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I grew up in Watsonville, CA, a beautiful agrarian town along the Pacific Ocean, full of popular surf spots. Visiting home with my wife and daughters last week, we could not wait to see the beach. After treading over the sand-dunes, breathing the salt-sea air, and collecting sand dollars and seashells, I could not help myself. While my family watched all agog, I ran head-long into the waves, icy-cold from northern Alaskan currents. My wife asked me what inspired my unplanned plunge, and I responded with chattering teeth, “I’m just so grateful for the Pacific Ocean, and that I’m here.”

There is nothing quite like the grandeur of the ocean, the wondrous delight of collecting sea-shells, or the whimsical pleasure of playing in the sand (for some—I am not one of the many who detest sand-between-toes). Perhaps like nothing else, the ocean confronts us with an experience of natural mystery, a sense of something sublime and immense beyond ourselves. According to the National Ocean Service, more than 80% of the ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. And yet, this experience of natural mystery soon gives way to another mystery: our own selves, rational and self-conscious observers of this gorgeous world. The famous “Ode on Man” in Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone puts it this way: “there is much that is strange, but nothing surpasses man in strangeness.” St. Augustine echoes this sentiment in Confessions: “…men go about to wonder at the heights of the mountains, and the mighty waves of the sea, and the wide sweep of rivers, and the circuit of the ocean, and the revolution of the stars, but themselves they consider not.” 

Our own selves are mysteries for at least three reasons, according to St. John Henry Newman’s sermon for Trinity Sunday, “The Mysteriousness of our Present Being.” First, we are bodies and souls. While “the body is made of matter,” we are also “conscious [that] we are alive, and are rational; each man has his own thoughts, feelings, and desires; each man is one to himself, and he knows himself to be one and indivisible.” We intuitively know that our “I” is not completely identical with our material bodies, although using it and “joined to it.” Second, our souls are not physical, and yet we know are somehow ‘located’ in or with our bodies: “the soul is not only one, and without parts, but moreover, as if by a great contradiction even in terms, it is in every part of the body. It is no where, yet every where.” And finally, even though the content of our dreams are not strictly real, the fact that we dream is real, and is a mystery. It would be hard “to convey to a person who had never dreamed what was meant by dreaming.” It is difficult to rationally describe the experience of dreaming, somewhere between waking and imagining, consciousness and unconsciousness. Even if none but a few in the world dreamed, their testimony to the rest of the world of dreamless sleepers would be true, even though “unintelligible” to the rest.

Newman argues that these mysteries of our own selves, made up of mind and matter, soul and body, point us to the mystery of God—a mystery that we embrace as a gift, the highest gift, just as this world and our own selves are given to us out of love by our Creator. Much like we marvel at the union of body and soul, we marvel at the mystery of the Triune God, One God, and three Divine Persons

These three human mysteries are not, at first, exclusively religious. Even the most naturalistic of minds must admit that human consciousness is not limited to physical phenomena, or even neurological functioning (see Fr. Robert Spitzer’s magiscenter.org, especially this account of Near Death Experiences in which human consciousness continues even during “brain death”). Human reasoning is beyond, although related to, our physical functioning—it is in the realm of spirit. And yet this realm of spirit is somehow here with us in the midst of our physical life, birth and death. Dreams present to us a hint of this realm of the spirit. Who would not admit that dreams often perplex us, influence our sense of reality, and cause us to wonder at a deeper meaning in our memories and everyday experience?

These are mysteries of human life, things that cannot be fully explained but are experienced as real. Newman reasons, “Now if we have mysteries even about ourselves, which we cannot even put into words accurately, much more may we suppose, even were we not told it, that there are mysteries in the nature of Almighty God; and so far from its being improbable that there should be mysteries, the declaration that there are, even adds some probability to the revelation which declares them.” In fact, how much moreso should there be mysteries in God that are even more difficult to explain, but are nonetheless experienced as real, since God is so much more beyond us?

