Biography

 This decision which might come as a surprise to some of us, was gratefully received by the New York Oratorians.  John Henry Newman is in fact a saint and illustrious Oratorian.
 In the future we will have the opportunity to make a loving acquaintance with our patron saint, come to know him better and therefore appreciate the grace of having him as a patron saint of our church.
 To start our friendship with him here are three basic suggestions:

1. His “motto” - something you firmly believe in - was, “cor to cor loquitur”, which translates “heart unto heart speaks”. Our saint made heart the foundation of how we relate to each other. If you do not love you better be silent. During his lifetime he cultivated lasting friendships, raising friendship to the ranks of the highest form of human love.
2. Our patron saint was a passionate seeker of truth. Through persecution and suffering he returned to the Catholic Church with joy of having found the Apostolic wellsprings of truth, and also of being allowed to develop new understandings of Catholic faith.
3. Saint John was a poet, an artist. He wrote hymns, verses, plays, stories . . . He believed that “God is not only Truth, but also Beauty!”
4.  Our patron was an educator. He founded schools and universities. He tirelessly promoted a wholesome education, in respect for both faith and science and offering the opportunity to those without access to education.

 Let us be grateful for the grace of our new Patron Saint John Henry Newman.

 Rev. Fr. George Torok C.O.

Pathways to Holiness – from the writings of St. John Henry Newman
Holiness, one could say, is a task for all seasons, and one of the most effective ways of becoming holy is to learn about and to imitate the lives of the great saints who went before us, including our new patron saint, John Henry Newman. “The universal call to holiness” was the clarion call of the Vatican Council II. The numerous sermons and articles published by the erudite pen of John Henry Newman had the seeds of “call to holiness” in plenty.
1. Truth and Peace
Newman adopted in his youth the motto: “Holiness rather than peace.” He experienced alienation throughout his life for the very reason that he pursued holiness: loss of an Oxford position; mistrust by Anglicans as an Anglican; loss of friends upon his conversion; mistrust by Catholics as a Catholic; betrayal by bishops. However, he informs us in his Apologia pro Vita Sua that, in spite of all he suffered:
I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never have had one doubt. I was not conscious to myself, on my conversion, of any change, intellectual or moral, wrought in my mind. I was not conscious of firmer faith in the fundamental truths of Revelation, or of more self-command; I had not more fervor; but it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.
Reflection:
Christ warns us that following Him in total fidelity will bring not peace, but the sword (see Mt 10:34). Jesus goes so far as to declare that fidelity to Him will affect even family relationships (see Lk 12:53). And haven’t we seen that prophecy, sadly, fulfilled in the past several decades? Is it not interesting that Newman’s pursuit of holiness and passion for the truth did, ultimately, bring him also the experience of peace?
Making the pathway our own
Truth is never in a hurry. It comes little by little, not all at once. There is an urgency in wrong thinking, but there is peace in the truth. It is learned line upon line, here a little, there a little. That is how we learn – and no one ever learns it all. To know all truth would make us perfect. One day we will be perfect, but not in this life. In what areas of life do you need to be more attuned to Truth?
2. Love and Awe
In Heaven, love will absorb fear; but in this world, fear and love must go together. No one can love God aright without fearing Him; though many fear Him, and yet do not love Him. Self-confident men, who do not know their own hearts, or the reasons they have for being dissatisfied with themselves, do not fear God, and they think this bold freedom is to love Him. Deliberate sinners fear but cannot love Him. But devotion to Him consists in love and fear, as we may understand from our ordinary attachment to each other. No one really loves another, who does not feel a certain reverence towards him/her. . . . It is mutual respect which makes friendship lasting. So again, in the feelings of inferiors towards superiors. Fear must go before love. (Christian Reverence)
Reflection:
God does want us to have a healthy reverence and respect for Him. And this fear can also be a motivator for obeying. Indeed, it’s not uncommon to find some who obeys because they’re scared they’ll be punished if they don’t. But God does not want us to obey Him out of terror. Instead, He desires that our respect for Him grow into deep appreciation for Him and His way of life. Ultimately, God wants us to obey and follow Him out of love (1 John 5:3).
