André Malet

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André Malet (born November 12, 1862 in Espalion , † October 24, 1936 in Bellegarde-Sainte-Marie, Haute-Garonne department ) was a French Trappist abbot , theologian and author.

life and work

Jean-Louis Malet, since 1877 in the Trappist monastery of Sainte-Marie-du-Désert (Peugniez p. 216) in Bellegarde-Sainte-Marie, where he took the religious name of André , was ordained a priest in 1886 and was secretary to Abbot Candide Albalat y Puigcerver (1854-1915) as well as novice master (among others by Marie-Joseph Cassant ) and prior , finally from 1911 to 1936 abbot of his monastery. In an unpublished text of 200 pages ( La Vie à Cîteaux ), Malet branded the Trappist reform of Armand Jean Le Bouthillier de Rancé as deviating from the Cistercian origins (motto: " La Trappe n'est pas Cîteaux ") and attempted a cautious rebalancing from atone for the contemplative life. When he was commissioned by Abbot Candide Albalat together with Auguste Trilhe to unify the Cistercian rite, he fought unsuccessfully for the reinstatement of the original Cistercian liturgy (against the Romanization made by Claude Vaussin in the 17th century ). The result of these efforts was the Manuale Caeremoniarum in missa et altaris ministerio juxta ritum sacri ordinis cisterciensis servandum ad usum monachorum strictioris observantiae auctoritate et mandato capituli generalis editum (Westmalle, 1908, 1948). He laid down his convictions in a memorandum that appeared in 1921.

Malet must not be confused with the Reformed theologian and philosopher André Malet (1920–1989).

The supernatural life

In 1933 Malet published a catechism of the supernatural life (subtitle: “What it is made of and how it is to be practiced”) in 239 questions and answers, which saw a second edition in 1934, which was reprinted in 1947 and 2014. The edition in German announced in 1934 has not appeared (possibly because of the National Socialist developments in Germany). A Spanish translation by Fructuoso Martín appeared in 1953 under the title La vida sobrenatural. Elementos y ejercicio de la misma (San Sebastián, Pax, 1953). It is not known whether the Chinese edition, which was also announced in 1934, was published. According to the author (in the foreword), the majority of the catechism was written at the beginning of the century.

The 1934 book contained an introductory letter of praise from Cardinal Alexis-Henri-Marie Lépicier , as well as excerpts from the congratulatory addresses of the archbishops and bishops Jean Verdier , Jules Saliège , Jean Budes de Guébriant (1860-1935), Charles Challiol (1872-1948) and Charles-Paul Sagot du Vauroux (1857–1937), as well as by Lucien Paulot (1864–1938), Matthäus Quatember O.Cist (1894–1953) and other readers. Quatember, then professor of theology in Rome, from 1950 Abbot General of the Cistercian Order, wrote: “Je n'ai pas rencontré encore un livre traitant des principes de la vie spirituelle avec autant de clarté et de brièveté, de solidité et d'orthodoxy, bien que je sois au courant de la bibliographie spiritual. Ce précieux ouvrage me comble de joie; je le recommanderai instamment à mes élèves. »

Basic idea

Malet formulated the following basic ideas in the foreword and in the introductory questions 1–17:

1. The goodness of God, which is of a radiating nature, wanted its infinite perfections to flow outwards. At the end of this act of will, there was the creation of the beings that populate the universe. Each of these beings is consequently a more or less clear reflection of a divine perfection and has, each in its own way, the task of singing God's praise.

2. Man's destiny is immortality (be it in happiness or in misery). And that is also true in our time of material progress. For "what good is it to a person if he wins the whole world, but suffers damage to his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

3. There are two lives in man, the natural and the supernatural. If one looks for the purpose of life, it cannot be found in natural life. For although the vegetative (plant) and the feeling (animal) life have their purpose in man (as the embodiment of life endowed with reason), only God is above man. The purpose of man is therefore God, man's union with God. This privilege is a supernatural gift.

4. However, the supernatural order already has a history. Because of the fall, man had forfeited the supernatural gift. But God responded with a new plan, the plan of salvation, and so the supernatural order was restored. Its principle is not nature, but grace.

5. Logically there is no escape from the supernatural order, since no other purpose than God can be imagined, and man must consequently have the means to achieve this purpose ( Un être sans ressources pour atteindre sa fin n'aurait plus sa raison d 'être ). The rejection of the supernatural order, so-called naturalism , is the greatest of all crimes; Lucifer was the first to commit it.

6. The supernatural life, the divine life in man, an undeserved gift, is participation in the life of God and must therefore direct all other lives (vegetative, feeling and thinking). In reality, there is universal disorder (which only the saints escape), fed by ignorance, passions, pride and malice. In contrast, only helps self-denial ( mortification ) and self-cleaning ( purification ). The supernatural life is a struggle, a struggle with oneself ( une lutte, un combat ).