We in fact are told, by the Apostolic Tradition, the mystery that God is three in one. This and other great realities require humility, but can be obscured by pride: “Mysteries in religion are measured by the proud according to their own comprehension, by the humble, according to the power of God; the humble glorify God for them, the proud exalt themselves against them.” A mystery is something given, not achieved or comprehended. And we should not be cavalier, rogue, or presumptuous about these things which “bear upon our eternal interests.” Newman warns it is “most hazardous, most unwise,” though common, to laugh and scoff at religious mysteries out of hand. Rather, we should feel joy and gratitude that the Apostles “have handed on to us those secrets concerning God,” and thank God for “his condescension in allowing us to hear them.” It is to our peril to keep “hearts cold enough to complain of their mysteriousness.”

So we must be open to receiving the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity in our hearts and minds, especially as we approach the Feast of the Blessed Trinity this Sunday—so wisely placed between the Mystery of Pentecost and the Mystery of Corpus Christi. Newman concludes his sermon echoing the long Athanasian creed, recited in full on Trinity Sunday in his own time: “In the Beatific Vision of God, should we through His grace be found worthy of it, we shall comprehend clearly what we now dutifully repeat and desire to know, how the Father Almighty is truly and by Himself God, the Eternal Son truly and by Himself God, and the Holy Ghost truly and by Himself God, and yet not three Gods but one God.”

God has revealed to you, through His Apostles, his Word, and His Church, that He is Three Persons, and yet One God. And, He would like to continue the conversation with you. Listen! Be confident that in receiving Christ in the Eucharist, who is God, we also therefore are in communion with the whole Blessed Trinity. We hope, by God’s grace, to arrive at the Beatific Vision of the Trinity not by our own rational comprehension, but by participating in the whole life of God that He gives to us. We will receive this Vision of God in heaven “face to face” not as a mere exercise in abstract knowing, but in the fullness of what we now know in part, by following His commandments, believing what the whole Church holds in good faith, and finding God in the heart of the Church, the Sacraments (in Greek, Mysterion!), with an open heart and mind.

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Aim at ‘seeing the King in His beauty’.  All things that we see are but shadows to us and delusions, unless we enter into what they really mean.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

The Psalms, the "voice of the Church," invite us to enter into the sufferings of Christ and His people, and cling to God above all.

Applying Newman's theory, it seems clear that the notion that women's ordination to to the priesthood, would not maintain the type of the early Church.

In 1990, the International Theological Commission, issued a document titled "The Interpretation of Dogma" in which Newman's seven notes are endorsed.

The path forward for us personally and for the Church at large, requires returning to the core truths that Christ Himself has revealed to us.

We are made to be gifts to God and gifts to each other, body and soul; to go against God’s law, which is for our good, is to refuse the gift.

What does John Henry Newman mean by the words: "to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often?"

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About Cardinal John Henry Newman

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A Guide to John Henry Newman will interest educated readers and professors alike, and serve as a text for college seminars for the purpose of studying Newman.

Review by Catherine Maybanks
(Catholic Herald, April 1, 2023)

Review by Serenheed James
(Antiphon, April 2023)

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Fr Peter Conley takes us on an exciting journey into the spirituality and inner life of Saint John Henry Newman.
 

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Endorsement by Neyra Blanco (Amazon)
I bought this book for my son and he loved it, he wrote this review and urged my to submitted: “I think this book has a very beautiful message, because it shows how the young Newman was so determined to achieve his dream of becoming a priest, but even after his dream he continued to work in the church with passion until the day he died, it’s so admirable that even Newman so old and so weak still had that urge to continued his work of being a priest. And the book is well written with words not too complicated with very enjoyable texts and well illustrated pictures. I highly recommend this book for a 5th grader.  

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What is a Classical Liberal Arts Education? Why is it so important for the development of a person?

Fr. Juan R. Vélez answers these and more questions you might have about University Education in the 21st century. This book is aimed for parents, prospective University students, and educators. It will help you discern why adding Liberal Arts electives to your education will help it form it better, and help the student learn to reason, and not just learn.

He also explains how many Universities have changed the true meaning of Liberal Arts, and the subjects, and gives advise on how to choose College Campus, Subjects, and Teachers.