Making the pathway our own:
Perhaps we can compare it to the way a child loves and fears a good father, a father who reveals his love and care by showing that he says what he means and he means what he says. With such a father, if you do wrong, you will indeed suffer the consequences of that wrongdoing. Yes, we can, and must, love and fear God at the same time. They are not contradictory ideas. The more we learn about God, the more we come to love Him because of His goodness; and yet at the same time, the more we come to know about God, the more we can fear Him, too, because we can see just how holy and righteous He is and how sinful and unrighteous we are in contrast, and how it is only by grace – undeserved merit – that we are not destroyed.
What is your idea of love and fear in your relationship with God?
3. Zeal and Service
A healthy fear of the Lord and deep love for Him should come with the response of dedicated, fearless service. Notice how contemporaneous Newman sounds:
. . . it will be a more simple account of Zeal, to call it the earnest desire for God’s honor, leading to strenuous and bold deeds in His behalf; and that in spite of all obstacles. . . . It is the present fashion to call Zeal by the name of intolerance, and to account intolerance the chief of sins; that is, any earnestness for one opinion above another concerning God’s nature, will, and dealings with man,—or, in other words, any earnestness for the Faith once delivered to the Saints, any earnestness for Revelation as such. Surely, in this sense, the Apostles were the most intolerant of men: what is it but intolerance in this sense of the word to declare, that “he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life;” that “they that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord;” that “neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor covetous, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God;” that we must not even “eat” with a brother who is one of such; that we may not “receive into our houses,” or “bid God speed” to any one who comes to us without the “doctrine of Christ”?
He ends that sermon with this plea: “May Almighty God, for His dear Son’s sake, lead us safely through these dangerous times; so that, while we never lay aside our Zeal for His honor, we may sanctify it by Faith and Charity, neither staining our garments by wrath or violence, nor soiling them with the dust of a turbulent world!” (Christian Zeal)
Reflection:
Zeal is defined as “having great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.” The synonyms for the word zeal are rich in meaning – “passion, ardor, love, fervor, fire, avidity, devotion, enthusiasm, eagerness, keenness, appetite, relish, gusto, vigor, energy, intensity.” In the Christian life, we are called to exhibit zeal for the Lord.
Making the pathway our own:
The biblical definition of zeal in this context has a three-fold meaning. First, “be excited about doing something”; next, “to do one’s best” and thirdly, “do it quickly.” (Romans 12:6-13). By using the three biblical meanings of the word “zeal” ask yourself: Are you excited about the things of the Lord? Are you doing your best in the things of the Lord? Are you excited and doing your best for the Lord, right now, today, without allowing the sin of procrastination to quench your zeal? These are important questions because your zeal reveals your love. As we are zealous for the Lord, so is our love for the Lord.

4. In pursuit for heavenly values
In a Pentecost homily, he challenged his congregation to what today we would call a counter-cultural mode of living:
Christians are called upon to think little of the ordinary objects which men pursue – wealth, luxury, distinction, popularity, and power. It was this negligence about the world which brought upon them in primitive times the reproach of being indolent. Their heathen enemies spoke truly; indolent and indifferent they were about temporal matters. If the goods of this world came in their way, they were not bound to decline them; nor would they forbid others in the religious use of them; but they thought them vanities, the toys of children, which serious men let drop.
He goes on to explain why the Christian behaves as he does: “Accordingly, the self-respect of the Christian is no personal and selfish feeling, but rather a principle of loyal devotion and reverence towards that Divine Master who condescends to visit him. He acts, not hastily, but under restraint and fearfully, as understanding that God’s eye is over him, and God’s hand upon him, and God’s voice within him.”