Structure of the book

  • Part One: The Divine Element of Supernatural Life: Grace (6 Chapters)
  • Part Two: The Human Element of Supernatural Life (Skills, Passions, Will) (6 Chapters)
  • Third part: The practice of the supernatural life
    • 1. Jesus Christ as the source of supernatural life
    • 2. The will of God
    • 3. Revelation as a guide to eternal life
    • 4. Faith, key to eternal life
    • 5. The works of faith
    • 6. Under the guidance of divine wisdom
    • 7. The work of the Holy Spirit
    • 8. - 12. The stages of the spiritual life: the path of the beginners, the advanced and the perfect. The signs of holiness.
    • 13. The destruction of supernatural life by sin
    • 14. Maria as "aqueduct" of grace (after Bernhard von Clairvaux )

Sources of the book

In addition to Thomas von Aquin and Bernhard von Clairvaux, who are extensively cited, as well as several church fathers and council texts, the author mentions numerous other sources en passant and incomplete. Here is the bibliography that is missing in the book (as far as can be determined, reference in brackets):

  • L'Ami du clergé 1925, p. 614ff; May 12, 1932, p. 295. Journal (53, 147).
  • Jean-Marie Fournier de Bellevue, La grâce sacramentelle, ou Effets propres des divers sacrements , Vannes 1899. (219)
  • Jean-Marie Fournier de Bellevue, L'oeuvre du Saint Esprit ou La sanctification des âmes , Paris 1902 (47, 48, 65, 66)
  • Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet , Sermon 3e dimanche de l'Avent. Nécessité de la penitence . (213)
  • Francis de Sales . (95)
  • Barthélémy Froget, De l'habitation du Saint Esprit dans les âmes justes d'après la doctrine de Saint Thomas d'Aquin , Paris, Lethielleux, 1898, 1926; 4th edition, 2011 (also in English, 1921, and Italian, Turin 1937). (56)
  • Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort , Traité de la vraie Dévotion . (227)
  • Jean Guibert (1857–1914), La formation de la volonté. Etude psychologique et morale , Paris, Bloud, 1902. (112, 113, 115, 118)
  • Edouard Hugon (1867–1929), Le mystère de l'Incarnation , Paris, Téqui, 1913, 9th edition, 1946 (147, 151, 153)
  • Petrus Lombardus . (43)
  • Gaston Lestrat, Les beaux temps du Sillon , Paris 1926. (173)
  • Columba Marmion , Le Christ idéal du moine. Conférences spirituelles sur la vie monastique et religieuse , Paris 1922, to 1960 (191, 207)
  • Camillo Mazzella , De gratia Christi. Prælectiones scholastico-dogmaticæ , Woodstock 1874, Rome 1905. (48)
  • Désiré-Joseph Mercier , in: Revue thomiste , January – February 1908 (26)
  • Andreas Osiander . (43)
  • Thomas Pègues (1866–1936), Commentaire français littéral de la “Somme théologique” de Saint Thomas d'Aquin. Les passions et les habitus , Éditeur E. Privat, 1926 (78)
  • Jean Polman, Breviarium theologicum , first 1650 (78)
  • Francisco Suárez , (48)
  • Adolphe Tanquerey , Outline of Ascetic and Mystical Theology , Rome 1931; French original, Paris / Tournai 1923–1925. (22)
  • Jean-Baptiste Terrien (1832–1903), La grâce et la gloire, ou la filiation adoptive des enfants de Dieu étudiée dans sa réalité, ses principes, son perfectionnement et son couronnement final , 2 vols., Paris 1901 (Spanish 1928, 1943 , 1952). (47)
  • Teresa of Ávila , Château de l'âme / Apartments of the Inner Castle (206, 207)
  • Therese von Lisieux , Histoire d'une âme (196, 201, 206); Novis. Verb. (205)

Works

  • La liturgie Cistercienne. Ses origines, sa constitution, sa transformation, sa restauration , Westmalle, Malle (Belgium) , 1921 (57 pages).
  • La vie surnaturelle. Ses éléments. Son exercice , Mulhouse, Salvator, 1933, 1934; Toulouse 1947; Saint-Étienne, Éditions Ignis caritatis, 2014 (238 pages).
    • (Spanish) La vida sobrenatural. Elementos y ejercicio de la misma , San Sebastián, Pax, 1953.

literature

  • Dom Marie-Etienne Chenevière OCSO (1906–1972), Toi seul me suffis. Dom André Malet (1862–1936) , Westmalle, 1970 (preface by Gabriel-Marie Garrone ).
  • Bernard Delpal, Le silence des moines. Les trappistes au XIXe siècle: France, Algérie, Syrie, Paris , Paris, Editions Beauchesne, 1998, p. 198.
  • Bernard Peugniez, Le guide routier de l'Europe cistercienne. Wit des lieux. Patrimoine. Hôtellerie , Strasbourg, Editions du Signe, 2012.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Malet, André
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Malet, Jean-Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French Trappist abbot, theologian and author
DATE OF BIRTH November 12, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Espalion
DATE OF DEATH October 24, 1936
Place of death Bellegarde-Sainte-Marie, Haute-Garonne department