Lead, kindly Light!...

"Lead, kindly Light! 

amid the encircling gloom,

Lead thou me on!"

St John Henry Cardinal Newman

 

"In the Holy Mass that One Sacrifice 

on the Cross once offered is renewed, 

continued, applied to our benefit. 

He seems to say, My Cross was raised up 

1800 years ago, and only for a few hours -

and very few of my servants were present there - 

but I intend to bring millions into my Church. 

For their sakes then I will perpetuate 

My Sacrifice, that each of them may be as 

though they had severally been present at Calvary.

I will offer Myself up day by day to the Father, 

that every one of my followers may have the opportunity 

to offer up his petitions to Him, sanctified and 

recommended by the all-meritorious virtue of my Passion.

 

Thus I will be a Priest for ever, 

in the order of Melchizedek - 

My Priests will stand at the Altar - 

but not they, but I rather, will offer.  

I will not let them offer mere bread and wine, but 

I myself will be present on the Altar instead, 

and I will offer myself invisibly, 

while they perform the outward rite.

And thus the Lamb that was slain once for all, 

though He is ascended on high, ever remains a victim 

from His miraculous presence in Holy Mass  under the 

figure and appearance of mere earthly and visible symbols."

 

 St John Henry Cardinal Newman

England ~ 1801-1890

Convert from Anglicanism in 1845

Teacher (Oxford), eminent theologian, 

writer, poet, popular preacher

Established Oratory of St Philip in England

Founded the Catholic University of Ireland

Canonized: 13 October 2019

Feast Day:  Oct 9

Painting above:  Francois-Marius Granet

 

"God knows what is my greatest happiness, but I do not. 

Thus God leads us by strange ways; we know

He wills our happiness, but we neither know 

what our happiness is, nor the way." 

St John Henry Cardinal Newman

St John Henry Newman, pray for us!