Selected Sermons

The Classics of Western Spirituality

by John Henry Newman, Daniel M. O'Connell S.J. (Editor)

John Henry Newman was not a writer whose works lend themselves to tidy classification. This is partly because he was not a systematic thinker, partly because he so often wrote to meet a specific problem for a specific occasion, and partly because the deeply personalist cast of his thought encouraged a free-ranging style of writing.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality, Religion, Classics

374 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Saint 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).

Reviews

[Kristin Gottron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newman’s sermons are rich in Biblical depth and demonstrate his knowledge of Patristic theology. This book has been a wonderful companion to prayer, and I plan to look for another book of Newman’s sermons to continue learning from him.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've written in other reviews how much I benefit from JHN's sermons. They are intellectually sharp, beautifully written, and deeply motivating. They are the kind of thing that can get your spiritual life on track.