Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop
and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 391
Lectionary: 391
Thus says the LORD:
Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,
my staff in wrath.
Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and tread them down like the mud of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,
to make an end of nations not a few.
Woe to Assyria! My rod in anger,
my staff in wrath.
Against an impious nation I send him,
and against a people under my wrath I order him
To seize plunder, carry off loot,
and tread them down like the mud of the streets.
But this is not what he intends,
nor does he have this in mind;
Rather, it is in his heart to destroy,
to make an end of nations not a few.
For he says:
“By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!”
“By my own power I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I am shrewd.
I have moved the boundaries of peoples,
their treasures I have pillaged,
and, like a giant, I have put down the enthroned.
My hand has seized like a nest
the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone,
so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing,
or opened a mouth, or chirped!”
Will the axe boast against him who
hews with it?
Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?
As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,
or a staff him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.
Will the saw exalt itself above him who wields it?
As if a rod could sway him who lifts it,
or a staff him who is not wood!
Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
will send among his fat ones leanness,
And instead of his glory there will be kindling
like the kindling of fire.
Responsorial
Psalm94:5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 14-15
R. (14a) The Lord will not
abandon his people.
Your people, O LORD, they trample down,
your inheritance they afflict.
Widow and stranger they slay,
the fatherless they murder.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say, “The LORD sees not;
the God of Jacob perceives not.”
Understand, you senseless ones among the people;
and, you fools, when will you be wise?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?
or he who formed the eye not see?
Shall he who instructs nations not chastise,
he who teaches men knowledge?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Your people, O LORD, they trample down,
your inheritance they afflict.
Widow and stranger they slay,
the fatherless they murder.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
And they say, “The LORD sees not;
the God of Jacob perceives not.”
Understand, you senseless ones among the people;
and, you fools, when will you be wise?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Shall he who shaped the ear not hear?
or he who formed the eye not see?
Shall he who instructs nations not chastise,
he who teaches men knowledge?
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
AlleluiaMT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
For the readings of
the Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, please go here.
Meditation: Heavenly
Things Revealed to Infants
Do
you want to know the mind and thoughts of God? Jesus thanks the Father in heaven
for revealing to his disciples the wisdom and knowledge of God. What does
Jesus' prayer tell us about God and about ourselves? First, it tells us that
God is both Father and Lord of earth as well as heaven. He is both Creator and
Author of all that he has made, the first origin of everything and transcendent
authority, and at the same time he shows loving care and goodness toward all
his children. All fatherhood and motherhood is derived from him (Ephesians
3:14-15).
Pride and inordinate love of self
Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can keep us from the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to the things of God? Certainly intellectual pride, coldness of heart, and stubbornness of will shut out God and his kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. Pride is the root of all vice and the strongest influence propelling us to sin. It first vanquishes the heart, making it cold and indifferent towards God. It also closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom for our lives. What is pride? It is the inordinate love of oneself at the expense of others and the exaggerated estimation of one's own learning and importance.
Simplicity of heart
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "infants" in the sense that they see purely without pretense and acknowledge their dependence and trust in the one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good," who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth. Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him, as God, to do all. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). Only the humble in heart can receive true wisdom and understanding of God and his ways. Do you submit to God's word with simple trust and humility?
Jesus reveals the Father to us
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make - he is the perfect revelation of God. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like.
In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the perfect revelation of God - a God who loves us completely, unconditionally, and perfectly. Jesus also promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in his name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread. Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in his love and care for you?
Pride and inordinate love of self
Jesus' prayer also contains a warning that pride can keep us from the love and knowledge of God. What makes us ignorant and blind to the things of God? Certainly intellectual pride, coldness of heart, and stubbornness of will shut out God and his kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness. Pride is the root of all vice and the strongest influence propelling us to sin. It first vanquishes the heart, making it cold and indifferent towards God. It also closes the mind to God's truth and wisdom for our lives. What is pride? It is the inordinate love of oneself at the expense of others and the exaggerated estimation of one's own learning and importance.
