TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : SUNDAY JULY 15, 2012 - 15TH ORDINARY TIME YEAR B TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 15: ST. BONAVENTURE
VATICAN : POPE : GOD CALLS - WE NEED TO LISTEN
RADIO VATICANA REPORT;
(Vatican Radio) On the eve
of the Year of Faith and with one eye on the upcoming Synod on New
Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI launched a call to mission Sunday as he told
the lay faithful of Frascati that they share responsability for the Church and
the formation of new generations of Christians. That God is calling them and
they need to listen. That rediscovering the beauty of being Church means
carrying on Christ’s work of “forming the formators”, clergy, religious and
above all laity. That being missionaries - like the Apostles - can mean
rejection and persecution, it means preaching "truth and justice" even if goes
against applause and human power. Eight thousand people packed into the tiny
square in front of the Cathedral of St Peter the Apostle, for Sunday morning
Mass presided by Pope Benedict. Loud speakers relayed the liturgy throughout the
winding cobbled streets of the hill top town, festooned with white and yellow
flags and banners bearing Pope Benedict’s coat of arms.
The Pope was greeted on behalf of the suburbicarian diocese by Bishop Raffaele Martinelli, who spoke of Frascati’s deep bonds with the Successor of St Peter and his personal witness, during a period of service at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of then Cardinal Ratzinger’s tireless work on behalf of the Church. Bishop Martinelli presented Pope Benedict with a donation for his personal charities on behalf of his community and urged the Pope to confirm the local Church, first formed in 2 A.D., in the faith.
“Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati!” the Pope responded “Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries”. Drawing on the Liturgy of the Word proclaimed during Mass, the Pope dedicated his homily to the history of mission and evangelization in the Church, which he noted is never-ending : “It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation!”
“The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed…God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond”.
Below a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily
Dear brothers and sisters!
I am very pleased to be among you today to celebrate this Eucharist and to share the joys and hopes, trials and efforts, ideals and aspirations of this diocesan community. I greet Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my Secretary of State and the titular of this diocese. I greet your pastor, Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, and the Mayor of Frascati, thanking them for the kind words of welcome with which they greeted me on your behalf. I am pleased to welcome the Minister, the Presidents of the Region and the Province, the Mayor of Rome, the other mayors present and all the distinguished authorities.
And I am very happy today to celebrate this Mass with your bishop who for more than twenty years, as he already mentioned, was a very loyal and capable collaborator of mine in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Working primarily in the field of catechesis and catechism with great silence and discretion he contributed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Catechism. His voice is also very present in this great symphony of faith.
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to send the twelve Apostles on a mission (cf. Mk 6.7 to 13). In fact, the term "apostles" literally means "emissary, messenger." Their vocation is fully realized after the resurrection of Christ with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However, it is very important that from the outset Jesus wants to involve the Twelve in his action: it is a sort of "internship" in view of the great responsibility that awaits them. The fact that Jesus calls some disciples to collaborate directly in His mission, expresses an aspect of His love: He does not disdain the help that other men can contribute to his work, He knows their limits, their weaknesses, but does not despise them, indeed, He confers on them the dignity of being His emissaries. Jesus sends them out two by two and gives them instructions, which the Evangelist summarizes in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the apostles must not be attached to money and comforts. Then Jesus warns the disciples that they will not always receive a favorable welcome: at times they will be rejected, and indeed may also be persecuted. But that should not affect them: they must speak in the name of Jesus and preach the Kingdom of God, without worrying about their success. They must leave the success in God's hands.
The first reading, presents us the same perspective, showing us that often God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the prophet Amos, sent out by God to prophesize in the sanctuary of Bethel, a sanctuary of the kingdom of Israel (cf. 7.12 to 15 Am). Amos preached with great energy against injustice, especially denouncing the abuses of the king and chiefs, abuses that offend the Lord, and render acts of worship vain. Thus Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, orders Amos to leave. He replies that he did not choose this mission, but the Lord made him a prophet and sent him there, to the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, whether accepted or rejected, he will continue to prophesize, preaching what God says and not what people want to hear. And this remains the mandate of the Church: She does not preach what the powerful want to hear. The criterion is truth and justice even if it goes against applause and against human power.
Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus warns the Twelve that they may encounter rejection in some places. In this case they must go elsewhere, after having carried out the gesture of shaking the dust from their feet in front of the people, a sign that expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment - as if to say: the announcement was given to you, you are the ones who refuse it - and material detachment - we did not and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6.11). The other very important indication of the Gospel is that the Twelve can not be content to preach conversion: their preaching must be accompanied, according to the instructions and example given by Jesus, by the healing of the sick. Care of the sick bodily and spiritually. He speaks of the concrete curing of diseases, but he also speaks of casting out demons that is, purifying the human mind, cleaning, cleaning the eyes of the soul that are obscured by ideology and therefore can not see God, can not see the truth and justice. This dual physical and spiritual healing is always the mandate of the disciples of Christ. The Apostolic mission must always include both aspects of preaching the word of God and the manifestation of His goodness with acts of charity, service and dedication.
Dear brothers and sisters, I give thanks to God who sent me here today to re-announce to you this Word of salvation! A Word that is at the foundation of the life and action of the Church, this Church in Frascati. Your bishop has informed me of his most heartfelt pastoral commitment, which is essentially a commitment to formation, aimed primarily at educators: forming the formators. This is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples: He taught them, prepared them, formed them also through missionary "training", so they were capable of taking on Apostolic responsibility in the Church. It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation! In the Christian community, this is always the first service offered by those in roles of responsibility: starting with parents, who in the family accomplish the mission of educating children, we think of parish priests, who are responsible for formation in the community, of all priests, in different fields of work: priority is always given to the educational dimension, and the lay faithful who, in addition to their role as parents, are involved in the formation of young people or adults, as leaders in Apostolic Action and other church movements, or engaged in civil and social spheres, always with a strong focus on forming people.
The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed, especially by young people: that they may feel the joy of responding to God with their whole heart, gifting it on the path of priesthood and consecrated life or on the path of marriage, two complementary paths that illuminate each other, enrich each other and together enrich the community. Virginity for the Kingdom of God and marriage are both vocations, calls by God to be answered with and for our entire life. God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond. Like Mary: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word (Lk 1.38).
Even here, in the diocesan community of Frascati, the Lord bountifully sows his gifts, he calls you to follow Him and to extend His mission today. Even here there is need for a new evangelization, which is why I propose you intensely live the Year of Faith, which will begin in October, 50 years from the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The Council documents contain an enormous wealth for the formation of new generations of Christians, for the formation of our consciousness. So read them, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and rediscover the beauty of being Christians, of being Church to enjoy the great "we" that Jesus has formed around him, to evangelize the world: the "we" of the Church, never closed, but always open and projected towards the proclamation of the Gospel.
Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati! Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries. Stand firm in faith, rooted in Christ through the Word and the Eucharist; be people of prayer, to always remain bound to Christ, as branches to the vine, and at the same time go out, bring His message to everyone, especially the small, to the poor, the suffering. In every community, love each other, do not be divided but live as brothers and sisters, so that the world may believe that Jesus is alive in his Church and the Kingdom of God is near. The Patrons of the Diocese of Frascati are two Apostles, Philip and James, two of the Twelve. To their intercession we commend your community’s journey, that it may be renewed in faith and give clear witness in works of charity. Amen.\
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
The Pope was greeted on behalf of the suburbicarian diocese by Bishop Raffaele Martinelli, who spoke of Frascati’s deep bonds with the Successor of St Peter and his personal witness, during a period of service at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of then Cardinal Ratzinger’s tireless work on behalf of the Church. Bishop Martinelli presented Pope Benedict with a donation for his personal charities on behalf of his community and urged the Pope to confirm the local Church, first formed in 2 A.D., in the faith.
“Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati!” the Pope responded “Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries”. Drawing on the Liturgy of the Word proclaimed during Mass, the Pope dedicated his homily to the history of mission and evangelization in the Church, which he noted is never-ending : “It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation!”
“The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed…God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond”.
Below a Vatican Radio translation of Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily
Dear brothers and sisters!
I am very pleased to be among you today to celebrate this Eucharist and to share the joys and hopes, trials and efforts, ideals and aspirations of this diocesan community. I greet Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, my Secretary of State and the titular of this diocese. I greet your pastor, Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, and the Mayor of Frascati, thanking them for the kind words of welcome with which they greeted me on your behalf. I am pleased to welcome the Minister, the Presidents of the Region and the Province, the Mayor of Rome, the other mayors present and all the distinguished authorities.
And I am very happy today to celebrate this Mass with your bishop who for more than twenty years, as he already mentioned, was a very loyal and capable collaborator of mine in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Working primarily in the field of catechesis and catechism with great silence and discretion he contributed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Catechism. His voice is also very present in this great symphony of faith.
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to send the twelve Apostles on a mission (cf. Mk 6.7 to 13). In fact, the term "apostles" literally means "emissary, messenger." Their vocation is fully realized after the resurrection of Christ with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However, it is very important that from the outset Jesus wants to involve the Twelve in his action: it is a sort of "internship" in view of the great responsibility that awaits them. The fact that Jesus calls some disciples to collaborate directly in His mission, expresses an aspect of His love: He does not disdain the help that other men can contribute to his work, He knows their limits, their weaknesses, but does not despise them, indeed, He confers on them the dignity of being His emissaries. Jesus sends them out two by two and gives them instructions, which the Evangelist summarizes in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the apostles must not be attached to money and comforts. Then Jesus warns the disciples that they will not always receive a favorable welcome: at times they will be rejected, and indeed may also be persecuted. But that should not affect them: they must speak in the name of Jesus and preach the Kingdom of God, without worrying about their success. They must leave the success in God's hands.
The first reading, presents us the same perspective, showing us that often God’s messengers are not well received. This is the case of the prophet Amos, sent out by God to prophesize in the sanctuary of Bethel, a sanctuary of the kingdom of Israel (cf. 7.12 to 15 Am). Amos preached with great energy against injustice, especially denouncing the abuses of the king and chiefs, abuses that offend the Lord, and render acts of worship vain. Thus Amaziah, a priest of Bethel, orders Amos to leave. He replies that he did not choose this mission, but the Lord made him a prophet and sent him there, to the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, whether accepted or rejected, he will continue to prophesize, preaching what God says and not what people want to hear. And this remains the mandate of the Church: She does not preach what the powerful want to hear. The criterion is truth and justice even if it goes against applause and against human power.
Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus warns the Twelve that they may encounter rejection in some places. In this case they must go elsewhere, after having carried out the gesture of shaking the dust from their feet in front of the people, a sign that expresses detachment in two senses: moral detachment - as if to say: the announcement was given to you, you are the ones who refuse it - and material detachment - we did not and do not want anything for ourselves (cf. Mk 6.11). The other very important indication of the Gospel is that the Twelve can not be content to preach conversion: their preaching must be accompanied, according to the instructions and example given by Jesus, by the healing of the sick. Care of the sick bodily and spiritually. He speaks of the concrete curing of diseases, but he also speaks of casting out demons that is, purifying the human mind, cleaning, cleaning the eyes of the soul that are obscured by ideology and therefore can not see God, can not see the truth and justice. This dual physical and spiritual healing is always the mandate of the disciples of Christ. The Apostolic mission must always include both aspects of preaching the word of God and the manifestation of His goodness with acts of charity, service and dedication.
Dear brothers and sisters, I give thanks to God who sent me here today to re-announce to you this Word of salvation! A Word that is at the foundation of the life and action of the Church, this Church in Frascati. Your bishop has informed me of his most heartfelt pastoral commitment, which is essentially a commitment to formation, aimed primarily at educators: forming the formators. This is exactly what Jesus did with his disciples: He taught them, prepared them, formed them also through missionary "training", so they were capable of taking on Apostolic responsibility in the Church. It is a beautiful and exciting thing to see that after two thousand years, we are still carrying on Christ’s commitment to formation! In the Christian community, this is always the first service offered by those in roles of responsibility: starting with parents, who in the family accomplish the mission of educating children, we think of parish priests, who are responsible for formation in the community, of all priests, in different fields of work: priority is always given to the educational dimension, and the lay faithful who, in addition to their role as parents, are involved in the formation of young people or adults, as leaders in Apostolic Action and other church movements, or engaged in civil and social spheres, always with a strong focus on forming people.
The Lord calls us all, distributing different gifts for different tasks in the Church. He calls us to the priesthood and consecrated life, and He calls us to marriage and commitment as lay people within the Church and in society. What is important is that the wealth of these gifts is fully welcomed, especially by young people: that they may feel the joy of responding to God with their whole heart, gifting it on the path of priesthood and consecrated life or on the path of marriage, two complementary paths that illuminate each other, enrich each other and together enrich the community. Virginity for the Kingdom of God and marriage are both vocations, calls by God to be answered with and for our entire life. God calls: we need to listen, welcome, respond. Like Mary: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it to me according to your word (Lk 1.38).
Even here, in the diocesan community of Frascati, the Lord bountifully sows his gifts, he calls you to follow Him and to extend His mission today. Even here there is need for a new evangelization, which is why I propose you intensely live the Year of Faith, which will begin in October, 50 years from the opening of the Second Vatican Council. The Council documents contain an enormous wealth for the formation of new generations of Christians, for the formation of our consciousness. So read them, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and rediscover the beauty of being Christians, of being Church to enjoy the great "we" that Jesus has formed around him, to evangelize the world: the "we" of the Church, never closed, but always open and projected towards the proclamation of the Gospel.
Dear brothers and sisters of Frascati! Be united among yourselves, and at the same time open, be missionaries. Stand firm in faith, rooted in Christ through the Word and the Eucharist; be people of prayer, to always remain bound to Christ, as branches to the vine, and at the same time go out, bring His message to everyone, especially the small, to the poor, the suffering. In every community, love each other, do not be divided but live as brothers and sisters, so that the world may believe that Jesus is alive in his Church and the Kingdom of God is near. The Patrons of the Diocese of Frascati are two Apostles, Philip and James, two of the Twelve. To their intercession we commend your community’s journey, that it may be renewed in faith and give clear witness in works of charity. Amen.\
SHARED FROM RADIO VATICANA
WORLD : JCE NEEDS YOUR HELP - DONATE TODAY
PLEASE DONATE TODAY THANK-YOU. GOD BLESS.Jesus Caritas Est, Catholic Daily News, celebrates its 3RD anniversary. http://jesuscaritasest.org was established in 2009. This DAILY service began in response to the universal call for charity in Pope Benedict XVI´s encyclical "Deus Caritas Est." Now it is reaching out globally. We are read in over 200 countries worldwide. Its motto is "Jesus Caritas Est"; Jesus is love. DONATE NOW VIA PAYPAL
Through the news service, many are provided with information on the Catholic Christian World. We provide:*DAILY News from every continent
*BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
*Vatican coverage (Vatican Information Service, Radio Vatican, Vatican.va)
*Daily Gospel readings - DAILY MASS VIDEO
*Daily Saint stories
*Archives and Search engine at Blog
If you would like to help this apostolate contribute to the glorification of God through this service, please consider supporting the JCE. We keep you in our prayers please remember us.
Thank-you dear readers for your support and God bless,
We are available AT-
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/jesuscaritasestnews
HEADLINE NEWS http://jceworld.blogspot.com
PINTEREST http://pinterest.com/jesuscaritasest/
IF YOU HAVE A NEWS STORY TO PUBLISH PLEASE CONTACT US AT
e-mail : jesuscaritasest@gmail.com
DONATE NOW VIA PAYPAL- CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE OR BLOGS.
e-mail : jesuscaritasest@gmail.com
DONATE NOW VIA PAYPAL- CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON ON OUR WEBSITE OR BLOGS.
DONATE NOW VIA PAYPAL
EUROPE : BULGARIA : MATCHSTICK RILA MONASTERY - 16 YEARS TO BUILD
PLAMEN IGNATOV, a Bulgarian artist, worked for 16 years on a matchstick monastery. It is a replica of the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria. This is an Eastern Orthodox Monastery. The monastery was founded in the 10th century by the hermit Ivan of Rila. The matchstick version is showcased in the Museum of Archaeological in Sofia. Bulgaria.
Here is the actual monastery below:
ASIA : SYRIA : 118 MORE KILLED IN CONTINUING MASSACRES
ASIA NEWS REPORT:
After the massacre of Tremseh, the UN secretary general tries to push the Security Council to take concrete action to stop the civil war. Russia and China oppose any resolution that involves new sanctions against Assad. Yesterday a further 118 deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - "Inaction becomes a license for further massacres": with these words which the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is seeking Security Council intervention to stop the ongoing massacres in Syria. The same Ban Ki-moon said that what is happening poses "many doubts" on the commitment of President Bashar al-Assad for peace.
The decision making body of the United Nations met to discuss the future of the observers' mission, which expires July 20, but the echo of the Tremseh massacre, with over 200 deaths, broadened the discussion. So far to no avail, since the total contrast between West and Arabs who want to pressure the Assad regime and Russia and China that oppose it.
