Sermons Blog (Three Minutes with Newman)
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David WarrenJanuary 12, 2019Blessed John Henry Newman shows us how obedience can help us overcome doubt and trust in Christ in the midst of the trials of life.
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David WarrenJanuary 5, 2019The difficulties of life cannot be resolved by mental effort; rather, peace in the midst of difficulties comes from simple acts of obedience.
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Robert KirkendallDecember 15, 2018This Advent, may we listen to what Newman calls the “aboriginal Vicar of Christ in the soul," our Conscience, the objective sense of God’s religious and moral commands in our hearts,
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Fr. Juan VelezOctober 27, 2018We need times of private prayer to know what God wants for us and to exercise faith in his care for us.
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David WarrenOctober 20, 2018Formal prayers are recited in public prayer, but not privately. Blessed Newman explains how these forms, some of them ancient, can aid personal devotion.
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Fr. Juan VelezSeptember 6, 2018The faithful laity are called to exercise a prophetic defense against evil actions in the Church.
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Fr. Juan VelezAugust 4, 2018Newman reminds us that we don't want to make empty promises to God. Thus we must look at our hearts and actions every day.
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David WarrenJuly 14, 2018When we have a duty to witness to Christ by speaking our opinion or correcting others, how can we do so prudently and humbly?
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David WarrenJuly 7, 2018All Christians are called to witness to Christ. How do we witness wiithout making a show of our deeds and prayers? How can we be faithful and humble?
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David WarrenJune 9, 2018Hypocrisy may seem like a remote sin, but it is far more common, far easier to fall into, and harder to detect than we imagine.
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 21, 2018It is fitting that church buildings are magnificent and beautiful because they are symbols of Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
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David WarrenMarch 31, 2018On this Holy Saturday we await our Lord’s resurrection. We too wish to rise with Him. To do so, we must have an inner life hidden with Him.
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Fr. Juan VelezMarch 25, 2018The Cross of Christ is the measure of the world. Its meaning lies hidden beneath the surface of things. Through it Christ triumphs and give us new life.
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David WarrenFebruary 24, 2018The weapons of the saints are weakness, poverty, dishonor, sacrifice. By these we too can conquer the world through love.
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David WarrenFebruary 18, 2018The weapons of the saints contrast the ways of the world. By humility, poverty, and weakness they have turned the world upside down and introduced a new order.
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Fr. Juan VelezFebruary 3, 2018We cannot sell our birthright as Adam and Esau did. Lent is a time of repentance of past sins, a time of self-denial and growth in charity.
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David WarrenJanuary 27, 2018What separates consistent Christians from nominal Christians? Blessed John Henry Newman explains how sincerity is the mark of the consistent Christian, while the nominal Christian has a double mind.
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David WarrenJanuary 13, 2018How is Christ the end of the law, and where do we stand in relationship to the Law? Blessed Newman sorts out the meaning of St. Paul's words in Romans 10:4.
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 24, 2017By taking on a human nature the Son of God raised us to become God's adopted children and partakers of divine nature.
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David WarrenDecember 8, 2017Private prayer is vital, but how often should we pray? Do we need set times of prayer? Here Blessed Newman answers the what, why, and how of private prayer.
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David WarrenNovember 13, 2017The mysteries of life and faith leave us with many questions, but they do not leave us without direction. In fact, they lead us to our Lord.
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David WarrenOctober 22, 2017The world is our enemy, but who is of the world and what can we do about them?
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David WarrenOctober 13, 2017What is the meaning of "the world" and how should we relate to it?
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David WarrenSeptember 22, 2017Have we thought about our own death recently? If not, Blessed Newman's sermon "The Lapse of Time" may be the wake up call we need to hear.
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David WarrenSeptember 8, 2017No one likes to think about his own death. But with sober reflection on it, we may learn how to live.
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David WarrenAugust 6, 2017Why do some fall in the face of doubt while others persist? In Part 2 of this series we learn of the confidence that comes from inward belief.
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David WarrenJuly 29, 2017We can know the truth, but how do we come to know it? Why do some find the truth and others don't?
