The Stronger Man and the Children of Abraham: The Blessing of Faith in the Life of Saint John Henry Newman

Gal 3:7-14, Psalm: 110, Lk 11:15-26

Memorial of Saint John Henry Newman, priest and cardinal

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of Saint John Henry Newman, a priest, cardinal, and one of the greatest minds of the modern era, the Word of God presents us with a message that resonates deeply with his life and his witness. Saint Paul reminds us that “those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Jesus warns us that a soul swept clean but left empty is vulnerable to a worse state. Newman’s life was a journey of faith, a search for truth that led him from Anglicanism to the Catholic Church. He was a man who lived by faith, and he filled his soul with the only one who could protect it: Christ.

In his Letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul proclaims, “Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith.” The blessing of Abraham is not a matter of genealogy; it is a matter of faith. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. The law cannot justify; it can only condemn. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. The promise is received by faith, not by works. Newman understood this. He was a man of deep faith, a man who trusted in the mercy of God and who sought the truth with his whole heart.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus warns of the danger of a soul that is cleansed but not filled. “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest. If it finds none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.'” The spirit finds the house swept clean, but empty. It brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. This is a warning against spiritual complacency. It is not enough to be cleansed of sin; we must be filled with the Spirit. We must be occupied by the Stronger Man, Christ Himself.

Newman’s life was a response to this warning. He did not simply reject error; he embraced the truth. He filled his soul with Christ. His writings, his sermons, his prayers—all were expressions of a heart that was occupied by the Stronger Man. He was a man of deep prayer, a man who loved the Eucharist, a man who trusted in the mercy of God. His famous motto, “Heart speaks to heart,” expresses the intimacy of his relationship with Christ.

Pope Benedict XVI, who beatified Newman, said, “He is a man who speaks to our hearts because he shows us that faith is not a flight from reason, but the path to true freedom.” And Saint John Henry Newman himself wrote, “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has not created me for nothing.”

What does this mean for us? We are called to live by faith, to be children of Abraham. We are called to be cleansed of sin, but also to be filled with the Spirit. We are called to be occupied by the Stronger Man, Christ Himself. We are called to be like Newman, who sought the truth with his whole heart and who trusted in the mercy of God.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Are we living by faith, or are we relying on our own works? Are we filled with the Spirit, or are we swept clean but empty? Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to be true children of Abraham, to be filled with His Spirit, and to be occupied by the Stronger Man. And let us ask Saint John Henry Newman to intercede for us, that we may seek the truth with our whole hearts and find our rest in Christ. Amen.

May God bless you all!