John Henry Newman:
(London, 21 February 1801 – Birmingham, 11 August 1890).
English theologian and convert to the Catholic faith. In 1879, he was created cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. He chose as his motto of arms Cor ad cor loquitur (the heart speaks to the heart). He was not ordained a bishop.
May, on the contrary, belongs to the Easter season, which lasts 50 days, and in that season, the whole of May commonly falls, and the first half always.
May then is the month, if not of fulfilment, at least of promise.
“May” does not yet bring full completion, but clearly points to what is approaching.
– “fulfillment” = full bloom, maturity, or completion
– “promise” = the expectation thereof, the beginning, the announcement
👉 The sentence thus expresses that May stands for:
– expectation
– growth
– blossoming
– hope
– the upcoming summer and bloom
It is therefore ‘not a real weather proverb’ in the strict sense, but rather a ‘poetic, literary, and meditative statement’ about the month of May. Origin: Goes back to an ‘English formulation’:
> “May is the month, if not of fulfilment, at least of promise.”
That sentence appears in “Meditations and Devotions”, a collection of meditative texts. – it concerns a ‘religious-contemplative context’
– the collection was ‘published posthumously’
– a ‘literary-spiritual quote’ from the English-language tradition.
Author: The author is John Henry Newman (1801–1890).
– English theologian, writer, and cardinal
– later an important figure within the Catholic Church
– canonized in 2019. ⚠️ Although the sentence has sometimes been attributed to others, such as Stijn Streuvels, the origin with John Henry Newman is the best substantiated.