Simplicity of heart
Jesus contrasts intellectual pride with child-like simplicity and humility. The simple of heart are like "infants" in the sense that they see purely without pretense and acknowledge their dependence and trust in the one who is greater, wiser, and more trustworthy. They seek one thing - the "summum bonum" or "greatest good," who is God himself. Simplicity of heart is wedded with humility, the queen of virtues, because humility inclines the heart towards grace and truth. Just as pride is the root of every sin and evil, so humility is the only soil in which the grace of God can take root. It alone takes the right attitude before God and allows him, as God, to do all. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). Only the humble in heart can receive true wisdom and understanding of God and his ways. Do you submit to God's word with simple trust and humility?
Jesus reveals the Father to us
Jesus makes a claim which no one would have dared to make - he is the perfect revelation of God. One of the greatest truths of the Christian faith is that we can know the living God. Our knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like.
In Jesus we see the perfect love of God - a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the perfect revelation of God - a God who loves us completely, unconditionally, and perfectly. Jesus also promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in his name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread. Do you pray to your Father in heaven with joy and confidence in his love and care for you?
Lord
Jesus, give me the child-like simplicity and purity of faith to gaze upon your
face with joy and confidence in your all-merciful love. Remove every doubt,
fear, and proud thought which would hinder me from receiving your word with
trust and humble submission.
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Revealed to babes, by Epiphanius
the Latin (late 5th century)
"And
he revealed these things to children. To which children? Not those who are
children in age but to those who are children in respect to sin and wickedness.
To them Jesus revealed how to seek the blessings of paradise and the things to
come in the kingdom of heaven, because thus it was well pleasing before God
that 'they should come from the east and the west and that they should lie down
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but that the sons of
this worldly kingdom should be cast into the outer darkness, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:11-12).'" (excerpt
from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 26)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, MATTHEW 11:25-27
(Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16; Psalm 94)
(Isaiah 10:5-7, 13b-16; Psalm 94)
KEY VERSE: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father" (v. 27).
TO KNOW: Jesus said that childlike receptivity and obedience to God's will was the key to entering God's reign (Mt 18:3). He continually praised the poor and lowly (Hebrew:`anav) for their trust in God (Mt 5:3-12). He was not condemning people's intellectual ability but their pride. True wisdom would not be found by the clever and learned whose minds were closed to God. Jesus demonstrated this in his own relationship with his Father. With simple trust, Jesus received everything from the Father. Only the Father fully understood Jesus' mission, and only Jesus comprehended the Father's saving plan. Jesus broke into a joyful hymn of praise to his Father for having revealed the mysteries of his kingdom to those who came to him with open and simple faith.
TO LOVE: Do I praise God for the faith given to me?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to be your Father's faithful child.
Memorial of
Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church
Bonaventure joined the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor at the age of 22. He studied theology and philosophy in Paris. At age thirty-six, Bonaventure was made General of the Franciscan Order. He emphasized the total dependence upon God, and he wrote guides to mystic contemplation. He also wrote the official life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Following St Francis, Bonaventure expressed charity, goodwill and affection toward others. Bonaventure spoke at the Council of Lyons, at which he was a papal legate, but died before its close. On hearing of the death, Pope Gregory X, who had appointed him cardinal bishop of Albano in 1273, declared that Bonaventure was "a man of eminent learning and eloquence, and of outstanding holiness." Bonaventure was known as the Seraphic Doctor of the Church because he revealed a warmth toward others as a divine fire.
Wednesday 15 July 2020
St Bonaventure
Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16. The Lord will not abandon his people –
Psalm 93(94):5-10, 14-15. Matthew 11:25-27.
‘You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to
little children’
Today is the feast of the medieval mystic St Bonaventure. The
Gospel reading from Matthew is a helpful gateway into the contributions of this
saint to Catholic tradition.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus notes that the path to God isn’t
paved through study and wisdom, but by taking on the humble receptiveness of a
child. It’s only through Christ that the path to God is revealed.
‘No one can become blessed, unless they ascend above their very
selves, not by an ascent with the body, but with the heart’, wrote St
Bonaventure. It’s through Christ – ‘the way and the door’ and ‘the ladder and
the vehicle’ – that we come to transcend the mundane world and contemplate the
mystery of the eternal God.
