newman (2)

Newman spelt out his theology of friendship...

in a sermon he preached on the Feast of St John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the same person as the disciple John, "whom Jesus loved".

In the sermon, Newman said: "There have been men before now, who have supposed Christian love was so diffuse as not to admit of concentration upon individuals; so that we ought to love all men equally... Now I shall maintain here, in opposition to such notions of Christian love, and with our Saviour's pattern before me, that the best preparation for loving the world at large, and loving it duly and wisely, is to cultivate our intimate friendship and affection towards those who are immediately about us".

For Newman, friendship is an intimation [hint] of a greater love, a foretaste of heaven. In friendship, two intimate friends gain a glimpse of the life that awaits them in God.

Juan R. Vélez writes that someday Newman may well earn a new title, that of Doctor Amicitiae: Doctor-of-the-Church on Friendship, his biography being a treatise on the human and supernatural virtues that make up friendship.

"People are not won for Jesus Christ and his Church by means of argumentation alone, he said, but by credible witness. Newman believed that the truth of the Gospel, passed down through the centuries, has been upheld not as a system, not by books, not by argument, nor by temporal power, but by the personal influence of such men who are at once teachers and the patterns of it.

Newman understood that a friend is also a teacher, one who guides in truth. Like his patron St Philip Neri, Newman had a big heart. St Philip, the 16th century founder of the original Oratory, knew well how to lead others, guiding them gently to God, the greatest Love.

Newman, following his patron, guided many friends along their paths to God. He firmly believed and taught that those who have the biggest impact on our lives are our friends. Friends, who help us to know and love God more, help us to become better persons.

Both St Philip and John Henry lived long lives, leading many on the right path."


~wikipedia~