Blessed John Henry Newman: Heart Speaks to Heart

Our lives are journeys and the paths we take are sometimes more important than our destinations. We meet wonderful people and encounter exciting new places along the way, but it may take us a while to realize that it is not necessarily the luxurious travel to exotic places where we find the most memorable encounters. It is the journey of the heart seeking encounters with other hearts that shine brilliantly along the way. When John Henry Newman was named a cardinal in 1879, he took as his motto "Cor ad cor loquitur" ("Heart speaks to heart") words ascribed to St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622). 

Cardinal Newman was a brilliant author, theologian, poet and deeply spiritual man, whose life journey brought him to convert to Catholicism. Hundreds of public and private colleges honor his name through their Newman Clubs and Centers for Catholic students.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified Newman on 19 September 2010, in the United Kingdom and praised not only his brilliance as a theologian but also "his pastoral zeal for the sick, the poor, the bereaved, and those in prison."¹ 

So many times we miss seeing the Heart of Christ in the hearts of those we encounter, instead seeing differences. Blessed Newman left us a beautiful legacy of words beautifully crafted to move our hearts:

"Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Your spirit and life…
Shine through me, and be so in me
That every soul I come in contact with
May feel Your presence in my soul."

"May He support us all the day long, 
till the shades lengthen and the evening comes, 
and the busy world is hushed, 
and the fever of life is over, 
and our work is done. 
Then in His mercy may He give us a safe lodging, 
and a holy rest and peace at the last."

^{References:
Blessed John Henry Newman. Retrieved from the Internet July 11, 2017:  https://www.franciscanmedia.org/blessed-john-henry-newman/ and https://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20100919_beatif-newman.html} 

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