Let us today spend some time in contemplation of Christ, the
Trinity, and God’s universe.
Saint Bonaventure
Saint of the Day for July 15
(1221 – July 15, 1274)
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| The Prayer of St. Bonaventura about the Selection of the New Pope | Francisco de Zurbarán |
Saint Bonaventure’s Story
Perhaps not a household name for most people, Saint Bonaventure,
nevertheless, played an important role in both the medieval Church and the
history of the Franciscan Order. A senior faculty member at the University of
Paris, Saint Bonaventure certainly captured the hearts of his students through
his academic skills and insights. But more importantly, he captured their hearts
through his Franciscan love for Jesus and the Church. Like his model, Saint
Francis, Jesus was the center of everything—his teaching, his administration,
his writing, and his life. So much so, that he was given the title “Seraphic
Doctor.”
Born in Bagnorea in 1221, Saint Bonaventure was baptized John,
but received the name Bonaventure when he became a Franciscan at the age of 22.
Little is known about his childhood, but we do know that his parents were
Giovanni di Fidanza and Maria Ritell. It seems that his father was a physician
and a man of means. While Saint Francis died about five years after the saint’s
birth, he is credited with healing Bonaventure as a boy of a serious illness.
Saint Bonaventure’s teaching career came to a halt when the
Friars elected him to serve as their General Minister. His 17 years of service
were not easy as the Order was embroiled in conflicts over the interpretation
of poverty. Some friars even ended up in heresy saying that Saint Francis and his community were inaugurating the
era of the Holy Spirit which was to replace Jesus, the Church, and Scripture.
But because he was a man of prayer and a good administrator, Saint Bonaventure
managed to structure the Order through effective legislation. But more
importantly, he offered the Friars an organized spirituality based on the
vision and insights of Saint Francis. Always a Franciscan at heart and a
mystical writer, Bonaventure managed to unite the pastoral, practical aspects
of life with the doctrines of the Church. Thus, there is a noticeable warmth to
his teachings and writings that make him very appealing.
Shortly before he ended his service as General Minister, Pope
Gregory X created him a Cardinal and appointed him bishop of Albano. But a
little over a year later, while participating in the Second Council of Lyon,
Saint Bonaventure suddenly died on July 15, 1274. There is a theory that he was
poisoned.
Saint Bonaventure left behind a structured and renewed
Franciscan Order and a body of work all of which glorifies his major
love—Jesus.
Reflection
Bonaventure so united holiness and theological knowledge that he
rose to the heights of mysticism while remaining a very active preacher and
teacher, one beloved by all who met him. To know him was to love him; to read
him is still for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.
Lectio Divina: Matthew 11:25-27
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
Your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow Him
reject what is contrary to the Gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow Him
reject what is contrary to the Gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 11:25-27
At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the
wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such
has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my
Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
3) Reflection
• Context. The liturgical passage of Mt 11:25-27 represents a
turning point in the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus is asked the first questions
regarding the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. The first one to ask the first
questions on the identity of Jesus is John the Baptist, who through his
disciples asks Him a concrete question: “Are You the one who is to come, or are
we to expect someone else?” (11:3). Instead, the Pharisees, together with the
scribes, address words of reproach and judgment to Jesus: “Look, Your disciples
are doing something that is forbidden on the Sabbath” (12:2). Up until now in
chapters 1 to 10, the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven in the person of Jesus
did not seem to find any obstacles, but beginning with chapter 11, we find some
concrete difficulties. Or rather many begin to take a stand with regard to
Jesus: sometimes He is “the object of scandal,” of fall (11:6); “this
generation,” in the sense of this human descent, does not have an attitude of
acceptance regarding the Kingdom that is to arrive; the cities along the lake
are not converted (11:20); concerning the behavior of Jesus a true and proper
controversy springs up (chapter 12), and thus they begin to think how to put
Him to death (12:14). This is the climate of mistrust and of protest into which
Matthew inserts this passage.
