St. André Bessette
One
When Bessette came to the Holy Cross Brothers in 1870 at age 25, he carried with him a note from his pastor (as he could neither read nor write) saying, “I am sending you a saint!” The brothers read the note, read the young man—sickly, jobless, simple—and tried to send him away. As Brother Andre later noted, “The brothers showed me the door—I stayed there for 40 years!” As the doorman for the monastery, Brother André lived in a little room to the side of the front entry. He spent much of the night on his knees while in the daytime counseled visitors, prayed for them, and anointed the sick with oil he referred to as “oil of St. Joseph.” Due to his tremendous devotion to St. Joseph, soon the crutches of the healed invalids began to pile up from those miraculously cured. Stories of this wonder-working saint spread throughout the towns and countryside of Montreal. Weak in body André revealed the truth about strength: it is in spirit! He symbolized the teaching of St. Paul, “God chooses the weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27). Wherein, would you say, lies your strength?
Two
On his windowsill, a small statue of St. Joseph faced Mount Royal. When asked about it, Bessette said, “Someday, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on that mount!” He buried a small medal of the most chaste saint on top of the mount, asking that Joseph to help him build what is now one of the largest Basilicas in the world dedicated to St. Joseph. To this day, this large, beautiful Church is filled with evidence of St. Andre’s healing powers. Just outside the room where Andre’s tomb is located is a corridor filled with so many canes and crutches of those healed by him that they adorn the lofty walls. “I do not cure,” Brother André said again and again, “St. Joseph cures!” St. Andre Bessette illustrates a beautiful teaching of the Communion of Saints: Christ distributes His graces and powers through them. In St. André’s case, the power of Christ flows through St. Joseph to St. André. “Truly I say to you, he who believes in me will also do greater works than these because I go to the Father” (Jn 14:12). To whom can you be a means of Christ’s grace today?
Three
The teaching of the Communion of Saints means that Jesus, who is the source of all graces and the One Mediator between God and man, truly bridges the otherwise infinite gulf that used to exist between God and man. In so doing, our human nature now shares in His Divine mediatorship. We can become a channel of His graces for others. The stronger our Faith and Hope in Him, the greater can His powerful love flow through us. Therefore, many miracles are attributed to saints like André. This doesn’t deny that Christ is the ultimate source, but rather demonstrates how He wants to distribute His graces. This doesn’t show Christ’s weakness but rather His strength: He can use fallen humanity who, upon our redemption, can become Jesus for others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace…” (I Peter 4:10).
Four
A friend of mind visited Montreal with his wife several years ago. He had a flare up of Lyme’s Disease while there, and it was so severe that he could barely walk. Mark was at wits end with this flare up and couldn’t even leave his hotel bed. His wife heard about the Oratory and was determined to get Mark there. Through much effort and determination, they somehow made it, and prayed for help in the Eucharistic chapel of St. Joseph that lies within the grand basilica. Though extremely weak, Mark began praying when suddenly he felt the illness get sucked out of his body “as though being suctioned,” he said. He felt so strong, they walked 17 miles that day and had a late dinner, so rejuvenated he was! To this day, he and I take walks and he himself mentor’s other men to grow closer to Jesus. “I’m living proof,” he says, “that God is real and acts through his saints!”
Five
Not everyone who visited St. André Bessette received a miracle. This is not because God doesn’t always care, but because our sickness and suffering is now changed by Christ. Our own difficulties, trials, and sufferings are transformed into distribution centers of Christ’s own merits. Because God has mercy on the poor, however, He sometimes wills miraculous cures when it glorifies His Kingdom. When we receive our struggles and setbacks with Faith and perseverance, we always discover the power of God and the glories of His Kingdom. When offered through Jesus, it is also how we can win souls who otherwise would be damned by their own choosing. Our prayers and sufferings become Jesus’ when we will unite them to Him. Today, ask St. André to help you—through your prayers and sacrificial offerings—to be a means of divine grace for someone you’re concerned about.