St. Bonaventure was a very intelligent, studious friar scholar and administrator. He lived for a short 53 years. The last 17 years of his life he was Minister General of the Franciscan order. He was a friar during the times after St Francis’ death when the Franciscan order was during a time of confusion and division. Some splinter groups were going so far as to fall into heresy. He is known as sort of a second founder of the Franciscan family. Respecting Francis’ initial charism to a lifestyle of poverty, service, humility, simplicity, and evangelization, Bonaventure was able to unify the Franciscans with a formal structure within the wider Church. He integrated the scholarly life into the Franciscan charism. He thoroughly investigated the life of St Francis for his biography of Francis. His famous spiritual writings are centered the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus. This personal relationship with Jesus is the focal point of all his activities and ministries: administration, personal scholarly preparation, teaching, biographical research of St Francis, or spiritual writings.
Bonaventure lived as salt and light to the times and season for the times and season into which he was born. Most of us complain about the times and season into which we are born. Many look to the past with nostalgia, wishing to return to another era, bygone times. Some even try to impose lifestyles from different ages onto the times that they are living. In choosing any of those options, we become a meaningless commentary on the times and cultures of our lives. If we are nothing more than complainers and nostalgic returners to past eras, our witness to our faith does not engage or challenge our times and cultures. Bonaventure took the best of the Franciscan tradition, and his life centered on Jesus to create a strong, new Franciscan life for the era of his life. Whether it was teaching, writing, or administration, he created a solid Church for his times. Bonaventure’s salt and light served to reenergize the Franciscan order and the medieval Church and continue to guide us today.
Take some time today to reflect on your own personal style of being light and salt. Following the guidance to the Spirit and centered on Jesus, are you rebuilding the Church for the era and culture where God has planted us.
Let meditation of Christ’s life be your one and only aim, your rest,
your food, your desire, your study. – St. Bonaventure
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