Once more, he proffers a rousing conclusion, calling for the believer to take advantage of the Church’s liturgical cycle to live truly godly lives:
May we, one and all, set forward with this season, when the Spirit descended, that so we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior! Let those who have had seasons of seriousness, lengthen them into a life; and let those who have made good resolves in Lent, remember them in Eastertide; and let those who have hitherto lived religiously, learn devotion; and let those who have lived in good conscience, learn to live by faith; and let those who have made a good profession, aim at consistency; and let those who take pleasure in religious worship, aim at inward sanctity; and let those who have knowledge, learn to love; and let those who meditate, forget not mortification. Let not this sacred season leave us as it found us; let it leave us, not as children, but as heirs and as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. . . . Let us redeem the time while it is called today. . . . (Christian Nobleness)
Reflection:
In the Psalms we read, “Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you have made my destiny secure.  Pleasant places were measured out for me; fair to me indeed is my inheritance.”  (NAB Ps 16: 5-6)  And again, “Truly I love your commands more than the finest gold.” (Ps 119:127).  St. Peter told the crippled beggar at “the Beautiful Gate”, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.”  God is our inheritance.  We used to say “Keeping up with the Joneses.”  Consumerism and materialism is a danger, and Pope Francis says that calm acceptance of money’s dominion over ourselves and our society is an idolatry that lacks concern for human beings and reduces us to a singular need- consumption (EG, no. 55).  Pope Francis says, “In a consumerist society, the sense of beauty is impoverished and so joy fades.  Everything is there to be purchased, possessed or consumed, including people.” (AL, no. 127)  Quoting the Bishops of Chile he writes, “’the perfect families proposed by deceptive consumerist propaganda do not exist.  In those families, no one grows old, there is no sickness, sorrow or death… Consumerist propaganda presents a fantasy that has nothing to do with the reality which must daily be faced by the heads of families.” (AL, 135) [SN1] 
Making the pathway our own:
Are you aware of the journey your soul is making nourished by the rituals and richness of the Liturgical Cycle (Advent-Christmas-Ordinary Time – Lent – Triduum – Easter – Ordinary Time)? What are you doing special during the current Liturgical Season?
5. Faith and Self-denial
On yet another occasion, he dares to speak of self-denial:
And so, too, as regards this world, with all its enjoyments, yet disappointments. Let us not trust it; let us not give our hearts to it; let us not begin with it. Let us begin with faith; let us begin with Christ; let us begin with His Cross and the humiliation to which it leads. Let us first be drawn to Him who is lifted up, that so He may, with Himself, freely give us all things. Let us “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and then all those things of this world “will be added to us.” They alone are able truly to enjoy this world, who begin with the world unseen. They alone enjoy it, who have first abstained from it. They alone can truly feast, who have first fasted; they alone are able to use the world, who have learned not to abuse it; they alone inherit it, who take it as a shadow of the world to come, and who for that world to come relinquish it. (Cross of Christ the Measure of the World)
Reflection:
The ironic thing about abandonment of our own agenda is precisely that it allows God the freedom to give us the true desire of our hearts. For he knows us better than we know ourselves and he loves us more than we love ourselves. So to lose ourselves for his sake finally makes it possible for us to find ourselves. To renounce self-love is actually enlightened self-interest.
Making the pathway our own:
When we are busy mending our nets (making our digital schedule) for another busy day, Jesus says “follow me” to each of us. It may mean making a change of career. It may mean breaking off a relationship that is leading us away from Christ. Or it may just mean doing what we are already doing but for an entirely different reason . . .achieving great things not to draw attention to ourselves, but to glorify Christ . . . seeking an intimate relationship no longer to take but to give. . . working not for the weekend, but for the kingdom. How open are you to abandon your plans for His? How often does the ‘Thy Will be Done’ prayer accompany your decision making?
6. Prudence
Vocation directors in the crazy 1960s, who rejected seminarians who had not experimented with drugs and sex and alcohol, would have done well to take to heart Newman’s admonitions in that regard, as should all prudent people:
One chief cause of the wickedness which is everywhere seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say so in plain words), unmanly and a thing to be ashamed of, to have no knowledge of sin by experience, as if it argued a strange seclusion from the world, a childish ignorance of life, a simpleness and narrowness of mind, and a superstitious, slavish fear. (Curiosity a Temptation to Sin)
Reflection:
St. Padre Pio has this exhortation: The devil is like a rabid dog tied to a chain; beyond the length of the chain, he cannot seize anyone. And you: keep at a distance. If you approach too near, you let yourself be caught. Remember that the devil has only one door by which to enter the soul: the will.
