Who is this man?

Okay, his picture is supposed to be here.

But because I couldn’t get the image here after trying every which way….go here to see my favorite photo.

Titus Brandsma is a little known saint who should be a lot better known in the world today, because he’s a man for our times. He was all about peace and social justice, centered on the love of God. A great intellect, scholar, journalist and devout Carmelite priest who courageously resisted the scourge of Nazi repression. Here’s the most extensive biography I’ve seen on him, detailing his battle for truth, freedom and rights in a dangerous era.

With armed forces in command and Nazi officials and collaborators in political control, the repression of freedom became the objective in Holland. Accordingly, objectors to the occupation were deemed traitorous, organized religion came under attack, and Jews were victimized as they had already been in Germany.

Catholics came under strict regulation and straitened circumstances. Authorities decreed that priests and religious could not be principals or directors of secondary schools. The teaching salaries of priests and religious were cut by 40 percent. Catholic schools were ordered to expel Jewish students.

Appointed by the bishops, Titus appeared before officials at The Hague to present clearly and vigorously Catholic opposition to the crippling directives; to no avail.

The Catholic bishops spoke out more and more as the Nazi takeover became more complete.

Our Catholic broadcast . . . has been taken away from us. Our Catholic daily press has either been suspended or has been so limited in its freedom of expression that it is hardly possible any longer to speak of a Catholic Press.

That got them more repression. The Nazis told the Dutch newspapers that they had to print their progaganda, the ads and press releases put out by the regime.

Media personnel were told that “this measure which we have taken is based on the assumption that nothing may be omitted that may promote the unity of the Dutch nation.”

Spin. The essence of propaganda.

Titus was sent on a mission by the bishop.

“We will respond to them,” he said. “Our answer must be ‘No!’ ” He commissioned Titus, in his capacity as spiritual director of Catholic journalists, to convey the hierarchy’s response personally to all Catholic editors in the Netherlands. On presenting this task the archbishop said: “Titus, you do understand this mission is dangerous. You do not have to undertake it.”

Of course, he did.

Titus wrote and began delivering to editors throughout the country a letter stating the bishops’ directives and explaining the background. He encouraged the editors to resist Nazi demands while patiently explaining the various consequences of such resistance as well as of collaboration with occupation authorities. He concluded each visit with remarks along this line:

We have reached our limit. We cannot serve them. It will be our duty to refuse Nazi propaganda definitely if we wish to remain Catholic newspapers. Even if they threaten us with severe penalties, suspension or discontinuance of our newspapers, we cannot conform with their orders.

He got the severe penalties, though he never gave up or gave in.

Continually followed by the Gestapo, the Nazi attention led to his arrest on 19 January 1942. For several weeks he was shuttled from jail to jail, abused, and punished for ministering to other prisoners.

(Go back to the former link and see just how astoundingly he ministered to other prisoners.) A final summary:

Deported to the Dachau concentration camp in April 1942. There he was overworked, underfed, and beaten daily; he asked fellow prisoners to pray for the salvation of the guards. When he could no longer work, he was used for medical experiments. When he was no longer any use for experimentation, he was murdered.

It was on July 26, 1942. When he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, this day became his memorial. When the Church verifies one more miracle attributed to his intercession, he will be canonized a saint, formally.

But hold on…..couple of points to address here….

Non-Catholics frequently ask “Why do you Catholics pray to saints?” It’s a very good and valid question.

We pray with saints, not to them.
Have you ever asked anyone to pray for you when you were having a hard time? Why did you choose to ask that person?

You may have chosen someone you could trust, or someone who understood your problem, or someone who was close to God. Those are all reasons we ask saints to pray for us in times of trouble.

(read the rest of that page, it’s interesting)

And about that miracle…..this particular holy man’s intercession can only come if people pray for it, and apparently Titus Brandsma is all but forgotten. Andrew (my seminarian son) called from Brandsma’s hometown in the Netherlands, the area around Bolsward, Friesland and Nijmegen. He said people around there are aware of Bl. Titus Brandsma’s reputation, his holiness, his history….but they’re not particularly familiar with him, and don’t seem to have special events to honor his memorial feast day. So….if you’re looking for a really good intercessor who probably has lots of free time and good influence, he’s your man.

As a journalist in the modern world, surrounded by pop-theology and atheism on the bestseller lists, the “dictatorship of relativism” threatening human rights for the most vulnerable and family values common to civilization for over 2,000 years……I’m getting more familiar with the life and writings and witness of Bl. Titus Brandsma.