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Take Five: Meditations With John Henry Newman
John Henry Newman's journey to Catholicism is one of the greatest stories of the nineteenth-century Church. He relied on divine revelation, together with logical reasoning and historical facts, to reach religious truths and vigorously defend religious doctrines. Each topical entry begins with an excerpt from this saintly man's writings, followed by these helpful
- GenresSpirituality
189 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2010
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Mike Aquilina
127 books113 followersMike Aquilina is author or editor of more than thirty books, including The Fathers of the Church, The Mass of the Early Christians, and A Year with the Church Fathers. He has co-hosted eight series that air on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). He has co-authored books with Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., and theologian Scott Hahn. He is past editor of New Covenant magazine and The Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper. He appears weekly on Sirius Radio's "Sonrise Morning Show." Mike and his wife, Terri, have six children, who are the subject of his book Love in the Little Things.
In 2011 Mike was a featured presenter of the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Educational/Catechetical Leadership Institute. He also wrote the USCCB's theological reflection for Catechetical Sunday in 2011.
His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in many journals, including First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, and Catholic Heritage. He contributed work on early Christianity to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought.
Mike is a also poet whose works have appeared in U.S. literary journals and have been translated into Polish and Spanish. He shared songwriting credits with Grammy Award-winner Dion DiMucci on the forthcoming album "Tank Full of Blues."
In 2011 Mike was a featured presenter of the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Educational/Catechetical Leadership Institute. He also wrote the USCCB's theological reflection for Catechetical Sunday in 2011.
His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in many journals, including First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, and Catholic Heritage. He contributed work on early Christianity to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought.
Mike is a also poet whose works have appeared in U.S. literary journals and have been translated into Polish and Spanish. He shared songwriting credits with Grammy Award-winner Dion DiMucci on the forthcoming album "Tank Full of Blues."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 30, 2019
This book was edited and compiled by Mike aquiline and Juan Velez. It is one of three books co-authored by Mike that are in this style and format:
Take Five: On-The-Job Meditations with St. Ignatius
Take Five: Meditations with Pope Benedict XVI
Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman
It is the second of the three that I have read. And yet I plan on reading the third and then reading all of them over again. This book was very hard to put down. I had to ration it and found myself doing one meditation in the morning, and one in the evening because I just could not stop reading. In the How To Use This Book section we are told:
“Yet so many sermons and books on the spiritual life seem to ignore these everyday realities and focus instead on matters that are important — methods of meditation, volunteer work, almsgiving — but that hold a marginal place in the ordinary days of ordinary people.
In this book, we bring the rich teachings of Cardinal John Henry Newman to bear on the everyday circumstances of working life. Cardinal Newman lived a busy life as a teacher, editor, administrator, and clergyman — and he still found time enough to write books that have been profoundly influential in the fields of theology, philosophy, history, and fiction. His collected works fill dozens of volumes.”
Each meditation is an extract from the works of cardinal Newman’s, from sermons, many sources, but mainly Newman’s writings and talks. They can be read in any order. And you can return to the book and read them again and again. There are 76 meditations or reflections in this volume. They cover a wide range of topics. The format of each is:
Meditation
Think About It – a few points for prayer.
Just Imagine – a biblical passage for reflection.
Remember – a quote to take with you for the day.
As I stated in my previous Take Five review: I am typically an eBook guy, I read 30 eBooks for every physical book. This is one I will pick up a physical copy of to keep in my bedside bookcase, so that I can randomly open it any where and read them again from time to time. The 76 meditations are:
