Selection of thoughts from the writings of Father Jan Brenninger, O.Carm. Part 2 (completion)
Father Jan Brenninger was a great Marian devotee and apostle. He referred to the Blessed Virgin Mary as “the most gracious and tender mother.” Let us delve into his writings so that the light and warmth of his devotion to the Mother of God and his Marian apostolate, which he carried out primarily among his Carmelite brothers, may flow into our hearts.
Father Brenninger sought perfection in Marian devotion for himself and his brothers. “A loving son of Mary,” he writes, “strives by all means to keep in mind the ever-present memory of the beloved Mother and to follow her will in everything.”
To practically realize this ideal, Father Jan recommends adhering to certain rules. We will mention at least the following three.
- “First of all, it is necessary to form an image, that is, the most perfect and clearest picture of our heavenly Mother. Therefore, we must steadfastly meditate and lovingly1 contemplate those supreme privileges by which Mary was elevated by God above all creation, which all stem from the fact that she was chosen from eternity to become the second Eve and the Mother of God. We must also examine those remarkable virtues – humility, inviolate virginity, obedience, modesty, hope and perseverance, love, devotion, and fidelity – and the entire infinite array of perfections, for which Mary incomparably surpasses all saints and angels.
Yet, each person should strive to engrave deeply in their soul, above all, what the holy Mother has done and suffered for their salvation and what they can and should still expect from her, for she is the Mother, the treasury of all graces, and because God has established that we should receive everything from her holy hands. Thus, a (deep) sentiment will be born – both pious and childlike – which should guide this exercise if we desire it to bear fruit and not end too soon. For if the soul is filled with such sentiment, it will quickly and effortlessly find the most suitable way to practice such Marian devotion and feel that it is united with its Mother, in simple trust, without having to forcefully work with its imagination.”- “To more easily keep in mind the memory of our lovable Mother and to make this thought more intense in the soul, it would be good, despite this, to help ourselves with some small aids at least at the beginning. For example, at various moments of the day, we can look at some representation of the Madonna. Moreover, the Liturgy of the Hours reminds us in many places of our sweet Mother’s beloved name and invites us to think of her. Our religious habit, especially the scapular, also directs our thoughts and feelings to Mary. Finally, everyone can find means according to their own to strengthen their thoughts on the Most Holy Mother of God and nurture devotion to her in their hearts.”
- “However, it is not always the case that when we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are immediately overwhelmed by some pious feeling. Besides the fact that these feelings arise spontaneously from our love for her, we can (at other times) formulate them with holy diligence and keep them prepared for various occasions. When adopting these inner movements, we can draw from meditation, litanies, or elsewhere, and in specific situations, we can express them either with pre-written formulations or freely. For example, after we have contemplated the wretchedness of sin, whenever we return to this topic in our thoughts, we can set against the wretchedness the indescribable beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary, greet Mary and say, ‘You are all beautiful, O Mary, and there is no stain on you,’ or also: ‘O immaculate mirror, mirror of justice, pray for me that I may guard against every sin.’”
And finally, Father Brenninger adds: “If we are faithful in this devotion, Christ Himself will gradually take shape in us, and we will be transformed into Him just as the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is His living image.”
The devotion to the sacred scapular was also dear to Father Brenninger. He explains the value of the scapular and its significance. He encourages us to wear the scapular faithfully, to kiss it, and to say to the Mother of God: “I am yours. Save me.”
Father Jan also pays special attention to the rosary. The following text is again selected from the notes that Father Jan wrote for his brothers.
“The rosary is not just a prayer through which we can ask God and the Blessed Virgin Mary for help, but it is also a school of spiritual life. For when in this prayer we meditate on the mysteries of the life, suffering, death, and glory of our Lord and His Most Holy Mother, while we orally recite the individual prayers, we have before our eyes very compelling arguments that teach us and stimulate us in spiritual life.
The joyful mysteries immediately show us what the basic elements of spiritual life are. By the example of our Most Holy Mother, we learn to be oriented toward God and to serve Him alone, free from all earthly bonds through perfect and inviolate virginity (celibacy), always and everywhere ready to accept and carry out the will of God (1st mystery). This will of God leads us to love our neighbor as well and, according to our means, to provide assistance to them. For it is often necessary to leave God for God, that is, to assist our brothers (2nd mystery). Equally necessary, however, is to renounce all earthly things and to seek the Lord, who became poor for us. For if we do not do this, we will not find either the Lord or His Mother (3rd mystery). When we meditate on the sacrifice of Jesus in the temple, we remind ourselves that sacrifice can never be separated from spiritual and religious life (4th mystery). And finally, it is presented to us that we must always keep in mind the matters of our heavenly Father and seek the Lord tirelessly and fervently, even when it sometimes seems that He has distanced Himself from us. In spiritual life, everything is achieved through desire and perseverance! (5th mystery.)
