Blessed Marie-Joseph CASSANT (1878-1903)
Portrait by Sr Anna-Maria,
Vitorchiano
• Collect
• Biography
• Letter of Blessed MJ Cassant to
his parents
• What does Fr. Cassant offer to us
today? (D. Bernardo Bonowitz - OCSO)
• Some comments in order to prepare
the beatification (P. Lode van Hecke)
• Collect
O
Lord. Glory of the lowly,
who
inspired a burning love
for
the Eucharist in Blessed Joseph Mary,
and
led him into the desert
through
the Heart of Jesus;
grant,
we beseech you,
that
by his intercession and example
we
may prefer nothing to Christ,
that
he may bring us to life everlasting.
Who lives and reigns..
Reflections on
Bl. Marie-Joseph Cassant
by
Fr Lode van Hecke, ocso, 2004.
We sometimes know very little about
the saints of our Order, and I wouldn’t want Fr. Joseph, who is in many regards
very simple, to slip through the cracks.
But in what way is Joseph an
inspiration for us? It is perhaps not obvious for people of today, especially
the last generations. We are usually struck first of all by things which draw
us away from him, and the list can be long.
Let us recall, first of all, that he
had a very short life : March 6, 1878 - June 17, 1903, twenty-five
years. Joseph, as a child, had many draw-backs, even if he came from a
well-to-do family. Small and of a weak constitution, he had trouble following
in class, to the point that his difficulty in studying was an obstacle to his
admittance to the seminary : he so longed to become a priest ! Finally, he
entered Saint-Marie-du-Désert on December 5, 1894. His life there was
very ordinary, but it’s his vulnerability which strikes. He needs a Spiritual
Director who must continuously reassure him against his scruples. He will never
be given any position of responsibility. He is at times nerve-racking by his clumsiness
at work. The “little way” as epitomized by Thérèse of Lisieux perhaps finds an
even better candidate in Joseph in that he does not possess Thérèse’s natural
gifts.
Furthermore, after 100 years, many
things in his life have become dated. According to our standards, he was too
young to be admitted to the monastery: a child of 16 years old. You will say
that Thérèse of Lisieux was 15 years old and that Fr. André Malet – his
Spiritual Director, of whom I’ll speak again – entered at 14! But at first glance,
our Joseph is not a man of their stature. He will always seem fragile and
dependent. He is, for example, haunted by the prospect of having to leave the
monastery and face such an anti-clerical France. The “law on associations”
which entails the expulsion of religious congregations comes into effect in
1901. The threat then is very real and the abbot orders the moving of part of
the furniture and the library. We are getting ready to leave if necessary.
Thanks to Dom Chautard’s intervention, the Trappists will never have to leave
France, a fact little known to Joseph. But he is also obsessed by the idea of
being abandoned by Fr. André, who continually calms his scruples and encourages
him. He has such a great need of him. “The world” appears in his eyes as
dangerous and hostile. It will take a good deal of personal work before he
comes to progressively accept any eventuality. Thérèse of Lisieux lived at the
same period (she dies the year of Joseph’s simple profession). But she, on the
other hand, dreams of martyrdom and the idea of confrontation spurs her on.
Joseph doesn’t have either the intellectual acumen of the Carmelite who was
interested in studies beyond the strict minimum required. Joseph studies with a
great deal of difficulty, notwithstanding his intellectual curiosity, which is
limited to what is necessary to be a good monk and especially a priest. His
difficulties in studies will remain his cross throughout. A last comparison
with Thérèse : she would’ve loved to be a missionary and is interested in
people to convert while Joseph’s interests did not go beyond the walls of the
abbey.
