PODCAST: Newman's 'Christian Sympathy': A Lecture By Bishop Tony Percy
- Feb 3
- 1 min read
14 September 2025
What keeps us from holiness?
St John Henry Newman gave a surprising answer: not lack of faith, prayer, or effort — but lack of sympathy.
In this lecture recorded at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Bulli, Bishop Tony Percy dissects Newman’s sermon Christian Sympathy - showing how the Incarnation, human weakness, and the call to communion belong at the heart of Christian life.
Why do we hide our struggles? How does Christ’s suffering transform our emotions and relationships? Could sympathy be the hidden key to renewal today?
Drawing on Newman and Aquinas, Bishop Tony offers a vision of holiness that is deeply traditional and strikingly urgent - bringing a word to life for the 21st century which beckons us beyond polite distance, and into genuine fellowship
