A physician’s son, Giovanni di Fidanza was born in Italy in 1221. As a child, Giovanni was cured of an illness through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. In his late teens or early 20s, he entered the young Franciscan Order and took the name Bonaventure. He then went on to study at the University of Paris, eventually earning his doctorate in theology with his Dominican contemporary, St. Thomas Aquinas. The friars elected him General Minister of the Order where he labored to quell divisions and develop a structure to the young order. He became a bishop, then a cardinal, and his Biblical commentaries and textbooks earned him the title Doctor of the Church.
CHALLENGE
St. Bonaventure wrote today’s challenge for us: “Christ is… like the throne of mercy over the Ark of the Covenant… A man should turn his full attention to this throne of mercy, and should gaze at him hanging on the cross, full of faith, hope, and charity, devoted, full of wonder and joy, marked by gratitude, and open to praise and jubilation.” Today, look at a Crucifix and spend time contemplating Christ on his throne of mercy.
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