St. Bonaventure

 

I’m guessing by now that you have heard the glorious ring of our new bells!  They can be heard five minutes before weekend masses, encouraging us toward the triumphant celebration which is about to take place.  They also resound clearly at 8:30 am, noon, and 4:30 pm on weekdays, calling all the faithful to participation in Angelus, a devotional prayer reminding us of the incarnation of Christ.  During the blessing of the bells, Bishop Vann enlightened our parish to the names of these bells.  The two lower bells are named Francis (the larger one) and Clare (the smaller one).  The big bell at the top of the tower is named Bonaventure. 

                Now I suppose that most people know something about St. Francis and probably know a little about St. Clare, but relatively few people know anything about St. Bonaventure.  He is an early Franciscan saint who lived from 1221 until 1274.  His name, which means ‘of good fortune’ is said to have come from a time when he was deathly sick as a child.  His mother implored St. Francis to come and pray for Bonaventure (his name at the time was Giovanni) who when he did so, was miraculously healed and St. Francis exclaimed "O buona ventura!" At the age of 22 Bonaventure responded to God’s call upon his life and entered the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans, OFM to be exact).  He excelled in studies and pursued what today would be considered a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Paris where he taught alongside his contemporary and good friend St. Thomas Aquinas (who is a Dominican). 

St. Bonaventure acquired the name of “The Seraphic Doctor” for his mystical insights into the ways of God which he readily applied to the spiritual life, along with humility and mortification.  Some say that he is one of the greatest philosopher/theologians of the medieval times.  He is well known for the many theological treatises he wrote, as well as one of the more comprehensive biographies of the life of St. Francis (The Major Legend of St. Francis).  Unique to his theology is that he uses the love of God as the ultimate destiny for the human person, contrasted against many other theologies whose end goal was to see God (beatific vision).  Bonaventure influenced many proceeding theologians, including fellow Franciscan Blessed Duns Scotus who developed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

In 1257 at the age of 36 Bonaventure was elected Minister General, the highest office of governance for the Franciscans and worked diligently to restore peace and unity to the order of Franciscans which was suffering from internal discord.  He later reluctantly accepted the role of Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Italy at the persuasion of Pope Gregory X.  Bonaventure presided over the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, an ecumenical council, and died shortly afterwards.  He was declared a saint on April 14, 1482, and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1587.

Here’s a quote to reflect upon:  “When we pray, the voice of the heart must be heard more than that coming from the mouth.” – St. Bonaventure... pray for us!