Saint Bonaventure

The Mass is a central and essential part of the Christian life, the very source and summit of our devotion and piety. Instituted by Jesus Himself at the Last Supper and faithfully passed on by the apostles and their successors, it is not merely a memorial of the passion, death, and resurrection of our Savior, but a true participation in His one redeeming sacrifice. It does not merely praise and invoke God, but causes Him to be really, truly, and substantially present. It is through the Mass that we become closest to Jesus, and mystically partake in His passion, death, and resurrection. It is through the Mass that we receive the "Bread of the Angels," which imparts to our fragile human nature the eternal life of God Himself. Saint Bonaventure's Expositio Missae ("Exposition of the Mass") offers inspiring and touching insight into the multiple layers of meaning and symbolism embodied within the sacred actions of the Eucharistic celebration. Also offered in this volume are some of the Seraphic Doctor's beautiful and passionate prayers, including those to be said before Mass, before the reception of Holy Communion, and after Mass. As Saint Bonaventure says, with this book, you will be able to "hear the most holy Mass with the greatest possible devotion and reverence."

Rapport es par Saint Bonaventure et traduites par l'Abb Berthaumier, les "Sept Paroles du Christ en Croix" sont une s rie de courtes m ditations sur les paroles prononc es par J sus Christ alors qu'il tait clou sur la croix. Elles encouragent ainsi les croyants r fl chir profond ment aux enseignements et la signification spirituelle de la crucifixion de J sus. Dans cette dition, les paroles du Christ sont suivies de conf rences donn es par Saint Bonaventure. Elles sont ici au nombre de neuf, et portent sur des sujets tels que la d votion, le silence ou la discipline. La mise en page de cet ouvrage b n ficie d'une taille de caract res destin e rendre la lecture agr able pour tous. Contenu: - Les sept paroles de J sus en Croix- Conf rence sur l'incarnation- Conf rence sur la crainte du Seigneur- Conf rence sur l'ob issance- Conf rence sur la modestie- Conf rence sur le silence- Conf rence sur la d votion- Conf rence sur la diligence- Conf rence sur la discipline- Conf rence sur le m pris du monde

From the pulpit of the cross, Christ gave His final and most riveting sermon: His seven last words. In times past, Christ frequently spoke in parables, but no more. No, Christ penned these words with His royal blood like a calligrapher using the most delicate of strokes. Christʼs seven last words are the greatest utterances ever recorded in the history of the world--greater than the words of any esteemed orator, heroic leader, or even saint, because they were the last words of God to mankind. They are the "mystical compendium of the entire Gospel," the perfection of the Beatitudes. Yes, Christ saved the best for last, just like at the wedding feast of Cana--only this time, it was the blood and water from His side that were offered freely to His own bride, the Church. In this engrossing work, the seraphic doctor, Saint Bonaventure, and Arnold of Bonneval, a Benedictine abbot, offer some of the most profound insights into the seven last words of Christ. Arnold, a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, is believed to be the first person to write on the seven last words, inspiring Bonaventure. While the seven last words have been glossed over for centuries by Christians, it is now time to uncover their hidden and powerful meaning--for there is no greater meditation than pondering the Teacher's last lecture. In Christ's seven last words, we find the necessary direction to reach the heights of perfection.

