Apologia Pro Vita Sua (2)

John Henry Cardinal Newman. Garden City, New York: Image Books.A Division of Doubleday and Company, Inc. 1864 (1956)

10-second review: Cardinal Newman’s reflections on his religious thoughts that led to his conversion from Anglicanism to Catholicism.

Sample quotes:

"I am just like Protestants in that I hate any form of lying." p. 108. ………. “Kingsley insinuates, implies, questions, sneers and uses irony and parables, but does not categorically state his charges against Newman." p. 102. ………. “Away with you, Mr. Kingsley, and fly into space. Your name shall occur again as little as I can help, in the course of these pages. I shall henceforth occupy myself not with you, but with your charges.” p. 110.

The most important charge by Kingsley against Newman is untruthfulness. p. 111. ………. “I do not like to be called to my face a liar…. I know I have done nothing to deserve such an insult.” p. 124. ………. “…a visible Church with sacraments and rites which are the channels of invisible grace.” p. 164. ………. “The Oxford Movement and his turning to Catholicism were based on his reading of the ancient Christian Fathers.” p. 169.

Roman doctrine could have three different meanings: teachings of the early centuries; the dogmas contained in the Council of Trent and condensed in Pius IV’s creed; the popular beliefs of Catholics. p. 187. ………. “…the ancient Catholic Fathers say that the ‘Lord’s Supper’ is the salve of immortality, the sovereign preservative against death, the food of immortality, the healthful grace.” p. 191. ……….Distrusted “understandings” in which people agree to something without putting the agreements on paper. “I have hated them ['understandings'] ever since.” p. 197.

Who can know all the subtle influences that result in his behavior? p. 199. ………. Holiness the true test of a Church. p. 250. ………. True Church: successor to the Apostles, the creed believed by the Apostles and holiness. p. 251. ………. Liberalism the Antichrist? p. 281. ………. The idea of the Blessed Virgin and the Eucharist developed and magnified through the centuries. p. 285.

The principle of development of doctrine and Christian thought. p. 286. ……….. Newman’s changing religion and positions caused others to doubt his truthfulness. p. 291. ………. “People say that the doctrine of Transubstantiation is difficult to believe; I did not believe the doctrine till I was a Catholic. I had no difficulty in believing it as soon as I believed that the Catholic Roman Church was the oracle of God and that she had declared this doctrine to be part of the original Revelation.” p. 318. ………. "On the matter of Transubstantiation: I can’t say why. But I also can’t say, ‘Why not?’ " p. 318. ………. On the idea of the Trinity. I can’t say why. But I can’t say, ‘Why not?’ p. 318.

"The existence of God is as certain as my own existence." p. 319. ………. “And thus I am brought to speak of the Church’s infallibility, as a provision, adapted by the mercy of the creator, to preserve religion in the world, and to restrain that freedom of thought, which of course in itself is one of the greatest of our natural gifts and rescue it from its own suicidal excesses.” p. 323. ………. “The energy of the human intellect ‘does from opposition grow.’ ” p. 328.

The limits of infallibility: “The great truths of the moral law, of natural religion, and of Apostolical faith are both its boundary and its foundation. It must not go beyond them, and it must ever appeal to them.” p. 329. ……….. Infallibility: “It must ever profess to be guided by Scripture and by tradition.” p. 329. ………. Infallibility: No absolutely new truth. Must be related to the old truths. p. 329. ………. “…Catholics have not come to believe it [the Immaculate Conception] because it is defined, but it was defined because they believed it.” p. 330.

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