Category: Spirituality
Catholic Devotion to the Mother of God: What Newman’s Letter to Pusey (1866) tells us about Mariology and Marian Piety
Pusey’s appraisal of Mariology—a polemic containing a mixture of historical, theological and anecdotal evidence—was, on the whole, untrue and mostly a caricature; yet as Newman would be forced to admit in his formal published reply to Pusey in 1866, the Letter to Pusey, there was partial veracity to his claim that at times Mariology, in some of its devotional outpourings, has obscured devotion to God, especially God’s loving mediation brought to humanity through the incarnation.
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Reading Louis Bouyer with Keith Lemna: A Review of The Apocalypse of Wisdom
The primary purpose of Lemna’s masterful book The Apocalypse of Wisdom: Louis Bouyer’s Theological Recovery of the Cosmos is to shed light on the “twists and turns of the path Bouyer charts in Cosmos” (xiii).
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Pusey’s 1843 Sermon on the Eucharist: A Rejected Eucharistic Theology
This article aims to understand why a defense of a corporeal, real presence of Christ in the sacrament was problematic in nineteenth-century England.
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A Pilgrimage with Newman: Reading Patricia O’Leary’s The Gentleman Saint
Patricia O’Leary’s The Gentleman Saint (Gracewing, 2020) is a short and delightful introduction to John Henry Newman.
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John Henry Newman’s Pandemic Ministry: A Balm for the Bereaved
Newman ministered to the sick and dying cholera victims and their families in Oxford, Birmingham, and Bilston.
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“Knowing God, Being Made holy,” A Lecture by Jennifer Newsome Martin
This lecture addresses the theme in St. John Henry Newman of the gradual—some would even say ordinary—pursuit of holiness throughout the course of the course of our human lives.
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Unlearning the Love of This World: Newman’s Sermons as Spiritual Reading during Lent
If you are anything like me, you have on at least one occasion squandered the holy season of Lent. The Church has established such times on the liturgical calendar so that we might enter more deeply into the mysteries of Christ’s life.
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The Cry of Repentance Versus the Bitter Cry of Regret
It’s easy to read this account from Scripture and to cast aspersions on Esau. “How could he have been so foolish?” we wonder. “I’d never act that rashly,” we tell ourselves. Yet how often in our own lives do we make a similar, yet graver mistake by squandering the gifts of God—in our case, the graces that we receive through the sacraments—in exchange for some lesser good?
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Unlearning Ourselves in Lent: Newman on Fasting
For Newman, the disciplines of Lent—in this case, fasting—are a way for the Christian to participate mystically in the life of Christ. By intensifying our self-denial for these forty days of Lent, we come to know, in part, what Christ experienced in full measure:
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Lent, the Season of Repentance
In reading Newman’s letters and diaries, it’s clear that he knew of divine mercy not as an abstract theological idea, but at a deeply personal level as a core part of his spiritual journey. Because he himself had experienced the grace of God in many profound ways, Newman was eager to encourage others to cast themselves before the mercy seat.
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Francis de Sales the Oratorian
There is something stirring about seeing two greats from different generations together in the same place. In the world of sports, for instance, some memorable photo-ops have come about this way—say, with a young Lebron James standing next to Bill Russell or with Derek Jeter warming up on the same baseball diamond as Cal Ripken Jr.
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Neither Death Nor Life: The Story of One Woman’s Trust in God
As news is now reaching us that the Vatican has reportedly approved a second miracle toward the canonization of John Henry Newman, it’s worth reflecting on the process that brought us to this point.
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National Institute for Newman Studies
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Recent Articles
Catholic Devotion to the Mother of God: What Newman’s Letter to Pusey (1866) tells us about Mariology and Marian PietyDecember 1, 2021Pusey’s appraisal of Mariology—a polemic containing a mixture of historical, theological and anecdotal evidence—was, on the whole, untrue and mostly a caricature; yet as Newman would be forced to admit in his formal published reply to Pusey in 1866, the Letter to Pusey, there was partial veracity to his claim that at times Mariology, in some of its devotional outpourings, has obscured devotion to God, especially God’s loving mediation brought to humanity through the incarnation. […]
The Spanish Edition of Newman’s Letter to PuseyNovember 24, 2021Newman’s influence is not relegated to the English-speaking world only; rather, it can be seen in the Spanish-speaking world as well. […]
Ecclesiology in Newman’s Sermons, 1825–1835October 29, 2021The cumulative effect of the theological debates at Oxford, together with his pastoral experience and personal reflections, gradually led Newman to a more high church ecclesiological approach, especially on visibility, invisibility, and apostolicity of the church. […]
Oikonomia and History: Newman’s Critique of Henry Hart Milman and the Historicism of Ernst TroeltschSeptember 29, 2021The dialogue I seek to construct between Troeltsch and Newman hinges particularly on Newman’s reception of the patristic concept of oikonomia. […]
Why Lingard Didn’t Like NewmanSeptember 24, 2021Lingard remarked upon Newman’s career several times in his correspondence, usually with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. […]