Frederick William Faber

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Frederick William Faber
Frederick William Faber, title page of one of his works translated into German, 1859. Below the artistically decorated spine.
Spine

Frederick William Faber CO (born June 28, 1814 in Calverley , Yorkshire , England , † September 26, 1863 in London , England) was an English convert , oratorian , priest and theologian . He left behind a large number of primarily theological and ascetic writings. He was the founder of the London oratorio and a friend of the future Cardinal John Henry Newman .

Life

Frederick William Faber was after his studies at Balliol College of the University of Oxford in 1839, first by the Anglican rite ordained . As a member of the Oxford Movement , he converted, like many others, to the Catholic Church in Northampton in November 1845 and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1847 . In 1849 he was sent to London by John Henry Newman to teach an oratorio of St. Philipp Neri to found. At this time, he also began his rich literary work. During Advent , Lent, and May he was used to preaching very often on subjects related to the spiritual life. These addresses were later written down and printed as “Spiritual Conferences” (in the German translation they have the title: Frederick William Faber: “Spiritual Reden” ). Long ailing, his health deteriorated in 1863. He gave his last sermons during Lent of that year. He died on July 26th of the same year. His remains have rested in St Wilfred's Chapel in London's Oratorian Church since 1952 .

Aftermath

Faber's theological books were well known and appreciated in the second half of the 19th century. They were translated into other languages ​​while he was still alive. a. into German. Some were reissued in the 20th century. Cardinal Konrad Graf von Preysing translated some of his works. Less known within the German-speaking area are his poems , hymns and hymns . His most famous hymn is "Faith of our Fathers" from 1849.

Quotes

  • "You see that while times change very much, souls change very little, and God doesn't change at all." (From: Frederick William Faber: "Spiritual speeches" )
  • "Those who have lived a life of fear will most likely die the death of ecstatic love." (From: Frederick William Faber: "Spiritual speeches" )
  • "A scrupulous person plagues God, annoys his neighbor, torments himself and is a burden to his confessor." (From: Frederick William Faber: "Progress of the soul in the spiritual life" )
  • “I just want to know whether the old saints in heaven really think that our pleasant, indecent, moderate, content, polished and civilized asceticism is also beneficial for the salvation of souls. People get upset when you try to impose more on them, and do we actually get a lot more of ourselves? "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Spiritual speeches " )
  • “The poor are God's eagles to molest, torment and undress the rich. He alone is happy in his wealth, which can be torn apart by these eagles of God without the slightest resistance. This is it, rich man! what you are meant to be. God had no other purpose for you. ”(From: Frederick William Faber:“ Spiritual speeches ” )
  • “Giving offense is a big mistake, but taking offense is a bigger mistake. It presupposes a greater degree of wrongness in us, and does greater harm to others. ... We resent where we should encourage. To be suspicious of lack of participation means to be unfit for an apostle. Anyone who is blameworthy will necessarily lack the strength to convince others. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Spiritual Speeches " )
  • “As no one can doubt, life is more important than death. ... Death is not an isolated act. Time and eternity are involved. Life is not secured without it, eternity is firmly determined by it. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Spiritual Speeches " , chapter: Preparation for death)
  • “What is the difference between Christians and other people? Obviously the grace of holy faith, which, according to the blessed sight in heaven, is the greatest grace that God can bestow on man. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" The Creator and the Creature " )
  • “Suffering is the substance of man's natural life, and it could almost be said to be his natural capacity for the supernatural. Joy is only a faint shadow unless it alternates with suffering. The power of art lies in what is suffering. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Bethlehem " )
  • “Some have said that joy is a shallower thing than suffering. But this certainly does not mean having the right view of God's creation, even since the fall of man. The joy is at the bottom and the suffering at the top, but for this very reason joy is the deepest of both. The heart of the spiritual world, where its innermost flames blaze, is deepest joy. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Bethlehem, Heaven already on earth " )
  • “Nothing can be more venerable to the eye of faith than the way in which the Pope represents God. It is as if heaven were always open over him, and the light poured down upon him, and as if he, like Stephen, saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father while the world gnashes its teeth against him with a hatred, his devilish violence must often be a miracle to her. But for the unbelieving eye the papacy is a pitiful and contemptuous sight that only has to provoke scorn and indignation. "(From: Frederick William Faber:" Sacrificial devotion for the Pope " )

Works

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alan Frost: Frederick William Faber . In: Seattle Catholic , 2006
  2. ↑ Online presence of the oratorio ( memento of April 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
personal data
SURNAME Faber, Frederick William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Faber CO, Frederick William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English oratorian, priest and theologian
DATE OF BIRTH June 28, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH Calverley
DATE OF DEATH September 26, 1863
Place of death London