Faced with the request of the UN Secretary to "take decisive and collective action to end the tragedy immediately and fully" the West proposed a resolution that gives Assad 10 days to remove the tanks, helicopters and weapons heavy from cities and put an end to violence. Failure to comply would lead to new sanctions. China and especially Russia, however, are opposed to any step that could lead to new sanctions.
This, despite UN envoy and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's explicit accusation against Damascus for "the use of artillery, tanks and helicopters, confirmed by UNSMIS (United Nations observers, ed ) in violation of the obligations and commitment of the Syrian government to end the use of heavy weaponry in populated areas. "
And while government and rebels continue to trade blame for the Tremseh massacre, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (opposition) said that yesterday there were 118 other dead 49 civilians, 37 soldiers and 32 guerrillas. The Observatory also reports protests in Damascus, disrupted by gunfire. (PD)
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
After the massacre of Tremseh, the UN secretary general tries to push the Security Council to take concrete action to stop the civil war. Russia and China oppose any resolution that involves new sanctions against Assad. Yesterday a further 118 deaths, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Beirut (AsiaNews) - "Inaction becomes a license for further massacres": with these words which the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is seeking Security Council intervention to stop the ongoing massacres in Syria. The same Ban Ki-moon said that what is happening poses "many doubts" on the commitment of President Bashar al-Assad for peace.
The decision making body of the United Nations met to discuss the future of the observers' mission, which expires July 20, but the echo of the Tremseh massacre, with over 200 deaths, broadened the discussion. So far to no avail, since the total contrast between West and Arabs who want to pressure the Assad regime and Russia and China that oppose it.
Faced with the request of the UN Secretary to "take decisive and collective action to end the tragedy immediately and fully" the West proposed a resolution that gives Assad 10 days to remove the tanks, helicopters and weapons heavy from cities and put an end to violence. Failure to comply would lead to new sanctions. China and especially Russia, however, are opposed to any step that could lead to new sanctions.
This, despite UN envoy and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's explicit accusation against Damascus for "the use of artillery, tanks and helicopters, confirmed by UNSMIS (United Nations observers, ed ) in violation of the obligations and commitment of the Syrian government to end the use of heavy weaponry in populated areas. "
And while government and rebels continue to trade blame for the Tremseh massacre, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (opposition) said that yesterday there were 118 other dead 49 civilians, 37 soldiers and 32 guerrillas. The Observatory also reports protests in Damascus, disrupted by gunfire. (PD)
SHARED FROM ASIA NEWS IT
AUSTRALIA : MARRIED COUPLE TAKE PERPETUAL VOWS
ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE
REPORT:
First Australian couple
take Perpetual Vows
Wedenesday 11 July
2012
By Robert Mears
ON Sunday 1 July
Esther and Victor Melder took their Perpetual Vows in the Community of the Sons
& Daughters of God in the presence of Rev. Fr. Chinua Okeke, C. S. Sp and Fr
Emmanuel Adami and other members of the Community, at Newman College Chapel,
Parkville.
Over 75 members of the Community attended the Mass, along with a large number of relatives and friends to see Esther and Victor Melder
become the first married couple to take their Perpetual Vows in Australia.
History of the Sons & Daughters of God
In 1947, a little-known Diocesan Priest Don Divo Barsotti took over direction of a ‘religious movement’, which was begun in 1944 in Florence. Don Barsotti, soon gave it a well-defined structure and above all a spirituality.
The movement took the name ‘Comunitá dei Figli di Dio’ – ‘Community of the Sons and Daughters of God’. Its motto, ‘So that you may be children of your Father in Heaven’ are the concluding words of the Sermon of the Mountain (Matt 5:45).
In 1997 it was received by the then Archbishop Dr. George Pell into the Archdiocese of Melbourne. From here it soon spread to other Australian dioceses.
The Community’s ideal is to renew the miracle of the early Church. Members are committed to a contemplative life, devotion to the Mass, monthly gatherings, retreats, weekly meetings, fidelity to the teachings and magesterium of the Church, common prayer (including the Divine Office) and study of the Bible and the early Church Fathers. An essential element of the Community’s mission is ecumenism, especially with the Eastern Orthodox Churches; all are united.
The Community offers four kinds of life. The first branch is open to married couples and singles (who begin as Aspirants and then after a period of Aspirantship seek Consecration). In the second branch, married couples take Vows of poverty, conjugal chastity and obedience; in the third branch, single persons take vows of poverty, perfect chastity and obedience. The fourth branch, is for those who live a traditional contemplative monastic life in small monasteries for men and women.
The Community has Brothers of the fourth branch living at, “St Augustine of Canterbury Monastic House” Dookie, near Shepparton, Victoria.
All the consecrated members of the Community meet locally in small groups once a week. There are thirteen such Groups across Melbourne.
They also have a monthly day retreat and an annual live-in four day silent retreat, conducted by the Monks of the fourth branch of the Community.
For further information on the Community of the Sons & Daughters of God,
email: saintaugustinecfd@gmail.com
By Robert Mears
ON Sunday 1 July
Esther and Victor Melder took their Perpetual Vows in the Community of the Sons
& Daughters of God in the presence of Rev. Fr. Chinua Okeke, C. S. Sp and Fr
Emmanuel Adami and other members of the Community, at Newman College Chapel,
Parkville.Over 75 members of the Community attended the Mass, along with a large number of relatives and friends to see Esther and Victor Melder
become the first married couple to take their Perpetual Vows in Australia.
History of the Sons & Daughters of God
In 1947, a little-known Diocesan Priest Don Divo Barsotti took over direction of a ‘religious movement’, which was begun in 1944 in Florence. Don Barsotti, soon gave it a well-defined structure and above all a spirituality.
The movement took the name ‘Comunitá dei Figli di Dio’ – ‘Community of the Sons and Daughters of God’. Its motto, ‘So that you may be children of your Father in Heaven’ are the concluding words of the Sermon of the Mountain (Matt 5:45).
In 1997 it was received by the then Archbishop Dr. George Pell into the Archdiocese of Melbourne. From here it soon spread to other Australian dioceses.
The Community’s ideal is to renew the miracle of the early Church. Members are committed to a contemplative life, devotion to the Mass, monthly gatherings, retreats, weekly meetings, fidelity to the teachings and magesterium of the Church, common prayer (including the Divine Office) and study of the Bible and the early Church Fathers. An essential element of the Community’s mission is ecumenism, especially with the Eastern Orthodox Churches; all are united.
The Community offers four kinds of life. The first branch is open to married couples and singles (who begin as Aspirants and then after a period of Aspirantship seek Consecration). In the second branch, married couples take Vows of poverty, conjugal chastity and obedience; in the third branch, single persons take vows of poverty, perfect chastity and obedience. The fourth branch, is for those who live a traditional contemplative monastic life in small monasteries for men and women.
The Community has Brothers of the fourth branch living at, “St Augustine of Canterbury Monastic House” Dookie, near Shepparton, Victoria.
All the consecrated members of the Community meet locally in small groups once a week. There are thirteen such Groups across Melbourne.
They also have a monthly day retreat and an annual live-in four day silent retreat, conducted by the Monks of the fourth branch of the Community.
For further information on the Community of the Sons & Daughters of God,
email: saintaugustinecfd@gmail.com
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE
OF MELBOURNE
AFRICA : KENYA : CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES ON INDEPENDENCE
CISA REPORT:
NAIROBI, July I0, 2012 (CISA) -The All Africa
Conference of Churches (AACC) has congratulated the President and the people of
the Republic of South Sudan on its first anniversary of independence, on July 9,
2012.
“In the short period of one year, your Government translated the independence into worthy economic and social development. This is clearly demonstrated by infrastructural development, increased number of schools and medical services, maintenance of peace and security in most parts of the country and good neighbourliness through your participation in regional initiatives in Eastern Africa.
You have also increased the democratic space in your country by operationalizing the Transitional Constitution. This is not mean achievement within such a short span of time and we therefore congratulate you,” said the AACC message, signed by the organization’s General Secretary, Rev Dr Andre Karamaga.
The AACC message, addressed to the country’s president, His Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit said, “We are aware these achievements were made in the midst of many challenges, some of which are clearly outstanding.”
“With conflict looming large in your border with the Republic of Susan, insecurity has remained a serious concern and a source of source of anxiety for many of your citizens. This has not been made easier by the breakout of many inter-ethnic conflicts, especially in the Jonglei State,” added the statement.
“We welcome the efforts you have taken in addressing inter-ethnic conflicts and encourage you to work with the Church whose initiative in seeking and pursuing peace will be a major contribution,” , the AACC said.
The message said the AACC was aware about the challenge of internally displaced persons, especially those held up in transit camps in the border with the Republic of Sudan.