1. The Soul’s Happiness
2. The World Is Too Small to Satisfy Us
3. God Is the Only Key
4. God Is Always There
5. Feel-Good Religion
6. To Watch for Christ
7. Progress Through Virtues
8. Be Sincere and Humble Before God
9. The Snares of Pride
10. Love Lasts
11. Understand and Accept Others
12. Conscience: God’s Voice
13. The World as Witness
14. Deep in History
15. Beyond Study: Prayer and Fasting
16. Trust in Religious Truths
17. Faith’s Power of Persuasion
18. The Greatest Science
19. Holiness in Everyday Life
20. Back to Basics
21. Make Small Sacrifices
22. Fight, Not Flight
23. Self-Examination
24. Check Your Emotions
25. Playing Judge
26. Conversion: A Question of Truth
27. The Joy of Seeing God
28. Defending the Practice of Celibacy for Catholic Clergy
29. Power of Prayer
30. Your Guardian Angel
31. Jesus’ Story Is Mary’s, Too
32. The Rosary as a Great Creed
33. Make the Holy Family Your Home
34. Walk by Faith
35. The Church’s Supernatural Origin
36. God’s Oracle
37. The Heart’s Reasons
38. Bringing Friends to Christ and the Church
39. Only the Finest for God
40. Jesus Had a Home
41. Thank God!
42. Think of the Martyrs
43. Pray Constantly
44. Overcoming Anti-Catholicism
45. Scripture Is Sacred
46. What Are You Looking For?
47. Joy, the Sign of a Christian
48. Life Without God
49. Speak Kindly
50. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
51. Lasting Peace in Heaven
52. The Holy Eucharist Is a Feast
53. Know Yourself
54. Turning Away From God
55. Making Our World Holy
56. Don’t Write Anyone Off
57. Restoring God’s Image
58. Bear Witness to Christ
59. Take Courage
60. The Gospel Paradox
61. A Child’s Happiness
62. The Hunger for True Bread
63. Worldliness
64. Build on a Solid Foundation
65. There Are No Short Ways to Perfection
66. Learn How to Do Without
67. God Made Us Valuable to Himself
68. In Mary’s Arms
69. Not Worrying About What Others Think
70. Living in God’s Presence
71. Don’t Be Puffed Up
72. You Are in God’s Hands
73. Keeping in Touch With Friends
74. Save Your Soul
75. Reviving Old Friendships
76. Friendship Based on Christ
This volume Focuses on 5 areas of Newman’s thought:
1. The pursuit of objective religious truth.
2. Teaching on the virtues.
3. Defense of the Catholic Church.
4. A devout spiritual and moral life.
5. Generosity and loyalty in his friendships.
Some of the meditations are only a few short sentences. And some are a few long paragraphs. An example is:
“13. The World as Witness
Christianity is not a theory. It is a historical fact, and history is its witness.
Christianity has been long enough in the world to justify us in dealing with it as a fact in the world’s history. Its genius and character, its doctrines, precepts, and objects cannot be treated as matters of private opinion or deduction, … unless the testimony of so many centuries is to go for nothing. Christianity is no theory of the study or the cloister. It has long since passed beyond the letter of documents and the reasonings of individual minds, and has become public property. Its “sound has gone out into all lands,” and its “words unto the ends of the world.” It has from the first had an objective existence, and has thrown itself upon the great concourse of men. Its home is in the world; and to know what it is, we must seek it in the world, and hear the world’s witness of it.
Dev, 3-4
THINK ABOUT IT
With the Incarnation, Christ entered history and embraced our humanity.
Can I respond intelligently to those who misconstrue events in Christian history?
We must learn about the decisive contributions of Christianity to the world of culture, education, family life, science, government, and public life.
JUST IMAGINE
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
LUKE 2:1-7
REMEMBER
Christianity’s home is in the world; and to know what it is, we must seek it in the world, and hear the world’s witness of it.”
This book is an excellent read. It is great as in introduction to Newman’s thought. It is wonderful as a devotional. The hard part will be sticking to just one meditation at a time. Another excellent resource from Mike Aquilina and my introduction to the works of Juan Velez. Highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Mike Aquilina.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!
Take Five: On-The-Job Meditations with St. Ignatius
Take Five: Meditations with Pope Benedict XVI
Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman
It is the second of the three that I have read. And yet I plan on reading the third and then reading all of them over again. This book was very hard to put down. I had to ration it and found myself doing one meditation in the morning, and one in the evening because I just could not stop reading. In the How To Use This Book section we are told:
“Yet so many sermons and books on the spiritual life seem to ignore these everyday realities and focus instead on matters that are important — methods of meditation, volunteer work, almsgiving — but that hold a marginal place in the ordinary days of ordinary people.
In this book, we bring the rich teachings of Cardinal John Henry Newman to bear on the everyday circumstances of working life. Cardinal Newman lived a busy life as a teacher, editor, administrator, and clergyman — and he still found time enough to write books that have been profoundly influential in the fields of theology, philosophy, history, and fiction. His collected works fill dozens of volumes.”
Each meditation is an extract from the works of cardinal Newman’s, from sermons, many sources, but mainly Newman’s writings and talks. They can be read in any order. And you can return to the book and read them again and again. There are 76 meditations or reflections in this volume. They cover a wide range of topics. The format of each is:
Meditation
Think About It – a few points for prayer.
Just Imagine – a biblical passage for reflection.
Remember – a quote to take with you for the day.
