The Conversion of John Cardinal Newman.
The four steps enumerated by Pope Benedict that leads to happiness in Union with God are; first, conversion. Secondly, entrance into the Kingdom of God or entrance into the Catholic Church. Thirdly, Encounter with Christ and the Holy Spirit. And fourthly, Life Everlasting.
We are discussing the first, Conversion. We have seen the ideal manner of conversion as exemplified in the life of St. Therese of Lisieux, co- Patroness of the ‘New Evangelization. We saw how she had the natural, initial focus of her mind on the ‘Self’ and on ‘God,’ how she made the intellectual conclusion that the “Self” is inferior to God and, therefore, she ought to subject herself to God.
Then, we saw how having had the proper disposition mentioned above, she received ‘grace’ from God and as a consequence made the Act of Faith with the assent of her mind and consent of her heart. Her proper disposition that is naturally lost early in age as a result of original sin was sustained by the zealous care of her parents, Zellie and Louise, giving her ample time to make her Act of Faith when her natural proper disposition was prolonged due to the zeal of her parents.
Then we saw how St. Augustine like St. Therese, had the initial natural proper disposition but could not be prolonged because of his pagan environment and, therefore, could not make the Act of Faith in his youth. He lost the proper disposition needed for the Act of Faith but at his adult age he examined his memory to recall the childhood days when he had that proper natural disposition. He recalled that time, put himself in the same proper disposition and made his Act of Faith. A little late in life but he was able to make it. Of course, a sharp mind and a good memory was his advantage.
Let us now look at the conversion of another favorite saint of Pope Benedict, Blessed John Cardinal Newman. Like St. Therese and St. Augustine, John Newman had the initial, natural disposition wherein his mind at the very early age was focused on the ‘Self’ and on ‘God.’ His mind had realized that the God was much superior to the ‘Self” so he had to subject himself to that Creator. Unlike St. Therese, but more like St. Augustine, John Newman could not make the Act of Faith. St. Augustine could not make Act of Faith because he lost the natural, initial proper disposition. Newman preserved the initial natural disposition, he continued to use his conscience in thinking of ‘Himself’ and of ‘God’ but because of his Anglican upbringing he had wrong informations about himself and about God. And he could not give an intellectual assent on an erroneous doctrine. And so he could not make an Act of Faith. Fortunately in his effort to prove that the Anglican Church was the true Church and that the Catholic Church was erroneous he studied the Fathers of the Church. From that study he begun to know ‘Himself” and who is God, both in the right way. And with this right information, he was able to receive the grace of God and make his Act of Faith…..a little late but in good time enough for him to finish his conversion, enter the Catholic Church, become a priest, become a cardinal and become a Beatified.
In making the Act of Faith necessary for our salvation, most of us cannot imitate St. Therese because we are no longer young children and we do not have saintly parents as she had. We, also cannot imitate St. Augustine because he had a very sharp mind and memory that enabled him to become like a child again. We cannot also be like Blessed John Cardinal Newman because we did not live our lives in imitation to his fidelity to the voice of conscience. And we cannot devour the writings of the Fathers of the Church to check on the things we believe. We, probably, have no other way except Pope Benedict’s ‘New Evangelization’ to attain eternal life. So let us study his four steps zealously since the schema of the Lineamenta and Instrumentum Laboris for the Bishop’s Synod is different from the Holy Father’s….and this is what some Bishops are already using for their homilies. Basing those documents on the Traditional teaching of the Church, specially the Apostolic Commission of Christ to His Apostles written in the Gospel of Matthew, the two documents are defective. We are still hoping that the documents are modified to conform to Pope Benedict’s ‘New Evangelization.’
In the next article we shall describe an individual’s act of Faith.