MAY THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST, BE ALWAYS IN OUR HEART TO KEEP US HUMBLE, GRATEFUL, MERCIFUL, FORGIVING --- O GOD, BLESS ALL THAT IS COMING FROM YOU AND BREAK ALL THAT IS NOT COMING FROM YOU, AMEN --- This site is just a drop from the immeasurable ocean in JESUS, THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, HOLY TRINITY ONE GOD - HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE - TEACHER, HEALER, REDEEMER --- The main purpose of this site is to make an easier access to Catholic Religion-related links.
Saint Louis of Toulouse’s Story When he died at the age of 23, Louis was already a Franciscan, a bishop, and a saint! Louis’s parents were Charles II of Naples and Sicily, and Mary, daughter of the King of Hungary. Louis was related to Saint Louis IX on his father’s side and to Elizabeth of Hungary on his mother’s side. Louis showed early signs of attachment to prayer and to the corporal works of mercy. As a child he used to take food from the castle to feed the poor. When he was 14, Louis and two of his brothers were taken as hostages to the king of Aragon’s court as part of a political deal involving Louis’s father. At the court, Louis was tutored by Franciscan friars under whom he made great progress both in his studies and in the spiritual life. Like Saint Francis he developed a special love for those afflicted with leprosy. While he was still a hostage, Louis decided to renounce his royal title and become a priest. When he was 20, he was allowed to leave the king of Aragon’s court. He renounced his title in favour of his brother Robert and was ordained the next year. Very shortly after, he was appointed bishop of Toulouse, but the pope agreed to Louis’s request to become a Franciscan first. The Franciscan spirit pervaded Louis. “Jesus Christ is all my riches; he alone is sufficient for me,” Louis kept repeating. Even as a bishop he wore the Franciscan habit and sometimes begged. He assigned a friar to offer him correction — in public if necessary — and the friar did his job. Louis’s service to the Diocese of Toulouse was richly blessed. In no time he was considered a saint. Louis set aside 75 percent of his income as bishop to feed the poor and maintain churches. Each day he fed 25 poor people at his table. Louis was canonized in 1317 by Pope John XXII, one of his former teachers. His Liturgical Feast Day is August 19.
Reflection
When Cardinal Hugolino, the future Pope Gregory IX, suggested to Francis that some of the friars would make fine bishops, Francis protested that they might lose some of their humility and simplicity if appointed to those positions. Those two virtues are needed everywhere in the Church, and Louis shows us how they can be lived out by bishops.
19 ta’ Awwissu Tifkira Franġiskana ta' SAN LUDOVIK (1274-1297) Isqof tal-Ewwel Ordni
Ludovik, iben ir-Re Karlu ta’ Anjou, ta’ Napli, twieled fl-1274. Meta kien għadu daqsxejn ta’ tifel, kien meħud priġunier ma’ ħutu għand ir-Re ta’ Aragona. Hemmhekk sar jaf lill-Franġiskani. Meta nħeles mill-ħabs, ċaħad kull jedd għat-tron u kull ġid ieħor tal-art li kellu jew li seta’ jkollu. Meta ntgħażel biex isir Isqof ta’ Tolosa ried li qabel jordna, jilbes it-tonka ta’ Franġiskan u jipprofessa r-Regola ta’ San Franġisk.
Ludovik f’ħajtu kellu l-ħila jgħaqqad il-ħeġġa pastorali ma’ mħabba kollha ħrara lejn il-foqra. Kien jgħix ħajja tassew umli u fqira. Miet ta' 23 sena fl-1297 fl-aħjar taż-żgħożija. Fl-1317 il- Papa Ġwanni XXII kitbu mal-qaddisin tal-Knisja.
--- mill- paġna tal-Facebook - Parroċċa Marija Addolorata, San Pawl il-Baħar, 19 ta' Awwissu 2019 .
The life of late Cardinal, Francis Xavier Van Thuan was unique, and perhaps even saintly. From being imprisoned for over a decade to becoming one of the main prelates of his native Vietnam. Video published on 9 Jul 2013
Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan’s extraordinary life deserves to be better known, particularly his great love for the Holy Eucharist. Imprisoned by the communist regime for thirteen years (9 of which were spent in solitary confinement), the priest ministered to others throughout his ordeal. As Deacon Greg Kandra has written, Thuan was allowed, “…one luxury: to write letters to friends outside prison. When he did, he often asked them to send him what he called “his medicine.”
They knew what he meant. They sent him cough medicine bottles filled with wine and small bits of bread. Sympathetic guards smuggled him some wood and wire, and from that he made a small cross, which he hid in a bar of soap.
He kept all this in a cardboard box. That box became his own private altar. Every day, at 3:00 p.m., the hour of Christ’s death, he would place drops of wine in the palm of his hand, mingled with water, to celebrate Mass.
The greatest ongoing miracle in history was able to take place. That cramped prison cell became as beautiful and as blessed as any cathedral, a sanctuary for the glory of God.
He did this for thirteen years.
In an address in 2,000 Van Thuan declared that he had “…met the living Jesus; he fascinated me. I followed him – because I love the defects of Jesus.” His address may be found in one of his books, Testimony of Hope.
First Defect: Jesus Does Not Have a Good Memory
During his agony on the cross, Jesus heard the voice of the thief at his right side: “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 43:42) If it had been me, I would have answered him: “I won’t forget you but you must pay for your crimes by spending some 20 years in purgatory.”
On the contrary, Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus forgot all about his sins…
Not only does he forgive, he forgives everything.
Second Defect: Jesus Is Not Good at Mathematics
If Jesus took a math examination he would surely fail. A shepherd had 100 sheep; one of them strayed. Without thinking, the shepherd went in search of it, leaving the other 99 sheep. When he found the lost sheep he put it on his shoulders (Luke 15: 4-5) For Jesus, 1 equals 99, perhaps even more…
Third Defect: Jesus Did Not Excel in Logic
One night a woman who had 10 drachmas lost one of them so she lit a lamp to search for it. When she found it, she invited her neighbours in and told them, “Rejoice with me because I found the drachma which I had lost.” (Luke 15:9) But the celebration with her friends probably cost her more than the one drachma. It is not logical to us! And yet: “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Fourth Defect: Jesus Takes Too Many Risks
A person in charge of publicity for a company or a politician seeking election prepares a very precise program with many promises. Jesus promises only trials and persecutions to those who follow him. He warns them that “The Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)
He sends the apostles out in poverty, and with no plan at all. As though they should just rely on Providence, or something.
Fifth Defect: Jesus Is a Terrible Financial Manager
If Jesus were manager of an enterprise his business would fare poorly because he would pay the same salary to the one who started working in the morning and to the one who began in the afternoon. And he would do it on purpose. “Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you… do you begrudge my generosity? (Matthew 20: 15 – 15)
What is the source of the flaws of Jesus? Love. Because he is the God of Mercy and Incarnate Love. God’s love (cf. 1 Jn 4:16). This is not a rational, calculating and conditional love; it is a love that gifts, and serves, understands and forgives, to an infinite extent. To what extent? Infinite.
The defects of Jesus, taught Cardinal Thuan, are the path of happiness.
Born to Józef and Marianna Puch, poor working class farmers, Karol as a child was considered extremely intelligent and extremely unruly. He early felt a call to the priesthood, and at age 13 began studying at the Franciscan seminary in Lviv (in modern Ukraine). He joined the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual in 1928 at Lodz-Lagiewniki, Poland, taking the name Herman and making his solemn profession in 1932. Brother Herman continued his studies at the Pontifical University of Saint Bonaventure in Rome, Italy, and was ordained a priest in Rome on 5 July 1936. Father Herman continued his studies at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lvov, earning a Master’s degree in Theology. Served as priest in Franciscan Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows in Radomsko, Poland, then the church and Franciscan monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 1940 he was assigned to Piaršai (in modern Belarus), assisting Blessed Józef Puchala. The two worked to care first for the people who were being transported to Siberian work camps by the Russians, and then to concentration camps by Germans. Tortured, mutilated and then murdered while ministering to people who were to be murdered in retaliation for partisan attacks against the Nazi occupiers. Martyr.
Born
21 October 1910 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland
Died
shot in the head on 19 July 1943 in a barn outside Borovikovshchina (Borowikowszczyzna), Minskaya voblasts’, Belarus
the barn was then set on fire
remains later retrieved by local Catholics and buried in the parish church in Pierszaje, Poland
Venerated
26 March 1999 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)
Beatified
13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland
JULY 15 - FRANCISCAN FEAST of Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
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Mt 5:13-19 -- The Salt of the earth and Light of the world - Il-melħ ta' l-art u d-dawl tad-dinja
JULY 15 - PROPER GOSPEL ON THE FEAST OF SAINT BONAVENTURE, BISHOP, DOCTOR
Evanġelju Il-melħ ta' l-art u d-dawl tad-dinja Mt 5,13-19
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Mattew
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lill-Appostli tiegħu: [Mt:5:13] "Intom il-melħ ta' l-art. Imma jekk il-melħ jaqta', biex jerġa' jieħu t-togħma? Ma jibqa' tajjeb għal xejn iżjed ħlief biex jintrema barra u jintrifes min-nies.
[Mt:5:14] "Intom id-dawl tad-dinja. Belt li tkun qiegħda fuq muntanja ma tistax tinħeba. [Mt:5:15] Anqas ma jixegħlu l-musbieħ u jqegħduh taħt il-siegħ, iżda fuq l-imnara, u hekk idawwal lil kull min ikun fid-dar. [Mt:5:16] Hekk għandu jiddi d-dawl tagħkom quddiem il-bnedmin, biex jaraw l-għemejjel tajba tagħkom u jagħtu glorja lil Missierkom li hu fis-smewwiet.
[Mt:5:17] "Xejn taħsbu li ġejt inwaqqa' l-Liġi jew il-Profeti; jiena ma ġejtx biex inwaqqagħhom, iżda biex inwassalhom għall-perfezzjoni. [Mt:5:18] Tassew ngħidilkom, li sa ma jkunu għaddew is-sema u l-art anqas l-iżgħar ittra jew tikka waħda mil-Liġi ma titneħħa sa ma jkun seħħ kollox. [Mt:5:19] Jekk mela xi ħadd iġib fix-xejn wieħed mill-iżgħar minn dawn il-kmandamenti u jgħallem lin-nies biex jagħmlu l-istess, dan jissejjaħ l-iżgħar fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet. Imma min iħarishom u jgħallimhom, dan kbir jissejjaħ fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu
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Christian Identity vs. New World (dis)Order
On the Feast of the "Seraphic Doctor," St. Bonaventure (Bishop & Doctor, Franciscan - Jul 15, 2019), Fr. Alan explains in the homily St. Bonaventure's acknowledgement of the supremacy of love over knowledge and what that means for Christians today. That love of Christ to which we are called entails identifying with Him in suffering for the salvation of souls.
In today's secular culture, the proclamation of the "New World Order" affirms love of man to the exclusion of love of God, which is the inversion of right order. Christians must be light and salt for the restoration of right order: love of God, then love of neighbour in God.
