St. Bonaventure, Pray for Us

St. Bonaventure
Feastday: July 15
1274



"Good fortune" indeed: healed by St. Francis, mentored by the brilliant Franciscan Alexander of Hales, buddy and colleage of the great Saint Aquinas, pal of King Louis (the holy one, not the other one). Dear seraphic Doctor, pray for us, and not the least of our requests being to restore joy to the Church.

"In the way of virtue, there is no standing still; anyone who does not daily advance, loses ground. To remain at a standstill is impossible; he that gains not, loses; he that ascends not, descends. If one does not ascend the ladder, one must descend; if one does not conquer, one will be conquered. " ~ St. Bonaventure

QUOTE
St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Feast day-July 15)
St. Bonaventure, known as "the seraphic doctor," was born at Bagnorea in Tuscany, in 1221. He received the name of Bonaventure in consequence of an exclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, when, in response to the pleading of the child's mother, the saint prayed for John's recovery from a dangerous illness, and, foreseeing the future greatness of the little John, cried out "O Buona ventura"-O good fortune! UNQUOTE
Click here to read more... from Catholic Online

"God passes through the thicket of the world, and wherever His glance falls He turns all things to beauty." ~ St. Bonaventure
~~~~

What Is So Rare?

This day in May is as nearly perfect as weather can be, here in the sunkissed heartland of Turtle Island. Ahh.

Bask like an emerald lizard amongst the ivy on a granite wall.

The Vision of Sir Launfal is an impressively lengthy poem that tells the story of an Arthurian knight’s search for the Holy Grail. This is but an excerpt. By James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us;

The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,

The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,

We bargain for the graves we lie in;

At the Devil’s booth are all things sold

Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;

For a cap and bells our lives we pay,

Bubbles we earn with a whole soul’s tasking:

‘T is heaven alone that is given away,

‘T is only God may be had for the asking;

There is no price set on the lavish summer,

And June may be had by the poorest comer.

And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays:

Whether we look, or whether we listen,

We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;

Every clod feels a stir of might,

An instinct within it that reaches and towers,

And, grasping blindly above it for light,

Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;

The flush of life may well be seen

Thrilling back over hills and valleys;

The cowslip startles in meadows green,

The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,

And there ’s never a leaf or a blade too mean

To be some happy creature’s palace;

The little bird sits at his door in the sun,

Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,

And lets his illumined being o’errun

With the deluge of summer it receives;

His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,

And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;

He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest...

~~~

Truth, Beauty, Goodness

When exhorting the throngs at World Youth Day, Pope Benedict XVI at one point urged the young people to seek truth, goodness and beauty in their lives and in the world.

In the 14th century, in the book "The Life in Christ" by the Byzantine theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, we rediscover Plato's experience in which the ultimate object of man's longing/poignancy transformed by the new Christian experience, is nameless. Cabasilas says: "When men have a longing so great that it surpasses human nature and eagerly desire and are able to accomplish things beyond human thought, it is the Bridegroom who has smitten them with this longing. It is he who has sent a ray of his beauty into their eyes. The greatness of the wound already shows the arrow which has struck home, the longing indicates who has inflicted the wound" (cf. "The Life in Christ," the Second Book, 15). True knowledge is being struck by the arrow of Beauty that wounds man, moved to apprehend "how it is Christ himself who is present."

A love for Nature, a love for her beauties, a love for art and music and surpassingly lovely architecture, a passion for goodness and truth: what are these but a love of souls? What are these but the yearning of the soul for its Creator and the intuition of the signature of the Author in His "books"? The miracle of an apple blossom, a rose, a water lily ~ its scent, its perfection, the delicate fuzzy tiny heart of the flower, like a soft golden crown ~ such stand as a marker of the right way on the highway to heaven. Veined with light, fragrant and serene, they carpet the pathways of The King.

It is very good that the curent pontiff is encouraging the young people in this.

Wisdom From The Heir Of Peter

From Father Mark's Blog - EWTN

QUOTE The authority of the papacy is exercised in service: service of the Church and service of the truth. Deep down, we crave to be subject to such authority. We want to live our lives according to what is true, good and beautiful. The Pope reminded the young people this evening that in seeking what is true, good and beautiful, we exercise true freedom – a true freedom that leads to happiness and joy.
Young people have a special gift of generosity and hope. They want a cause, something to give their lives for. They have a natural hope for happiness and fulfillment. They witness to the rest of us who may have given up on such ideals.
The Holy Father told the young people tonight,

“Our world has grown weary of greed, exploitation and division, of the tedium of false idols and piecemeal responses, and the pain of false promises. Our hearts and minds are yearning for a vision of life where love endures, where gifts are shared, where unity is built, where freedom finds meaning in truth, and where identity is found in respectful communion. This is the work of the Holy Spirit!” UNQUOTE