Sometime tomorrow, Pope Benedict XVI will land in Edinburgh to begin his long-awaited visit to the United Kingdom. He will be be meeting with dignitaries and religious leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II and Anglican head Rowan Williams, but for many Catholics the highlight of the Pope’s trip will be his beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman.
Newman was a convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism, an intellectual who profoundly affected the nineteenth-century Church. He also has many modern devotees, including Pope Benedict himself. It seems almost every top theologian–including many Catholic converts–claim Newman as an instrumental influence in their spiritual journey.
Fr. Robert Barron is one of these Newman disciples, and to celebrate Newman’s beatification he has released a 3-CD set titled “John Henry Newman: A Prophet for Our Time“. In three one-hour talks, Fr. Barron explores some of Newman’s best-known works:
- Disc 1 – “Apologia Pro Vita Sua”
- Disc 2 – “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine”
- Disc 3 – “Grammar of Assent”
The first talk introduces Newman as the only top-rank theologian who writes in our own language, a unique trait that enables his rhetorical and poetic gifts to shine in their original form. In fact, Barron encourages anyone exploring Newman to read his works aloud for full affect, allowing Newman’s carefully crafted cadences to roll of your own tongue.
Barron, like Newman, is incredibly well-read, and throughout the talks he references dozens of theologians and church history, a number of which were over my head– a knock on me, not Barron. Beyond that, he does a great job of revealing Newman the man, emphasizing the emotional and social consequences of Newman’s brilliant mind. Newman’s hunt for truth brought him problems, leading to deep depression at times during his life. He tried to walk the “via media” between Protestantism and Catholicism–the “middle way”–but ended up offending many on both sides.
Yet still, Newman had a hand in many of the most prominent theological movements of the last couple centuries. He was intimately involved in the first Vatican Council, and influenced the official pronouncement on papal infallibility. His “development of doctrine” significantly re-framed the Church’s historical understanding of herself. And his ignition of the Oxford movement–a Catholicization of Anglicanism–is still affecting many conversions today.
Fr. Barron’s encyclopedic knowledge of theology, philosophy, and literature makes him an ideal Newman biographer. Like Newman, Barron speaks both articulately and with flourish, uniquely bringing Newman alive. It is truly a gift to hear a shining theologian of today reflect on such a giant from the past.
The talks do suppose at least an introductory knowledge of theology and church history, so consider them a slightly-advanced introduction to Newman. For beginners, I suggest “Newman 101” or “Newman for Everyone“, though Barron’s talks certainly are not a bad appetizer.
You can preview 8-minutes of audio from the set, including excerpts from each talk, and you can purchase the complete 3-CD set through Fr. Barron’s Word on Fire ministry.
(Check back here this Friday as the Free Stuff Friday giveaway will be a copy of Newman’s “Apologia Pro Vita Sua”.)
