God of all wisdom, we offer thanks for John Henry Newman, whose eloquence bore witness that thy Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic, and who didst make of his own life a pilgrimage towards thy truth. Grant that, inspired by his words and example, we may ever follow thy kindly light till we rest in thy bosom, with your dear Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, where heart speaks to heart eternally; for thou livest and reignest, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Newman has always been a controversial figure, but his greatness is beyond dispute. Personally, he is a hero figure to me. As regular T19 readers probably recall, I’m fond of echoing 1 Cor. 13:13:
When it comes to great church reformers, Luther, Wesley and Newman abide: these three, and the greatest of these was…
(drum roll please)…
John Henry Newman.
His immortal sermons preached from the lofty pulpit of St. Mary’s Church in Oxford (during his Anglican period) still inspire me more than those of almost any other man, past or present. If you perchance haven’t read them, then “sell all thou hast, and buy thee” a copy of Newman’s matchless [b]Parochial and Plain Sermons[/b]. Ignatius Press has a splendid one-volume edition of all 288 of them. They are particularly appropriate for reading in Lent, since they are probably the most severe (demanding) and convicting or challenging sermons ever preached by an Anglican. No one has ever set the bar of authentic discipleship higher than Newman. And what is more important, he practiced what he preached.
David Handy+
P.S. I’m not sure why in the world this day is set aside to celebrate the life and witness of Cardinal Newman. He died on August 11th, 1890, so that day in August would normally be his feast day.
David Handy+
Fr. Handy,
I just placed my order with Ignatius Press. It will go into my Lenten reading list along with Pope Benedict’s “Jesus of Nazareth.” Thanks for commending these sermons to my attention.
Evan,
You’re welcome, friend. I hope you profit from those classic sermons as much as I have. I keep Newman’s sermons on the nightstand by my easy chair, and I plan to re-read many of them during Lent.
David Handy+