Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor – Readings

Commentary on Ephesians 3:14-19; Matthew 23:8-12

The Gospel reading is from chapter 23 of Matthew. The whole chapter is a denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees. This is not to say that it is a criticism of every scribe and every Pharisee, but rather of a certain arrogant mentality which many of them displayed, especially in their dealings with Jesus. In general, the very laudable aim of a Pharisee was to try and carry out the Law of Moses as perfectly as possible, believing that that was the way to follow God’s will and grow in holiness. However, it could in some cases lead to a certain sense of superiority in looking down on other people who were not leading similar lives.

It should also be said that the Gospel, in speaking of this mentality, was very likely not thinking of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ time, but rather of people in Christian communities who had this mentality. People who put legalism above love and service. We see traces of it in some of the communities to which Paul wrote his letters (not to mention even in our own day).

Just before today’s passage, Jesus has told his disciples to follow the teachings of the Pharisees, but not their behaviour because they do not practise what they preach. They lay heavy burdens on people, but do not carry them themselves. And their main concern is to be seen to be more perfect than everyone else, and to be obsequiously greeted by people and given special privileges of honour and respect.

The followers of Jesus are not to behave like this. They are not to arrogate titles to themselves, insisting they be called ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Father’ or ‘Master’, because there is only one Teacher and only one Father and only one Master. Greatness in the Christian community is earned by those who give themselves in loving service to all their brothers and sisters. Jesus himself gave the example:

…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…
(Mark 10:35)

Bonaventure was a person who could have demanded obsequious behaviour. He was a distinguished theologian, the Master-General of his Order and a cardinal-archbishop. Yet we know that when messengers came from the Vatican to tell of his appointment as cardinal-archbishop, he only received them after he had finished what he was doing—washing dishes for the community. His was a life of frugal simplicity and service.

In the First Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians we are reminded of Bonaventure’s mystical and affective approach to understanding his God. Paul’s prayer for the Christians of Ephesus sums up the goal of Bonaventure’s life:

I pray that…Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love…that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

May that prayer be fulfilled in our lives too.

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Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor

Bonaventure, the son of a medical doctor, was born in 1221 at Bagnoreggio, near Orvieto. He became a Franciscan in 1243. His intellectual gifts were soon recognized and he was sent to Paris to study under Alexander of Hales. In 1248, he received his licence to teach, and in 1253 he became Master of the Franciscan School at Paris.

As a theologian he is regarded as being more in the line of St Augustine in contrast to his more Aristotelian contemporary, the Dominican Thomas Aquinas. He emphasised a more ‘feeling’ approach than a purely rational one in speaking of divine mysteries. His main theological teaching is contained in his commentary on the Sententiae of Peter the Lombard. One point on which he differed with Aquinas was his assertion that the creation of the world in time could be shown by human reason. He also wrote important treatises on mystical theology. His Itinerarium mentis ad Deum (The Journey of the Mind to God) became an enduring classic.

In 1257, at the early age of 36, he was elected Minister-General of the Franciscan Order. He has been called, with some justification, its second founder. The Franciscans were coming under criticism at the time as a result of a huge increase in numbers and poor organisation (sadly attributed to Francis of Assisi), with the resulting divisions into factions, each one claiming to be faithful to the Founder.

While strongly defending the ideals of Francis, Bonaventure insisted, against Francis, on the need for study, on having libraries and proper buildings. He approved of the Friars studying and teaching in universities. He saw the Franciscan role as complementing the work of the diocesan clergy through preaching and spiritual direction. The clergy of the day were often poorly educated and lacking in spirituality.

Within the Franciscans he urged a middle way. He opposed the so-called ‘Spirituals’ who promoted material poverty above all as being the true teaching of Francis. At the same time, his own ideals of a simple life of frugal poverty, hard work and detachment from the rich, as well as from riches, were a reality in his own life. He wrote A Life of Francis, which was approved by the Chapter of 1266 as the only officially authorised version.

As Minister-General he visited Italy, France, Germany, and England. In 1265, he was nominated Archbishop of York by Pope Clement IV, but declined the honour. However, in 1273, he was made Cardinal-Bishop of Albano by Pope Gregory X, with a command not to refuse. When the papal messengers called on him, he was washing dishes in the Mugello friary (near Florence) and asked them to wait until he had finished.

He played a prominent role in the Council of Lyons which was called to bring about a reunion with the Eastern churches; Thomas Aquinas died on his way to the same council. A temporary reunion of the churches was achieved, and Bonaventure preached at the Mass of reconciliation. However, he did not live to see Constantinople repudiate the reunion.

He died on 15 July, 1274, at the age of fifty-two. His achievements in theology and administration should not allow one to forget dominant traits noted by his contemporaries: a gentle courtesy, compassion, and accessibility. Bonaventure was canonised by Pope Sixtus IV in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588. He is often called the Seraphic Doctor.

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