Mystery of Divine Condescension - Dr. John Boyle

Dr. John Boyle, theology professor at Catholic Studies at The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota reacts to Newman’s 1849 sermon “Mystery of Divine Condescension”.  As co-founder of the Center for Catholic Studies, Dr. Boyle describes that the vision of Catholic Studies at a university is to articulate the vision of the Church as an organic body that sees reality with a broad perspective in all its interconnectedness. Reality then is the combination of faith and reason as a means of lifting our eyes to infinity, to the mystery of God. Here Newman helps us see the meaning of The Incarnation through this unified perspective. Dr. Boyle points out that Newman’s understands the psychology of the interior life but never lets us wallow in it. It’s never simply about the interior life, it’s about conforming our interior life to the reality of God avoiding the danger of becoming that peevish man that wants God his way rather than desiring a realignment of the interior life to the mystery of God. By stepping outside of ourselves we can discover God in reality. We leave behind the “the prison of our own reasonings” and humbly enter His mysteries. Our shared deep desire and love are answered by The Incarnation. Christ has come down into our messiness to be lifted up. God comes to us, not as we want Him to, but into our messy reality so that we can be incarnated with Him.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site.