A Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent: Living by Divine Faith

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Categorised as Featured and published Saturday, December 19th, 2009
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A Meditation for the Third Sunday of Advent: Holiness in this earth and the next
A Meditation for Christmas Day: Jesus Christ, ‘Beginning of the New Creation’ Right Arrow

The Visitation, Piero di Cosimo, c. 1490, National Gallery of Art, Washington

In this passage from his 1840 sermon ‘The New Works of the Gospel’, Newman reflects on the nature of faith and the fruits of grace in the Christian life, shedding light on the words of St Elizabeth to the Blessed Virgin Mary in today’s Gospel, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled”:

We see why justification must be of faith: because, as Christ, by means of His Spirit, makes a new beginning in us, so faith, on our part, receives that new beginning, and cooperates with Him. And it is the only principle which can do this: for as things spiritual are unseen, so faith is in its very nature that which apprehends and uses things unseen. We renounce our old unprofitable righteousness, which is from Adam, and accept, through faith, that new righteousness which is imparted by the Spirit; or, in St. Paul’s words, “we, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” [Galatians 5: 5] [...]

Let us think much, and make much, of the grace of God; let us beware of receiving it in vain; let us pray God to prosper it in our hearts, that we may bring forth much fruit. We see how grace wrought in St. Paul: it made him labour, suffer, and work righteousness almost above man’s nature. This was not his own doing; it was not through his own power. He says himself, “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was in me.” [1 Cor. 15: 10] God’s grace was “sufficient for him” [see 2 Cor. 12: 15]. It was its triumph in him, that it made him quite another man from what he was before. May God’s grace be efficacious in us also. Let us aim at doing nothing in a dead way; let us beware of dead works, dead forms, dead professions. Let us pray to be filled with the spirit of love. Let us come to Church joyfully; let us partake the Holy Communion adoringly; let us pray sincerely; let us work cheerfully; let us suffer thankfully; let us throw our heart into all we think, say, and do; and may it be a spiritual heart! This is to be a new creature in Christ; this is to walk by faith.