Humility and Br. Andre

A Chapter Talk given to the Company of Jesus on August 24, 2008:

Recently, friends from our church traveled to Montreal, Canada and brought back a book about Brother Andre, The Wonder Man of Mount Royal, written by his friend Fr. Henri-Pual Bergeron, CSC. The back cover informs us that “This book tells the story of a young rural worker who became a Religious and then doorkeeper of Notre Dame College and who spent his entire life spreading the devotion to St. Joseph whom he called ‘his friend’. In 1904…he founded St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, living and working there until his death in 1937 at age 91.”

Pilgrims flocked to Br. Andre and thousands received comfort, counsel and healings through his intercession. Always self-effacing, Br. Andre attributed healings and miracles to his patron St. Joseph and to Divine Providence. His method of praying for people often consisted of rubbing an afflicted limb with a medal of St. Joseph and then simply declaring “Stand up now, you are cured.” Sure enough, thousands were healed this way.

Humility seemed to attract this Divine favor. On page 89 of the book, we read that “once and Apostolic Delegate deemed it his duty to give him [Andre] a little sermon on the subject [of humility]; but he was told by the bishop accompanying him: “Do not trouble him, for he would not comprehend your great precepts. Humility is his very life; he lives the virtue.”

‘Another time, a canon was giving the Brother a long exhortation on the dangers of pride. A man who was waiting impatiently to ask a favor interrupted the dissertation: ‘Will you tell me which of you two is Br. Andre? I came from a long distance and I would like to be cured.’ The dignitary, startled at the indignity of being mistaken for a simple lay-Brother, retired, meditating on the vanity of dignities and the silliness of his own sermon.

Br. Andre was indeed a lay-Brother, not a priest. He was not even literate when he entered the service of the College. His health was frail, and he served as porter for many years, literally answering the door and running errands for the students.

But Br. Andre spent hours upon hours praying. Sometimes he wore out his confreres with his praying. And by this manner of life he was able to minister healing to many thousands of pilgrims and build a magnificent place of prayer dedicated to St. Joseph.

Now, I don’t know about you, but my prayer life is nowhere near as intense as Br. Andre’s; neither is my humility. I wish it were, but I’m just not there. But I am inspired, and I do seek to grow in God’s grace. And if Br. Andre could be successful in his devotions and life work, perhaps there is hope for me – and you too.

This is why we devote ourselves to following a rule of life, to increase our holiness and to become progressively more like Jesus.