St Bonaventure~Seraphic Doctor

Bonaventure Receiving Banner of St Sepulchre From the Madonna

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Bonaventure. He was a Franciscan and is called the Seraphic Doctor because he showed a certain warmth toward others as a divine fire. There is much written about him and by him. I have chosen a quote and a prayer to highlight here. You can click the link at the end of this post to read more about this great saint and Doctor of the Church as well as many of his writings.
I love reading the writings of the Church Doctors; their wisdom and piety is something we can learn much from.
I chose this quote because in a sense I found it almost prophetic. St Bonaventure could not begin to know what the world would be like in our day and time, but his own had its share difficulties as well. Some not so different from what we experience today. This quote seems to sum it all up~ what humanity becomes when it tries to go it alone without the help of God's grace.

"reading without repentance,
knowledge without devotion,
research without the impulse of wonder,
prudence without the ability to surrender to joy,
action divorced from religion,
learning sundered from love,
intelligence without humility,
study unsustained by divine grace,
thought without the wisdom inspired of God."

The prayer that follows is St Bonaventure's prayer after communion. It is deeply moving and encompasses all that we should strive for when receiving our Precious Lord.

Prayer of St Bonaventure

        Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the
        most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, and with true,
        calm and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever
        languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee,
        may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be
        dissolved and to be with Thee.  Grant that my soul may
        hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of
        holy souls, our daily and supersubstantial bread, having
        all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.  May my
        heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels
        desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with
        the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee,
        the fountain of life, the fountain of widsom and knowledge,
        the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the
        fulness of the house of God; may it ever compass Thee, seek
        Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on
        Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and glory of
        Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and
        delight, with ease and affection, with perseverence to the
        end; and be Thou alone ever my hope, my entire confidence,
        my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and
        tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my
        refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my
        possession, my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart
        be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably.  Amen.

May St Bonaventure intercede for us as we strive to live holy lives.

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