Every July 15, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Bonaventure, a 17th-century Franciscan theologian and philosopher. XIII, which reached the spiritual heights of mysticism. He also served as bishop of Albano (Italy) and was a cardinal.
Saint Bonaventure holds the title of Doctor of the Church, and scholars refer to him as the “Seraphic Doctor” due to the greatness of his writings, always burning with love and faith, and of immense benefit for the spiritual and intellectual life. .
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The theologian who smiled
Giovanni di Fidanza, Saint Bonaventure, was born in Bagnoregio, Italy, in 1221. After receiving the habit of the Franciscan order, he studied at the University of Paris (France), where he would come, years later, to teach Theology and Sacred Scripture. exhibiting a deep knowledge of the relationships between philosophy, theology and faith.
Buenaventura dedicated a lot of time to prayer and study. His disciples and brothers said that he always wore a discreet and serene smile on his face, a reflection of his soul in search of God.
“Spiritual joy is the best sign that grace dwells in a soul” (Saint Bonaventure)
His fineness of spirit led him to revere the greatness of God more and more, but it also generated certain inconveniences of a spiritual nature. Fray Buenaventura began to consider himself unworthy, full of faults, and, therefore, sometimes he stopped taking communion. He came to see in himself only his sins and shortcomings, falling prey to his scruples.
God, then, showed him that his mercy is beyond human calculations. Tradition has it that one of those days when Fray Buenaventura had decided not to come near to receive communion, an angel carried a small piece of one of the consecrated hosts from the altar to his mouth.
After that, Buenaventura would never be the same and would return to communion normally, knowing himself to be a sinner but, above all, loved, deeply loved by God.
Thus, the Lord would use that experience of purification and mercy to show him that his path pointed towards the priestly order.
Echo of the Holy Spirit
One of the most important works of Saint Bonaventure was the “Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard”, a brilliant sum – that is, compendium – of scholastic theology. Once Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484), referring to this work, noted: “The way in which (Saint Bonaventure) expresses himself about theology, indicates that the Holy Spirit spoke through his mouth.”
The University of Paris
While the saint was installed as Master of the University of Paris, he lived both the years of theological and philosophical flourishing – he coincided on the faculty with Saint Thomas Aquinas – and the periods full of conflicts or tensions between members of the academic community.
He suffered the hostility generated against the Franciscans, as well as the excesses of intellectual struggles around the nature of theology and its relationship with philosophy or reason.
The situation reached such a point that the Franciscans were removed from teaching. Fortunately, Pope Alexander IV intervened, and after careful investigation all the professorships were returned to the sons of Saint Francis, starting with Bonaventure himself. In 1257, he and Saint Thomas Aquinas obtained the doctorate.
Working for Saint Francis of Assisi
That same year, 1257, Buenaventura was elected superior general of the friars minor. Upon assuming office he found an Order divided between those who called for inflexible severity and those who wished to mitigate the original rule. In this context, the saint returned to the sources and began to write a life of Saint Francis of Assisi.
It is in those days that Saint Bonaventure receives a visit from Saint Thomas, who had learned about what the Franciscan was writing. It is said that the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas, upon arriving, found him in his cell in full contemplation and decided to leave saying: “Let a saint work for another saint.”
Next to the Pope
Saint Bonaventure would later be named Bishop of Albano and immediately called to Rome. Pope Gregory
He resigned the position of superior general of his Order and shortly afterwards left for the Father’s House, on the night between July 14 and 15, 1274 in Lyon, France.
If you want to know more about Saint Bonaventure, we recommend reading this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Buenaventura.
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Central Editorial
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