St. Bonaventure, called the “Seraphic Doctor” of the Church, was an incredible Franciscan theologian, who, among his many writings, wrote the poetic biography of St. Francis, The Life of St. Francis and The Journey of the Mind to God. He is known as the Seraphic Doctor because he truly possessed the Franciscan spirit; he was eventually chosen as the minister general of the Franciscan Order to help revive within the community a deep love for Franciscan spirituality. While many of these things are well known about Bonaventure, what may be less known is the great influence this saint had on Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI’s theology. Ratzinger wrote his habilitation thesis (a post-doctoral qualification in Europe) on St. Bonaventure’s understanding of salvation history and the concept of revelation. Furthermore, in the first ( http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100303.html ) of a three-part Wednesday audience series on Bonaventure, Benedict XVI explained, “Among the great Christian figures who contributed to the composition of this harmony between faith and culture Bonaventure stands out, a man of action and contemplation, of profound piety and prudent government.” What is it about Bonaventure that merits such high praise? Born around 1217, Bonaventure lived in the 13th century, which was a powerful time for the Christian faith, in which it penetrated society and influenced many works of literature, theology, and philosophy. When Bonaventure was still a child, he fell seriously ill, such that even his father, who was a doctor, had lost hope for a cure. His mother, however, prayed fervently to St. Francis of Assisi for her son’s cure, and he recovered from the illness. This incident perhaps influenced his later decision to join the Franciscans, who he discovered while studying the liberal arts in Paris. Benedict XVI quotes from one of Bonaventure’s letters, explaining why he chose to join the Franciscan Order:
I confess before God that the reason which made me love the life of blessed Francis most is that it resembled the birth and early development of the Church. The Church began with simple fishermen, and was subsequently enriched by very distinguished and wise teachers; the religion of Blessed Francis was not established by the prudence of men but of Christ.
After joining the Franciscan Order, Bonaventure was sent to study at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Paris. Here, he studied the Scriptures and the Sentences of Peter Lombard, and he defended a thesis entitled Questions on the knowledge of Christ. This is crucial for understanding Bonaventure’s theological vision, for as Benedict says, “We may certainly say that the whole of his thinking was profoundly Christocentric.” When Bonaventure was elected as the Minister General of the Franciscan Order, his main goal was to unify the Franciscan movement and to rekindle a love for the Poverello, their founder, St. Francis. Benedict explains the key point that Bonaventure emphasized (and indeed, even lived himself): “Francis is an alter Christus, a man who sought Christ passionately. In the love that impelled Francis to imitate Christ, he was entirely conformed to Christ.” This is the message that Bonaventure wished his fellow Franciscans to understand, that they too were called to be “another Christ” and conform themselves completely to him. Bonaventure wanted the Franciscans to invite Christ to live within their hearts, so that they could more fully live out their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and preach the Gospel joyfully to all individuals. Indeed, this desire of Bonaventure is something that all of us can strive to fulfill, regardless of our state in life. During Bonaventure’s time, an error arose within the Franciscan Order. A group called the “Spiritual Franciscans” radically followed the writings of Joachim of Fiore, who interpreted the whole of history “as a history of progress: from the severity of the Old Testament to the relative freedom of the time of the Son, in the Church, to the full freedom of the Sons of God in the period of the Holy Spirit.” Bonaventure saw this as a grave misunderstanding of St. Francis’s mission, and therefore intensely studied the works of Joachim of Fiore, so that he might work to correct this error within the Order. From this study, Bonaventure developed a remarkable understanding of the history of the Church. Bonaventure