In my youth, I was impressed by the TV series “Le temps d’une paix”, which recounted the life in rural Quebec between the First and Second World Wars. It notably permitted the viewer to discover the climate of faith which then prevailed in society.
A few years ago, I was going to a convention in the Charlevoix region, where the story of this TV series was taking place. After the deliberations, I took advantage of a day off to go to Notre-Dame-des-Monts, to visit Rosanna’s house, where a great part of the story took place.
How disappointed was I to realize that the places I saw on the small screen were now abandoned! All this was now part of memories that I could occasionally share with other fans of this TV series at the turn of an impromptu conversation… until Easter Sunday this year, during which I literally devoured the memoirs of Mr. Léandre Lachance, entitled “A Legacy of Happiness”.
For me, the word happiness is perfectly appropriate, so much so that it was pleasant for me to plunge into the heart of the touching and endearing testimony of an individual who could very well have figured among the main characters of “Le temps d’une paix”. I imagined little Léandre going about the farm, dreaming about his future and helping his neighbor. Between the lines, I also saw the mark of the Lord guiding his steps towards a growing love. Love towards God, towards his family, towards his work and towards others.
Fascinated by history and having completed a master’s degree in this field, I have been given the opportunity to read the memoirs of several great figures of history. They often allow those who use this literary genre to justify themselves, to settle scores, to take pride in themselves. As a rule, it is therefore advisable to develop a vigilant critical mind when reading them.
Léandre Lachance’s book does not fit in with this perspective. Throughout the pages, I was amazed by the author’s actions at several crucial moments in his life. Like, for example, when he refuses to take advantage of an exceptional business opportunity because he does not want to override the prerogative that he feels his brother must be granted. How many people would be willing to do so in our world marked by egocentrism, jealousy, envy and greed?
Let us also think of the period during which Léandre helped his brother and sister-in-law go through a very difficult phase without having to go through the courts. That’s something. While several people would have gone up to the barricades to support one of the two spouses and would have thrown oil on the fire of discord, he made a gesture that avoided them much pain, problems and, ultimately, regrets.
But where I fell down my chair, it is when he evokes the beginning of his relationship with his wife, his sweet and smiling Élisabeth. While he was frequenting her, her previous boyfriend came back in the picture. Léandre then made a gesture as shocking as it was revealing of his personality. Let him describe what he did: “I wanted to be a good gentleman; I regretfully told Élisabeth that I would retire and we left each other. To remove oneself for love and in a spirit of love, such is one of the striking features of this exceptional man.
But Léandre Lachance didn’t just do it for those around him. He also did it for and with Jesus – which is much more radical and I would even dare to say difficult sometimes. In this regard, I was deeply impressed by something he once said to me: “The closer we get to the Lord, the more we are touched by His graces.”
As I meditated on these words, I thought of Lord Mountbatten – a great figure in contemporary British history who is also one of my favorite heroes of World War II. He said his mother advised him not to worry about what people thought of him in the short term, but rather to worry about acting in a way so that his children and grandchildren would think he had done well. Léandre Lachance extended this process, in the company of the Lord.
Do not hesitate to immerse yourself in this simple, lively and inspiring story. Léandre Lachance made me laugh, cry, reflect and pray. You will also discover an important page of Quebec’s contemporary history and find that even if the omnipresence of the religious fact observable in “Le temps d’une paix” now belongs to history in our society, the vibrant manifestation of love and the graces of the Lord in our world remains intact.
“A Legacy of Happiness” not only allows us to measure the impact of this choice, but also to draw on the wisdom of the journey of a man who chose the compass of love to guide his life and who answered “Yes” to Jesus’ invitation.
A delectable reading time. A time of happiness.
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Since I discovered your Foundation through your website, my life is changing! I met someone called Jesus who tells me every day that He loves me. At first, I didn’t believe it. Over time, He dug my heart. Today, I know He doesn’t lie. I see His action every day. With each “Yes” I give, I feel a little more free … free to talk to Him about everything, to trust Him, to love Him, to hope. When I go through a moment of weakness, He is here to tell me to remain in peace and to trust Him.
Many thanks for what you do for us. May God reward you a hundredfold. When we evoke the Eucharist, we say: “You become what you eat”, therefore when we read the word “Love” every morning, we really become Love. God takes place in ourselves or rather, we take place in God. What a feeling of happiness!
All my actions are more and more governed by Love. When something exasperates me, the idea that I am Love immediately comes to mind and I modify my reactions.
If my impulses prevail over the breath of the Holy Spirit instructing me to bear witness to Love, I become literally unhappy, knowing that I missed an opportunity to be love. I wish to be a saint. As Saint Padre Pio said: “It is difficult to become a saint; difficult, but not impossible!” I still have a long way to go before I get there, but pray for me, as I pray for you.
I changed my way of praying after my retreat with Léandre Lachance in 2002. Now, I give God the Father all my concerns; He makes them His and helps me to the extent of my trust in Him.
My daughter, who is shy, was late in her work and this was a problem with the store manager. When she came home, I told her to accompany me where I pray. Having put my crucifix in her hands, I told her to hold it tight and listen to what I had to say. “The Holy Spirit lives in everyone of us, a guardian angel and mother Mary as mother of heaven. We can ask them anything, but we must pray. When your alarm clock sounds in the morning, sit and place your feet on the floor and make the Sign of the Cross. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you in what you do not understand and when you can’t express yourself out loud. Recite the “Our Father” prayer, and even if, in your workday, there is no improvement, you must still say thank you to God in the evening and, on Sunday, go to Mass to thank him and pray for the next week.”
The following afternoon, the phone rang. It was the manager who said to me, “I don’t understand anything! Today, your daughter spoke loudly and she caught up a lot!” I told him that I had understood everything. Within a week, she had caught up, and eight months later, the manager told me: “Your daughter has understood everything, she is always radiant and continue to pray.”
A year ago, I received message 92 of the first volume of the trilogy “For the Happiness of My Own, My Chosen Ones. Jesus”, whose title is “Be attentive, I need you, I have chosen you for a great mission.” I meditated the words it contained. With hindsight, I’m aware of the realization of this message in my life, through the “Yes” that I learned to offer to God. At first, it was very difficult to let go, to surrender to His will, but by persevering, I realize that my “Yes” were given with more joy and love. At the same time, I felt my heart opening up to brotherly love and when negative thoughts arose in me, I hastened to offer them to the Father. It has now become a necessity to give Him everything and to surrender myself entirely to His will.
Thanks to this inner attitude, I’m experiencing two situations that fill me with wonder: on one hand, I become aware of my frailties and my weaknesses and, on the other hand, I taste the sweetness of the Love of God and I feel compassion towards my neighbor. It’s wonderful! Love loves me as I am, and – because my heart is pacified – I become love for my neighbor. I see the actions of my Lord in my life and around me.
Click here to read For the Happiness of My Own, My Chosen Ones – Jesus
A few years ago, I ordered the three volumes of the trilogy “For the Happiness of My Own, My Chosen Ones. Jesus” and I was so touched by the messages that I began to talk about it with friends in the parish who ordered the books and were also touched. I had the desire to form a Community of Love and Sharing (C.L.S.) and in abandonment, I gave this project to the Lord. For several months, nothing happened. I read and meditated the words and each time it applied to what I was living on a daily basis. And then, one day, two of my friends who read the books expressed a desire to form a prayer group. There’s now a C.L.S. at the other end of the world, in New Caledonia. “Because Love loves us, we become Love. “
Thank you very much for all the thoughts the Lord has inspired you for us. These words of the Lord are truly precious to me, a true spiritual direction. These are fair words of teaching, consolation, fulfillment and encouragement. As Jesus repeats again and again, and the more we read and listen, we become what He says. Through the sweetness of His name, He is truly an excellent teacher. Moreover, didn’t Jesus tell us, through Biblical texts, that He comes to teach, educate, console and direct the persons whom the Father entrusts to Him? That’s truly what He does with me. He helps me a lot, through the Thoughts you send us occasionally as a response to my emails, not to mention the daily “Thought of the Day”.
I’ve been a nun for forty years. I no longer have professional activities, but I devote a lot of my time to my brothers and sisters in need such as prisoners, the elderly, families in distress and children at catechism. I’m personally going through a difficult situation in my community where I feel like a stranger, alone, misunderstood. This is very painful for me. The books “For the Happiness of My Own, My Chosen Ones. Jesus” help me in these difficult times. They are my daily nourishment. When the road is rough and painful, when it is necessary to go through darkness, the few lines shared help me raise my head and continue. I give my “Yes” to Jesus every morning, I let myself be transformed, I totally abandon myself and I begin to taste His peace and joy.
Click here to read For the Happiness of My Own, My Chosen Ones – Jesus
A big thank you for these new opportunities to deepen the “Thoughts of the Day”! I am amazed by the power of their diffusion, thanks to the tools of Internet. When I listened to last Sunday’s text, I felt a shower of grace fall on me, which filled me with tremendous love for all of you. My heart is growing and I want to stay in this welcoming atmosphere. As for myself, I say to you: “Since Love loves you, you become Love.”
I wrote you several times a few years ago, and every time, Léandre answered me. I now realize that everything he said to me has happened, his messages have been with me for years and I can’t be grateful enough for all the changes that God has made in me, in my life […]. God accompanied me by holding my hand or carrying me on His shoulders. Like Simon, He helped me carry my cross. I now have this certainty: Jesus is my brother, my friend and He loves me.
Thank you!
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