As I stated in my previous Take Five review: I am typically an eBook guy, I read 30 eBooks for every physical book. This is one I will pick up a physical copy of to keep in my bedside bookcase, so that I can randomly open it any where and read them again from time to time. The 76 meditations are:
1. The Soul’s Happiness
2. The World Is Too Small to Satisfy Us
3. God Is the Only Key
4. God Is Always There
5. Feel-Good Religion
6. To Watch for Christ
7. Progress Through Virtues
8. Be Sincere and Humble Before God
9. The Snares of Pride
10. Love Lasts
11. Understand and Accept Others
12. Conscience: God’s Voice
13. The World as Witness
14. Deep in History
15. Beyond Study: Prayer and Fasting
16. Trust in Religious Truths
17. Faith’s Power of Persuasion
18. The Greatest Science
19. Holiness in Everyday Life
20. Back to Basics
21. Make Small Sacrifices
22. Fight, Not Flight
23. Self-Examination
24. Check Your Emotions
25. Playing Judge
26. Conversion: A Question of Truth
27. The Joy of Seeing God
28. Defending the Practice of Celibacy for Catholic Clergy
29. Power of Prayer
30. Your Guardian Angel
31. Jesus’ Story Is Mary’s, Too
32. The Rosary as a Great Creed
33. Make the Holy Family Your Home
34. Walk by Faith
35. The Church’s Supernatural Origin
36. God’s Oracle
37. The Heart’s Reasons
38. Bringing Friends to Christ and the Church
39. Only the Finest for God
40. Jesus Had a Home
41. Thank God!
42. Think of the Martyrs
43. Pray Constantly
44. Overcoming Anti-Catholicism
45. Scripture Is Sacred
46. What Are You Looking For?
47. Joy, the Sign of a Christian
48. Life Without God
49. Speak Kindly
50. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
51. Lasting Peace in Heaven
52. The Holy Eucharist Is a Feast
53. Know Yourself
54. Turning Away From God
55. Making Our World Holy
56. Don’t Write Anyone Off
57. Restoring God’s Image
58. Bear Witness to Christ
59. Take Courage
60. The Gospel Paradox
61. A Child’s Happiness
62. The Hunger for True Bread
63. Worldliness
64. Build on a Solid Foundation
65. There Are No Short Ways to Perfection
66. Learn How to Do Without
67. God Made Us Valuable to Himself
68. In Mary’s Arms
69. Not Worrying About What Others Think
70. Living in God’s Presence
71. Don’t Be Puffed Up
72. You Are in God’s Hands
73. Keeping in Touch With Friends
74. Save Your Soul
75. Reviving Old Friendships
76. Friendship Based on Christ
This volume Focuses on 5 areas of Newman’s thought:
1. The pursuit of objective religious truth.
2. Teaching on the virtues.
3. Defense of the Catholic Church.
4. A devout spiritual and moral life.
5. Generosity and loyalty in his friendships.
Some of the meditations are only a few short sentences. And some are a few long paragraphs. An example is:
“13. The World as Witness
Christianity is not a theory. It is a historical fact, and history is its witness.
Christianity has been long enough in the world to justify us in dealing with it as a fact in the world’s history. Its genius and character, its doctrines, precepts, and objects cannot be treated as matters of private opinion or deduction, … unless the testimony of so many centuries is to go for nothing. Christianity is no theory of the study or the cloister. It has long since passed beyond the letter of documents and the reasonings of individual minds, and has become public property. Its “sound has gone out into all lands,” and its “words unto the ends of the world.” It has from the first had an objective existence, and has thrown itself upon the great concourse of men. Its home is in the world; and to know what it is, we must seek it in the world, and hear the world’s witness of it.
Dev, 3-4
THINK ABOUT IT
With the Incarnation, Christ entered history and embraced our humanity.
Can I respond intelligently to those who misconstrue events in Christian history?
We must learn about the decisive contributions of Christianity to the world of culture, education, family life, science, government, and public life.
JUST IMAGINE
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
LUKE 2:1-7
REMEMBER
Christianity’s home is in the world; and to know what it is, we must seek it in the world, and hear the world’s witness of it.”
This book is an excellent read. It is great as in introduction to Newman’s thought. It is wonderful as a devotional. The hard part will be sticking to just one meditation at a time. Another excellent resource from Mike Aquilina and my introduction to the works of Juan Velez. Highly recommend.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Mike Aquilina.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!
March 10, 2020
Great introduction to St John Henry Newman in an easy to read format with daily reflections and scriptures. Tiny enough to carry in a pocket or purse!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews