Subj : July 15th - St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio To : All From : rich Date : Tue Jul 14 2020 09:34:37 From: rich July 15th - St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio Of his infancy little is known. He himself recounts that, while still a little boy, he was cured of a very dangerous illness through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. =C2 In the Bull of his Canonization, Superna coelestis patria, April 14, 1482, Pope Sixtus IV recalls the presence of the young saint among the Friars of the =E2=80=9COl= d=E2=80=9D Convent of St. Francis, which is found halfway between Civit=C3 di Bagnoregio and Bagnogregio itself (not to be confused with the =E2=80=9CNew= =E2=80=9D Convent of St. Francis, which is found to the west of town).... On March 14, 1490, following the examination and the translation of the body of the Saint to Lyons, France, the right-arm of the Saint was removed, and placed in a precious, silver reliquary in the shape of an arm, and brought back to Bagnoregio the following year by Friar Francesco Sansone, the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor. Today the Holy Arm is kept in the Cathedral of Bagnoregio. =C2 In remembrance of its translation, a feast is celebrated on March 14, in addition to that of the Saint's on July 15. We do not know when St. Bonaventure left Bagnoregio to study at the University of Paris, nor do we know the role played by his parents or by the friars of the local convent in this decision, but it can be easily guessed that he received support from the Friars Minor, who were well established in France by this time, as one of their students of theology, even if, when he did depart, he may not have yet decided to become a friar. =C2 He studied at the Sorbonne, where in 1243, he earned the degree Master of Arts (the medieval equivalent of a Doctorate of Theology). =C2 Having by that time already become a son of St. Francis, he had studied theology under Alexander of Hales, who convinced him =E2=80=9Cto love rather the life of St. Francis=E2=80=9D. This esteemed Master of medieval thought would say of St. Bonaventure: =C2 =E2=80=9CIt seems that in him Adam did not sin.=E2=80=9D =C2 On Oct= ober 23, 1257, when the Saint had already become Minister General of the Order, he was admitted to the faculty of of the University of Paris, as a professor. Some months before in the Convent of Ara Coeli, in Rome, on February 2, 1257, he had been elected by the General Chapter as Minister General, even though at the time he was at Paris. =C2 As the 7th successor of St. Francis in the Generalship, he bore this duty for 17 years. =C2 His fame, doctrine, meekness, clarity of ideas and his energy had convinced the fathers of the Chapter, presided over by Pope Alexander IV, to elect him. =C2 It was a very delicate moment in the history of St. Francis' Order, and St. Bonaventure was judged to ha= ve the necessary qualities. =C2 In fact, he never let himself be turned aside by the =E2=80=9Csinistra cura=E2=80=9D, as Dante would put it, lettin= g himself be guided by anything other than the truth. =C2 Notwithstanding the heavy burden of office, he continued to preach, to teach, to give conferences, and to direct souls and counsel Kings and Popes. In 1273 he was made a Cardinal of the Roman Church, and Bishop of Albano, Italy; in 1274 he participated in the Second Council of Lyons, where he was its soul and spokesman. =C2 Either on account of the excessive fatigue of its proceedings, or of his fragile health, he died on the night between the 14th and 15th of July, in the year of Our Lord 1274. =C2 At his funeral all the fathers of the Council participated. =C2 He was canonized on April 14th, 1482 by the Conventual Franciscan Friar, Pope Sixtus IV. =C2 In 1588, another Conventual, Pope Sixtus V, declared him the co-equal of St. Thomas Aquinas, and bestowed on him the title, =E2=80=9CSeraphic Doctor=E2=80=9D.... A perfect follower of St. Francis, he assimilated his teachings and transmitted them with his life and teaching. =C2 Enamored with Sacred Scripture, he read it and rewrote it in its entirety several times to impart it to memory. But the preferred book of our Saint was the Crucifix, before which he stopped in devout adoration and meditation for long hours. =C2 For him the Cross was the staff dividing the sea and opening the path to liberty, and thus he who loved not the Cross, remained a slave. =C2 As St. Francis, St. Bonaventure loved all creatures, in which he saw impressed the footsteps of God so much that in his Itinerarium he wrote: =C2 =E2=80=9Copen your eyes, bend your ear, stop up your mouth, an= d stir up your heart, to see, understand, praise, love and glorify God in all things, if you do not wish the whole universe to rise up against you.=E2=80= =9D How beautiful would it be if men today succeeded in recognizing God in His creatures and in the historic events, putting themselves in harmony with the canticle of the stars, oceans, mountains, valleys, rivers, birds, flowers and fruits, which is unceasingly raised up to God. St. Bonaventure asks men of every age to recognize the presence of God in his own earthly existence, because only from this vantage point can the temptations of hedonism, desacralization and secularism be conquered. Without God the words =E2=80=9Cliberty and progress=E2=80=9D remain but dre= ams. St. Bonaventure, like St. Francis, understood the unique value of God, who loves His creatures and in loving them created them. =C2 In their turn, creatures, recognizing the life they have received from Him, are put in motion towards an exchange of love with Him that shall never end. =C2 The more one knows God, the more one can love Him. =C2 For thi= s St. Bonaventure studied God in His creatures, in the Scriptures, on the Cross, in the life of St. Francis and in his own; and he did this not for love of knowledge, but to put into practice into his own life, his motto: =C2 =E2=80=9CI do not will to know Thee, except to love Thee:=E2= =80=9D and =E2=80=9CI shall study Thee solely to love Thee!=E2=80=9D Saint Quote: =C2 =C2 "From contemplation of the Passion the soul will receive a ne= w compassion, a new love, new consolations, and consequently, as it were, a new state of soul, which seems to be a presage and share of eternal glory." --Saint Bonaventure. Bible Quote: All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. [Colossians 3:17] DRB <><><><> The Daily Prayer: =C2 =C2 "Most High and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our hea= rts and give us a true faith, a certain hope and a perfect love. =C2 Give us a sense of the divine and knowledge of yourself, so that we may do everything in fulfilment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226) --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2 * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4) .