“We lament that the deplorable conditions that are living in mean that independence has not translated into peace dividends to them,” underlined the AACC statement.
The AACC also noted that it was also aware of the challenge of the outstanding issues in the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Accord) framework which are Citizenship, demarcation of the border between the north and the south including Abyei, the sharing of wealth (oil) revenues and national debt and agreements signed before the independence of South Sudan.
“As long as these issues remain unsolved they continue to contribute negatively at the speed at which nation building is supposed to be achieved,” said the Church statement.
The Church body assured the country’s president and the entire people of South Sudan people of its readiness to avail its supportive role in the country’s development.
“It is for this reason that we welcome the resumption of negotiations under the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP),” said the AACC, adding, “In this regard, we strongly support the full implementation of the African Union Peace and security council Roadmap of April 24, 2012 and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046 of 2012.”
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS
“In the short period of one year, your Government translated the independence into worthy economic and social development. This is clearly demonstrated by infrastructural development, increased number of schools and medical services, maintenance of peace and security in most parts of the country and good neighbourliness through your participation in regional initiatives in Eastern Africa.
You have also increased the democratic space in your country by operationalizing the Transitional Constitution. This is not mean achievement within such a short span of time and we therefore congratulate you,” said the AACC message, signed by the organization’s General Secretary, Rev Dr Andre Karamaga.
The AACC message, addressed to the country’s president, His Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit said, “We are aware these achievements were made in the midst of many challenges, some of which are clearly outstanding.”
“With conflict looming large in your border with the Republic of Susan, insecurity has remained a serious concern and a source of source of anxiety for many of your citizens. This has not been made easier by the breakout of many inter-ethnic conflicts, especially in the Jonglei State,” added the statement.
“We welcome the efforts you have taken in addressing inter-ethnic conflicts and encourage you to work with the Church whose initiative in seeking and pursuing peace will be a major contribution,” , the AACC said.
The message said the AACC was aware about the challenge of internally displaced persons, especially those held up in transit camps in the border with the Republic of Sudan.
“We lament that the deplorable conditions that are living in mean that independence has not translated into peace dividends to them,” underlined the AACC statement.
The AACC also noted that it was also aware of the challenge of the outstanding issues in the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Accord) framework which are Citizenship, demarcation of the border between the north and the south including Abyei, the sharing of wealth (oil) revenues and national debt and agreements signed before the independence of South Sudan.
“As long as these issues remain unsolved they continue to contribute negatively at the speed at which nation building is supposed to be achieved,” said the Church statement.
The Church body assured the country’s president and the entire people of South Sudan people of its readiness to avail its supportive role in the country’s development.
“It is for this reason that we welcome the resumption of negotiations under the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP),” said the AACC, adding, “In this regard, we strongly support the full implementation of the African Union Peace and security council Roadmap of April 24, 2012 and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2046 of 2012.”
SHARED FROM CISA NEWS
AMERICA : COLOMBIA : CONCLUSION OF 93RD ASSEMBLY OF BISHOPS
Agenzia Fides REPORT – The 93rd Plenary Assembly of the
Bishops of Colombia ends today, July 13.
According to information gathered by Fides Agency, among the problems the Bishops faced is that concerning the situation of tension and fear because of violence, recorded in different areas, such as the Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro. The same Apostolic Vicar, His Exc. Mgr. Edgar Tirado Hernando Mazo, spoke during the Assembly to inform that the church is working to change this situation. Through the Parish Commissions of the Social Pastoral (COPPAS), one is trying to reach the faithful in order to create a social conscience, in order to work for a worthy development and thus, working for peace and for justice.
"Evangelization does not stop at theoretical elements but goes immediately to concrete actions, and always seeks a permanent dialogue with everyone," said the Apostolic Vicar.
For the Bishop of Santa Marta, His Exc. Mgr. Ugo Puccini Banfi, the most urgent problems are prostitution and drugs. "Even groups of foreign tourists arrive in our town, such as Taganga, just to find drugs and prostitution," said the Bishop. "The poor people of our people, before the wealth of tourist, lose dignity and yields. We face a great challenge, we must revive the pastoral care of the sea with the fishermen, and the pastoral of tourism."
The Bishops’ appeal at the opening of the Assembly, was to end the armed conflict in the country (see Fides 10/7/2012) and conclude peace negotiations with the guerrillas. This has become the main theme of the situation of the diocese of Buenaventura, shared with other dioceses. The presence of illegal armed groups, indiscriminate drug trafficking, the constant threats of death and uncontrolled mining, however, have not stopped the Bishop of Buenaventura, His Exc. Mgr. Héctor Epalza Quintero, from bringing the Gospel message of hope to the inhabitants of this region of Colombia. "We are living a difficult reality that involves different protagonists, all outside the law, that vie for the territory in Buenaventura, in the Valle del Cauca, where there is a very complex social and political reality," said Bishop.
The Diocese of Buenaventura, through the Diocesan Commission "Life, Justice, Solidarity and Peace", was the first to denounce the abuses against life, as when he gave news of the murder of fourteen women in towns and 60 other murders which occurred in the gold mines, in Zaragoza, in the rural area. "We need to evangelize in the midst of the conflict, filling these people with hope, faith and love who continue to believe. We are committed to living in permanent mission through the Continental Mission of the New Evangelization," concluded Mgr. Epalza. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 13/7/2012)
According to information gathered by Fides Agency, among the problems the Bishops faced is that concerning the situation of tension and fear because of violence, recorded in different areas, such as the Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro. The same Apostolic Vicar, His Exc. Mgr. Edgar Tirado Hernando Mazo, spoke during the Assembly to inform that the church is working to change this situation. Through the Parish Commissions of the Social Pastoral (COPPAS), one is trying to reach the faithful in order to create a social conscience, in order to work for a worthy development and thus, working for peace and for justice.
"Evangelization does not stop at theoretical elements but goes immediately to concrete actions, and always seeks a permanent dialogue with everyone," said the Apostolic Vicar.
For the Bishop of Santa Marta, His Exc. Mgr. Ugo Puccini Banfi, the most urgent problems are prostitution and drugs. "Even groups of foreign tourists arrive in our town, such as Taganga, just to find drugs and prostitution," said the Bishop. "The poor people of our people, before the wealth of tourist, lose dignity and yields. We face a great challenge, we must revive the pastoral care of the sea with the fishermen, and the pastoral of tourism."
The Bishops’ appeal at the opening of the Assembly, was to end the armed conflict in the country (see Fides 10/7/2012) and conclude peace negotiations with the guerrillas. This has become the main theme of the situation of the diocese of Buenaventura, shared with other dioceses. The presence of illegal armed groups, indiscriminate drug trafficking, the constant threats of death and uncontrolled mining, however, have not stopped the Bishop of Buenaventura, His Exc. Mgr. Héctor Epalza Quintero, from bringing the Gospel message of hope to the inhabitants of this region of Colombia. "We are living a difficult reality that involves different protagonists, all outside the law, that vie for the territory in Buenaventura, in the Valle del Cauca, where there is a very complex social and political reality," said Bishop.
The Diocese of Buenaventura, through the Diocesan Commission "Life, Justice, Solidarity and Peace", was the first to denounce the abuses against life, as when he gave news of the murder of fourteen women in towns and 60 other murders which occurred in the gold mines, in Zaragoza, in the rural area. "We need to evangelize in the midst of the conflict, filling these people with hope, faith and love who continue to believe. We are committed to living in permanent mission through the Continental Mission of the New Evangelization," concluded Mgr. Epalza. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 13/7/2012)
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : SUNDAY JULY 15, 2012 - 15TH ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
| Amos
7: 12 - 15
| |
| 12 | And Amazi'ah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; |
| 13 | but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." |
| 14 | Then Amos answered Amazi'ah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, |
| 15 | and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' |
| Psalms
85: 9 - 14
| |
| 9 | Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. |
| 10 | Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. |
| 11 | Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. |
| 12 | Yea, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. |
| 13 | Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way |
| Ephesians
1: 3 - 10
| |
| 3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, |
| 4 | even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. |
| 5 | He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, |
| 6 | to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. |
| 7 | In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace |
| 8 | which he lavished upon us. |
| 9 | For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ |
| 10 | as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. |
| Mark
6: 7 - 13
| |
| 7 | And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. |
| 8 | He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; |
| 9 | but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. |
| 10 | And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. |
| 11 | And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." |
| 12 | So they went out and preached that men should repent. |
| 13 | And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. |
TODAY'S SAINT: JULY 15: ST. BONAVENTURE
St. Bonaventure
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
Feast: July 15
 Information:
|
Doctor
of the Church, Cardinal-Bishop of Albano, Minister General of the Friars Minor,
born at Bagnorea in the vicinity of Viterbo in 1221; died at Lyons, 16 July,
1274.
