A Theology and a Prayer Life Clearly Centered on the Trinity
Whenever Brother André speaks about the Trinity, and he does so often, it is to draw a connection with the Holy Family. He places great emphasis on the quality of the relationships among its members and on their openness to the world and to God. He says that the life, peace, and joy shared by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph do not enclose them in a self-contained relationship. Rather, we are invited to share in that life and that joy. There is nothing possessive or self-effacing about this invitation, nor is there anything narcissistic. In communion and mutual sharing, we are called to remain distinct, just as the members of the Holy Family are distinct and just as the three Persons of the Trinity are distinct. Most people have experienced family life. They know that a common spirit and a shared love can dwell within a family while respecting the uniqueness of each of its members. Indeed, it is precisely this diversity that enriches family life and contributes to our personal growth. For Brother André, our encounter with God is not meant to make us copies of who God is. Rather, it is meant to help us become truly in God’s image and likeness.
Moreover, not only the individual but the entire human community is called to reflect the image of Trinitarian communion. Brother André believed this deeply, seeing us all as members of Jesus’ family: “Our Lord is our eldest Brother, and we are His younger brothers and sisters; therefore, we must love one another as members of the same family.” It was this new way of relating to God and to the world that Brother André grasped in the depths of his being. Through the example of the Holy Family, he sought to help others discover and embrace it as well. Brother André’s spirituality and theology are unmistakably Trinitarian. He understood God only in terms of the Trinity. In this way, he brought Christianity back to the essential insight of its origins, expressing it in language that everyone could readily understand.
Brother André referred to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the “earthly Trinity,” a title that reminded him of the Holy Trinity (Sr. Leblanc, Summarium, p. 639).
“One cannot love Mary without Joseph, nor Jesus without Mary. For Brother André, Joseph was everything: the Trinity on earth. They cannot be separated.” (Sr. Leblanc, interview with Canon Catta, August 23, 1958).
Saint Brother André and the Spiritual Legacy He Leaves Us
A man of faith and prayer, a man of hospitality and compassion, a builder and a unifier, Brother André, through his life and works, has bequeathed to us a spiritual legacy and human values that it is now our responsibility to pass on to our society and to future generations. In particular, he awakens us:
- to a concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the excluded, inspiring us to care for them and to recognize them as full members of the human family;
- to a profound respect for people whose religious beliefs and traditions differ from our own;
- to the pursuit of an ever closer and more respectful collaboration between clergy and laity.
Toward the end of his life, Brother André confided to one of his fellow religious that “Holiness does not come all at once.” A few days before his death, he is said to have asked his superior to pray for his conversion. The man whom everyone regarded as a saint did not see himself in the same light.
This act of humility reveals a profound truth that shaped his life: becoming a Christian is the work of a lifetime. It requires courage and is realized through a constant commitment to God. Must we not only rely on God’s grace but also do our own part?
Growth in the Christian life is lived in communion with others. This is where both personal and communal prayer become an invaluable support, and where the example of Saint Brother André can be of immense help to us. “Become saints by detaching yourselves from everything that draws you away from God.”
In many ways, this is the essence of the path of prayer to which Saint Brother André bore witness.