The Works of Bonaventure is a collection of writings by the Middle Ages Cardinal and Saint Bonaventure. This particular compilation, the Mystical Opuscula, is a collection of five of Bonaventure's most respected works dealing with topics of theology like the individual's journey toward God, prayer, meditation, the life and Passion of Christ, and the life of piety and faith. Not much is known about "the Prince of Mystics'" early life. He was born Giovanni di Fidanza in 1221 near Vitero, Italy, and first entered the Franciscan Order in 1243. Bonaventure undertook his education at the University of Paris and stayed to teach theology for the next 12 years. At the age of 36, Bonaventure was elected the Minister General of the Friars Minor, an office he held for many years. In 1271, he was instrumental in securing the election of Pope Gregory X. The new pope then appointed Bonaventure as Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. He wrote extensively, drafting over 20 works of philosophy and theology. His interpretation of scripture is often heavily symbolic, but he never shied away from the pain and cruelty inflicted upon Christ. The Passion was one of the most visited topics in Bonaventure's writing. He found the suffering of Christ to be the most important event in history, the greatest proof of God's love for humanity. Among his many writings include the five works published here in the Mystical Opuscula ● The Journey of the Mind to God● The Triple Way, or Love Enkindled● The Tree of Life● The Mystical Vine● On the Perfection of Life, Addressed to Sisters The Journey of the Mind to God, often considered one of his masterpieces, describes the six steps man should take to contemplate God, beginning with acknowledging God through his creation and finishing with considering the Holy Trinity. After dedicating oneself to the six ways of thought, the result will be peace and repose - a quiet mind and a soul risen toward God. The Triple Way, or Love Enkindled explains how meditation, prayer, and contemplation can lead to purification, illumination, and unity with God. The Tree of Life is a meditation on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It takes the form of 12 "fruits" born on the Tree of Life in the paradisiacal Garden of Eden. The fruits on the bottom four branches concern the origins and life of the man, Jesus. The next four branches describe the Passion, and the top four describe the glories of His resurrection and ascension. The Mystical Vine: Treatise on the Passion of the Lord explores the symbol of the vine as Christ himself. The pruning, tying, and flowering of the vine are all used as metaphors for the events of the life and Passion of Christ, and the leaves of the vine are symbols for His words upon the cross. On the Perfection of Life, Addressed to Sisters was written at the request of St. Isabelle of France, the sister of King Louis IX. The work is subtitled "An outline of spiritual progress," and describes the life of humility, poverty, silence, prayer, and perfect love for God that the brides of Christ should live to be close to Him. Over 200 years after his death, Bonaventure was canonized Saint Bonaventure by Pope Sixtus IV. He is still considered one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the Middle Ages, and his work remains essential reading for any student of theology or philosophy.

The Works of Bonaventure is a collection of writings by the Middle Ages Cardinal and Saint Bonaventure. This particular compilation, the Mystical Opuscula, is a collection of five of Bonaventure's most respected works dealing with topics of theology like the individual's journey toward God, prayer, meditation, the life and Passion of Christ, and the life of piety and faith. Not much is known about "the Prince of Mystics'" early life. He was born Giovanni di Fidanza in 1221 near Vitero, Italy, and first entered the Franciscan Order in 1243. Bonaventure undertook his education at the University of Paris and stayed to teach theology for the next 12 years. At the age of 36, Bonaventure was elected the Minister General of the Friars Minor, an office he held for many years. In 1271, he was instrumental in securing the election of Pope Gregory X. The new pope then appointed Bonaventure as Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. He wrote extensively, drafting over 20 works of philosophy and theology. His interpretation of scripture is often heavily symbolic, but he never shied away from the pain and cruelty inflicted upon Christ. The Passion was one of the most visited topics in Bonaventure's writing. He found the suffering of Christ to be the most important event in history, the greatest proof of God's love for humanity. Among his many writings include the five works published here in the Mystical Opuscula ● The Journey of the Mind to God● The Triple Way, or Love Enkindled● The Tree of Life● The Mystical Vine● On the Perfection of Life, Addressed to Sisters The Journey of the Mind to God, often considered one of his masterpieces, describes the six steps man should take to contemplate God, beginning with acknowledging God through his creation and finishing with considering the Holy Trinity. After dedicating oneself to the six ways of thought, the result will be peace and repose - a quiet mind and a soul risen toward God. The Triple Way, or Love Enkindled explains how meditation, prayer, and contemplation can lead to purification, illumination, and unity with God. The Tree of Life is a meditation on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It takes the form of 12 "fruits" born on the Tree of Life in the paradisiacal Garden of Eden. The fruits on the bottom four branches concern the origins and life of the man, Jesus. The next four branches describe the Passion, and the top four describe the glories of His resurrection and ascension. The Mystical Vine: Treatise on the Passion of the Lord explores the symbol of the vine as Christ himself. The pruning, tying, and flowering of the vine are all used as metaphors for the events of the life and Passion of Christ, and the leaves of the vine are symbols for His words upon the cross. On the Perfection of Life, Addressed to Sisters was written at the request of St. Isabelle of France, the sister of King Louis IX. The work is subtitled "An outline of spiritual progress," and describes the life of humility, poverty, silence, prayer, and perfect love for God that the brides of Christ should live to be close to Him. Over 200 years after his death, Bonaventure was canonized Saint Bonaventure by Pope Sixtus IV. He is still considered one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the Middle Ages, and his work remains essential reading for any student of theology or philosophy.

