The Spirituality of Nicolas Barré from the Twenty First century

      Theme 3:  Trust in Divine Providence

INTRODUCTION

Trust or abandonment to Divine Providence was a hugely important characteristic of the institute set up by Nicolas Barré.   He was extremely cautious about accepting endowments or rich patronage and, in fact, wouldn’t allow members of the Institute to do so, ‘though there was pressure on him to change his mind, right up ‘til he was on his death bed.   

Speaking of the Little Schools which he set up, Nicolas says: ‘It is better for them to last only ten to fifteen years without endowment, keeping alive their initial zeal, than to last longer and become lax as has happened in so many other institutes that promise security.’ (R.E.5)  This attitude seems contrary to human prudence but it is very sound because it is based on the Word of God: ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice and all these things will be given to you.’ 

We know that the life and times of Nicolas Barré were not unlike our own –poverty,lack of basic education, especially for the girl child, so  how would he look at our reality today? What advice would he give us?   The 17 century France also suffered from many contagious diseases which were commonly known as ‘the plague’ just like our  own Corona virus today . 

In 1632 when Nicolas was about 11 years old there was a severe outbreak of the plague  in Amiens; it lasted 3 years and claimed the lives of about 25,000 people.  During this time, the Jesuit school which Nicolas attended, had to be closed down. 

Sometime, also during those years, Nicolas’ young sister Louise, became seriously ill until, finally, her parents and doctor gave up all hope of her recovery.  The young Nicolas begged God to cure her; shortly afterwards Louise made a complete recovery. 

In February 1635 there was also severe flooding in the city and at the end of that year France declared war on Spain. Many hungry, fearful and desperate people came in from the countryside causing great unrest which often culminated in serious rioting in the city. As always , it was the poor who suffered most.

This was the kind of world Nicolas grew up in and no doubt it greatly influenced his spirituality, his ministry and his plans for the Institute. As we cope with the coronavirus which is no respecter of age, nation or status in society, let us ask Nicolas to intercede for us and for our world.

Margaret Walsh IJS (March 27^th 2020)

Next