Memorial of Saint, Bonaventure, priest and doctor of the
Church
(Exodus 18-14.22; Matthew 8:34-11:1)
When St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan friar, was studying in
Paris for the celebrated master’s degree, the diocesan clergy opposed his
candidacy. The mendicant orders were ascendant
throughout Europe, and friars took over many professorial positions at the University
of Paris threatening the dominance of the diocesans. Through an order by the pope Bonaventure was
granted the degree and became one of the Church’s greatest theologians. The gospel today hints at a similar instance
of unfortunate rivalry.
Jesus almost sounds as a troublemaker as he warns his
disciples to expect hostility when they follow him. It is not that he advocates the use of force
or any immoderate behavior. But the
righteousness to which he is calling his disciples live will set them against
their own families. They are not to
worry as he will more than compensate them for any loss they sustain for his
sake.
Parents give permission for adolescent daughters to take
contraceptives. Families inculcate
racial prejudice. Elders tell children
to lie on their behalf. There are many
familial matters for faithful followers of Jesus to resist. One consolation we have in doing so is that
we join the company of saints like Bonaventure.