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Fr. Juan VelezJune 24, 2017Christ ascends to heaven after his death and resurrection. The Christian knows that the Cross is the path to heaven, warfare the condition of victory.
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David WarrenJune 18, 2017God is the deepest subject of reflection, and to try to understand Him strains our minds. Yet we are called to press on in reflecting on the Trinity of God.
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David WarrenJune 10, 2017The mystery of the Trinity is beyond our understanding. But we are called to reflect on it, and Newman is a wise guide for the path of our reflection.
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David WarrenMay 20, 2017The title of this reflection is the essential question every man and woman needs to ask. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at Blessed Newman’s sermon, “Faith, the Title for our Justification,”...
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David WarrenMay 13, 2017Faith is necessary for salvation. In this sermon, Blessed Newman asks whether it is all one needs.
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 29, 2017Before his Passion and Death Jesus told the disciples that "A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me, because I go to the Father." John xvi. 16. How i...
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Fr. Juan VelezMarch 2, 2017By fasting we imitate Christ's self-denial, and grow in love for him. And with faith and humility we overcome the temptations of the devil.
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Fr. Juan VelezOctober 16, 2016Newman asserts that to be a Christian calls for more than honesty, justice and temperance; it means to seek Christian perfection in Christ's footsteps. http://www.cardinaljohnhenrynewman.com/wp-con...
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Fr. Juan VelezOctober 8, 2016The Spiritual Mind, Part 2 by Fr. Juan Vélez The Christian should act out of the good habit of loving God, rather than out of fear of sinning, even though the latter may at first play a part in h...
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Fr. Juan VelezOctober 2, 2016The Spiritual Mind, Part 1 by Fr. Juan Vélez Blessed Newman teaches that a Christian must examine the motives for his thoughts and actions, and must learn to master his heart, doing things for th...
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Fr. Juan VelezSeptember 24, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 3 by Fr. Juan Vélez Jesus bids us to take up our cross daily. We must be careful, however, of the danger of self-deception by doing things for...
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Fr. Juan VelezSeptember 17, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 2 by Fr. Juan Vélez Jesus bids us to take up our cross daily. We must careful, however, of the danger of self-deception by doing things for ou...
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Fr. Juan VelezSeptember 10, 2016Self-Denial, the Test of Religious Earnestness, Part 1 by Fr. Juan Vélez John Henry Newman explains that the test of the true practice of religion is self-denial. Without the latter a person make...
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Fr. Juan VelezSeptember 3, 2016Secret Faults (Part 3) - by Fr. Juan Vélez Most people rationalize their defects and sins and become used to them. John Henry Newma...
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Fr. Juan VelezAugust 21, 2016Secret Faults (Part 1) - by Fr. Juan Vélez Most people have little self-knowledge, and because of this have a poor understanding of...
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Fr. Juan VelezAugust 7, 2016World news in today's age travels with such speed that we are aware at once of wars, cruelty, famine and other human disasters. We must pay attention, pray, and in our own measure do what we can to al...
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Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.July 11, 2016A Better Homeland (cf. Hebrews 11:16) When prodigal children book passage for a far country, the last thing they want is a reminder about the likeliness of a U-turn. No ticket kiosk of...
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Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.March 14, 2016Falling short in the most important area of Christian life, that of loving God and our neighbor for His sake, is enough of a daily stumbling block to merit Blessed John Henry Newman’s focus in a ser...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 24, 2015Tonight we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Incarnation is the great mystery that reveals God's wonderful love for mankind. In this sermon from ...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 13, 2015We have very sadly gotten almost accustomed to saying God's name in vain or hearing others do so. There is little reverence in the way people dress and behave at church. There is a loss of the sense o...
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Fr. Juan VelezNovember 29, 2015Blessed John Henry Newman helps us to begin the season of Advent with a sermon titled "Worship, a Preparation for Christ's Coming." He opens with the words of Scripture: "Thine eyes shall see th...
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Fr. Juan VelezNovember 8, 2015In the sermon The Praise of Men, after indicating that ridicule is a powerful weapon used by the devil, Blessed John Henry Newman describes a case in which it is the cause of much pain: when a pers...