But I am nevertheless struck by his
qualities, less spectacular, but solid: his faith and his confidence, his
uprightness, and his good sense (he is not stupid), a good discernment, a will
of steel. He reads assiduously: he feels the need to feed his mind, even during
mental prayer (otherwise, he falls asleep or his spirit wanders!). He writes a
great deal: he makes note of important passages, prayers and reflections. I
will mention only this one: “What’s the point of religious life if one does not
change himself?” It’s a good formula which implies a great deal of
faithfulness. The verb in French is not usually used in that reflexive way. To
change oneself (“se modifier”), for Joseph Cassant, implies on the one
hand, to remain true to self – you cannot become completely different - , but
on the other, that a real transformation (which is sought out) is in order –
otherwise it is stalemate. Important question which I can ask from time to
time: do I really change myself? Fr. Joseph probably applied it only to
himself, but the question can be extended (the expression “religious life”
points in that direction): does my community transform itself, and the Order?
In that sense, changing oneself is simply part of life.
What is his specific grace? I believe
that it is his “innocence,” to be child-like, which most of us lose, except
some rare exceptions like him, and never get back. We see it on his face in a
picture that was taken in 1897. (Of the rare pictures that we have of him, it’s
by far my favorite.) What makes this innocence real is his peasant good sense
which keeps him well-grounded and an exceptional strength of character which
made him go forward regardless of the obstacles. If Joseph is not very
muscular, he is nonetheless a lumberjack. He is clear-sighted not only for
others but also for himself. Recognizing his limits, he has learned to accept
them without withdrawing into himself. All of these qualities make him a rather
sturdy individual. But at the same time, his child-likeness makes him
disarming. But one can push this even further. Because of his devotion to the
Sacred Heart, with his sense for the Eucharist, he is truly on a mystical
quest. He has been ordained priest on October 12, 1902. His motto
“Everything for Jesus,” in his case, should be taken strictly to the letter.
There is no question of sentimental devotions or superficial spirituality.
Through this slant – together with his child-likeness -, he reaches back to a
tradition which dates back to the 12th century, even to the Bible. How could he
be other than a man of heart, and loved by everyone: everyone? Except for a
member of the community, a professor of theology (no less), who later became
his infirmarian: this brother never missed an opportunity to humiliate him. The
heroic virtues of Joseph start here and will cumulate in his terrible death
from tuberculosis, incurable at the time and detected much too late. It is, of
course, this last trial which places him above any form of sentimentality or
head in the clouds. Joseph lives up to the situation and proves himself to be
of the caliber of a little Thérèse. “To live only of love and for love”
could’ve been written by Saint Bernard or the Little Thérèse: no, it was
written by Joseph.
To synthesize the teaching of Father
Joseph, I readily take the words of Dom Bernardo Olivera during his homily at
Sainte Marie du Désert, June 17, 2003 :
- Joseph was : a simple man who accepted himself as such ; a disciple
of Jesus who let himself be instructed ; a young monk who accepted direction ; -
Joseph knew : how to seek peace and pursue it ; he was able to forget himself
to server others; he managed to renounce his self-will in order to follow that
of his Lord ;
- Joseph is : a lover, who let himself be crucified ; a thankful
individual who let himself be transformed in thanksgiving (Eucharist); a priest
of Christ who sacrificed himself on the altar.
I cannot but mention the important
role of Fr. André Malet, his Master of Novices, Spiritual Father, and professor
of theology - he will later become abbot of the community - a figure of high
stature, a guide without compare. Without him, Joseph would not have been what
he later became. Father André will know how to discern an austerity sought for
itself and how to direct it towards a spirituality which is more monastic and
even mystical. The danger was that penitence would smother contemplation. The
point is to love; the rest has its place, but subordinate. He will communicate
to Joseph devotion to the Sacred-Heart – very popular at the time – and a keen
sense for the Eucharist. You have the impression that everything was already
there in the first sentence that Fr. André said to Joseph when he first came to
the monastery: “I will help you to love Jesus.” In the spiritual adventure in
which they shared, Joseph became an example of confidence and obedience; Fr.
André will become a model of spiritual discernment. Finally, the disciple will
precede the master. The latter understood this very well when he said that he
hoped, one day, to be buried at the foot of his disciple.
We therefore understand that the Abbot General, every chance he
gets, loves to speak of our little brother as a patron for our times and for
our Order. At a time when precariousness is found everywhere, Fr. Joseph can be
a help to those who suffer from the limits they must endure. He is an example
that holiness is within their reach
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