A wonderful book that every parent should also read way before your children are College bound. A Liberal Arts education can start earlier in life, even from home.

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Endorsement by Christopher Moellering (Goodreads, September 14, 2019)
In Passion for Truth Fr. Vélez gave us an outstanding biography of Cardinal Newman. In this work, he provides a concise overview of his thought and his devotion. This is a great work for someone who, perhaps hearing of Newman for the first time because of his beatification 13 October, 2019, wants to know more about this English saint.Vélez is a wonderful writer in his own right, and the frequent quotations from Newman round out the work nicely. I especially appreciated the frequent citing of Newman’s Meditations and Devotions, which show a different side of his spirituality than his more well-known works, Development of Christian Doctrine and the Grammar of Assent.

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Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman, endorsement by Illow M. Roque (Amazon, September 3, 2010)
“There is a time to put direct inquiry on hold and give ourselves to prayer and practical duties.” Sound advice from one of the earlier, thought-provoking reminders in this sparkling gem of a book: Take Five | Meditations with John Henry Newman, written by Mike Aquilina and Fr. Juan R. Vélez and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This particular paragraph, referenced above, which begins with a direct quote from soon-to-be canonized priest, cardinal and poet, John Henry Newman: “Study is good, but it gets us only so far . . .” is actually the 15th in a series of 76 concise, logically organized meditations moving from the elementary to the sublime. Each meditation–one per page–is built upon the great man’s writings and remarkably rich spirituality. Whether taken whole in one reading or in part page-by-page over a course of weeks and months, these wonderfully insightful meditations will open up, even to the busiest reader in the midst of the world, a unique pathway into prayer and contemplation. My advice to spiritual inquirers at all levels, from the novice to the spiritually adept, is to follow the authors’ recommendation to use this book as a guide for daily prayer and meditation. The structure of the book itself is ideal: first, the authors introduce us to Cardinal Newman, the man, where we are given the opportunity to get to know him through a brief sketch of his life and spirituality at the beginning of the book. This is something readers will likely find themselves referring to again and again, prompting many, I suspect, to even wider explorations of this most gifted Christian leader. Then comes the meditations, consisting of a short summary of Newman’s thoughts on subjects taken, as the authors explain, from various salient points for which Newman is justly remembered: The pursuit of objective religious truth; Teaching on the Virtues; Defense of the Catholic Church; A devout spiritual and moral life; and Generosity and loyalty in his friendships, which sets the topic and tone for each meditation to follow. Each meditation consists of an excerpt taken from Newman’s thirty-plus volumes of writings and diaries. Next comes three brief and extremely useful sections entitled: “Think About It,” which establishes a prayerfully resonant tone throughout the book; “Just Imagine,” which provides a vivid, prayerful experience of the Scriptures that tie in, and finally, “Remember,” a pithy summation which the authors suggest may be used as a daily aspiration. Each meditation is given its own page, which makes it ideal for daily reflection for readers on the go. This book is a must have for every serious Catholic who wants to take their faith to the next level, which is to respond appropriately to the universal call to holiness and seek interior union with God.
Fr. Peter Conley

Aim at ‘seeing the King in His beauty’.  All things that we see are but shadows to us and delusions, unless we enter into what they really mean.

David Warren

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Robert Kirkendall

The Psalms, the "voice of the Church," invite us to enter into the sufferings of Christ and His people, and cling to God above all.

Fr. Juan Velez

Applying Newman's theory, it seems clear that the notion that women's ordination to to the priesthood, would not maintain the type of the early Church.

Fr. Juan Velez

In 1990, the International Theological Commission, issued a document titled "The Interpretation of Dogma" in which Newman's seven notes are endorsed.

David Warren

The path forward for us personally and for the Church at large, requires returning to the core truths that Christ Himself has revealed to us.

Robert Kirkendall

We are made to be gifts to God and gifts to each other, body and soul; to go against God’s law, which is for our good, is to refuse the gift.

Fr. Juan Velez

What does John Henry Newman mean by the words: "to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often?"

Fr. Juan Velez

Listening to God is done keeping in mind the normative value of the whole of Tradition and of the Church’s Teaching.