Jean Nicolas Grou

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Jean Nicolas Grou SJ (born November 24, 1731 in Calais , France , † December 13, 1803 in Lulworth Castle , England ) was a French Jesuit, priest , mystic and theologian . He left behind a large number of ascetic and mystical writings, which have seen numerous editions up to modern times. His manual for inner souls is considered a classic of spiritual reading.

Life

Jean Nicolas Grou was born in the northern French city of Calais in 1731 and entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus at the age of fifteen. In 1762 he was ordained a priest . After his humanistic studies, Grou was a teacher at the college in La Flèche from 1751 to 1755 . P. Grou soon made a name for himself as a translator of the works of Plato . His famous translations have been reprinted over and over again (e.g. in all of Plato's works, edited by Émile Saisset , Paris 1869, and in the edition of “State” and “Laws” by Victor Cousin , Paris 1822). From 1761 to 1765, Father Grou was active in defending his order against the Jansenists and the philosophers of the Enlightenment. After the abolition of the Jesuit order in France, he taught Greek at the University of Pont-à-Mousson . The philological work Grous is extremely extensive: Corrections to the full text of Homer , Plato, Cicero , Horace , Livy and the Vulgate . In 1770 he made a retreat, which he called his "second conversion". From then on, his studies were only concerned with the spiritual life. A number of great ascetic-mystical works emerged which were soon to be translated into many languages. They are characterized by clarity and depth, long personal experience and great powers of observation and empathy. When the revolution broke out, Grou wanted to go into hiding in Paris and continue his ministry in pastoral care and spiritual guidance. In the end he was moved to England, where he was accepted into Lulworth Castle by Thomas Weld, the father of the later Cardinal Thomas Weld . There he continued his life of work, concentration and rigor; Every day he got up at four o'clock, devoted an hour to inner prayer, prayed the breviary and prepared for Holy Mass . He exemplified the virtue of poverty, he had nothing of his own. Soon he became the spiritual center and soul guide of a group of priests and religious. When Pope Pius VII restored the Society of Jesus for Russia , the ancient Jesuits in England immediately asked for admission to the resurrected order. On May 23, 1803, Father Jean Nicolas Grou was able to renew his vows . The last months of his life were marked by numerous diseases. He received the sacraments of death fully conscious and died with the words "O my God, how sweet it is to die in your arms."

Quotes

  • “Total surrender: There is no word that better describes the willingness of the soul to do everything and to suffer everything for him to whom it has consecrated itself. Devotion to what is created cannot be other than limited. The devotion to God has no boundaries and can not have. As soon as one makes the slightest reservation, the smallest exception, the surrender is no longer a total surrender. "(From: Handbook for inner souls , chap. 1)
  • “The path of faith is essentially a dark path, a path on which the soul does not recognize anything with the ordinary light of reason, a path where God intends above all to let his own spirit die. It is therefore evident that on such a path we should no longer be guided by our reflection, but by the light of faith and the impulse of the Holy Spirit. So there is no longer any question of looking, because one can no longer; nor the use of methods, for the Holy Spirit blows where He will and when He will; another exercise of one's own mind, for it must die; another reflection on what is going on in one, because one could not recognize it, nor make a correct judgment about it. "(from: Handbook for inner souls , chap. 60)
  • “... It usually happens that they wonder about their mistakes. They become restless about them, a false shame confuses them, and they abandon themselves to discontent and despondency. There are just as many effects of self-love, which are more dangerous than the mistakes themselves. One wonders to be restless and confused. That is very wrong and a sign that you hardly know each other. Conversely, one should be astonished that one does not fall much more often and should thank God for the sins from which He protects us. "(From: Handbook for Inner Souls , chap. 17)
  • “Love that counts, that calculates, that looks to its advantage, that, in a word, only wants to go to a certain point, is not perfect love. In order for it to be truly worthy of God, it must know no limits, it must rise above human prudence and reason, it must go to the foolishness, to the foolishness of the cross. This is how Christ loved His Father, this is how He loved us. We will win everything in eternity that we have lost in time. And we will lose everything in eternity that we refused to God in time. "(From: Handbook for inner souls , basic truths about inner life)
  • “All the obstacles we come across, all the inner sufferings we go through, come only from self-love. To the extent that it becomes weaker, as we renounce our self-judgment, as our will bows under God's and strives for His glorification and pleasure, to the same extent the difficulties level out, the struggles cease, disappear the needs, and peace and quiet move into the human heart. "(from: manual for inner souls , basic truths about inner life)
  • The purity of intention: Everyone knows that intention determines the moral goodness of our actions, that if the intention is straight and pure, the action is pleasing to God, and the straighter and purer it is, the more pleasant it is. ... The intention is precisely when it sets itself God as its goal and strives towards Him directly and without further ado. It is not when, instead of focusing on God, it leans towards creatures. The intention is pure when it has God in mind for his own sake, when it looks above all at his will and his pleasure. "(From: Spiritual solitude in contemplation of the love of God )
  • “The soul, which is by nature so busy, so restless, finds itself in a state of calm when it is subjected to God's activity, which draws it to stillness. ... How can one be afraid to give oneself so completely to God? What is the goal of his heartfelt invitations, his heartfelt and urgent efforts, other than our best, our true well-being, which he knows infinitely better than we do, for which he longs ardently and which only he alone can provide for us? Doesn't our salvation rest incomparably more securely in his hand than in ours? "(From: Maximes spiritual , second maxim; transferred by Wilhelm Schamoni)

Ascetic and Mystical Scriptures

Jean Nicolas Grou wrote numerous works on ascetic and mystical topics. Some of his writings are also influenced by the great French bishop and preacher Jacques Bénigne Bossuet , for example his famous work "Manuel des âmes intérieures" ("Handbook for inner souls"), which was published from 18-20. Century also experienced numerous translations. The doctrine laid down in many of his books is also similar to that of Louis Lallemant SJ. Furthermore, Grou brought out many translations of classical philosophical works, especially his translations and commentaries on the works of Plato were widely used. In the German-speaking area, the works of P. Grou were particularly appreciated by Prince-Bishop Johannes Zwerger von Graz-Seckau .

Some German editions of his writings (selection)

  • P. Johannes Grou: Handbook for inner souls . German edition Münster 1910; The Carmelite Maria Gabriela of the Holy Sacrament (Hedwig von Liszt, 1866–1941, cousin of the composer Franz Liszt .) Provided an improved translation . Another revised edition of the book was published by Wilhelm Schamoni in 1953 at the Schöningh publishing house.
  • English edition of the manual for inner souls with a detailed biography of Jean Nicolas Grou
  • Jean-Nicolas Grou SJ The usual passive prayer. Translation from "Maximes spirituelles", second maxim, in: Wilhelm Schamoni: Prayer and Devotion. Paderborn 1954.
  • Jean Nicolas Grou: The School of Christ. German edition. Munster 1931.
  • Johann Grou SJ: The hallmarks of true piety. German edition. Manz, Regensburg 1865 (also online ).
  • Johann Grou SJ: Spiritual Solitude in Reflections on the Love of God. German edition. Manz, Regensburg 1865 (also online ).
  • Abbé Grou: The Salvation of the World or The Practical Knowledge of the Cross in the Sacraments of Penance and the Altar. German edition. Augsburg 1856 (also online ).
  • Jean Nicolas Grou: The School of Christ German edition. Munster 1931.
  • Jean Nicolas Grou: The Inner Life of Jesus and Mary. Münster 1868–69.
  • Johann Grou and Pierre Marin: The science of the cross. German edition. Manz, Regensburg 1859 (also online) .
  • Johannes Grou: About the devotion of oneself to God. German edition. Publisher Fel. Rauch, Innsbruck 1904.

literature

  • Robert G. Doherty: Devotion to God. A study in the spirituality of Jean-Nicolas Grou. Pont. Univ. Gregoriana, Roma 1969.

Individual evidence

  1. quoted from: Jean Nicolas Grou: Handbook for inner souls. German Edition, edited by Wilhelm Schamoni
  2. ^ Adolphe Tanquerey , Outline of ascetic and mystical theology , translated into German by P. Johannes Sternaux SJ, Paris, Tournai, Rome 1931
  3. Johannes Grou: About the self-surrender to God. German Translation: Hedwig von Liszt. Publisher Fel. Rauch, Innsbruck 1904, short report on the life of P. Grou