We will be praying with and learning from Blessed John Henry Newman for many, many years to come. Joseph Pearce has been a wonderful student, as well as instructor of (or should I say “illuminator of”) the life and work of  this great man, John Henry Newman, and who is now a bona fide memeber of the Cloud of Witnesses.  It’s ALWAYS a joy to talk with Joseph, but it was really fantastic to speak with him in particular about Blessed John Henry Newman and the new books released by Ignatius Press to help us grow in our awareness of him!

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Check it out here

Check it out here

Episode 10 – Blessed John Henry Newman – His life, time and influence

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In this episode Dr. Reno examines Blessed John Henry Newman.  We discuss the significance of his conversion and effect on intellectual and spiritual thought in the 19th century and today.

“Christian Apologetics with Dr. R. R. Reno” explores numerous facets of faith and reason in the life of the Church and the world. Grounded on the work of giants, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, Blessed John Newman,  Blessed John Paul II, G. K. Chesterton, Blaise Pascal and Stephen Barr, Dr. Reno helps us to open our minds to make the journey to our hearts.

R. R. Reno is the editor at First Things: A Journal of Religion, Culture, and Public Life, and Professor of Theology, currently on leave from Creighton University. His theological work has been published in many academic journals. Essays and opinion pieces on religion, public life, contemporary culture, and current events have appeared in Commentary, and the Washington Post. In Fighting the Noonday Devil Reno suggests that putting ourselves at the disposal of what is real is what trains us for true piety. His other recent books include Genesis: Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible and Sanctified Vision: An Introduction to Early Christian Interpretation of the Bible.

“Supremacy and Survival:  How Catholics Endured the English Reformation” is an outstanding introduction to the persecution of Catholics began in 16th century England. Lasting over 250 years, the effects can still be felt in some ways even in today’s world.  But through the witness of great saints such as St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher to Blessed John Henry Newman, Catholics in England, as well as throughout the rest of the world, have been encouraged and inspired to continue standing for the truths found in the Catholic Church, which ultimately reflect the great Truth, who is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Stephanie Mann does a beautiful job of presenting this period and many of those heroic lives in her work.

To learn more visit Stephanie Mann’s website

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“Much loved father of souls…” Pope Benedict XVI

As reported by the Catholic Herald UK
Pope Benedict XVI today beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman in a historic Mass at Cofton Park, Birmingham – the first beatification ever to take place on British soil.

In his homily, the Pope placed Cardinal Newman in a tradition of English martyrs and saintly scholars, and praised the “warmth and humanity” of his priestly ministry.

He also noted that it was the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, and paid tribute to English men and women who resisted the “evil ideology” of Nazism.

He said: “For me as one who lived and suffered through the dark days of the Nazi regime in Germany, it is deeply moving to be here with you on this occasion, and to recall how many of your fellow citizens sacrificed their lives, courageously resisting the forces of that evil ideology.

“My thoughts go in particular to nearby Coventry, which suffered such heavy bombardment and massive loss of life in November 1940,” the Pope said.

He explained Newman was the latest in a “long line” of saintly British scholars, including St Bede, St Hilda, St Aelred, and Blessed Duns Scotus. It was a tradition, he said, “of gentle scholarship, deep human wisdom and profound love for the Lord”.

He pointed to Newman’s “devoted care for the people of Birmingham … visiting the sick and the poor, comforting the bereaved, caring for those in prison”.

“No wonder,” he said, “that on his death so many thousands of people lined the local streets as his body was taken to its place of burial not half a mile from here”.

The Pope said that given his holiness it was fitting he should take his place beside England’s martyrs, “whose courageous witness has sustained and inspired the Catholic community here for centuries”.

Pope Benedict said his vision of education had “done so much to shape the ethos that is the driving force behind Catholic schools and colleges today”.

He quoted Cardinal Newman’s appeal for a well-instructed laity as a goal for all teachers of religion. He said: “ ‘I want a laity not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it.’ ”

The Pope added: “I pray that, through his intercession and example, all who are engaged in the task of teaching and catechesis will be inspired to greater effort by the vision he so clearly sets before us.”

He also spoke about Newman’s holiness, saying it was a “profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God”.

The Pope spoke in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims, some of whom had slept overnight at Cofton Park in sleeping bags. Others had set off from parishes as early as 2am in special pilgrim buses. Fr Tim Finigan, parish priest at Blackfen, Kent, tweeted: “Apologies to the neighbours for waking them up last night singing ‘God bless our Pope’ as the coach left for Birmingham. Won’t happen again.”

According to Simon Caldwell, the Catholic Herald’s news editor, rain poured down all morning until just before the Pope’s helicopter landed nearby, when the sun finally came out.

Deacon Jack Sullivan, who was healed of a severe spinal disorder after praying for Newman’s intercession, proclaimed the Gospel during the Mass. It was his inexplicable healing that led to Newman being made a Blessed.

A choir of 1,200 sung a new setting of the Mass by composer James MacMillan. The prayers of the faithful were made in German, Welsh, French, Vietnamese and Punjabi.” – Catholic Herald UK

The truth had more value than security and prestige.  He stressed a life of virtue.  His life would emphasize that both the habits of knowledge, along with  the habits of  virtue, lead to the birth of the habit of right judgement in our lives.  Boy now there is the key isn’t it.  We can have knowledge…we can have virtue…but are the two truly united, “married” so to speak, to bring about in our hearts and our minds, right judgement.  Look around the world today, is there the practice of  “right judgement’?  Sound complicated? Not really, it’s at the heart of true and proper discernment.  And that’s why Blessed John Henry Newman is a vital saint for today’s world.

One of the best books I’ve ever read on the teachings of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman was “Progressive Illumination”.  And one my favorite discussions on his life was with Fr. Edward Ondrako OFM Conv.  What’s great about Fr. Ondrako is that not only thinks “Newman”, he prays “Newman.  And he shows us how it brings us all to the heart of Christ.

Take a listen to the conversation Bruce and I had with Fr. Ondrako on the Spirit Morning Show

 

 

A wonderful book on Blessed John Henry Newman is “Progressive Illumination” by Fr. Ondrako

Who is he?  Why should you care? 
(that almost looks like what he is thinking, doesn’t it?)….Well besides the fact that he is one of newest members sitting in the “Saint” section of the Cloud of Witnesses, he’s British and for those of us who are of English ancestory it’s kind of nice to have a British saint who didn’t have to be martyred at the hands of fellow countrymen to get there!

Brilliant…that’s the word…simply brilliant…that’s Cardinal John Henry Newman.  We’ll have more about him in later posts.  But an excellent way to start to learn more about him would be to  check out Dr. R. R. Reno, professor of Theology at Creighton University  discussing Newman’s life and times, and the significance of his work on his “Christian Apologetics” show.