#sttitusbrandsma — Public Fediverse posts

Quote of the day, 10 April: St. Titus Brandsma

Professor Brandsma took advantage of vacations to visit other countries for study. He was most attracted by Spain, the native land of St. Teresa of Avila. He felt a special attraction for her and her way of living out the spirit of Carmel. 

During the Easter Break of 1929, and months before the first Congress [on mysticism in Nijmegen], he had gone to Spain to study similarities between Spanish and Flemish mysticism. He visited Barcelona, Burgos, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Avila; he spent time in archives, libraries, and museums. 

In some Carmelite friaries, he lectured on Carmel’s rich heritage, but he also took pains to make contact with the simple faithful whose culture and spirit had contributed so much to the 16th-century reform of the Order.

Father Simón Besalduch, a well-known Carmelite scholar and author, accompanied Titus through Catalonia; while there, they visited the rector of the University of Barcelona and the Monastery of Montserrat. Recalling this latter visit, Fr. Simón wrote:

We visited the monastery, and the monks put whatever he wanted to see at his disposal. … He conversed with the Benedictines in Dutch, French, German, and Spanish. What tremendous devotion he showed while visiting the church and listening to the Gregorian chant of the monks! … Later, as we were strolling along the mountain trails, our dear Father expressed, as though a projection of his inner being, what was in his heart; and he did so with such vitality that it seemed he was dreaming out loud. He spoke of grand proposals that came together in a single ideal: the flourishing of the Order he so dearly loved. We still have so much to do, he said, in order to become what our fathers were. We need to increase vocations. … We need a comprehensive library that is available to Carmelites of the entire world. … We need a multi-lingual journal that will publish in all the major languages. … We need so much, so much, so much.

Miguel Maria Arribas, O.Carm.

Chapter IV, At the university (excerpt)

Arribas O.Carm., M 2021, The Price of Truth: Titus Brandsma, Carmelite, Carmelite Media, Darien, Illinois.

Featured image: Detail from a photograph of St. Titus Brandsma as Rector Magnificus of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. Titus served in this role from 1932–1933. Image credit: Carmelites (used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut).

Quote of the day, 27 February: Saint Titus Brandsma

Christ’s message of peace is, “Love those who hate you, do good to those who persecute you” (Cf. Mt 5:43-48). “If you do good to those who do good to you, what merit is there in that? So do the Gentiles. But I say to you, do good also to those who do evil to you” (Cf. Lk 6:27-36).

I know that for many in today’s society this word is the voice of someone crying in the wilderness, but to you who love peace, who understand with me that this peace must ultimately grow from the moral disposition of the many who make up the people themselves, may I make this word of Christ heard as an indication — certainly radical, even difficult to carry out, but nevertheless striking — of the direction in which our work for peace must go.

I repeat, our peacemaking efforts must be based on social reform. In society, the sound principles of love and forgiveness must once again come to flower and enter into general practice.

Saint Titus Brandsma

Vrede en vredelievendheid, no. 8 (excerpt)
Speech in the Mountain Church of St. Nicholas, Deventer, Netherlands
11 November 1931

Titus Brandsma Institute & Nederlandse Provincie Karmelieten 2018, Vrede en Vredelievendheid, viewed 25 February 2026, https://www.titusbrandsmateksten.nl/vrede-en-vredelievendheid/.

Featured image: Max is wearing a cap from LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR, a social fashion label based in Switzerland. Founded by David Togni and now owned by Carole Zimmerli, 100% of sales revenue goes to humanitarian projects of the LYN Foundation. Image credit: Nina Strehl / Unsplash (Stock photo)

Quote of the day, 31 December: St. Titus Brandsma

In his Explanation of “The Living Flame of Love”, St. John of the Cross draws the Holy Mother of God as clearly as possible into the circle of his metaphor clarifying the mystical life.

Speaking of the shining of the Lamps of God in us and our intake of the divine Light, which means as much as participating in God’s characteristics and works, he says that this bears still another name, i.e. “to overshadow”.

And in connection to this, he reminds (us) that also the Archangel Gabriel called the exquisite privilege of Mary to conceive God’s Son, an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit [Cf. Lk 1:35]. 

If one wants to understand, the Saint thus follows, what is meant by that spreading of God’s shadow or that overshadowing or that shining, for all these expressions have an equal meaning, then one should remember that every creature evokes a shadow according to its own nature and capacity. A dark opaque object gives an obscure shadow: a bright translucent object a clear and transparent shadow.

Thus, the shadow of something dark will call forth a different darkness, darker to the extent that its cause is also darker, while the shadow of something bright will be light according to the nature of the original light.

Therefore, the shadow brought forth by the lamp of God’s beauty will be a different beauty, the shadow by the lamp of strength a different strength, etc. or better said, all these shadows will be the beauty itself, the strength itself of God, but in shadow, because the soul here on earth cannot perfectly understand or take God into itself.

Over Mary, the Holy Spirit came in all his fullness, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her in the most perfect way [Cf. The Living Flame of Love, III, 12].

Saint Titus Brandsma

Mary’s motherhood of God, leading idea in the mystical life (excerpt), Carmelrozen 20 (May 1931), pp. 11–15

Brandsma, T. 1931, Mary’s motherhood of God, leading idea in the mystical life (excerpt), Carmelrozen, vol. 20, May, pp. 11–15. English translation by the Titus Brandsma Instituut, Nijmegen, available at: https://www.titusbrandsmateksten.nl/marys-motherhood-of-god/

Featured image: The Virgin and Child (detail), after Raphael (1483–1520), oil on canvas. Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery (public domain).

#BlessedVirginMary #MotherOfGod #overshadow #StJohnOfTheCross #StTitusBrandsma

I have never been so close to You

O Jesus, when I gaze on You
Once more alive, that I love You
And that your heart loves me too
Moreover as your special friend.

Although that calls me to suffer more
Oh, for me all suffering is good,
For in this way I resemble You
And this is the way to Your Kingdom.

I am blissful in my suffering
For I know it no more as sorrow
But the most ultimate elected lot
That unites me with You, O God.

O, just leave me here silently alone,
The chill and cold around me
And let no people be with me
Here alone I grow not weary.

For Thou, O Jesus, art with me
I have never been so close to You.
Stay with me, with me, Jesus sweet,
Your presence makes all things good for me.

Saint Titus Brandsma

Prayer Before an Image of Christ
12–13 February 1942

Saint Titus Brandsma’s “Prayer Before an Image of Christ,” penned in February 1942 while imprisoned at Scheveningen, is a profound reflection of his unwavering faith and intimate union with Christ amidst great suffering.

The poem begins with Titus expressing his deep love for Jesus and recognizing the reciprocal love of Christ. This intimate relationship, characterized as a special friendship, calls him to participate in Christ’s suffering. In gazing upon Jesus, Titus enters into profound contemplation, where love and friendship transcend the physical confines of his prison cell.

Central to the poem is Titus’s embrace of suffering. He perceives suffering not as an evil to be shunned but as a means to imitate Christ and attain His Kingdom. This perspective transforms suffering into a source of spiritual joy, uniting him more closely with God and providing a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment.

Titus also finds solace in solitude, appreciating the chill and cold of his cell as it brings him closer to Jesus. For him, solitude is not a burden but a cherished state where he does not grow weary. Jesus’ presence transforms his isolation into a space of divine companionship and comfort.

In the final lines, Titus eloquently expresses how Jesus’ presence makes all things good for him. Despite the harsh conditions of his imprisonment, the spiritual closeness he experiences with Christ brings him peace and strength. This transformative power of Christ’s presence attests to Titus’s deep faith and the profound consolation he finds in his relationship with Jesus.

“Prayer Before an Image of Christ” stands as a powerful testament to the strength of faith and the peace found in a life united with Christ. Saint Titus Brandsma’s unwavering trust in Jesus and his willingness to embrace suffering as a means of sharing in Christ’s Passion offer a powerful example of hope and resilience. His words continue to inspire and comfort the faithful, reminding us that even in the darkest times, we are not alone, and Christ’s presence brings solace and strength.

Lord our God, source and giver of life,
you gave to Saint Titus the Spirit of courage
to proclaim human dignity and the freedom of the Church,
even in the throes of degrading persecution and death.
Grant us that same Spirit
so that in the coming of your kingdom of justice and peace
we might never be ashamed of the Gospel
but be enabled to recognize your loving-kindness
in all the events of our lives.

Learn more about Saint Titus Brandsma from the Carmelites

English translation of “O Jezus” by Susan Verkerk-Wheatley and Anne-Marie Bos © Titus Brandsma Instituut 2018. Used with permission of the Nederlands Carmelitaans Instituut.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/25/ep15-tituspoet/

#God #intimacy #Jesus #Podcast #poetry #prayer #presenceOfGod #prison #Scheveningen #solitude #StTitusBrandsma #suffering

Martyr St Titus Brandsma was born in the Netherlands #onthisday 23 February 1881. Sixty years later, when forced to declare that he wasn't a Jew: "Obviously I'm pure Frisian. But this is very painful for the Jews. I must stand alongside them."

Read more 👇🏼
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/02/22/titus-bday/

#happybirthday #sttitusbrandsma #catholic #carmelite #martyr #saint #quotes

“What is the charge?” asked #TitusBrandsma when the Gestapo came to arrest him on 19 January 1942. They searched his cell. He whispered to the friars as he was led away, "Memento mei"—pray for me.
✝️Learn more!
http://carmelitequotes.blog/2023/01/18/titus-arrest/

#StTitusBrandsma #onthisday #arrest #Gestapo #Netherlands #Nijmegen #jail #prison #martyr #Catholic #Carmelite #quotes