The Cause of the Canonisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman

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Newman on Advent (3): ‘Rejoice in the Lord always’

Categorised as Featured and published Saturday, December 13th, 2008
Advent Hymn (2): ‘Hark, a joyful voice is thrilling’
Advent Meditation: Mary, Mother of Christ

St Paul on the Road to Damascus

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice.” [Phil. 4:4 RSV] In other parts of scripture the prospect of Christ’s coming is made a reason for solemn fear and awe, and a call for watching and prayer, but in the verses connected with the text a distinct view of the Christian character is set before us, and distinct duties urged on us. “The Lord is at hand,” and what then? — why, if so, we must “rejoice in the Lord” … we must seek from God’s bounty, and not from man, whatever we need; we must abound in “thanksgiving” and we must cherish, or rather we must pray for, and we shall receive from above, “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” to “keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” [Phil. 4:7]

Now this is a view of the Christian character definite and complete enough to admit of commenting on — and it may be useful to show that the thought of Christ’s coming not only leads to fear, but to a calm and cheerful frame of mind.

Nothing perhaps is more remarkable than that an Apostle [St Paul] — a man of toil and blood, a man combating with powers unseen, and a spectacle for men and Angels … a man whose natural temper was so zealous, so severe, and so vehement — I say, nothing is more striking and significant than that St Paul should have given us this view of what a Christian should be. It would be nothing wonderful, it is nothing wonderful, that writers in a day like this should speak of peace, quiet, sobriety, and cheerfulness, as being the tone of mind that becomes a Christian; but considering that St Paul was by birth a Jew, and by education a Pharisee, that he wrote at a time when, if at any time, Christians were in lively and incessant agitation of mind; when persecution and rumours of persecution abounded; when all things seemed in commotion around them; when there was nothing fixed; when there were no churches to soothe them, no course of worship to sober them, no homes to refresh them … and, further, considering the very topic which the Apostle combines with his admonitions is that awful [viz. momentous] subject, the coming of Christ — it is well worthy of notice, that, in such a time, under such a covenant, and with such a prospect, he should draw a picture of the Christian character as free from excitement and effort, as full of repose, as still and as equable, as if the great Apostle wrote in some monastery of the desert or some country parsonage.

Here surely is the finger of God; here is the evidence of supernatural influences, making the mind of man independent of circumstances! This is the thought that first suggests itself; and the second is this, how deep and refined is the true Christian spirit! — how difficult to enter into, how vast to embrace, how impossible to exhaust! Who would expect such composure and equanimity from the fervent Apostle of the Gentiles? … And yet he who “laboured more abundantly than all” his brethren [1 Cor. 15:10], is also a pattern of simplicity, meekness, cheerfulness, thankfulness, and serenity of mind.

From the sermon ‘Equanimity’ (1839) Click here for the full text (leaves site)