Father Dominic Barberi’s name is always associated particularly with that of Newman because it was he who received Newman’s submission at Littlemore in October 1845. He arrived there (apparently by accident but actually as the result of years of constant vigilance and sympathetic correspondence) just at the moment when Newman had decided to take the final step but knew no Catholic priest in England to whom he could turn without feeling tongue-tied. But although the immediate reason for the recent petitions to Rome to hasten the cause of Father Dominic’s beatification is his connection with Newman’s conversion, it is probable that Father Dominic’s preaching as a missionary pioneer in England will be the chief subject of interest to the authorities in Rome. Undoubtedly it was his missionary labours in the English towns that made Newman regard him with so much personal veneration both before and after their first meeting. For it was he who first provided the convincing answer to that challenge which Newman had unconsciously formulated when he wrote to Ambrose Phillips nearly five years before he became a Catholic. At that time Newman was still convinced that the Catholic Church did not possess the marks of sanctity by which the true Church was to be recognised.

“This I feel most strongly and cannot conceal it,” Newman had written, to warn off Ambrose Phillips at the beginning of 1841, when Phillips desired to meet him in Oxford to discuss the, possibilities of union between the Church of England and Rome, “that while Rome is what she is, union is impossible.

[Vitoria’s commentary on the Summa includes an elaborate discussion of the duty of almsgiving (on II-II, 32, 5). It is in many ways of great interest, but is too long and sometimes too intricate to encourage detailed translation here. I give in brief paraphrase the main steps of the reasoning, neglect some bypaths of argument, and translate in full one particularly vigorous passage. Actual quotations are given in inverted commas. I have thought it best throughout to render extrema nécessitas by ‘desperate need’. The term is technical, and is used of a state where without immediate help the sufferer is likely to die; gravis necessitas (‘serious need’) is something short of this, and may cover cases which common parlance would call ‘extreme’ *]

§1. St. Thomas maintains these four positions, (a) Some almsgiving is of precept, (b) Almsgiving from one’s superfluity is sometimes of precept, (c) In desperate need, almsgiving is of precept. (d) In other cases, almsgiving is of counsel.

§2. Further points are much disputed. In particular there are two questions, (a) In a case of desperate need, is a man bound to give from what is necessary for his status? For instance, his status requires him to ride. If the poor are starving and he can relieve them only by selling his horses, is he bound to do so and go about on foot? (b) If a man has superfluity (i.e., more than he needs for livelihood and status), is he bound to give alms from this, not in desperate need only (on which there is no dispute) but in serious need also?

Explains in greater detail the immensity of Christ’s love for souls.

What, then, must have been the Lord’s delight at the glorious sight of this vast number of souls beautified by the abundance of gifts and graces he would merit for them by the Sacrifice of his Passion! Saint Chrysostom says that there is no man in the world so enamoured of a woman, even though he is bewitched by her, whose love is so strong as Christ’s for a pure, humble soul, dead to the world and living only for God. Then, if this Lord feels such an affection for a single soul, what must he feel for the numberless souls who are perfect and holy and possess every virtue and sanctity? When in the beginning God created each thing, he “saw that it was good “, but when creation was accomplished “God saw all the things that he had made” and He saw that they were not merely good, but “very good”. Therefore if he cherishes one pure soul so tenderly, what must Christ’s love be for many such souls if not stronger in proportion for each soul? How joyfully would he have offered his life, and a thousand lives if he had had them, that he might sanctify and beautify so many! Classical writers extol the beauty of Queen Helen, for whom Troy was lost, and say that the Princes of Troy and King Priam himself were not acting unworthily in fighting the Greeks for so many years for this beautiful queen.