On November first, St. John Henry Newman will be named a Doctor of the Church. That is a very big deal, because in the history of the Catholic Church only thirty-seven saints have been conferred with that title.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes a Doctor of the Church as a person who significantly “advanced the knowledge of God through their writing on theology, spirituality, mysticism, or through their defense of the faith in the face of heresy and schism.” To be declared a Doctor of the Church, the individual must also have been previously canonized as a saint, and they must be officially granted the title by an ecumenical council or pope.

This Doctor of the Church-to-be has a lot to teach us; one of my favorite messages of his is:

“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.”

Clearly, St. John Newman was referring to each of us in these words. To get the full effect and make it personal, reread that paragraph replacing “me” with your own name. What a blessing it is to know that God loves each of us personally and offers us a specific purpose that cannot be accomplished by any other.

Scripture: Read Ephesians 2:10. What stands out?

Call to Action: St. John Newman has a lot of other good quotes as well. Look them up. Enjoy!