9611]

chrdelgro great answer, is it why Christ calls us to live meekly and humbly? So we don’t fall into that self-righteousness and ostentatiousness that the Pharisees did.

[@way_truth_life_of_love]

That is precisely what he is Not saying....it was more like the Last to repent are the self righteous; and FO gives the image that plenty of obvious sinners do repent wholeheartedly and love Jesus and fellow man with humility.

[@argyleeuphoria6200]

So sad that the Woke mob at Loyola Maryland have cancelled Flannery O’Connor.

[@jasoneg3]

I absolutely love Bishop Barron. However, his is a horrible summary of "Revelation," and very off-putting. "Revelation" is profoundly, more nuanced about who is "good" and who is "bad" than a simplistic summary like this. Please read the story yourself; it is one of the best stories ever written, and powerful in its nuance about what is salvation, how poorly all of us perceive its opportunity, and how perhaps (hopefully) all of us - good, bad, ugly and all sinful - may one day enter the paradoxical, wonderful, and strange Kingdom that God has created for all of us.

[@JohnchapterVersesand]

PRIDE very dangerous in christian life.

[@LloydFassett]

This is a hijacked interpretation of the story for religious reasons. The story is about race relations, not about realizing your need for salvation. It’s about white supremacy in the south. 90% of the story has blacks in it but this review doesn’t mention blacks once. It’s history and attitudes and meanness. That’s why Mary Grace throws the book at her and tries to choke and tells her to go back to hell. It’s a commentary on the South that Mary Grave is hauled away as crazy by the actual crazy people who keep perpetuating white supremacy. The main character is an into-hero and isn’t going to be saved, imho. She’s going to just keep on keeping on like white supremacy has.

[@BishopBarron]

Nonsense. That’s a projection of 21st century wokeism onto the story. Flannery’s central concern in her fiction is the play between sin and grace.

[@marisolgarza9662]

Beautiful