About Today: Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church “Now just as no one comes to wisdom save through grace, justice, and knowledge, so none comes to contemplation save through penetrating meditation, holy conversation, and devout prayer.” [1] St. Bonaventure was born near Orvieto in 1221, entered the Franciscan Order in his early twenties, and studied in Paris, where, in 1248, he received a doctorate in theology. In 1257, he was elected Minister General of the Order. In 1273, he became Cardinal of Albano and played a prominent role at the Council of Lyons, which aimed to unite the Latin and Greek Churches. As a theologian, Bonaventure stressed the “mystical illumination which God sheds on the faithful Christian” [2] and sought to unite reason and faith. Classic works of his include the definitive Life of St. Francis, The Mind’s Road to God, and a commentary on Peter Lombard’s Sentences. He was canonized in 1482 and proclaimed a doctor of the Church in 1588 by Sixtus V.[3] Written by Sarah Ciotti Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD [1] St. Bonanventure, The Mind’s Road to God, 1:8, ccel.org. [2] F.L. Cross and E.A. Livingstone, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (London: Oxford University Press, 1974), 186. [3] Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension, 2008. Offices at divineoffice.org/?date=20130715#
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:41:03 +0000