From Meditations and Devotions
by Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O.

I adore Thee, Son of Mary, Jesu Emmanuel, my God and my Saviour. I am allowed to adore Thee, my Saviour and my own Brother, for Thou art God. I follow Thee in my thoughts, O Thou First fruits of our race, as I hope one day by Thy grace to follow Thee in my person. To go to heaven is to go to God. God is there and God alone: for perfect bliss is there and nothing else, and none can be blessed who is not bathed and hidden and absorbed in the glory of the Divine Nature. All holy creatures are but the vestment of the Highest, which He has put on for ever, and which is bright with His uncreated light. There are many things on earth, and each is its own centre, but one Name alone is named above. It is God alone. This is that true supernatural life; and if I would live a supernatural life on earth, and attain to the supernatural eternal life which is in heaven, I have one thing to do, viz. to live on the thought of God here. Teach me this, O God; give me Thy supernatural grace to practise it; to have my reason, affections, intentions, aims, all penetrated and possessed by the love of Thee, plunged and drowned in the one Vision of Thee.

Oh, Mel...
so your dad went off the deep end. Did you have to go along ?

Link courtesy of Lane Core.

The Feast of St. Brigid of Ireland, Virgin
is today. There is information on her here.
It is also the feast of St. Henry Morse, S.J., Priest and Martyr.

The Feast of Blessed Sebastian Valfrè, C.O., Priest
is today. There is information on him here.
Link courtesy of the Toronto Oratory.
On this feast day in 1859, Venerable John Henry Newman, C.O., preached a sermon, of which the following notes survive:

Blessed Sebastian Valfre
1. INTROD.—The day. Blessed Sebastian born about thirty years after St. Philip's death.

2. General resemblance between the two: (1) St. Philip's early devotion to God; no mortal sin; hard life, long life, and hidden life. (2) Blessed Sebastian the same. More is known of his boyhood—(give instances). Like St. Philip, he labours till the day of his death. Circumstances of his death.

3. Differences from St. Philip: (1) St. Philip without object [in life at first]. Others go to Rome for preferment. He did not aim at being priest; he did not aim at founding a Congregation—like Benedictines, no great work , but [like] St. Vincent of Paul, e.g. works. (2) Blessed Sebastian had the definite object of being a priest.

4. Hence Blessed Sebastian's particular character—of priestly, pastoral work of every kind—(go into details). He differed from other priests [of his time] in his incessant work.

5. Well is it that his feast is this year on a Sunday, for we have just set up an altar to him.

6. And well is his feast at this time of the year, for it is the time we came to Birmingham.

7. We have been now ten years in Birmingham, and when I thank God for what He has allowed us to do, I can suitably do it, for I have had less to do with it than others. You know how many of us have devoted ourselves to missionary work.

8. Pray then for us—(details).

9. And pray for The Oratory at Turin—(details). Subscribing to the Achilli fund; our going there—[their] simplicity of life, etc. Their present troubles. Little to choose between one country and another. All good men persecuted.