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Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.October 23, 2015The Wisdom of Youth by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem Blessed are they who give the flower of their days, and their strength of soul and body to Him; blessed are they who in their youth turn t...
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Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.July 22, 2015A Matter of Life and Death by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem. When Moses set before the Israelites a choice between life and death, a blessing and a curse, he wasn’t simply issuing an ultimatu...
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Fr. Juan VelezJuly 4, 2015What was the secret of St. John Chrysostom's success as a leader and reformer? The spiritual leaders of a city or society inspire the moral lives of their citizens. They understand well people's ne...
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Fr. Juan VelezJune 19, 2015St. Philip owed a great deal to St. Ignatius, telling one of the latter's disciples that he had learned how to do "mental prayer" from St. Ignatius. He even considered being admitted to his Society of...
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Fr. Juan VelezJune 11, 2015St. Philip, A Different Type of Reformer Who was Philip Neri and what were the important stages in his formation? Having recounted the life of Savonarola, and referring to God's appearance to ...
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Fr. Juan VelezJune 3, 2015Moral and religious decadence evokes spiritual reforms, and these require spokesmen, people who in the first place embody the life that they preach. St. Philip Neri would be such an agent for such a s...
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Fr. Juan VelezMay 27, 2015Today the Church honors a great saint, Philip Neri (Filippo di Neri), who countered the decadent culture of his time with humility, charity and truthfulness. Philip (July 21, 1515 – May 25, 1595), w...
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 2, 2015Christ died on the Cross. But did he fail? Was he truly who he said he was? Jesus Christ laid down his life freely. He had said about his life: "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to ta...
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Fr. Juan VelezMarch 13, 2015We return once more to Newman's Sermon "Christ, the Son of God made Man" which explains the meaning of the Scripture passage: "Christ being come, an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater an...
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Fr. Juan VelezMarch 3, 2015In the season of Lent we prepare for the celebration of the mystery of Christ's Passion and Death and Resurrection. The events of Christ's Baptism and Temptations in the desert, and of his Transfigura...
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Fr. Juan VelezFebruary 23, 2015On the First Sunday of Lent we reflect on Christ's Temptations in the desert. Jesus was tempted by Satan and conquered over him. As St. Augustine wrote: in Christ we were tempted because he had our fl...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 23, 2014As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ we have before us a text from the Letter to the Hebrews and some comments by Bl. John Henry Newman. "Both He that sanctifieth and th...
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 18, 2014John Henry Newman preached the sermon The Cross of Christ the Measure of the World on April 9, 1841 (Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol 6). In this sermon preached on a Fifth Sunday of Lent he offers a ...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 26, 2013Today is Christmas day. In his Parochial and Plain Sermons Blessed John Henry Newman preached a sermon on the Incarnation reflecting on St. John's text: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." ...
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Fr. Juan VelezJuly 23, 2013Boys and girls are like soft sponges that absorb all the water around them. They acquire piety and virtue or vice depending on the influence they receive at home, school and church. Children learn and...
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Fr. Juan VelezMarch 30, 2013The Cross of Christ, the Measure of the World Parochial and Plane Sermons, Vol. 6 In this sermon Blessed John Henry Newman counsels us to take a deeper look at the world and the meaning of life,...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 25, 2012Equanimity, Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol 5. Following a sermon for Advent, exhorting Christians to self-examination and watchfulness for Christ's second coming, Newman comments in a sermon for...
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Fr. Juan VelezDecember 17, 2012In one of his Parochial and Plain Sermons for Advent John Henry Newman speaks on the need for sincerity in one's religious professions as well as the need to avoid idle professions. He reminds us h...
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 14, 2012Newman writes that Jesus appeared to St. John as is related in the book of Revelation and to St. Paul in Corinth and Jerusalem in visions, but "These appearances were not an actual presence of Christ...
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 11, 2012Newman realizes that Christ's presence in Christians and in his Church is mysterious, but based on Christ's promise believes that it is a real presence. "Through the Holy Ghost we have communion with...
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Fr. Juan VelezApril 9, 2012In this Easter sermon Newman explores the paradox of Christ's presence and simultaneous absence from the world. Christ leaves us as far as a visible presence, but promises to remain with us and his Ch...