rejected Joachim’s Trinitarian rhythm of history, saying instead, “God is one for all history.” He also affirmed that “Jesus Christ is God’s last word; in him, God said all, giving and expressing himself.” This means that God has revealed the Church as she is, and there is nothing more “new” to be revealed that is not already present in revelation. Benedict addresses a possible objection: “This does not mean that the Church is stationary, fixed in the past, or that there can be no newness in her.” Indeed, Bonaventure’s idea of progress in history was innovative in comparison to the Church Fathers. As Benedict explains, “Christ was no longer the end of history, as he was for the Fathers of the Church, but rather its center; history does not end with Christ but begins a new period.” Bonaventure was not attempting to reject the Church Fathers, but rather, in St. Francis, Bonaventure saw that Christ could bring newness to the Church and that Christ’s riches are inexhaustible. With Christ at the center, there is the possibility for us to discover more deeply the treasures that he has given to us in his Word. It is because Christ is one that we are able to discover newness in the Church’s teachings and traditions. As such, it would be wrong, as some believe, that the Church is declining. As Benedict explains, in light of Bonaventure’s theology, “Christ’s works do not go backwards but forwards.” Moreover, we cannot at any point say that the Church is “completely new” and all of her traditions in the past are obsolete. As Benedict explains about the newness of the Church, “What would the Church be without the new spirituality of the Cistercians, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross and so forth?” Through Bonaventure’s theology, we come to a new understanding of spirituality within the Church’s history: the movement of the Church is always forward, with Christ at the center and at the end in the Beatific Vision. Bonaventure came to these truths through a deep devotion to Christ in prayer. He modeled for us how to “learn at the school of the divine Teacher,” and we ought to follow his example. The desire for refreshing the mendicant orders in the 13th century can inspire us as we seek to refresh, or re-evangelize, those who have fallen away from God. As already hinted, Bonaventure’s theology greatly influenced Benedict XVI’s own theology, particularly with regard to the progress of history. We find evidence for this in The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000). He writes:
The goal of worship and the goal of creation as a whole are one and the same—divinization, a world of freedom and love. But this means that the historical makes its appearance in the cosmic. The cosmos is not a kind of closed building, a stationary container in which history may by chance take place. It is itself movement, from its one beginning to its one end. In a sense, creation is history (p. 28).
Just as the Church is not stationary, as Bonaventure explained, so too the cosmos is not static, which is the creation of God and the place where the Church exists. Creation and worship are both oriented to God, and both are moving toward a final fulfillment in him. For Ratzinger, this movement is embodied in the liturgy, which is the place where Heaven and earth meet, where “the logos of creation, the logos in man, and the true and eternal Logos made flesh, the Son, come together” (p. 50). Furthermore, “All time is God’s time. When the eternal Word assumed human existence at his Incarnation, he also assumed temporality. He drew time into the sphere of eternity. Christ himself is the bridge between time and eternity” (p. 92). As such, Christ is at the center of man’s redemption, and it is through the liturgy, which takes place in time, that we encounter him, that we have a taste of the eternal while still in time. This is why Ratzinger says that liturgy is both historical and cosmological: it occurs within time but is also the celebration of the eternal liturgy. Bonaventure’s emphasis on renewal in the monastic tradition makes him an appropriate saint for our times, especially for the New Evangelization, because it is so necessary in our times to help ourselves and others refocus on Christ as the center of our lives and the universe. While Christ is the “end goal” of all creation in a certain sense, he is also at the center of salvation history—he wants to unite himself to us in our heart and be our “center.” As Ratzinger has shown, in adopting Bonaventure’s theology, we encounter Christ as the center of the liturgy. The liturgy is the place where Heaven comes down and touches earth, the celebration of the Cross, when we are able to consume Christ in the Eucharist. With Bonaventure, we can therefore pray, “How wholesome it is, always to meditate on the Cross of Christ.” image: St. Bonaventure by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. / Flickr
