Vulnerability and perfection: the failures of St. John Henry Newman.

Abstract

J. H. Newman, canonized in October 2019, is remembered as a prominent cleric of the Anglican Church who converted to Catholicism at the peak of his career. Many are acquainted with his Idea of a University and his theological insights. However, a detailed look at his life reveals another facet: a profoundly human man. Newman’s writings portray his liability to suffering and how he embraced it in his relationships with God, others and the institutions he served. Most of the projects he undertook were met with strong opposition; he did not recant from his ideas nor resolutions, but neither did he see them come to fruition. He was sustained by the awareness of God’s life within his, along with an unwavering commitment to truth. The appreciation of his life and works from a 150-year perspective, along with the recent public recognition of the holiness of his life, provides a robust platform for a deeper understanding of vulnerability and failure as the birthplace of perfection in the Christian life.