Like St. John Henry we bring our sorrows, small or big, to Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem and return with hearts full of peace and joy.
Knowing the difference between forgiveness and pardon will give us even greater resolve to change and atone for past sins.
St. John Henry reflects on the uniqueness of the soul of each human created by God, and on doctrine of judgment after death.
John Henry Newman reminds us that God gives us angels not only to protect us from evil but to guide us to heaven.
Newman warns against the danger of self-righteousness, and its converse: shunning religious practices that might lead to self-conceit.
God requires much from us; don’t shrink back, but go on with the courage of one who knows “If God be for me, who can be against me?”
Religion is more than just an abstraction; it is a lived reality with outward manifestations, Newman explains in his poem External Religion.
The world God made has a natural law of cause and effect built into it. One act of love really benefits the whole of creation, and one sin harms the same whole. On the individual level, our personal sins, as well as our acts of love, mold our character moment by moment.
Unlike Balaam, our obedience to God should be borne out of the desire to not offend a Good Father, but to please Him out of love.