Bonaventura twieled Bagnoregio fil-Lazio, l-Italja tan-nofs, fl-1221. Meta kien ghadu tarbija marad sewwa izda jinghad li fieq b’mod mirakuluz bit-talb u l-intercessjoni ta’ San Frangisk. Ghalhekk baqa’ devot lejh u meta sar zaghzugh dahal fl-Ordni tieghu. Studja f’Parigi taht il-majjistru Frangiskan Alessandru ta’ Hales, imbaghad sar hu stess majjistru fl-istess studju teologiku. Fl-1257 Bonaventura nhatar Ministru General ta’ l-Ordni li, tul il-ftit ghexieren ta’ snin li kien ilu mwaqqaf, kien kiber b’mod tal-ghageb. Huwa dam sbatax-il sena General tal-Frangiskani. Il-gvern tieghu tant kien tajjeb, tant mexa bil-ghaqal, u tant halla marka sabiha fuq it-tradizzjoni ta’ l-Ordni, li dan il-qaddis huwa meqjus bhala t-tieni fundatur tal-Frangiskani. Wiehed mill-atti principali tal-generalat tieghu kien il-hrug tal-kostituzzjonijiet “Narbonizi” li fuqhom inbnew il-kostituzzjonijiet kollha li gew wara. Kiteb ghadd kbir ta’ trattati filosofici, teologici u mistici. Fost l-ohrajn kiteb ukoll wahda mill-aqwa hajjiet ta’ San Frangisk li ígib l-isem ta’ “Legenda Maior” (= ir-Rakkont il-Kbir). Bhala Kardinal u Isqof ta’ Albano, Bonaventura ha sehem fil-koncilju ta’ Lyon li, bil-hidma tieghu, mexxa lil-Latini u lill-Griegi pass iehor lejn il-ghaqda. Miet fil-belt ta’ Lyon fil-15 ta’ Lulju 1274, assistit mill-Papa Girgor X, li kien f’dik il-belt góall-koncilju. Il-qdusija, il-gherf u l-ispiritwalità ta’ San Bonaventura, u mhux anqas l-imhabba li kellu ghall-misteru ta’ Kristu, hallew marka li ma tithassarx fuq it-tjieba Nisranija, u qalghulu t-titlu ta’ Duttur Serafiku.
God works in mysterious way. I truly believe he puts you in specific situations at precise times to allow you to grow in trust and faith in Him. As members of the Church militant we are called to be in communion with the saints in Heaven—the Church triumphant. Over the course of the past several months, I believe God called me to learn more about St. Bonaventure. Having a background in theology, my inclination towards the Seraphic Doctor of the Church makes sense. Rarely, does God act in such a plain or shallow sense. Along with being elevated to the status of Doctor of the Catholic Church, St. Bonaventure is also the patron saint of something quite ordinary, yet awkward at the same time—bowel movements. As a young child Bonaventure had a life threatening sickness affecting his bowels. This sickness almost took his life. The intercession of St. Francis of Assisi cured him. Because of this, the Catholic Church recognized Bonaventure as the patron saint of individuals suffering similar illnesses. My youngest son struggles with digestive and bowel issues. During a particularly rough evening, my wife and I prayed to St. Bonaventure, as we tried everything else medically to help our son. Our pleas for help to the 13th century saint forged the beginning of what I hope to be a lifelong friendship. While St Bonaventure wrote on various subjects this article will solely focus on arguably his greatest work—The Journey of the Mind into God. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in St. Bonaventure: Literary Work and Doctrinecalls this work, “a manual for mystical contemplation.” Providentially, Bonaventure pondered this work at the same place whereby St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata—Mount La Verna in Italy!
Stepping up the Ladder of Learning
As a teacher of theology, St. Bonaventure provides a gradually and steady path, specifically six steps, to grow in awareness and knowledge of God. Bonaventure puts it this way, “For through those six wings there can be rightly understood six suspensions of illumination, by which the soul as if to certain steps or journeys is disposed, to pass over to peace through ecstatic excesses of Christian wisdom” (no 3 The Journey of the Mind Into God). A prerequisite for beginning this journey is praying through Christ crucified. Jesus acts as a bridge, or to use the imagery of Bonaventure, a ladder connecting us to the Holy Trinity.
