"This is a fine work, written as if from Newman’s own heart..."

Dr. Jeff Mirus of Catholic Culture reviews John Henry Newman: His Inner Life, written by Fr. Zeno, O.F.M. Cap., and recently published by Ignatius Press:

 John Henry Newman: His Inner Life

by Fr. Zeno van den Barselaar, O.F.M. Cap.

Newman’s interior life was intimately bound up with his devotion to, and confidence in, the Church, which as a convert he never took for granted. This is one of the most important points made by Father Zeno, OFM Cap, in his wonderful new biography from Ignatius Press, John Henry Newman: His Inner Life. A Dutchman with a Ph.D. in English language and literature, Fr. Zeno is one of the world’s foremost Newman scholars, and in the preparation of this superlative volume, he was given unparalleled access to all of Newman’s papers in the archives maintained by the Oratorian Fathers in England. There are, in fact, over 400 files of such papers, for Newman was a great writer of letters and spiritual journals. The evidence for his interior life is unusually rich and extensive. And again, the spiritual life, for Newman, was to be understood in the context of the Church.

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Fr. Zeno’s book reveals to us how Newman’s quintessentially Catholic spirituality, at once so deep and so pure, came to dominate his life, to shine through his preaching, to captivate his students, to shape his Oratorians, to permeate his polemical writings, and even to breathe itself into the universal Church through his larger and more definitive studies, and through his prayers. This is a fine work, written as if from Newman’s own heart, full of human drama and intense witness and the triumph of Faith. It is a great tribute to the spiritual and intellectual English giant who will be beatified in England by Pope Benedict XVI later this year, and it shines a wonderful light into the soul of a dedicated priest who could honestly say of all his efforts and all his projects: “No wish really means anything, which is not a prayer too.”

Read the entire review. Here is more about the book:

This book is a culmination of Father Zeno’s life work. With the cooperation of the Oratorian Fathers, he was given full access to all of Newman’s letters, diaries, and complete published and unpublished sermons. From all this he has drawn together the interior struggles Newman faced from childhood until his death. Zeno allows Newman to speak through his work and writings, an exceedingly rich source. This is a landmark work considered one of the best spiritual biographies of John Henry Newman ever written.

This book was first published in Dutch and met with immediate and extensive acclaim. It covers Newman’s young life as an Anglican, the doubts he faced in light of his historical studies, his conversion to Catholicism, the trials he faced as a result of his conversion, and his remarkable growth in holiness and the interior life.

“It took me, all in all, fifteen months to examine the 430 files of letters in the Archivium and the formidable collection of papers, journals and memoranda in the cupboards of the Cardinal’s room... Studying the forty-five volumes of Newman’s works which had up to then been published also required much time. While I read and copied out what threw light on his inner life, the outlines of Newman’s soul gradually became clear to me: the following pages are the result of this labor of love.” — From the Introduction

• Benedict XVI's first beatification: John Henry Newman, in England, September 2010 (March 16, 2010)

Comments

[W. Vida]

Thanks for this. Newman was an interesting guy. Even as a Protestant, I can appreciate much of his writings.