The sorrowful mysteries then help us understand that no one can attain perfection or enjoy contemplation if they refuse to ascend with Christ and Mary to Calvary. We must fight against sin, even at the cost of pouring our blood with Christ. And we cannot advance to the glory of contemplation or eternal joy unless we first experience mortal anguish (1st mystery). And whoever yearns to escape the scourges of bodily mortification and the thorns of humiliation will never be free enough from the vice of lust, pride, or the desire to excel, so that in the depths of the soul they will always remain incapable of receiving the grace of contemplation (2nd and 3rd mysteries).
On the contrary, we must boldly and steadfastly follow the Lord carrying the cross and His Mother, the Sorrowful One, on this path of suffering, both outward and inward, until we stand with the Blessed Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross, to be present at the agony of our Lord (4th mystery). One cannot rise2 to a perfect spiritual life unless first we die spiritually! To follow Mary to the top of Golgotha, in this lies the life and goal of Carmelites! Only under the cross do we perfectly unite with Mary – as children with their Mother – and thus also with the Lord (5th mystery).
And finally, the glorious mysteries speak to us that whoever can, through spiritual death, “offer to God a heart holy and cleansed from every actual stain of sin,” as the book On the Foundation of the First Monks says to the Carmelites, can justly hope to achieve the second goal of Carmel, namely to experience during this earthly life something of “the joy of God’s presence and the sweetness of heavenly glory” (2nd chapter). Whoever stands with Mary at the cross will also experience with her the joy of the Resurrection (1st mystery). And then they will very eagerly desire eternal and perfect fulfillment of all in heaven, and their life, even though they still dwell here on earth, will already be in thoughts and desires with our Lord in Paradise (2nd mystery). With confidence in the powerful intercession of the Blessed Mother of God, they will fervently beg for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to be transformed into the Lord and no longer follow their whims, but instead keep in mind and willingly follow the inspirations of the Spirit, which the Lord sends (3rd mystery). And thus, finally, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they grow and continually strengthen in God’s love, until they reach perfect spiritual maturity. Then they will be worthy of being raised from the earth, to enter the heavenly homeland and receive eternal reward (4th and 5th mysteries).”
At the conclusion of his selection of thoughts from Father Brenninger, published in the Order's review Analecta ordinis carmelitanum, Father Emanuele Boaga notes that Father Jan Brenninger was not only a teacher of this “rosary school of holiness” but also its exemplary student.
According to the Italian original, processed by Vlaďka M. Polišenská.
I would like to add my observation to the article we are publishing on the occasion of the anniversary of Father Brenninger's death that, I believe, you can agree with. It is undeniable that some of the lines of Father Brenninger clearly show that sixty years have indeed passed. But something else is also important.
It was only during the work on the translation that I realized how much Father Jan Brenninger was a teacher of Carmelite spirituality for Father Metoděj Minařík. One particularly strong trait emerged as common to both of these zealous Carmelites: deep respect for the religious vocation, lifelong love for Carmel (the Order), tireless emphasis on inner life, and intense relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the request of the general of the Order, Father Jan Brenninger wrote a summary of Carmelite spirituality entitled “Directorium vitae carmelitanae.” This work was published in 1940 as the official order manual for the formation of youth. Father Metoděj drew much from this book, returning to it throughout his life.
Among the brothers in Germany, there sometimes lingered a bitter memory of Father Brenninger's great strictness (it is said that it softened after his departure to Rome). Father Metoděj also knew about it. He appreciated it as an expression of authenticity on the path toward God. But he did not overemphasize its significance. He was primarily drawn to the idealism of Father Jan Brenninger: his fervor for Carmel.
Father Metoděj also considered him a great supporter of Kostelní Vydří. He used to say that Father Brenninger once declared during a visit to Kostelní Vydří that such a beautiful place should never be abandoned by the Carmelites. I do not know. What is certain is that in the official protocol from the visitation of Kostelní Vydří, which he carried out in 1930, Father Jan Brenninger described the shortcomings he found3 and concluded: “Either the convent must be abandoned, and that as soon as possible, or Father Albert must be transferred and Father Prokop appointed in his place.” Luckily, the second option was carried out, and thus the Carmelites remained in Vydří. Three years later, hence, the student from the Archbishop's Gymnasium in Kroměříž, František Minařík, could come to seek entry into the Order, etc., etc.
In Father Jan Brenninger, therefore, we were addressed by a teacher whose school indirectly gave rise to Father Metoděj. May God grant us to live our Christian and Carmelite vocation with the fidelity that these predecessors and fathers showed us by their example in their time.
Father Gorazd, O.Carm.