Creation as Reflection of God
In Chapter 1 of The Journey of the Mind Into God, the Seraphic Doctor tells us that the first rung of the ladder to God is the created world. When we don the glasses of faith, we see nature pointing to the glory of God. Bonaventure refers to the created world as “the university of things” as a kind of stairway to climb toward God (Chapter 1 no. 2). Later in the chapter he describes the world as “a mirror through which we passover to God. Plants, animals, mountains, oceans, the moon and stars above point to a Creator—because of the beauty and order within nature. Bonaventure draws us up the holy ladder in his next chapter. “It must be noted that this world (the universe), which is called the macrocosm, enters our soul, which is called the microcosm, through the gates of the five senses…Man, who is called the microcosm, has five senses like five gates, through which acquaintance with all things, which are in the sensible world, enters into his soul” (Chapter 2, no. 2). Catholicism values the created order as not something to be jettisoned. The sacramentals utilize various forms of matter (things) because they hold intrinsic value and point had a higher order of being.
Human Mind—Mirror of the Trinity
Bonaventure brings the reader up another rung on the ladder of mystical contemplation by focusing on the natural powers of the human soul. According to the 13th century saint, the three highest faculties of humanity are memory, intellect, and will. He saws these three powers as a natural reflection of the Holy Trinity. The Seraphic Doctor plainly declares, “According to the order and origin and characteristic of these powers (the soul) leads into the Most Blessed Trinity itself!” (Chapter 3 no. 5). As a perfect spirit, Bonaventure argues, God has memory, intelligence, and will. In the remaining chapters of The Journey of the Mind Into God, Bonaventure details how grace guides the soul in knowing and growing in knowledge of God, seeing God’s unity through His being, and finally viewing God as a communion of Persons in the Holy Trinity. I had to read this work at least three times before I could wrote this reflection on St. Bonaventure’s gem of a work. This is not an indictment on his ability to write clearly or my ability to discern (at least I hope not!). Instead, any and all writings on the subject of God, in particularly a Trinitarian understanding of God has to be mysterious. “When you contemplate these, see, that you do not consider yourself able to comprehend the incomprehensible (The Holy Trinity). For in these six conditions (steps) you still have to consider what leads the eye of our mind vehemently into the stupor of admiration (Chapter 6 no. 3). Journeying into God is not an easy task, but it will certainly end with both wonder and awe. St. Bonaventure’s closeness to the God is quite evident in this spiritual treatise. If you are a parent of young children such as myself, perhaps you may not have time now to read this holy book. Bonaventure can still help you on your spiritual, and parental journey, because at some point your kid will get severely constipated. Ask the Seraphic Doctor for help. Believe me it arrives. If you have more time available for spiritual reading, I strongly recommend you add The Journey of the Mind Into God to your top ten list!
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Eucharistic Miracle of St. Bonaventure, Seraphic Doctor of the Church by Rev. Fr. Laurence Costelloe, O.F.M. (Monday, July 15, 2013)
Not all Eucharistic Miracles are accompanied by visions.
On his deathbed our Saint longed with all the ardour of his seraphic soul for the sweet intercourse of Sacramental Communion. But the cause just mentioned made this impossible [i.e. his infirm state of health with a certain unknown type of epidemic that do not allow him to receive Communion]. Still, as far as possible to appease his pious longing, the Consecrated Host was brought into his room and placed beside him, so that his eyes might rest upon it. This only intensified his desire, until it would appear that the Lord could no longer withstand the ardour of his pleadings. A wonderful thing was then seen to happen. Without any visible agency the Sacred Host left the ciborium and, moving through the air towards the dying Saint, vanished within his breast!
At an earlier period in his life a somewhat similar occurrence is recorded. Bartholomew of Pisa and the author of the Chronicles of the Twenty-four Generals relate that, on a certain occasion, the pious General [Bonaventure], thinking himself unworthy, abstained for a long time from saying Holy Mass. But the Lord was touched by his humility, and one day as he was devoutly hearing Mass, a particle of the Consecrated Host, solely at the command of the Saviour, left the altar and entered his mouth, filling his soul with divine sweetness. It may be that both records are but different versions of the same fact, and we may doubt which of them is authentic. But if Bonaventure's malady were such as described, we should like to think that the Lord, pitying the loneliness and extremity of His dying servant, afforded him, even by a miracle, the supreme consolation which his passing spirit sighed for.
