Celebrating the Canonization of St. John Henry Newman

Celebrating the Canonization of St. John Henry Newman

From the Introduction to his Meditations and Devotions 

Finally, Meditations and Devotions is practical. It is a book that is meant to be used. And it demonstrates the habits and spiritual practices of this remarkable saint of the Church—habits that are perhaps best summarized in this one representative short paragraph:

 
If you ask me what you are to do in order to be perfect, I say, first—Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising; give your first thoughts to God; make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament; say the Angelus devoutly; eat and drink to God’s glory; say the Rosary well; be recollected; keep out bad thoughts; make your evening meditation well; examine yourself daily; go to bed in good time, and you are already perfect.

 

 

 
About the Author
St. John Henry Newman (1801–1890) was a poet and theologian, first an Anglican priest, then founder of the Oxford Movement, and later a Catholic priest and cardinal in the Roman Church. The autobiography of this important and controversial figure in the religious history of England in the nineteenth century, Apologia Pro Vita Sua, is widely considered to be one of the great Christian classics of the modern era. 
Previous article For Animal Lovers at Heart