On November 6, 1849
Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., gave some catechetical instructions, of which the following notes survive:

De Nativitate Christi ex Virgine—X
1. INTROD.—'Conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.'

2. Predestination of the Blessed Virgin, even before the foresight of the Fall.

3. Gen. iii. [15]—inimicitsas [enmities]; ipsa [she].

4. Parallel of Eve and Mary—this idea of a woman kept up through Scripture in types, though the relationship to the Shiloh [Gen. xlix. 10] is not always preserved—(1) Sara, Ishmael scoffing [at]; (2) Mary, Moses' sister; (3) the canticle of canticles.

5. Isaias vii. [14].

6. When our Lord came, perhaps no need of further notice; yet (for our Lady did not come forward at once into public view—e.g. in Catacombs) in prophecy, Apoc. xii., [she is prominent] to the end of time.

7. Particulars. Christ might have been born in the ordinary way, but other way more fitting—Immaculate Conception. [Her question to the angel], 'How shall this be?' [Her] vow of virginity—first who did so [i.e. made this vow]—why married; a true marriage.

8. Conceived of the Holy Ghost—all works belong to the Three Persons [of the Blessed Trinity]—but as wisdom is attributed to the Son, etc.

9. Christ had all grace from first—did not grow in grace.

10. [Our Lady suffered] no pain in child-bearing; Eve é contra; hence in representations of our Lady [before the manger] she is made kneeling, etc.

11. Ever virgin.

12. Mother of God—this to secure the doctrine of the Incarnation. Vide published Sermon .

Quiz time...
Here is the result of your Lit-geek Purity Test.
You answered "yes" to 77 of 175 questions, making you 56.0% lit-geek pure (44.0% lit-geek corrupt).

Link courtesy of Mixolydian Mode.

The Feast of St. Theophane Venard, Priest and Martyr
is today. There is information on him here. A blessed feast day to all who have him as a special patron, especially a young friend of mine named Peter Theophane !

It is also the feast of St. Illtyd, Abbot, and St. Winnoc, Abbot.

OK, tech question...
I tried to get the free pictures thing for my blog. However, I'm having trouble since I do not actually own a computer and blog from the library. Will I be able to install the picture capability ?

Deo gratias !
Thank you, God, for this news!

Link courtesy of Mark Shea.

On November 4, 1832
Venerable John Henry Newman, then an Anglican clergyman, preached this rather stern sermon as Select Preacher before the University of Oxford.
Here is a sample:

We may amuse ourselves, for a time, with such excuses for sin as a perverted ingenuity furnishes; but there is One who is justified in His sayings, and clear when He judgeth. Our worldly philosophy and our well-devised pleadings will profit nothing at a day when the heaven shall depart as a scroll is rolled together, and all who are not clad in the wedding-garment of faith and love will be speechless. Surely it is high time for us to wake out of sleep, to chase from us the shadows of the night, and to realize our individuality, and the coming of our Judge. "The night is far spent, the day is at hand,"—"let us be sober, and watch unto prayer."

The Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, Cardinal and Founder
is today. There is information on him here. To any Oblates of St. Charles out there, blessed feast day !
As I have mentioned previously, he was a friend of St. Philip Neri.

The Feast of St. Martin de Porres, O.P.
is today. There is information on him here.
It is also the feast of St. Winifred of Wales, Virgin. I came as her to an All Saints Day party some years ago.

The Raising to Life of the Son of the
Widow of Naim—Luke vii. 11-16
Sermon notes by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

1. INTROD.—The Holy Fathers are accustomed to derive a spiritual lesson from the miracle recorded in the gospel of this day. It was a miracle exercised on one, but it was a sort of specimen of what takes place by God's love so often. It was done once, but it images what occurs continually.

2. This was a young man borne out to his burial, and his mother is weeping over him.

The mother is the Church, who has born him in baptism, when he was born again and became her child.

He has fallen away, and is dead in sin. He is here carried on his way, like Dives, to be buried in hell.

3. How awfully he is carried forth! Slowly, but sure, as the course of a funeral.

Describe his odiousness—death so fearful, every one shrinks from the sight. Children in the streets turn away. Those only bear it who love the corpse, or have duties towards it. So with the soul. How angels must shrink from the dead soul!—the guardian angel bears it. How horrible it looks even [if in] venial sin, much more in mortal!

The mother bears it—the Church does not excommunicate.

4. Its bearers are four: (1) pride, (2) sensuality, (3) unbelief, (4) ignorance. We see these from Adam's original sin, and they are in every sinner, though perhaps in a different order in different persons. There are those who go on, through God's mercy, in the right way. But I am speaking of cases of sin.

5. Now I believe generally pride comes first—obstinacy of children; disobedience; quarrelling; refusing to say prayers; avoiding holy places, etc. Thus the soul being left open to the evil one, he proceeds to assault it with sensuality.

6. Sensuality. A person does not know when he is proud, but this [sensuality] need not be described, for every one who yields to it knows what it is. God has set a mark upon it, the mark of sting of conscience, because it is so pleasant; whereas pride is unpleasant to the person who exercises it.

7. Thirdly, unbelief. Pride and sensuality give birth to unbelief. A man begins to doubt and disbelieve.

8. Fourth, ignorance. At last he does not know right from wrong.

9. And thus a soul is led out to be buried, to be buried in hell. And how many reach that eternal tomb!

10. Wonderful electing grace of God, choosing one and not another, coming without merit—the Church cannot do it.

11. We all have received it [this electing grace] without merit. Let us prize it when we have it.

Please pray...
that the woman mentioned in this post will do the right thing and give her child life.

