On August 14, 1864
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., preached a sermon, of which the following notes survive:

Love of God

1. INTROD.—I said last week that no one can be saved without love of God. This the awful truth.

2. In fact this is plain, but considering the state of the case—the immortal soul—how tired it will get of everything in eternity, except of something which is infinite. God in Himself a world; His attributes infinite.

3. Yet how can we love Him? See how much against our nature it is. We take delight in things of the world, etc., etc., in science, in literature, etc. These are our aims; but to love God is an aim above our nature.

4. Granted it is so. However, God does not command impossibilities.

5. Therefore He gives us grace to raise us above our nature. Even angels need grace.

6. What is grace? and what does it do for us?

7. Let us pray God for it.

Please pray....
for this teenaged girl.

The Australian Senate
displays some common sense.

The Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe,O.F.M. Conv., Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here. To all Conventual Franciscans, members of the Militia Immaculatae, and others who have him as a special patron, happy feast day !

On August 13, 1844
Venerable John Henry Newman wrote to his sister.....

I have seen Bowden for a quarter of an hour. This damp day tries him sadly. He goes down to Clifton in a few days, and I suppose I shall be able to go to him there as here ... It is, of course, quite an event in my life, and cannot happen again. My oldest friend, whom I knew for as much as nine years before I knew dear Froude, and whom a habit of affection has made part of my life, though I cannot realise things yet.

I do fancy I am getting changed. I go into Oxford, and find myself out of place. Everything seems to say to me, 'This is not your home.' The college seems strange to me, and even the college servants seem to look as if I were getting strange to them. I cannot tell whether it is fancy or not, but to myself I seem changing. I am so much more easily touched than I used to be. Reading St. Wolstan's Life just now almost brought tears to my eyes. What a very mysterious thing the mind is! Yet nothing that my feelings suggest to me is different from what has been engraven more or less strongly on my reason long ago.

"Bowden" was John Bowden, who had been a good friend of Newman's since they were both freshmen at Oxford. Bowden was close to death, and so Newman tried to hide from him as much of his doubts about the tenableness of Anglicanism as he could, not wanting to upset his friend in his unclouded faith when he himself was so torn and uncertain. Bowden died the next month. In 1845, after Newman had resolved his own doubts and come into the Catholic Church ,Mrs. Bowden and her children followed him. Later, two of Bowden's sons became Fathers of the London Oratory.

Some blogging links...
to people I know in real life.
First, I've added Michael's blog to the bloglist.
Second, Fr. Michael is blogging again, with a homily an apology, and pictures of his pilgrimage to France.
Finally, Ales Rarus has a cool post on some less-than-gracious Catholics and their less-than-gracious Protestant counterparts.

The Feast of Pope St. Pontian, Martyr, and St. Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on them here and here.
It is also the feast of St. Cassian of Imola, (whom some have suggested would make a good patron for CCD teachers), and of Blessed Otto Neururer, Priest and Martyr and Blessed Jakob Gapp,S.M., Priest and Martyr.

Please pray...
for these victims of brutality.

From Essays Critical and Historical
by Venerable John Henry Newman,C.O.

The Rationalist makes himself his own centre, not his Maker; he does not go to God, but he implies that God must come to him. And this, it is to be feared, is the spirit in which multitudes of us act at the present day. Instead of looking out of ourselves, and trying to catch glimpses of God's workings, from any quarter,—throwing ourselves forward upon Him and waiting on Him, we sit at home bringing everything to ourselves, enthroning ourselves in our own views, and refusing to believe anything that does not force itself upon us as true. Our private judgment is made everything to us,—is contemplated, recognized, and consulted as the arbiter of all questions, and as independent of everything external to us. Nothing is considered to have an existence except so far forth as our minds discern it. The notion of half views and partial knowledge, of guesses, surmises, hopes and fears, of truths faintly apprehended and not understood, of isolated facts in the great scheme of Providence, in a word, the idea of Mystery, is discarded.

Cacciaguida
finds a summary of what is wrong with our culture in a single sentence of an AP news story.

The Old Oligarch
takes out relativism.

The Feast of St. James Nam, Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of Pope Blessed Innocent XI, and Blessed Karl Leisner,Priest.

Yet another friend of mine...
is now blogging. (BTW, yes, I have been pestering Fr. Michael about posting !)

On August 11, 1890
Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, C.O., went to his eternal reward. I posted a long entry on this last year.

Once again, here is the prayer for his canonization:

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.

Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

A thank-you to Zadok, Lane Core, and anyone else who blogged about this anniversary.



In other Oratorian news, Juan Ortiz of the Pharr Oratory will be ordained to the diaconate tonight. Prayers for him and his brothers in St. Philip down there in southern Texas would be most welcome. ( I happen to know him, as he attends St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and stays at the Pittsburgh Oratory during the school year. )

The Feast of St. Clare of Assisi, P.C., Virgin and Foundress
is today. There is information on her here. A blessed feast day to all the Franciscans out there, as well as any other people with St. Clare as a special patroness !