Nothing
is known of Bonaventure's parents save their names: Giovanni di Fidanza and
Maria Ritella. How his baptismal name of John came to be changed to that of
Bonaventure is not clear. An attempt has been made to trace the latter name to
the exclamation of St. Francis, O buona ventura, when Bonaventure was brought as
an infant to him to be cured of a dangerous illness. This derivation is highly
improbable; it seems based on a latefifteenth-century legend. Bonaventure
himself tells us (Legenda S. Francisci Prolog.) that while yet a child he was
preserved from death through the intercession of St. Francis, but there is no
evidence that this cure took place during the lifetime of St. Francis or that
the name Bonaventure originated in any prophetical words of St. Francis. It was
certainly borne by others before the Seraphic Doctor. No details of
Bonaventure's youth have been preserved. He entered the Order of Friars Minor in
1238 or 1243; the exact year is uncertain. Wadding and the Bollandists bold for
the later date, but the earlier one is supported by Sbaradea, Bonelli, Panfilo
da Magliano, and Jeiler, and appears more probable. It is certain that
Bonaventure was sent from the Roman Province, to which he belonged, to complete
his studies at the University of Paris under Alexander of Hales, the great
founder of the Franciscan School. The latter died in 1246, according to the
opinion generally received, though not yet definitely established, and
Bonaventure seems to have become his pupil about 1242. Be this as it may,
Bonaventure received in 1248 the "licentiate" which gave him the right to teach
publicly as Magister regens, and he continued to lecture at the university with
great success until 1256, when he was compelled to discontinue, owing to the
then violent outburst of opposition to the Mendicant orders on the part of the
secular professors at the university. The latter, jealous, as it seems, of the
academic successes of the Dominicans and Franciscans, sought to exclude them
from teaching publicly. The smouldering elements of discord had been fanned into
a flame in 1256, when Guillaume de Saint-Amour published a work entitled "The
Perils of the Last Times", in which he attacked the Friars with great
bitterness. It was in connexion with this dispute that Bonaventure wrote his
treatise, "De paupertate Christi". It was not, however, Bonaventure, as some
have erroneously stated, but Blessed John of Parma, who appeared before
Alexander IV at Anagni to defend the Franciscans against their adversary. The
Holy See having, as is well known, re-established the Mendicants in all their
privileges, and Saint-Amour's book having been formally condemned, the degree of
Doctor was solemnly bestowed on St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas at the
university, 23 October, 1257.
In
the meantime Bonaventure, though not yet thirty-six years old, had on 2
February, 1257, been elected Minister General of the Friars Minor -- an office
of peculiar difficulty, owing to the fact that the order was distracted by
internal dissensions between the two factions among the Friars designated
respectively the Spirituales and the Relaxati. The former insisted upon the
literal observance of the original Rule, especially in regard to poverty, while
the latter wished to introduce innovations and mitigations. This lamentable
controversy had moreover been aggravated by the enthusiasm with which many of
the "Spiritual" Friars had adopted the doctrines connected with the name of
Abbot Joachim of Floris and set forth in the so-called "Evangelium aeternum".
The introduction to this pernicious book, which proclaimed the approaching
dispensation of the Spirit that was to replace the Law of Christ, was falsely
attributed to Bl. John of Parma, who in 1267 had retired from the government of
the order in favour of Bonaventure. The new general lost no time in striking
vigorously at both extremes within the order. On the one hand, he proceeded
against several of the Joachimite "Spirituals" as heretics before an
ecclesiastical tribunal at Città della Pieve; two of their leaders were
condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and John of Parma was only saved from a
like fate through the personal intervention of Cardinal Ottoboni, afterwards
Adrian V. On the other hand, Bonaventure had, in an encyclical letter issued
immediately after his election, outlined a programme for the reformation of the
Relaxati. These reforms he sought to enforce three years later at the General
Chapter of Narbonne when the constitutions of the order which he had revised
were promulgated anew. These so-called "Constitutiones Narbonenses" are
distributed under twelve heads, corresponding to the twelve chapters of the
Rule, of which they form an enlightened and prudent exposition, and are of
capital importance in the history of Franciscan legislation. The chapter which
issued this code of laws requested Bonaventure to write a "legend" or life of
St. Francis which should supersede those then in circulation. This was in 1260.
Three years later Bonaventure, having in the meantime visited a great part of
the order, and having assisted at the dedication of the chapel on La Verna and
at the translation of the remains of St. Clare and of St. Anthony, convoked a
general chapter of the order of Pisa at which his newly composed life of St.
Francis was officially approved as the standard biography of the saint to the
exclusion of all others. At this chapter of 1263, Bonaventure fixed the limits
of the different provinces of the order and, among other ordinances, prescribed
that at nightfall a bell should be rung in honour of the Annunciation, a pious
practice from which the Angelus seems to have originated. There are no grounds,
however, for the assertion that Bonaventure in this chapter prescribed the
celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the order. In 1264, at
the earnest request of Cardinal Cajetan, Bonaventure consented to resume the
direction of the Poor Clares which the Chapter of Pisa had entirely renounced
the year before. He required the Clares, however, to acknowledge occasionally in
writing that the favours tendered them by the Friars were voluntary acts of
charity not arising from any obligation whatsoever. It is said that Pope Urban
IV acted at Bonaventure's suggestion in attempting to establish uniformity of
observance throughout all the monasteries of Clares. About this time (1264)
Bonaventure founded at Rome the Society of the Gonfalone in honour of the
Blessed Virgin which, if not the first confraternity instituted in the Church,
as some have claimed, was certainly one of the earliest. In 1265 Clement IV, by
a Bull dated 23 November, nominated Bonaventure to the vacant Archbishopric of
York, but the saint, in keeping with his singular humility, steadfastly refused
this honour and the pope yielded.
In
1266 Bonaventure convened a general chapter in Paris at which, besides other
enactments, it was decreed that all the "legends" of St. Francis written before
that of Bonaventure should be forthwith destroyed, just as the Chapter of
Narbonne had in 1260 ordered the destruction of all constitutions before those
then enacted. This decree has excited much hostile criticism. Some would fain
see in it a deliberate attempt on Bonaventure's part to close the primitive
sources of Franciscan history, to suppress the real Francis, and substitute a
counterfeit in his stead. Others, however, regard the decree in question as a
purely liturgical ordinance intended to secure uniformity in the choir
"legends". Between these two conflicting opinions the truth seems to be that
this edict was nothing more than another heroic attempt to wipe out the old
quarrels and start afresh. One cannot but regret the circumstances of this
decree, but when it is recalled that the appeal of the contending parties was
ever to the words and actions of St. Francis as recorded in the earlier
"legends", it would be unjust to accuse the chapter of "literary vandalism" in
seeking to proscribe the latter. We have no details of Bonaventure's life
between 1266 and 1269. In the latter year he convoked his fourth general chapter
at Assisi, in which it was enacted that a Mass be sung every Saturday throughout
the order in honour of the Blessed Virgin, not, however, in honour of her
Immaculate Conception as Wadding among others has erroneously stated. It was
probably soon after this chapter that Bonaventure composed his "Apologia
pauperum", in which he silences Gerard of Abbeville who by means of an anonymous
libel had revived the old university feud against the Friars. Two years later,
Bonaventure was mainly instrumental in reconciling the differences among the
cardinals assembled at Viterbo to elect a successor to Clement IV, who had died
nearly three years before; it was on Bonaventure's advice that, 1 September,
1271, they unanimously chose Theobald Visconti of Piacenza who took the title of
Gregory X. That the cardinals seriously authorized Bonaventure to nominate
himself, as some writers aver, is most improbable. Nor is there any truth in the
popular story that Bonaventure on arriving at Viterbo advised the citizens to
lock up the cardinals with a view to hastening the election. In 1272 Bonaventure
for the second time convened a general chapter at Pisa in which, apart from
general enactments to further regular observances new decrees were issued
respecting the direction of the Poor Clares, and a solemn anniversary was
instituted on 25 August in memory of St. Louis. This was the first step towards
the canonization of the holy king, who had been a special friend of Bonaventure,
and at whose request Bonaventure composed his "Office of the Passion". On 23
June, 1273, Bonaventure, much against his will, was created Cardinal-Bishop of
Albano, by Gregory X. It is said that the pope's envoys who brought him the
cardinal's hat found the saint washing dishes outside a convent near Florence
and were requested by him to hang it on a tree nearby until his hands were free
to take it. Bonaventure continued to govern the Order of Friars Minor until 20
May, 1274, when at the General Chapter of Lyons, Jerome of Ascoli, afterwards
Nicholas IV, was elected to succeed him. Meanwhile Bonaventure had been charged
by Gregory X to prepare the questions to be discussed at the Fourteenth
Oecumenical Council, which opened at Lyons 7 May, 1274.