The Nightingale, attributed to the early Franciscan mystic and philosopher St. Bonaventure, is an extended and complex poetical composition telling the story of the dying day of this mysterious songbird. According to medieval legend, upon that fateful day the nightingale ascends the highest tree it can find, and from there pours forth a ceaseless torrent of passionate, ebullient song. In this transcendent singing, the motifs of love, pain, and bliss are mystically intertwined in an almost intoxicated ecstasy. The song climaxes in death itself, which thus becomes, paradoxically, the apotheosis and consummation of love and of life. The legend of the dying nightingale functions as a symbolic depiction of the life and death of Christ, as well as the progress of the individual soul towards its final deific eternity when it is dissolved into the realms of celestial light. The vivid, rhythmic language of the Latin original, with its haunting and striking beauty, is carefully emulated in this new adaptation of the work into English verse.

The Nightingale, attributed to the early Franciscan mystic and philosopher St. Bonaventure, is an extended and complex poetical composition telling the story of the dying day of this mysterious songbird. According to medieval legend, upon that fateful day the nightingale ascends the highest tree it can find, and from there pours forth a ceaseless torrent of passionate, ebullient song. In this transcendent singing, the motifs of love, pain, and bliss are mystically intertwined in an almost intoxicated ecstasy. The song climaxes in death itself, which thus becomes, paradoxically, the apotheosis and consummation of love and of life. The legend of the dying nightingale functions as a symbolic depiction of the life and death of Christ, as well as the progress of the individual soul towards its final deific eternity when it is dissolved into the realms of celestial light. The vivid, rhythmic language of the Latin original, with its haunting and striking beauty, is carefully emulated in this new adaptation of the work into English verse.

Author's Preface "Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her. She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown." (Prov. 4:8-9.) Glory be to God on high, and thanksgiving, and the voice of praise, who at one time by the mysteries of prophecy, at another by oracles from Heaven, again by the reading of the Gospel, and now by the mouth of preachers, in many ways and by divers channels, most sincerely urges and invites us to honor the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Heaven and of the Angels; that by her holy merits, most worthy of all acceptance, we, being delivered from the depths of hell, may be inscribed by her in the ranks of the angels. Wherefore, although Solomon spoke the aforesaid words of Wisdom, nevertheless the Holy Spirit, by a mystical application, intends them to be understood of the most excellent Virgin Mary. By means of these words, dearly beloved, He is drawing you to His love, and by various promises is attracting and softening your hearts, that you may enjoy His divine embraces. His meaning is that you will obtain four wonderful gifts, if this glorious Virgin is joined to you by a spiritual bond, and is embraced by you in the arms of fervent desire, with great reverence and devotion. First, she will bring you exaltation; and she shall exalt thee; secondly, glorification; and thou shalt be glorified by her; thirdly, the abundance of graces; she shall give to thy head increase of graces; fourthly, the unfading crown of perpetual glory, and protect thee with a noble crown. Therefore I beseech thee, dearly beloved and most desired, do not repel so noble and so beautiful a virgin; do not make little of so admirable and revered a queen as the Virgin Mary: lest, if she should see herself despised by you, you will be, I will not say, deprived of such great favors, but, which God forbid, you will incur perpetual evils. Expand the bosom of your mind to serve her, prepare your heart to praise and glorify her, lose your tongue, and with swift service hasten to please her. For there is no doubt that from her nearness to you, you will become more devout, from contact with her you will grow more pure, from her embrace you will abound more in grace and be more resplendent in purity. That I may give you an occasion of obtaining such great gifts, I send you the Psalter of this most Holy Virgin, put together and composed indeed by my feeble intelligence, but with her grace and help; by means of it you will praise with divers hymns, now her virginity and chastity, now her fecundity and sanctity, now her clemency and bounty. You will be able to salute her as full of all grace, or as filled with all knowledge, or as illumined by all understanding and wisdom. There you will bless the Fruit of her glorious womb, the members of His holy body, and the prerogatives of His soul, bestowing all sanctity. There you will invoke the aid of all the choirs of angels to praise her, and of all the multitudes of holy men, the isles of the nations, the heavens, the beauty of all luminaries and of the whole world. There you will beseech her to destroy the power of your spiritual enemies, to obtain for you pardon of all your sins, that she may render the great Judge propitious to you, that she may illumine your deathbed by her gracious presence, and obtain for you joy without end. Therefore, O dearly beloved souls, graciously receive this little gift which I offer you, and strive to draw fruit there from; by means of it frequently praise the Mother of God; and thus perchance she will turn to you her gracious countenance, receiving you to her love, refreshing your soul in the present, and placing upon your head a crown of precious stones in the world to come.

