John Henry Newman: A Mind Alive, by Dr Roderick Strange, published last year by Darton, Longman & Todd, is really a study of the "temper" of Newman's personality as it affected his thinking. These words from the back cover of the book sum up Dr Strange's achievement:"[Newman's] personality remains elusive and his legacy is still contested. Who was Newman and what is his significance for us today? . . . John Henry Newman: A Mind Alive paints a vivid and nuanced portrait of Newman as a thinker, a friend, and a priest, and shows us how he approached some of the controversial issues that still divide Christians. Those who want to come to know Newman better and to learn from him will be able to meet him in this concise and elegant new study."
Back in 1979 I attended a symposium at the University of Sydney to mark the centenary of Newman's becoming a Cardinal. Dr Strange presented two papers that even then succeeded in giving a vivid impression of the "wholeness" of Newman. This book is at the same time challenging and moving. A "must read"!
And, while I'm on the subject of Newman, have you signed up for the daily reflections from the Cause for the Canonization of John Henry Cardinal Newman? This site is affiliated to the Birmingham Oratory. It provides up to date news on Newman's Cause, and if you sign up you will receive a daily email containing a "Thought for the Day" from Newman, with a link to the particular document from which it is taken.
It struck me the other day that many of the quotes are from Newman's Anglican days, and in particular the Parochial and Plain Sermons. Today's Thought, for example, is:
"There must be something wrong among us; when our defenders recommend the Church on the mere plea of its activity, its popularity, and its visible usefulness."
Check out the site. You could do a lot worse than ponder a sentence of Newman each time you turn your computer on!
