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Everyday Meditations
Over the years, the brilliant and often voluminous scholarly writings of Bl. John Henry Newman (1801-1890), have drawn into the Church thousands more converts after him. In this beautifully reproduced collection of his greatest devotions and meditations, we encounter not Newman the intellectual but Newman the simple Christian, on his knees face-to-face with God. Discerning the voice of God was Newman's greatest desire. It awakened in him ceaseless prayer, countless good works, a profound love of the sacraments, and the habit of daily meditation which strengthened his will, deepened his understanding, and enkindled in him an ever greater love of God. To help you discern God s voice daily, rest in it, and respond to it according to each day's opportunities and needs, Sophia Institute Press has here gathered fifty of Newman's most moving Christian meditations, each guaranteed to enkindle in your soul the very same kind of love they enkindled in his. As they nurtured Newman's daily acts of conversion and finally made him worthy of the title Blessed, so will these Everyday Meditations call you to daily acts of conversion and finally lead you, as they led Newman, to bow down in awe before the depths of God s love.
166 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2013
129 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
John Henry Newman
2,040 books286 followersSaint John Henry Cardinal Newman was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. He was known nationally by the mid-1830s.
Originally an evangelical Oxford University academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman then became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became known as a leader of, and an able polemicist for, the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation. In this the movement had some success. However, in 1845 Newman, joined by some but not all of his followers, left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University and was received into the Catholic Church. He was quickly ordained as a priest and continued as an influential religious leader, based in Birmingham. In 1879, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College Dublin, today the largest university in Ireland.
Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. He was then canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
Newman was also a literary figure of note: his major writings including the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841), his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–66), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[6] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).
Originally an evangelical Oxford University academic and priest in the Church of England, Newman then became drawn to the high-church tradition of Anglicanism. He became known as a leader of, and an able polemicist for, the Oxford Movement, an influential and controversial grouping of Anglicans who wished to return to the Church of England many Catholic beliefs and liturgical rituals from before the English Reformation. In this the movement had some success. However, in 1845 Newman, joined by some but not all of his followers, left the Church of England and his teaching post at Oxford University and was received into the Catholic Church. He was quickly ordained as a priest and continued as an influential religious leader, based in Birmingham. In 1879, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in recognition of his services to the cause of the Catholic Church in England. He was instrumental in the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland, which evolved into University College Dublin, today the largest university in Ireland.
Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during his visit to the United Kingdom. He was then canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019.
Newman was also a literary figure of note: his major writings including the Tracts for the Times (1833–1841), his autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua (1865–66), the Grammar of Assent (1870), and the poem The Dream of Gerontius (1865),[6] which was set to music in 1900 by Edward Elgar. He wrote the popular hymns "Lead, Kindly Light" and "Praise to the Holiest in the Height" (taken from Gerontius).
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 11, 2025
I am not Catholic, but my husband is a Catholic deacon. He was gifted this book at Christmas by his bishop. I thought I would read it. I’m basically not a Catholic myself but raised Episcopalian. I’m pretty much an interdenominational Christian.
I enjoyed reading these little meditations here and there over the course of the last 10 months. They are definitely well written and inspiring. The author is almost poetic with his turn of phrases, describing his devotion to God. Very heartfelt. This is a book I would definitely revisit again.
I enjoyed reading these little meditations here and there over the course of the last 10 months. They are definitely well written and inspiring. The author is almost poetic with his turn of phrases, describing his devotion to God. Very heartfelt. This is a book I would definitely revisit again.
December 14, 2017
Short meditations. Amazing help with prayer. I read one a day. Gonna start again.
I’m beginning An essay on the development of Christian doctrine. Will be a challenge. Newman is a genius.
I’m beginning An essay on the development of Christian doctrine. Will be a challenge. Newman is a genius.
October 14, 2023
Very good, short chapters on different aspects of God. Definitely worth re-reading every year.
June 11, 2020
Perfect for Adoration or a bedtime companion, St. John Henry Newman's simple yet profound language will open the mind and draw the heart closer to the Heart of the Eternal Father. The language is accessible and easy to understand. Highly recommended!
July 8, 2021
I read this after taking a mini series course on Newman. This book was a good start to his work and offered quick and useful meditations. The only thing that I struggled with was that sometimes I had/have a hard time deciphering his work. This book would be a good one to reread in the future.
April 18, 2020
Brings you closer to a life with your redeemer
The meditations read everyday takes you on a journey towards living a life that will bring you closer to residing in heaven.
The meditations read everyday takes you on a journey towards living a life that will bring you closer to residing in heaven.
June 23, 2020
Great daily devotional
Wonderful for daily reflection with just enough deeper theology to be intellectually engaging while not distracting from the main point.
Wonderful for daily reflection with just enough deeper theology to be intellectually engaging while not distracting from the main point.
March 7, 2022
Really, really catholic. Beautiful devotional prose.