On August 10, 1851
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., preached a sermon, of which the following notes survive:

On the Death of the Sinner

1. INTROD.—The gospel—our Lord weeping over Jerusalem. Particulars of it. The Jews so little aware. They thought a great conqueror was coming to them. Their great infatuation. They had a vast future (they thought) before them. The Temple rebuilt. Our Lord saw through it all.

2. Application to the soul of the individual. Type of sinner in death. Our Lord looking and prophesying ill—(particulars). 'Cast a trench,' 'hedge them in.'

3. 'Hedge them in.' Yes, Satan will take possession of him; keep God out; keep him all to himself. What a portentous thought!

4. Christ foresees it, weeps over the man, but He leaves him.

5. But does He not give grace? Yes, but it is ineffectual.

6. Why does He not give more? What is that to the purpose? He does not.

7. We cannot change things by asking questions. Why does He punish him? Can you change it by disputing? Your wisdom is to take things as they are, and submit and improve them. Is not this the way you do with this world? You do not quarrel with the wind, the flame, etc., but use them. Our Lord with Judas. His denunciations of eternal woe. His own sufferings [are as if He said], 'I say not why, but I suffer.'

8. Well, then, the fact is this. The sinner generally is thus 'walled in.' Vide St. Alfonso on this day.

9. Saul. Antiochus.

10. Encircled—wild beasts. Sins as faithful friends who encircle you in their arms.

11. The priest's prayers in vain.

12. The sacraments in vain.

13. Our Lady not. Ave Maria! St. Andrew Avellino!

14. Let us ask her to intercede for us.

The Pertinacious Papist
notes that even in the ancient world, revulsion at sexual perversion was not limited to Jews and Christians. (NOTE:The post contains frank descriptions of unsavory practices.)

Another, and even more striking, example of an ancient pagan seeing what many who claim to be Christian do not, is that of the lascivious poet Ovid denouncing abortion.

Final day...
of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.

Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

The Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here.

Fans of the Venerable and/or the Professor will also note that it is the feast of St. Gerontius.

On August 9, 1874
Venerable John Henry Newman preached the second part of a two-part sermon. The following notes survive:

Revelation—Word of God [II]

1. INTROD.—Recapitulation. Scripture—Scriptures—two Testaments—Bible—teaching, and therefore inspiration.

2. When I say 'inspired'—not in science or art, etc.

3. Difference of Old and New—Old imperfect, and through so many ages; New perfect, and once for all in one age.

4. Here I shall speak of the New. The Apostles—inspired—our Lord God. Heb. i. 1-2.

5. OBJECTION.—Why not their words [inspired], if their writings? Why not their speeches? Why not their conversation? Of course it was. All they said about RELIGION was. They might not know about the earth going round the sun, etc.

6. But it might be objected, on the other hand, that such sayings were not recollected. But some might be.

7. This is what Catholics called 'tradition,' and in which we differ from Protestants. Meaning of the word 'tradition.' Vide epistle for this Sunday .

8. Things we know by tradition: (1) that Scripture is the inspired Word of God; (2) what books the Bible consists of—for these Protestants need tradition; (3) the Mass, etc.

9. And so natural. Every school, every set of workmen, go by tradition—'common law' is tradition.

10. Hence we say there are two parts of the Word of God, written and unwritten.

11. But still, surely tradition may go wrong. Yes, and Scripture may be wrongly interpreted.

12. Therefore the Church decides, as being infallible.

13. Hence there may be mistaken reports of miracles, prophecies, etc., but we must see what the Church says about them.

Eighth day...
of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.

Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

The Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, O.C.D., Virgin and Martyr
is today. There is information on her here. A blessed feast day to all the Carmelites out there, especially to a a certain blogger and to my friend Sr. Claire Benedicta of the Cross, O.C.D. !

It is also the feast of Blessed Thomas Palaser, Priest and Martyr, and of Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla, Martyr, the first beatus of Romany ethnicity.

Seventh day...
of the Novena for the Canonization of Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

Eternal Father, You led JOHN HENRY NEWMAN to follow the kindly light of Truth, and he obediently responded to your heavenly calls at any cost. As writer, preacher, counsellor and educator, as pastor, Oratorian, and servant of the poor he laboured to build up Your Kingdom.

Grant that through your Vicar on Earth we may hear the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the company of the canonized saints."

May You manifest Your servant's power of intercession by even extraordinary answers to the prayers of the faithful throughout the world. We pray particularly for our intentions in his name and in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord.

Amen.

Please report any favours received to:
The Postulator, The Oratory, Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 8UE, England

If it were not Sunday
today would be the feast of St. Dominic,O.P., Priest and Founder. To all the Dominicans out there, including a certain blogger, happy feast day !

St. Dominic's white wool, which no blemish can impair, no stain can dim...

Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., Sermons Preached on Various Occasions


It would also be the feast of Blessed Joan of Aza, (St. Dominic's mother), Blessed John Felton, Martyr, and Blessed Mary MacKillop, R.S.J., Virgin and Foundress, who may become the first native of Australia to be canonized.