Optional Memorial of Saint Andre Bessette, religious
- Mary Jo Barr
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Reading 1 John 4:7-10
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
REFLECTION
Saint Andre Bessette is known as the "Miracle Worker of Montreal." He was a native of Quebec and was a humble man with a great devotion to St. Joseph and Our Lady of Sorrows. He was raised by Catholic parents who taught their 12 children that prayer and hard work were necessary to get to heaven. His parents died by his 12th birthday.
Andre was sent to live with an uncle, who tried to help him find a vocation. Although he worked hard to apprentice in many jobs, Andre was a sickly boy and failed at each job. Later he decided to become a religious brother at the Congregation of the Holy Cross. He was rejected by the Congregation because of his frailty. The bishop and pastor helped Andre enter the Congregation of the Holy Cross because they recognized his holiness.
Brother Andre was given the job of doorman and porter for the boys school. His humility and humor were his gifts. He was recognized as someone easy to confide in when passing through his door. When anyone complained he would; bless them with oil, pray with them, then say "Ite ad Joseph" (Go to Joseph). Many were cured of sicknesses, physical and spiritual.
The cures were accredited to St. Joseph by Bro. Andre. After awhile his Congregation allowed him to raise money to build a Chapel for St. Joseph. Today stands the Oratory of St. Joseph a place where thousands of pilgrims visit and seek cures.
Brother Andre died at the age of 91 on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, January 6, 1937. There were a million people who came to pass by Brother Andre's coffin to pay their respects for somone they loved. St. John Paul II beatified him in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI cannonized him on October 17, 2010.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. St Andre Bessette was beloved and he loved others by his actions. He cared for all those he met. His faith in St. Joseph brought many to believe that God answers prayers through the intercession of St. Joseph.
Let us pray for all Priests and Religious to be holy and to bring us to know the love of God.
Resources
Comments