January 19, 2023
These meditations are much weighty than the average meditation or devotion you find in Christian bookstores. I appreciated them for that.
November 16, 2023
Newman had a lot of good things to say and good insights. I felt a lot of it went over my head and his language usage was difficult in places.
March 20, 2020
Maybe I'm not pious enough for this book (edit - I'm definitely not), but I really struggled to make it through this book.
It's broken into 50 short meditations on the theology of man and of God. Clearly Newman was very much influenced by his fellow nineteenth century authors. His language is lofty and stylized - to the point when I would read and re-read sentences and still not understand what I was reading. Maybe this book will speak to you, but if you'd like something more accessible, give this book a pass and choose to read something by Jacques Philippe or Matthew Kelly instead.
It's broken into 50 short meditations on the theology of man and of God. Clearly Newman was very much influenced by his fellow nineteenth century authors. His language is lofty and stylized - to the point when I would read and re-read sentences and still not understand what I was reading. Maybe this book will speak to you, but if you'd like something more accessible, give this book a pass and choose to read something by Jacques Philippe or Matthew Kelly instead.
August 31, 2013
Everyday Meditations is a collection of fifty meditations that range in length from two to four pages each. Topics include God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, Sin, the Eucharist, etc. The book is arranged in such a way that similar topics are grouped together and thus you can build on your understanding of each topic by reading and reflecting on the same topic for several sessions in a row. However, you do not have to read this book in order. If you wanted to meditate on Good Friday, you could read the meditation "The Power of the Cross." If you want to express your love for God, but don't have the words, then try, "An Act of Love."
I generally try to pick a section in the book that I view as my favorite part. With this book, however, that is an impossible task, as each meditation will speak to different people in different ways. The message that I obtain from a meditation might not be the same message you obtain. In fact, the message that you obtain on your first reading of a particular meditation might be different on your next reflection of it. That is the beauty of works such as these. They lend themselves to being read and re-read. I will share with you a quote from one meditation that spoke to me though. With this brief quote, I hope to show you how simple, yet profound each meditation is. From "The Passion of Our Lord," Cardinal John Henry Newman writes:
"O tormented heart, it was love and sorrow and fear that broke you. It was the sight of human sin, it was the sense of it, the feeling of it laid on you; it was zeal for the glory of God, horror at seeing sin so near you, a sickening, stifling, feeling at its pollution, the deep shame and disgust and abhorrence and revolt it inspired, keen pity for the souls whom it has drawn headlong into hell – all these feelings together you allowed to rush upon you. You submitted yourself to their powers, and they were your death. That strong heart; that all-noble, all generous, all-tender, all-pure heart was slain by sin."
With only fifty meditations in this 5-star book, one could use this book in a number of ways. The easiest way would be to start from the beginning and read one per day. You would certainly gain a lot of wisdom and appreciation for all aspects of your faith. I, however, would like to suggest a better way to use this book. Find a chapel that has Eucharistic Adoration, and spend thirty minutes to one hour per week there. Bring this book with you every time, and read one meditation per week. In front of our Lord, reflect on that meditation, and make the meditation your focus through the week, especially when life tries to weigh you down. If you make it the whole year, you will finish the book with a few weeks to spare, and you would also be spiritually richer for it.
I generally try to pick a section in the book that I view as my favorite part. With this book, however, that is an impossible task, as each meditation will speak to different people in different ways. The message that I obtain from a meditation might not be the same message you obtain. In fact, the message that you obtain on your first reading of a particular meditation might be different on your next reflection of it. That is the beauty of works such as these. They lend themselves to being read and re-read. I will share with you a quote from one meditation that spoke to me though. With this brief quote, I hope to show you how simple, yet profound each meditation is. From "The Passion of Our Lord," Cardinal John Henry Newman writes:
"O tormented heart, it was love and sorrow and fear that broke you. It was the sight of human sin, it was the sense of it, the feeling of it laid on you; it was zeal for the glory of God, horror at seeing sin so near you, a sickening, stifling, feeling at its pollution, the deep shame and disgust and abhorrence and revolt it inspired, keen pity for the souls whom it has drawn headlong into hell – all these feelings together you allowed to rush upon you. You submitted yourself to their powers, and they were your death. That strong heart; that all-noble, all generous, all-tender, all-pure heart was slain by sin."
With only fifty meditations in this 5-star book, one could use this book in a number of ways. The easiest way would be to start from the beginning and read one per day. You would certainly gain a lot of wisdom and appreciation for all aspects of your faith. I, however, would like to suggest a better way to use this book. Find a chapel that has Eucharistic Adoration, and spend thirty minutes to one hour per week there. Bring this book with you every time, and read one meditation per week. In front of our Lord, reflect on that meditation, and make the meditation your focus through the week, especially when life tries to weigh you down. If you make it the whole year, you will finish the book with a few weeks to spare, and you would also be spiritually richer for it.
December 18, 2014
I started this book months ago, one meditation per week during Adoration. Wonderful.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews