For the beatification of Brother Lagrange o.p.[1]
Father Lagrange, Father Perrin, O.P.
And a Jewish believer’s conversion.
Brother Bernard Montagnes,
o.p., received this
testimony from Father Perrin pour the process of beatification of Father
Lagrange.
During the months at the end of his
life I had a most extraordinary meeting with Fr. Lagrange. It is one of my most
notable memories and most probably the last – coming from the beginning
of 1938 – in January or February – that’s to say a few weeks
before his death. We were three at this meeting.
For three or four years I had been
trying to help an old Jewish man in his religious search. He had been drawn to
the Gospel and had been mesmerized around Christmas 1937 when reading the
Prologue of St John’s Gospel: “It is all-encompassing,” he
would say to me. But he remained hesitant and had many questions. He wanted to
meet Fr. Lagrange and so I expressed his request and Fr. Lagrange accepted most
willingly. When we were all together Fr. Lagrange said several times how much
such a meeting was a joy for him because his life of research and teaching did
not permit him to have many opportunities to meet people – especially on
this very profound level.
He was with us for about 2 hours
replying to all the questions of my friend. I was present at their conversation
and as I listened to Fr. Lagrange I thought constantly of
the great Newman. I remember the beautiful idea of Fr. Lagrange as he
talked about the Eucharist that the multiple presence of Christ by this sacrament
is a kind of glorification of His Humanity – in giving it a kind of
immensity.
He underlined the importance of
humility in order to be open to the Word and with great tact proposed the idea
of Confession as a preparation for grace (which, I might add, did not bother my
friend at all since he had lived a very upstanding life, shaped as he had been
during his childhood by a fine Jewish upbringing.)
I can no longer remember the exact
words but I was struck by the way in which Fr. Lagrange helped this hesitant
man to make that leap that was in front of him. But once again, and for the
last time, I saw what had always impressed me in Fr. Lagrange: a transparent
openness to the truth - receptive to the word of Christ.
It proved to be a decisive moment
in the journey of my friend. I baptized him on the feast of St. Andrew in 1942
because he did not want to run the risk of being deported without first being
baptized into Christ.
[1] For further information on the
beatification of Fr. Lagrange apply to Br. Manuel Rivero, Vice-Postulator,
Dominicans, 9 rue St
François de Paule, 06300