Advent with St. John Henry Newman
Reflections by Fr. Jason Smith, LC
When the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica was restored, centuries of soot and grime were gently washed away. What had long seemed gray revealed itself in warm tones of stone. The beauty had always been there—it was just hidden.
St. John Henry Newman writes: “There is but one right way; it is the way in which God looks at the world. Aim at seeing things as God sees them… Aim at ‘seeing the King in His beauty.’ … Receive the truth in reverence, that it may bear fruit within us.”
We all want to see clearly—to look beyond soot and grime to glimpse the goodness present underneath.
Advent renews our sight. It teaches us to see as God sees—past the surface, into the soul; past what is marred, into what is being made new. The light of Christ doesn’t merely show us new things—it reveals our true nature as beloved children of God.
This is the work of grace: to let Christ cleanse the eyes of the heart until we can behold, even in ourselves, something of the beauty God already sees.
Let us pray to see with God’s eyes, to see as he sees us: “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Reflect: Is there something—or someone—that you’ve come to see mostly through a lens of frustration, disappointment, or negativity? What might shift if you asked God to help you see with his eyes this Advent: eyes that see the goodness present underneath?
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.
