A theme rightly associated with the personality of John Henry Newman is that of conscience. To the general reader, Newman's life story comes across as a witness of someone who followed the light of his conscience wherever it lead him. Yet, for those who decide to enter into a more familiar knowledge of the man, it will soon become clear that the meaning of conscience in his life goes much deeper than was originally thought. The main aim of this book is to discover what Newman understands by the term conscience in a particular period of his life, that which stretches from 1816 to 1843, his Anglican period. Within this particular period we find two sources that are intimately linked with one another. They are his sermons, the Parochial and Plain Sermons, and the varied biographical events as they come across to us through his Letters and Diaries. This book aims to find in these two sources the answers to the question: How is Newman's own understanding of conscience within the Parochial and Plain Sermons related to his personal life story? This question is dealt with from the standpoint of the biographical events and that of the written word. For this reason this volume is divided into two parts: The first examines the whole domain of the events, aiming to highlight the importance they hold for the theme of conscience. The second is directly concerned with Newman's writing on conscience within the Parochial and Plain Sermons. Contents: The discovery of Conscience 1816-1825; Advocacy of Conscience 1825-1832; Advocacy of Conscience 1833-1843; The reason behind the sermon; Analysis of the term Conscience; Conclusion.

Reproduction of the original: Parochial and Plain Sermons by John Henry Newman

A lateral interpretation of the above captioned teachings.

What is the secret of John Henry Newman's enduring appeal? It perhaps lies in the freshness, persuasiveness, and brilliance of his descriptions of Christianity. Newman, who is to be beatified by Pope Benedict XVI later this year, often uses the word realization" rather than "faith" or "belief" to describe the process of becoming a Christian. To him, a realization is a moment when "one opens one's heart to a truth." He continues to enthrall us because through him we come to recognize Christianity not as a languid assent to a series of propositions, but as a vivid encounter with concrete realities. This collection of his sermons-the ones Newman himself felt were his best-is the ideal introduction to one of the greatest writers in the Christian tradition. "If there is one comprehensive thing that can be said about Newman's writings, it is that he has a 'voice;' it is his own and no-one else's. To me, at least, it is a voice that never falls to start up, radioactive from the page, however musty the physical book." -From the foreword by Muriel Spark Vincent Ferrer Blehl, SJ, (1921-2001) was the Postulator of the cause of Newman's canonization, and the author of several books and articles about Newman's life and work. The novelist Muriel Spark (1918 - 2006) said that "it was by way of Newman that I turned Roman Catholic." She later remarked that "it wasn't until I became a Roman Catholic . . . that I was ale to see human existence as a whole, as a novelist needs to do.""