The true worshiper of God and disciple of Christ,
who desires to conform perfectly
to the Savior of all men
crucified for him,
should, above all, strive
with an earnest endeavor of soul
to carry about continuously,
both in his soul and in his flesh,
the cross of Christ
until he can truly feel in himself
what the Apostle stated: With Christ I am nailed to the Cross.
-St. Bonaventure
Never tried the WordPress “quote poster” before, so I thought I would. It’s short and it’s sweet and, frankly, it’s to the point which is what I need given the fact I have Influenza A and would like a tall, stiff glass of Liquid NyQuil and a heating pad.
That being said, I flew home from St. Paul this afternoon because the rest of the seminary is on retreat for 8 days which would have left me all by my sorry lonesome with no food or company other than Almighty God. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t go on the retreat because it’s basically the biggest one and SJV’er with go on during his time there but, you know, there’s always next year. I’m just struggling finding God’s will in the midst of all of this.Â
In the meantime, though, let’s allow St. Bonaventure to be our guide and our friend as we battle life’s little surprises, its inconveniences, and that unexpected curve in the farm road at night that sends us flying into the corn. As I’ve mentioned before (so has some guy named St. John…heard of him?), Jesus Christ is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6) so what’s the big deal, hot shot? Take a breath. Sit down. Look up, and thank Jesus. Bear your crosses with courage, no matter what the world says about them or about what kind of a person you are for doing it…they hated Jesus first (John 15:18) and he’s got your back as long as it takes (Matthew 28:20). So forgive them for what they don’t understand (Luke 23:34), get up, and move on. Bear, with an “earnest endeavor of soul” to carry the cross you defend with honor, with dignity, and with strength because the world’s going to try and knock it off your shoulder. The world is weak. And the people who live only for this world and its princes are just as weak. People might not always agree with what we stand for, but at least we stand for something; something that exists outside of ourselves, our own reality, and into something bigger than ourselves because, yes, we believe there is something better than ourselves. There has to be, otherwise this planet was, is, and always be one goofy place.
Have some free time? Bonaventure’s The Tree of Life is one damn good read.Â
In the Light,
RAÂ