The
pope himself presided at the council, but he confided the direction of its
deliberations to Bonaventure, especially charging him to confer with the Greeks
on the points relating to the abjuration of their schism. It was largely due to
Bonaventure's efforts and to those of the Friars whom he had sent to
Constantinople, that the Greeks accepted the union effected 6 July, 1274.
Bonaventure twice addressed the assembled Fathers, on 18 May, during a session
of the Council, when he preached on Baruch 5:5, and on 29 June, during
pontifical Mass celebrated by the pope. While the council was still in session,
Bonaventure died, Sunday, 15 July, 1274. The exact cause of his death is
unknown, but if we may credit the chronicle of Peregrinus of Bologna,
Bonaventure's secretary, which has recently (1905) been recovered and edited,
the saint was poisoned. He was buried on the evening following his death in the
church of the Friars Minor at Lyons, being honoured with a splendid funeral
which was attended by the pope, the King of Aragon, the cardinals, and the other
members of the council. The funeral oration was delivered by Pietro di
Tarantasia, O.P., Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, afterwards Innocent V, and on the
following day during the fifth session of the council, Gregory X spoke of the
irreparable loss the Church had sustained by the death of Bonaventure, and
commanded all prelates and priests throughout the whole world to celebrate Mass
for the repose of his soul.
Bonaventure
enjoyed especial veneration even during his lifetime because of his stainless
character and of the miracles attributed to him. It was Alexander of Hales who
said that Bonaventure seemed to have escaped the curse of Adam's sin. And the
story of St. Thomas visiting Bonaventure's cell while the latter was writing the
life of St. Francis and finding him in an ecstasy is well known. "Let us leave a
saint to work for a saint", said the Angelic Doctor as he withdrew. When, in
1434, Bonaventure's remains were translated to the new church erected at Lyons
in honour of St. Francis, his head was found in a perfect state of preservation,
the tongue being as red as in life. This miracle not only moved the people of
Lyons to choose Bonaventure as their special patron, but also gave a great
impetus to the process of his canonization. Dante, writing long before, had
given expression to the popular mind by placing Bonaventure among the saints in
his "Paradiso", and no canonization was ever more ardently or universally
desired than that of Bonaventure. That its inception was so long delayed was
mainly due to the deplorable dissensions within the order after Bonaventure's
death. Finally on 14 April, 1482, Bonaventure was enrolled in the catalogue of
the saints by Sixtus IV. In 1562 Bonaventure's shrine was plundered by the
Huguenots and the urn containing his body was burned in the public square. His
head was preserved through the heroism of the superior, who hid it at the cost
of his life but it disappeared during the French Revolution and every effort to
discover it has been in vain. Bonaventure was inscribed among the principal
Doctors of the Church by Sixtus V, 14 March, 1557. His feast is celebrated 14
July.
Bonaventure,
as Hefele remarks, united in himself the two elements whence proceed whatever
was noble and sublime, great and beautiful, in the Middle Ages, viz., tender
piety and profound learning. These two qualities shine forth conspicuously in
his writings. Bonaventure wrote on almost every subject treated by the
Schoolmen, and his writings are very numerous. The greater number of them deal
with philosophy and theology. No work of Bonaventure's is exclusively
philosophical, but in his "Commentary on the Sentences", his "Breviloquium", his
"Itinerarium Mentis in Deum" and his "De reductione Artium ad Theologiam", he
deals with the most important and difficult questions of philosophy in such a
way that these four works taken together contain the elements of a complete
system of philosophy, and at the same time bear striking witness to the mutual
interpenetration of philosophy and theology which is a distinguishing mark of
the Scholastic period. The Commentary on the "Sentences" remains without doubt
Bonaventure's greatest work; all his other wntings are in some way subservient
to it. It was written, superiorum praecepto (at the command of his superiors)
when he was only twenty-seven and is a theological achievement of the first
rank. It comprises more than four thousand pages in folio and treats extensively
and profoundly of God and the Trinity, the Creation and Fall of Man, the
Incarnation and Redemption, Grace, the Sacraments, and the Last Judgment, that
is to say, traverses the entire field of Scholastic theology. Like the other
medieval Summas, Bonaventure's "Commentary" is divided into four books. In the
first, second, and fourth Bonaventure can compete favourably with the best
commentaries on the Sentences, but it is admitted that in the third book he
surpasses all others. The "Breviloquium", written before 1257, is, as its name
implies, a shorter work. It is to some extent a summary of the "Commentary"
containing as Scheeben says, the quintessence of the theology of the time, and
is the most sublime compendium of dogma in our possession. It is perhaps the
work which will best give a popular notion of Bonaventure's theology; in it his
powers are seen at their best. Whilst the "Breviloquium" derives all things from
God, the "Itinerarium Mentis in Deum" proceeds in the opposite direction,
bringing all things back to their Supreme End. The latter work, which formed the
delight of Gerson for more than thirty years, and from which Bl. Henry Suso drew
so largely, was written on Mount la Verna in 1259. The relation of the finite
and infinite, the natural and supernatural, is again dealt with by Bonaventure,
in his "De reductione Artium ad Theologiam", a little work written to
demonstrate the relation which philosophy and the arts bear to theology, and to
prove that they are all absorbed in it as into a natural centre. It must not be
inferred, however, that philosophy in Bonaventure's view does not possess an
existence of its own. The passages in Bonaventure's works on which such an
opinion might be founded only go to prove that he did not regard philosophy as
the chief or last end of scientific research and speculation. Moreover, it is
only when compared with theology that he considers philosophy of an inferior
order. Considered in itself, philosophy is, according to Bonaventure, a true
science, prior in point of time to theology. Again, Bonaventure's pre-eminence
as a mystic must not he suffered to overshadow his labours in the domain of
philosophy, for he was undoubtedly one of the greatest philosophers of the
Middle Ages.
Bonaventure's
philosophy, no less than his theology, manifests his profound respect for
tradition. He regarded new opinions with disfavour and ever strove to follow
those generally received in his time. Thus, between the two great influences
which determined the trend of Scholasticism about the middle of the thirteenth
century, there can he no doubt that Bonaventure ever remained a faithful
disciple of Augustine and always defended the teaching of that Doctor; yet he by
no means repudiated the teaching of Aristotle. While basing his doctrine on that
of the old school, Bonaventure borrowed not a little from the new. Though he
severely criticized the defects of Aristotle, he is said to have quoted more
frequently from the latter than any former Scholastic had done. Perhaps he
inclined more, on the whole, to some general views of Plato than to those of
Aristotle, but he cannot therefore be called a Platonist. Although he adopted
the hylomorphic theory of matter and form, Bonaventure, following Alexander of
Hales, whose Summa he appears to have had before him in composing his own works,
does not limit matter to corporeal beings, but holds that one and the same kind
of matter is the substratum of spiritual and corporeal beings alike. According
to Bonaventure, materia prima is not a mere indeterminatum quid, but contains
the rationes seminales infused by the Creator at the beginning, and tends
towards the acquisition of those special forms which it ultimately assumes. The
substantial form is not in Bonaventure's opinion, essentially, one, as St.
Thomas taught. Another point in which Bonaventure, as representing the
Franciscan school, is at variance with St. Thomas is that which concerns the
possibility of creation from eternity. He declares that reason can demonstrate
that the world was not created ab aeterno. In his system of ideology Bonaventure
does not favour either the doctrine of Plato or that of the Ontologists. It is
only by completely misunderstanding Bonaventure's teaching that any ontologistic
interpretation can he read into it. For he is most emphatic in rejecting any
direct or immediate vision of God or of His Divine attributes in this life. For
the rest, the psychology of Bonaventure differs in no essential point from the
common teaching of the Schoolmen. The same is true, as a whole, of his
theology.