Prologue 5 I. Of His Manner of Life in the Secular State 12 II. Of His Perfect Conversion unto God, and of the Repairing of the Three Churches 21 III. Of the Founding of his Religion, and Sanction of the Rule 32 IV. Of the Advancement of the Order under his Hand, and of the Confirmation of the Rule already Sanctioned 45 V. Of the Austerity of his Life, and of How All Created Things afforded him Comfort 61 VI. Of his Humility and Obedience, and of the Divine Condescensions shewn unto him at Will 76 VII. Of his Love for Poverty, and of the Wondrous Supplying of his Needs 91 VIII. Of the Kindly Impulses of his Piety, and of how the Creatures lacking Understanding Seemed To Be Made Subject unto Him 107 IX. Of His Ardent Love, and Yearning for Martyrdom 125 X. Of his Zeal and Efficacy in Prayer 139 XI. Of his Understanding of the Scriptures, and of his Spirit of Prophecy 150 XII. Of the Efficacy of his Preaching, and of his Gift of Healing 167 XIII. Of the Sacred Stigmata 183 XIV. Of his Sufferings and Death 198 XV. Of his Canonisation, and the Translation of his Body 207 Miracles Wrought after his Death 216 I. Concerning the Powers of the Sacred Stigmata 216 II. Of the Dead that were Raised 228 III. Of them that he Delivered from the Peril of Death 237 IV. Of them that were Saved from Shipwreck 248 V. Of them that he Set Free from Bonds and Imprisonment 253 VI. Of them that were Delivered from the Perils of Childbirth 260 VII. Of the Blind that Received Sight 266 VIII. Of them that were Delivered prom Divers Diseases 272 IX. Of them that did not Observe his Feast, and that Failed in Reverence toward the Saint 279 X. Of certain other Miracles of Divers Kinds 284 Translator's Note 294 PROLOGUE 1. The grace of God our Saviour hath in these latter days appeared in His servant Francis unto all such as be truly humble, and lovers of holy Poverty, who, adoring the overflowing mercy of God seen in him, are taught by his example to utterly deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live after the manner of Christ, thirsting with unwearied desire for the blessed hope. For God Most High regarded him, as one that truly was poor and of a contrite spirit, with so great condescension of His favour as that not only did He raise him up in his need from the dust of his worldly way of life, but also made him a true professor, leader, and herald of Gospel perfection. Thus He gave him for a light unto believers, that by bearing witness of the light he might prepare for the Lord the way of light and peace in the hearts of the faithful. For Francis, even as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, shining with the bright beams of his life and teaching, by his dazzling radiance led into the light them that sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, and, like unto the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds, set forth in himself the seal of the Lord's covenant. He preached the gospel of peace and salvation unto men, himself an Angel of the true peace, ordained of God to follow in the likeness of the Forerunner, that, preparing in the desert the way of sublimest Poverty, he might preach repentance by his example and words alike. For, firstly, he was endowed with the gifts of heavenly grace; next, enriched by the merits of triumphant virtue; filled with the spirit of prophecy and appointed unto angelic ministries; thereafter, wholly set on fire by the kindling of the Seraph, and, like the prophet, borne aloft in a chariot of fire; wherefore it is reasonably proven, and clearly apparent from the witness of his whole life, that he came in the spirit and power of Elias.