Making the pathway our own:
How prudent are you with media and leisure on a daily basis? Do you treat your mind as a sacred space/garden to which only you have the key?
7. Friendship with the Saints
Preaching on All Saints’ Day, he observed: “I have not yet mentioned the peculiar benefit to be derived from the observance of Saints’ days: which obviously lies in their setting before the mind patterns of excellence for us to follow.” He ends that sermon with this fond desire:
These are thoughts suitably to be impressed on us, on ending (as we do now) the yearly festivals of the Church. Every year brings wonders. We know not any year, what wonders shall have happened before the circle of festivals has run out again, from St. Andrew’s to All Saints’. Our duty then is to wait for the Lord’s coming, to prepare His way before Him, to pray that when He comes, we may be found watching. . . .(Use of Saints’ Days)
Reflection:
Our calendars are marked with days for remembering and celebrating. For example, we are reminded of national holidays and the beginning and end of seasons. In addition, we mark off birthdays and family events. Along with all the usual events, Catholics also remember saints from our faith tradition. One of the gifts of being born into a family is that we inherit relatives, people who have experienced life before us. From these people we inherit many shared values, and family stories that shape our lives.
Just as we have a family heritage, we also have a faith heritage. As Catholics, we remember our saints as people who lived their lives in exceptional ways. Most often, their lives are presented in a similar pattern; they are often martyrs who endured harsh suffering. Sometimes the pain of their lives does not inspire us to follow their examples. However, digging deeper into saints' lives, we often find patterns that do inspire us.
The saints—all of them—are models of human excellence. They demonstrate by their lives how to really live and how to really die. They consistently point to the horizon of love which leads to the fulfillment of all human desire: eternal communion with our loving God. The goal of praying to the saints is to establish a friendship of unending and eternal value. It is to strengthen the union of the Church in the Spirit through the exercise of fraternal charity (CCC 957). Within the context of this friendship, our heavenly brothers and sisters in Christ intercede on our behalf that we may attain to the same kind of completeness and happiness they themselves possess. For this to occur, we too must become saints; we too must join in unity with Christ, our Divine King. And that is precisely what our friends dwelling above, the saints, pray for on our behalf.
It is important to remember that no one is born a saint; everyone must be made into a saint by the grace of God, and everyone has the potential for that making. To become a saint is a process of transformation in cooperation with God. It begins with faith in Christ and baptism, it continues with a life lived sacramentally in the heart of the Church, strengthened by the Spirit and in union with Christ, the Master and King as his disciple, as another “Christ.” It is a life lived in harmony with God’s plan, not in opposition to it. It is a life of love and happiness and, not without its sacrifice and challenges.
Making the pathway our own:
Think of the seasons of the year and think of a Saint you could befriend through study and imitation to create the ‘seasons of the heart’ for your spiritual growth. How have you grown in virtue in imitation of the Saint you chose at Confirmation?
CONCLUSION
Holiness according to the mind and heart of St. John Henry Newman: Cor ad cor loquitur is a prayer to the Good God to “make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise.” Everything about Newman is directed by and to that transcendental horizon we call Heaven. With that in mind, make your own daily prayer his prayer for a happy death, yes, a happy death, which will lead us to full communion with all those holy ones we celebrate today:
PRAYER
Oh, my Lord and Savior, support me in that hour in the strong arms of Your Sacraments, and by the fresh fragrance of Your consolations. Let the absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me, and Your own Body be my food, and Your Blood my sprinkling; and let my sweet Mother, Mary, breathe on me, and my Angel whisper peace to me, and my glorious Saints smile upon me; that in them all, and through them all, I may receive the gift of perseverance, and die, as I desire to live, in Your faith, in Your Church, in Your service, and in Your love. Amen.