Bonaventure's
theological writings may be classed under four heads: dogmatic, mystic,
exegetical, and homiletic. His dogmatic teaching is found chiefly in his
"Commentary on the Sentences" and in his "Breviloquium". Treating of the
Incarnation, Bonaventure does not differ substantially from St. Thomas. In
answer to the question: "Would the Incarnation have taken place if Adam had not
sinned?", he answers in the negative. Again, notwithstanding his deep devotion
to the Blessed Virgin, he favours the opinion which does not exempt her from
original sin, quia magis consonat fidei pietati et sanctorum auctoritati. But
Bonaventure's treament of this question marked a distinct advance, and he did
more perhaps than anyone before Scotus to clear the ground for its correct
presentation. His treatise on the sacraments is largely practical and is
characterized by a distinctly devotional element. This appears especially in is
treatment of the Holy Eucharist. He rejects the doctrine of physical, and admits
only a moral, efficacy in the sacraments. It is much to be regretted that
Bonaventure's views on this and other controverted questions should be so often
misrepresented, even by recent writers. For example, at, least three of the
latest and best known manuals of dogma in treating of such questions as "De
angelorum natura", "De scientia Christi", "De natura distinctionis inter
caritatem et gratiam sanctificantem", "De causalitate sacramentorum", "De statu
parvulorum sine baptismo morientium", gratuitously attribute opinions to
Bonaventure which are entirely at variance with his real teaching. To be sure
Bonaventure, like all the Scholastics, occasionally put forward opinions not
strictly correct in regard to questions not yet defined or clearly settled, but
even here his teaching represents the most profound and acceptable ideas of his
age and marks a notable stage in the evolution of knowledge. Bonaventure's
authority has always been very great in the Church. Apart from his personal
influence at Lyons (1274), his writings carried great weight at the subsequent
councils at Vienna (1311), Constance (1417), Basle (1435), and Florence (1438).
At Trent (1546) his writings, as Newman remarks (Apologia, ch. v) had a critical
effect on some of the definitions of dogma, and at the Vatican Council (1870),
sentences from them were embodied in the decrees concerning papal supremacy and
infallibility.
Only
a small part of Bonaventure's writings is properly mystical. These are
characterized by brevity and by a faithful adherence to the teaching of the
Gospel. The perfecting of the soul by the uprooting of vice and the implanting
of virtue is his chief concern. There is a degree of prayer in which ecstasy
occurs. When it is attained, God is sincerely to be thanked. It must, however,
be regarded only as incidental. It is by no means essential to the possession of
perfection in the highest degree. Such is the general outline of Bonaventure's
mysticism which is largely a continuation and development of what the St.
Victors had already laid down. The shortest and most complete summary of it is
found in his "De Triplici Via", often erroneously entitled the "Incendium
Amoris", in which he distinguishes the different stages or degrees of perfect
charity. What the "Breviloquium" is to Scholasticism, the "De Triplici Via" is
to mysticism: a perfect compendium of all that is best in it. Savonarola made a
pious and learned commentary upon it. Perhaps the best known of Bonaventure's
other mystical and ascetical writings are the "Soliloquium", a sort of dialogue
containing a rich collection of passages from the Fathers on spiritual
questions; the "Lignum vitae", a series of forty-eight devout meditations on the
life of Christ, the "De sex alis seraphim", a precious opuscule on the virtues
of superiors, which Father Claudius Acquaviva caused to be printed separately
and circulated throughout the Society of Jesus; the "Vitis mystica", a work on
the Passion, which was for a long time erroneously ascribed to St. Bernard, and
"De Perfectione vitae", a treatise which depicts the virtues that make for
religious perfection, and which appears to have been written for the use of
Blessed Isabella of France, who had founded a monastery of Poor Clares at
Longchamps.
Bonaventure's
exegetical works were highly esteemed in the Middle Ages and still remain a
treasure house of thoughts and treatises. They include commentaries on the Books
of Ecclesiastes and Wisdom and on the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John. In
addition to his commentary on the Fourth Gospel, Bonaventure composed
"Collationes in Joannem", ninety-one conferences on subjects relating to it. His
"Collationes in Hexameron" is a work of the same kind, but its title, which did
not originate with Bonaventure, is somewhat misleading. It consists of an
unfinished course of instructions delivered at Paris in 1273. Bonaventure did
not intend in these twenty-one discourses to explain the work of the six days,
but rather to draw some analogous instructions from the first chapter of
Genesis, as a warning to his auditors against some errors of the day. It is an
exaggeration to say that Bonaventure had regard only to the mystical sense of
Scripture. In such of his writings as are properly exegetical he follows the
text, though he also develops the practical conclusions deduced from it, for in
the composition of these works he had the advantage of the preacher mainly in
view. Bonaventure had conceived the most sublime idea of the ministry of
preaching, and notwithstanding his manifold labours in other fields, this
ministry ever held an especial place among his labours. He neglected no
opportunity of preaching, whether to the clergy, the people, or his own Friars,
and Bl. Francis of Fabriano (d. 1322), his contemporary and auditor, bears
witness that Bonaventure's renown as a preacher almost surpassed his fame as a
teacher. He preached before popes and kings, in Spain and Germany, as well as in
France and Italy. Nearly five hundred authentic sermons of Bonaventure have come
down to us; the greater part of them were delivered in Paris before the
university while Bonaventure was professor there, or after he had become
minister general. Most of them were taken down by some of his auditors and thus
preserved to posterity. In his sermons he follows the Scholastic method of
putting forth the divisions of his subject and then expounding each division
according to the different senses.
Besides
his philosophical and theological writings, Bonaventure left a number of works
referring to the religious life, but more especially to the Franciscan Order.
Among the latter is his well-known explanation of the Rule of the Friars Minor;
in this work, written at a time when the dissensions vithin the order as to the
observance of the Rule were so painfully marked, he adopted a conciliatory
attitude, approving neither the interpretation of the Zelanti nor that of the
Relaxati. His aim was to promote harmony in essentials. With this end in view,
he had chosen a middle course at the outset and firmly adhered to it during the
seventeen years of his generalship. If anyone could have succeeded in uniting
the order, it would have been Bonaventure; but the via media proved
impracticable, and Bonaventure's personality only served to hold in check the
elements of discord, subsequently represented by the Conventuals and the
Fraticelli. Following upon his explanation of the Rule comes Bonaventure's
important treatise embodying the Constitutions of Narbonne already referred to.
There is also an answer by Bonaventure to some questions concerning the Rule, a
treatise on the guidance of novices, and an opuscule in which Bonaventure states
why the Friars Minor preach and hear confessions, besides a number of letters
which give us a special insight into the saint's character. These include
official letters written by Bonaventure as general to the superiors of the
order, as well as personal letters addressed like that "Ad innominatum
magistrum" to private individuals. Bonaventure's beautiful "Legend" or life of
St. Francis completes the writings in which he strove to promote the spiritual
welfare of his brethren. This well-known work is composed of two parts of very
unequal value. In the first Bonaventure publishes the unedited facts that he had
been able to gather at Assisi and elsewhere; in the other he merely abridges and
repeats what others, and especially Celano, had already recorded. As a whole, it
is essentially a legenda pacis, compiled mainly with a view to pacifying the
unhappy discord still ravaging the order. St. Bonaventure's aim was to present a
general portrait of the holy founder which, by the omission of certain points
that had given rise to controversy, should be acceptable to all parties. This
aim was surely legitimate even though from a critical standpoint the work may
not be a perfect biography. Of this "Legenda Major", as it came to be called,
Bonaventure made an abridgment arranged for use in choir and known as the
"Legenda Minor".
Bonaventure
was the true heir and follower of Alexander of Hales and the continuator of the
old Franciscan school founded by the Doctor Irrefragabilis, but he surpassed the
latter in acumen, fertility of imagination, and originality of expression. His
proper place is heside his friend St. Thomas, as they are the two greatest
theologians of Scholasticism. If it be true that the system of St. Thomas is
more finished than that of Bonaventure, it should be borne in mind that, whereas
Thomas was free to give himself to study to the end of his days, Bonaventure had
not yet received the Doctor's degree when he was called to govern his order and
overwhelmed with multifarious cares in consequence. The heavy responsibilities
which he bore till within a few weeks of his death were almost incompatible with
further study and even precluded his completing what he had begun before his
thirty-sixth year. Again, in attempting to make a comparison betweenBonaventure
and St. Thomas, we should remember that the two saints were of a different bent
of mind; each had qualities in which he excelled; one was in a sense the
complement of the other; one supplied what the other lacked. Thus Thomas was
analytical, Bonaventure synthetical; Thomas was the Christian Aristotle,
Bonaventure the true disciple of Augustine; Thomas was the teacher of the
schools, Bonaventure of practical life; Thomas enlightened the mind, Bonaventure
inflamed the heart; Thomas extended the Kingdom of God by the love of theology,
Bonaventure by the theology of love. Even those who hold that Bonaventure does
not reach the level of St. Thomas in the sphere of Scholastic speculation
concede that as a mystic he far surpasses the Angelic Doctor. In this particular
realm of thelogy, Bonaventure equals, if he does not excel, St. Bernard himself.