Now the moment has arrived in which to question oneself about
the activity of Jesus: how to interpret the “works of Christ” (11:2,19)? How
can these thaumaturgic actions be explained (11:20,21,23)? Such questions
concern the crucial question of Messiah- ship of Jesus, and judge not only
“this generation” but also the cities around the lake which have not converted
as the Kingdom of Heaven gets closer in the person of Jesus.
• To become small. The most efficacious way to carry out this
conversion is to become “small.” Jesus communicates this strategy of
“smallness” in a prayer of thanksgiving (11:27) which has a wonderful parallel
in the witness rendered to the Father on the occasion of the Baptism (11:27).
Experts love to call this prayer a “hymn of rejoicing, exultation.” The rhythm
of the prayer of Jesus begins with a confession: “I praise You,” “I confess to
You.” Such expressions of introduction render Jesus’ words quite solemn. The
prayer of praise that Jesus recites presents the characteristics of an answer
addressed to the reader. Jesus addresses Himself to God with the
expression “Lord of Heaven and earth,” that is, to God as creator and guardian
of the world. In Judaism, instead, it was the custom to address God with the
invocation “Lord of the world,” but they did not add the term “Father,” a
distinctive characteristic of the prayer of Jesus. The reason for the praise
and the disclosing of God: because You have hidden..., revealed. The hiding
referred to the “wise and intelligent” concerns of the scribes and the
Pharisees, completely closed up and hostile to the coming of the Kingdom (3:7
ff; 7:29; 9:3,11, 34). The revelation is to the little ones, the Greek term
says “infants,” those who cannot speak as yet. Thus, Jesus indicates the
privileged audience of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven as those who
are not experts of the Law and are not instructed.
What are “these things” that are hidden or revealed? The content
of this revelation or hiding is Jesus, the Son of God, the one who reveals the
Father. It is evident for the reader that the revelation of God is linked
indissolubly to the person of Jesus, to His Word, to His Messianic actions. He
is the one who allows the revelation of God and not the Law or the premonitory
events of the end of time.
• The revelation of God from the Father to the Son. In the last
part of the discourse Jesus makes a presentation of self as the one to whom
every thing has been communicated by the Father. In the context of the coming
of the Kingdom, Jesus has the role and the mission to reveal the Heavenly
Father in everything. In such a role He receives the totality of power,
of knowledge and of the authority to judge. In order to confirm this role,
which is so committed, Jesus appeals to the witness of the Father, the only One
who possesses a real knowledge of Jesus: “Nobody knows the Son but the Father,”
and vice-versa “and nobody knows the Father but the Son.” The witness of the
Father is irreplaceable so that the unique dignity of Jesus as Son may be
understood by His disciples. Besides, the uniqueness of Jesus is affirmed in
the revelation of the Father; the Gospel of John had already affirmed this: “No
one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart,
who has made Him known” (1:18). To summarize, the Evangelist makes his readers
understand that the revelation of the Father takes place through the Son. Even
more: the Son reveals the Father to whom He wants.
4) Personal questions
• In your prayer do you feel the need to express all your
gratitude to the Father for the gifts that He has given you in life? Does it
happen to you to confess publicly, to exult in the Lord because of the wonderful
works that He accomplishes in the world; in the Church, and in your life?
• In your search for God do you rely on your wisdom and intelligence or do you allow yourself to be guided by the wisdom of God? How attentive are you to your relationship with Jesus? Do you listen to His word? Do you assume His sentiments in order to discover His physiognomy of Son of the Heavenly Father?
• In your search for God do you rely on your wisdom and intelligence or do you allow yourself to be guided by the wisdom of God? How attentive are you to your relationship with Jesus? Do you listen to His word? Do you assume His sentiments in order to discover His physiognomy of Son of the Heavenly Father?
5) Concluding Prayer
My lips shall proclaim Your saving justice,
Your saving power all day long.
God, You have taught me from boyhood,
and I am still proclaiming Your marvels. (Ps 71:15,17)
Your saving power all day long.
God, You have taught me from boyhood,
and I am still proclaiming Your marvels. (Ps 71:15,17)
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