I didn’t check on the saint of the day last week so I missed Saint Benedict … until I went to Mass and the priest was discussing his life. Saint Benedict is foundational to western civilization so missing him was stupid. I am trying to do better today! Anyway, Franciscan Media has a nice write up on saints of the day. They have lots of specifically Franciscan saints but that’s fair. It’s their website. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/
Saint Bonaventure is a vitally important Franciscan saint, since he is seen as renewing the order, almost refounding it. One of the things that’s just astonishing about this is how quickly the order needed reform, since Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274) actually interacted with Saint Francis (~1181-1226) albeit he was just a little kid. … A story…
Once upon a time a little boy was given the name John by his parents. He became mortally ill. His parents took him to Saint Francis in desperate hope of a cure. Saint Francis, having begged heaven for a miracle, which was granted then held the little boy. Gazing at him and seeing his future holy life, Francis cried out “Buona Ventura”. Good fortune. And it stuck as the little boy’s name.
https://www.setonmagazine.com/dad/11-great-quotes-by-about-st-bonaventure
Dante gave Saint Bonaventure a voice to discuss Saint Dominic, rather than Saint Francis. Saint Bonaventure says that God, having loaned him beauty has also has given him this task of praising the second of the two great saints of the 1200’s.
Out of the heart of one of those new lights
A voice came forth, …
And it began: “The love which lends me beauty,
Draws me to talk about that other Leader,
For whose sake mine is so well talked of here.Where one is, right it is to introduce
The other; so that, since they fought together,
Their glories likewise may together shine.Paradiso, Canto 12
The Celestial Ladder of Saint Bonaventura, Lucas Cranach the Elder
Artist, German, 1472 – 1553 National Gallery of Art Public Domain.
Two more quotes from Saint Bonaventure from the “Office of the Readings for the Feast of Saint Bonaventure.” The quotes are from The Journey to the Mind of God.
“Christ is both the way and the door.”
… “look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervour and glowing love.”
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