''Jesus wept, not merely from the deep thoughts of his understanding but from spontaneous tenderness, from the goodness and mercy, the encompassing loving-kindness and exuberant affection of the Son of God for his own work, the race of man.''

This precious insight takes us to the heart of the interior life of St. John Henry Newman (1801-1890), from the treasures of which these meditations are offered as a devotional aid for the season of Lent. Drawn chiefly from his sermons and gently modernized, these meditations offer a share in the fruit of his contemplation, that we might the better enjoy with him the ''one thing which is all in all to us,'' which is ''to live in Christ's presence, to hear his voice, to see his countenance.''