Prayer in Newman by Giovanni Velocci (review)

89 indicates, he is offering a set of reflections which developed over the course of his twenty-five-year journey with Newman. Ironically, he writes in third-person and references to“this author”or“this writer”abound. By contrast,writing in first-person would more clearly reflect lessons learned along such a journey. As a result, one would understand his or her own place in this relationship rather than reading about a relationship shared between Newman and an unnamed yet ever present thirdperson . Second, Ondrako’s propensity to draw on the work of Duns Scotus provides an interpretative context for the work of John Henry Newman which we are not certain proves to be the most accurate. Several scholars, such as John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock, and Graham Ward in Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology (Routledge, 1999), offer that the work of individuals such as Duns Scotus created the conditions necessary for the modern epistemological context in which we arguably still live. Newman was acutely aware of the dangers wrought by such a focus and labored, in places, against it. In addition, Ondrako even offers that“This writer does not know if Newman read Scotus before he was received into the Roman Church. He must have had some familiarity for he was a consummate and thorough researcher” (129). As a result,a tension surfaces in relation to whether the work of Duns Scotus provides the most accurate interpretive context for the work of Newman. Through the publication of Progressive Illumination, Ondrako invites us to become part of a twenty-five-year-long pilgrimage he shared with John Henry Newman. The emphasis on progressive revelation and thus slow-paced truth creates an important read for anyone seeking to understand how Neman made sense of the larger climate of liberalism. Despite the considerable number of years which separate Newman’s life from our own lives, questions concerning liberalism—especially theological liberalism—still persist. By drawing upon the wisdom found in the works of Newman and other significant conversation partners, Ondrako provides us with a timely challenge to the thought currents of our own day and age. Writing in the firstperson and re-thinking his use of the works of John Duns Scotus might have strengthened this book. Regardless, we encourage anyone who shares in his concerns to accept Ondrako’s gracious invitation to join the common pilgrimage which he shared with Newman. Todd C. Ream and Brian C. Clark Indiana Wesleyan University Prayer in Newman. By Giovanni Velocci. Translated with an Introduction by Nicholas L.Gregoris.Mount Pocono,PA:Newman House Press,2006. Pages:96. Paper $10.00, ISBN 0–9778846–0–0. Given that the main body of this slim volume amounts to thirty-eight pages of text, one could easily forgive the suspicion that little of merit is likely to be accomplished therein. Readers who do not allow such prejudgment to deter their attention receive in this case not only a surprise, but ample compensation for such a VIDEO AND BOOK REVIEW NEWMAN STUDIES JOURNAL 90 small investment. It is difficult to imagine how the topic of Prayer in Newman could receive better treatment in such a limited amount of space. Velocci manages to organize and survey many prominent themes in Newman’s reflections on prayer with enviable economy. Since more than half of the text is quotations—helpfully italicized—one might expect it to seem like a patchwork quilt. On the contrary, the quotations,almost without exception well-chosen,are not merely strung together,but are rather coherently interwoven by introductions, annotations, and expositions. The text seems aimed primarily at a popular audience, but it may nonetheless have something to teach the seasoned Newman scholars. One striking aspect which comes through quite clearly is Newman’s persistent use of apocalyptic discourse to define prayer and elucidate its significance. Drawing on images from the New Testament, Newman described prayer as“the language of heaven,”“life in the unseen world,” and “our mode of intercourse with the next world.” Prayer is how Christians exercise their“citizenship in heaven,”prepare“for the Last Day,”and catch“a glimpse of God’s glory with the Angels and Saints.” Indeed, Newman understood prayer as a...