Lead Kindly Light, Newman's beloved hymn. And its influence on Gandhi.

Lead Kindly Light  

Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!


Meantime, along the narrow rugged path, Thyself hast trod,
Lead, Savior, lead me home in childlike faith, home to my God.
To rest forever after earthly strife
In the calm light of everlasting life.


John Henry Newman.


One step enough for me. Not only can that be the basis of an entire political philosophy, as Gandhi made it, (see below) but it is also an ingredient in a happy and blessed life. The step in front of you is clear and doable, and nothing to worry about. It's the distant scene that can be troubling, partly because it is so out of one's control.


"The thought that sufficient light was given to take the next step was
crucial to Gandhi just as it was for Newman. To speculate about the
future, to get bogged down with side-issues, to ask abstract
questions, or to reach for knowledge beyond the immediate, in
other words, to look several steps ahead or to the end of the path,
was not only futile but also self-defeating!" William Emilsen.



"The impenetrable darkness that surrounds us is not a curse but a
blessing. He has given us power to see the steps in front of us
and it would be enough if Heavenly Light reveals that step to us.
We can then sing with Newman, 'One step enough for me.' And
we may be sure from our past experience that the next step will
always be in view. In other words, the impenetrable darkness is
nothing so impenetrable as we may imagine. But it seems
impenetrable when in our impatience we want to look beyond
that one step." Gandhi to Esther Menon


"Likewise, when initiating a campaign of civil disobedience
defending India's right to protest against its committal to the
Second World War without its consent, Gandhi observed: 'I do not
know how things will shape. I myself do not know the next step. I
do not know the Government plan. I am a man of faith. My reliance
is solely on God. One step enough for me. The next He will make
clear to me when the time for it comes'"

Extracts from 

http://escholarship.usyd.edu.au/journals/index.php/SSR/article/viewFile/668/648