Leo XIII rightly calls Bonaventure the Prince of Mystics: "Having scaled the
difficult heights of speculation in a most notable manner, he treated of
mystical theology with such perfection that in the common opinion of the learned
he is facile princeps in that field." (Allocutio of 11 October, 1890.) It must
not be concluded, however, that Bonaventure's mystical writings constitute his
chief title to fame. This conclusion, in so far as it seems to imply a
deprecation of his labours in the field of Scholasticism, is opposed to the
explicit utterances of several pontiffs and eminent scholars, is incompatible
with Bonaventure's acknowledged reputation in the Schools, and is excluded by an
intelligent perusal of his works. As a matter of fact, the half of one volume of
the ten comprising the Quaracchi edition suffices to contain Bonaventure's
ascetic and mystic writings. Although Bonaventure's mystical works alone would
suffice to place him in the foremost rank, yet he may justly be called a mystic
rather than a Scholastic only in so far as every subject he treats of is made
ultimately to converge upon God. This abiding sense of God's presence which
pervades all the writings of Bonaventure is perhaps their fundamental attribute.
To it we may trace that all-pervading unction which is their peculiar
characteristic. As Sixtus V aptly expresses it: "In writing he united to the
highest erudition an equal amount of the most ardent piety; so that whilst
enlightening his readers he also touched their hearts penetrating to the inmost
recesses of their souls" (Bull, Triumphantis Jerusalem). St. Antoninus, Denis
the Carthusian, Louis of Granada, and Father Claude de la Colombière, among
others, have also noted this feature of Bonaventure's writings. Invariably he
aims at arousing devotion as well as imparting knowledge. He never divorces the
one from the other, but treats learned subjects devoutly and devout subjects
learnedly. Bonaventure, however, never sacrifices truth to devotion, but his
tendency to prefer an opinion which arouses devotion to a dry and uncertain
speculation may go far towards explaining not a little of the widespread
popularity his writings enjoyed among his contemporaries and all succeeding
ages. Again Bonaventure is distinguished from the other Scholastics not only by
the greater warmth of his religious teaching, but also by its practical tendency
as Trithemius notes (Scriptores Eccles.). Many purely speculative questions are
passed over by Bonaventure; there is a directness about all he has written. No
useful purpose, he declares, is achieved by mere controversy. He is ever
tolerant and modest. Thus while he himself accepts the literal interpretations
of the first chapter of Genesis, Bonaventure acknowledges the admissibility of a
different one and refers with admiration to the figurative explanation
propounded by St. Augustine. He never condemns the opinions of others and
emphatically disclaims anything like finality for his own views. Indeed he
asserts the littleness of his authority, renounces all claims to originality and
calls himself a "poor compiler". No doubt Bonaventure's works betray some of the
defects of the learning of his day, but there is nothing in them that savours of
useless subtlety. "One does not find in his pages", notes Gerson (De Examin.
Doctrin.) "vain trifles or useless cavils, nor does he mix as do so many others,
worldly digressions with serious theological discussions. "This", he adds, "is
the reason why St. Bonaventure has been abandoned by those Scholastics who are
devoid of piety, of whom the number is alas! but too large". It has been said
that Bonaventure's mystical spirit unfitted him for subtle analysis. Be this as
it may, one of the greatest charms of Bonaventure's writings is their simple
clearness. Though he had necessarily to make use of the Scholastic method, he
rose above dialectics, and though his argumentation may at times seem too
cumbersome to find approval in our time, yet he writes with an ease and grace of
style which one seeks in vain among the other Schoolmen. To the minds of his
contemporaries impregnated with the mysticism of the Middle Ages, the spirit
that breathed in Bonaventure's writings seemed to find its parallel only in the
lives of those that stand nearest to the Throne, and the title of "Seraphic
Doctor" bestowed upon Bonaventure is an undeniable tribute to his all-absorbing
love for God. This title seems to have been first given to him in 1333 in the
Prologue of the "Pantheologia" by Raynor of Pisa, O.P. He had already received
while teaching in Paris the name of Doctor Devotus.
The
Franciscan Order has ever regarded Bonaventure as one of the greatest Doctors
and from the beginning his teaching found many distinguished expositors within
the order, among the earliest being his own pupils, John Peckham later
Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew of Aquasparta, and Alexander of Alexandria (d.
1314), both of whom became ministers general of the order. The last named wrote
a "Summa quaestionum S. Bonaventura. Other well-known commentaries are by John
of Erfurt (d. 1317), Verilongus (d. 1464), Brulifer (d. c. 1497), de Combes (d.
1570), Trigosus (d. 1616), Coriolano (d. 1625), Zamora (d. 1649), Bontemps (d.
1672), Hauzeur (d. 1676), Bonelli (d. 1773), etc. From the fourteenth to the
sixteenth century the influence of Bonaventure was undoubtedly somewhat
overshadowed by that of Duns Scotus, owing largely to the prominence of the
latter as champion of the Immaculate Conception in the disputes between the
Franciscans and Dominicans. Sixtus V, however, founded a special chair at Rome
for the study of St. Bonaventure; such chairs also existed in several
universities, notably at Ingolstadt, Salzburg, Valencia, and Osuna. It is worthy
of note that the Capuchins forbade their Friars to follow Scotus and ordered
them to return to the study of Bonaventure. The centenary celebrations of 1874
appear to have revived interest in the life and work of St. Bonaventure. Certain
it is that since then the study of his writings has steadily increased.
Unfortunately
not all of Bonaventure's writings have come down to us. Some were lost before
the invention of printing. On the other hand, several works have in the course
of time been attributed to him which are not his. Such are the "Centiloquium",
the "Speculum Disciplinæ", which is probably the work of Bernard of Besse,
Bonaventure's secretary; the rhythmical "Philomela", which seems to be from the
pen of John Peckham; the "Stimulus Amoris" and the "Speculum B.V.M.", written
respectively by James of Milan and Conrad of Saxony; "The Legend of St. Clare",
which is by Thomas of Celano; the "Meditationes vitae Christi" composed by a
Friar Minor for a Poor Clare, and the "Biblia pauperum" of the Dominican
Nicholas of Hanapis. Those familiar with the catalogues of European libraries
are aware that no writer since the Middle Ages had been more widely read or
copied than Bonaventure. The earliest catalogues of his works are those given by
Salimbene (1282), Henry of Ghent (d. 1293), Ubertino of Casale (1305), Ptolemy
of Lucca (1327) and the "Chronicle of the XXIV Generals" (1368). The fifteenth
century saw no less than fifty editions of Bonaventure's works. More celebrated
than any preceding edition was that published at Rome (1588-96) by order of
Sixtus V (7 vols. in fol.). It was reprinted with but slight emendations at Metz
in 1609 and at Lyons in 1678. A fourth edition appeared at Venice (13 vols. in
4to) 1751, and was reprinted at Paris in 1864. All these editions were very
imperfect in so far as they include spurious works and omit genuine ones. They
have been completely superseded by the celebrated critical edition published by
the Friars Minor at Quaracchi, near Florence. Any scientific study of
Bonaventure must be based upon this edition, upon which not only Leo XIII (13
December, 1885) and Pius X (11 April, 1904), but scholars of all creeds have
lavished the highest encomiums. Nothing seems to have been omitted which could
make this edition perfect and complete. In its preparation the editors visited
over 400 libraries and examined nearly 52,000 manuscripts, while the first
volume alone contains 20,000 variant readings. It was commenced by Father
Fidelis a Fanna (d. 1881) and completed by Father Ignatius Jeiler (d. 1904):
"Doctoris Seraphici S. Bonaventuræ S. H. B. Episcopi Cardinalis Opera Omnia, --
edita studio et cura P. P. Collegii S. Bonaventura in fol. ad Claras Aquas
[Quaracchi] 1882-1902". In this edition the works of the saint are distributed
through the ten volumes as follows: the first four contain his great
"Commentaries on the Book of Sentences"; the fifth comprises eight smaller
scholastic works such as the "Breviloquium" and "Itinerarium"; the sixth and
seventh are devoted to his commentaries on Scripture; the eighth contains his
mystical and ascetic writings and works having special reference to the order;
the ninth his sermons; whilst the tenth is taken up with the index and a short
sketch of the saint's life and writings by Father Ignatius Jeiler.
We
do not possess any formal, contemporary biography of St. Bonaventure. That
written by the Spanish Franciscan, Zamorra, who flourished before 1300, has not
been preserved. The references to Bonaventure's life contained in the works of
Salimbene (1282), Bernard of Besse (c. 1380), Bl. Francis of Fabriano (d. 1322),
Angelo Clareno (d. 1337), Ubertino of Casale (d. 1338), Bartholomew of Pisa (d.
1399) and the "Chronicle of the XXIV Generals" (c. 1368), are in vol. X of the
Quaracchi Edition (pp. 39-72).
|
source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stbonaventure.asp#ixzz1SBhwUvFp
No comments:
Post a Comment