7/15/2014 – Tuesday of 15th week in Ordinary Time – Matthew 11:20-24

       Jesus spoke to the people of his day, particularly to the people of the Israelite villages where he spent a lot of time proclaiming God’s kingdom and performing miracles as signs of his divine identity and of the reign of God. However, many in those villages did not heed this message.  This message, nevertheless, is relevant for us today.  How often do we ignore our faith or make excuses for not participating in our parish as much as we should?  Would we see the teachings of Christ reflected in the words and actions non-Christians more than they are reflected in us?

     Today, we celebrate St. Bonaventure, a great theologian from the Franciscan order who taught at the University of Paris and who today is revered as a Doctor of the Church.  Bonaventure was elected the Minister General of the Franciscan Order in 1267 at a time when that order experienced a huge increase in numbers, but at a time when it was splintering into different factions and falling into administrative disorder.  Bonaventure emphasized the spirit of the Franciscan order in his compassion, in his simplicity of life, in his detachment from riches, and in his hard work.  He promoted these values in his leadership of his order.  Bonaventure saw the ministry of the Franciscans as complementing the ministry of diocesan priests in preaching and spiritual direction.  Unfortunately, the priests in this era were often not very well educated and often lacked a depth in their spirituality.  Bonaventure tried to counter this with an emphasis on formation and study.

      Like Bonaventure, we are faced with a particular reality in our modern era, of many people not wanting to fully commit to their faith and with secularism and relativism being the norms in society.  Saints like Bonaventure can teach us a lot in the ways they responded to the reality of the world around them. Bonaventure is full of wise advice for us modern Catholics.  He once said:  “In everything, whether in a thing sensed or a thing known, God Himself is hidden within.”  May we always keep searching for God in our lives. And may we not be afraid to read the signs for the times and to announce the Gospel in the reality in which we live.