St John Henry Newman did not temper Christianity to suit his readers’ delicate sensibilities. I was reminded of this when reading a recent Herald article by Michael Pakaluk, “Advent is a time to think about Christ’s Judgement”, which is a reflection on Newman’s own Advent sermon: “Worship, A Preparation of Christ’s Coming.” Pakaluk reminds us of the “Four Last Things”, death, judgement, hell and heaven; very present to Newman’s religious vision but rarely alluded to in sermons today.
Advent Reflections: Meditations for a Holy Advent, edited by Brandon McGinley (EWTN), collects together a variety of different meditations by English priests, including two bishops and one archbishop, from talks on the Catholic TV channel EWTN. They are a kindly reminder of the theological importance of Advent, less stringent than Newman but still a call to retreat from the world of Christmas shopping to the real world of our divine destiny.
