Newman: contemplating self instead of Christ

Tuesday, August 11, 2015
    Feast of Clare of Assisi, Founder of the Order of Minoresses (Poor Clares), 1253
    Commemoration of John Henry Newman, Priest, Teacher, Tractarian, 1890
Meditation:
    When [John] saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
    —John 1:36 (NIV)
Quotation:
    A system of doctrine has risen up during the last three centuries, in which faith or spiritual-mindedness is contemplated and rested on as the end of religion, instead of Christ. I do not mean to say that Christ is not mentioned as the author of all good, but that stress is laid rather on the believing than on the object of belief, on the comfort and persuasiveness of the doctrine than on the doctrine itself. And in this way religion is made to consist of contemplating ourselves instead of Christ; not simply in looking to Christ, but in ascertaining that we look to Christ; not in His Divinity and Atonement, but in our conversion and faith in Him... [Continued tomorrow]
    ... John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890), Lectures on the Doctrine of Justification, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892, p. 324-325 (see the book)
    See also John 1:23-36; Isa. 45:22; Matt. 10:32; Luke 12:8; Heb. 3:1; 1 Pet. 1:18-20
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, may I look upon You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
    search    script    mobile
sub    fb    twt    Jonah