Saint
Bonaventure, born
in 1221 in Tuscany, Italy is also known as the Seraphic Doctor and is one of the greatest theologians in the
Church. A Franciscan, he is sometimes referred to as the second founder of the
order. His intellectual gifts were quickly recognized and he was sent to Paris
to study. There he became a friend of St. Thomas Aquinas who was a classmate.
In the intellectual world, Bonaventure emphasized the affective over the
rational approach to the study of divine mysteries: for Bonaventure, the
purpose of human knowledge, including theology, is not to speculate, but to love. He graduated from the
University, being awarded a Doctorate of Theology.
Among his friends was King
Saint Louis IX of France, with whom he often dined. Soon his order tapped
Bonaventure to become their General; this occurred when he was just 35 years
old. But, his pastoral zeal and continued writings of not only academic
theology but also a biography of St. Francis, and works on spiritual theology
led to his being nominated as archbishop-cardinal of Albano – an invitation by
Pope Gregory X he could not refuse. He then took a leading part in the Second
Council of Lyons which tried to reconcile the differences between the Churches
of the East and West. Bonaventure died in Lyons before the end of the Council
on July 15, 1274.
Our
readings today are specially chosen for the feast:
Bonaventure knew that knowledge of Christ
was of supreme importance only if it reached the heart and filled us with deep
desire to love God and love others the way we have been loved by him by the
sending of his Son to redeem us of our sins!
In all of his work for the
Church, Bonaventure was a truly humble
servant not only to his Franciscan brothers, but also to all the members of
God’s flock whose lives his touched. And now he is exalted and praised not for being great in himself, but for
being an outstanding vessel of God’s grace, and knowledge and love!
May we imitate St. Bonaventure
today and be lovers, true honest and authentic lovers of God – and one another
– with Christ’s own love emanating from us!
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