The second Catholic Carnival
is up at The Curt Jester.

Deo gratias !
Some good news in the case of the woman whose husband wants to kill her.

The Feast of All Souls
is today. There is information on it here. I would recommend The Dream of Gerontius, by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., as devotional reading. (Listening to the musical version by Elgar would also be good.)
BTW, I wonder how many other people were at a Mass where the priest wore black vestments today ?

The Catholic Carnival
has a Eucharistic theme this week. So I'll mention that the Oratory's extended hours of Eucharistic Adoration begin today. In addition, here are two links to posts I made on Holy Thursday, in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

It is the ninth day...
of the Election Day Novena.

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Courtesy of Lane Core.

The Solemnity of All Saints
is today. There is information on it here.

So many were the wonderful works which our Saviour did on earth, that not even the world itself could have contained the books recording them. Nor have His marvels been less since He ascended on high;—those works of higher grace and more abiding fruit, wrought in the souls of men, from the first hour till now,—the captives of His power, the ransomed heirs of His kingdom, whom He has called by His Spirit working in due season, and led on from strength to strength till they appear before His face in Zion. Surely not even the world itself could contain the records of His love, the history of those many Saints, that "cloud of Witnesses," whom we today celebrate, His purchased possession in every age! We crowd these all up into one day; we mingle together in the brief remembrance of an hour all the choicest deeds, the holiest lives, the noblest labours, the most precious sufferings, which the sun ever saw. Even the least of those Saints were the contemplation of many days,—even the names of them, if read in our Service, would outrun many settings and risings of the light,—even one passage in the life of one of them were more than sufficient for a long discourse. "Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel?" [Numb. xxiii. 10.] Martyrs and Confessors, Rulers and Doctors of the Church, devoted Ministers and Religious brethren, kings of the earth and all people, princes and judges of the earth, young men and maidens, old men and children, the first fruits of all ranks, ages, and callings, gathered each in his own time into the paradise of God. This is the blessed company which today meets the Christian pilgrim in the Services of the Church. We are like Jacob, when, on his journey homewards, he was encouraged by a heavenly vision. "Jacob went on his way, and the Angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim." [Gen. xxxii. 1, 2.]

And such a host was also seen by the favoured Apostle, as described in the chapter from which the Epistle of the day is taken. "I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands ... These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." [Rev. vii. 9, 14.]

Venerable John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons

On October 31, 1843
Venerable John Henry Newman wrote to Archdeacon Henry Edward Manning about his spiritual struggles as he hesitated between Canterbury and Rome:

Your letter has made my heart ache more, and caused me more and deeper sighs than any I have had a long while, though I assure you there is much on all sides of me to cause sighing and heartache. On all sides I am quite haunted by the one dreadful whisper repeated from so many quarters, and causing the keenest distress to friends. You know but a part of my present trial, in knowing that I am unsettled myself.

Since the beginning of this year I have been obliged to tell the state of my mind to some others; but never, I think, without being in a way obliged, as from friends writing to me as you did, or guessing how matters stood. No one in Oxford knows it or here" [Littlemore ], "but one friend whom I felt I could not help telling the other day. But, I suppose, [very] many suspect it.

Manning was to be received into the Catholic Church himself, some years after Newman-and was to cause the Venerable a good bit of grief.

The October issue of First Things
is now online

Here's a short article by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus:

“What can we do to show that the Eucharist is a communal activity? Greeting people at the door is a start. It alerts us to the fact that we are going to do something with others. . . . I have found some Catholics who think this whole ‘welcoming’ business is destroying our traditional sense of reverence and replacing it with some folksy, feel-good experience. This is a false conclusion. If you wish to invite a guest into your home, you must have space. To invite others into our hearts and our worship, we must make room for them. The enemy of reverence is not hospitality but arrogance.” Despite my being intimidated by the flat assertion, “This is a false conclusion,” I dare to wonder if the author, a professor of theology writing in America, might tolerate a modest dissent. Note the language: we are going to do something; our traditional sense of reverence; your home; our worship. Is there not something to be said for reverence for what God is doing in His house through the liturgy of the Church, the saints in heaven and pilgrims on earth? There are many conversion stories in which the narrator describes quietly entering a Catholic church, maybe even sneaking in, and being struck by the statues and candles, and, most of all, by the people kneeling in rapt devotion as the priest at the altar lifts the consecrated host and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” There may be one, but I have never read a conversion story in which a person was drawn to the Catholic Church by the kind of chumminess that one might encounter at a birthday party or around the water cooler at the office. “This is a false conclusion,” rumbles our liturgist. I’m sorry, sir, but since I’ve had the temerity to go so far, I’ll go a step further and, at the risk of your wrath, suggest that it is really not so important “to show that the Eucharist is a communal activity.” That’s not the point. The point is what God has done, and is doing in the Mass, reconciling the world to Himself through the sacrifice of Christ. The eucharistic community is created precisely by our turning away from ourselves and toward Christ. The wonderful friendliness of our wonderful selves is really quite beside the point. And to think otherwise is, well, arrogance.

It is the eighth day...
of the Election Day Novena.

Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives.

In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful.

Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice.

Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order.

Amen.

Courtesy of Lane Core.

If it were not Sunday...
today would be the feast of St. Wolfgang, O.S.B., Bishop.

Music at the Noon Mass
Processional Hymn: "Crown Him With Many Crowns"
Offertory: "Ave Maria" - Tomas Luis da Vittoria (1549-1611)
Communion: "Ave Verum" - Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Recessional Hymn: "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"