Advent with St. John Henry Newman
Reflections by Fr. Jason Smith, LC
When I ministered in lower Manhattan, I loved watching people wander into St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral to pray. Some came from the street, some from the subway, some from a long, hard day of work.
“I love this church, Father,” one man told me. “The doors are always open.”
St. John Henry Newman writes: “We ever promise things greater than we master… Our promising involves a prayer for light and strength… Aim at things, and your words will be right without aiming.”
We all want to live with that kind of integrity—to have words and lives that stay open to God’s grace, even when we fall short.
There’s something profound about a church’s open doors. It is its own quiet homily: Grace is always available. No matter the hour, no matter the story, Christ waits within to give us light and strength.
Advent teaches us to live like that—to keep the door of our own heart open, ready to offer warmth and light, ready to receive God.
And so, with open hearts, we pray: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Reflect: Is there a part of your life where you’ve grown closed off—perhaps to God, perhaps to others? What would it mean this Advent to open that door again, and to let grace—and others—enter in?
In this Advent series, Fr. Jason Smith draws from his personal experiences and St. John Henry Newman’s own Advent sermons, connecting themes like reverence, awe, and intimately encountering Christ in the simplicity and stillness of ordinary life. Pray with us on The Regnum Christi App, sign up to have each day’s reflection delivered to your inbox every morning, or follow the RC Spirituality Center on Instagram and Facebook.
Ordained in 2006, Fr. Jason has served as a Legionary priest throughout the US, primarily in New York and Michigan. His newest role has called him south, as the superior of the Houston community of the Legionaries of Christ.
