Hello John,
Meditation from Head, Heart, and Hands: Bonaventure asserts that without God’s grace, we are nothing and can do nothing. God’s fountain of life and love is the ground of our healing and salvation. Christ empowers us to see our true nature and then enables us by his grace to become Christ-like. In imitating Christ, we are liberated from sin’s stifling of our full humanity. We discover our true destiny. Awakened to God’s grace, we can live joyful lives of service and claim our vocation as bearers of God’s image in our daily lives and relationships. We can, like Francis, be God’s companions in healing the earth, grounded in the recognition that our human and nonhuman companions are beloved by God and have value apart from our interests. Today’s meditation from Head, Heart, and Handsreminds me that the spiritual life is more about awakening to what is already true than it is about striving to attain something we do not yet have. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Think about that for a second. Every day, hour, minute, second of our lives is flowing from the fountain of God’s grace. I hope you enjoy this bookas we, together, awaken more and more to this abundant reality. |
Stephen Copeland Book Editor, Franciscan Media |
Saint of the Day for May 10: Damien de Veuster of Moloka’i (January 3, 1840 – April 15, 1889) Saint Damien de Veuster of Moloka’i’s Story When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy, Hansen’s disease. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease. Forced to quit school at age 13 to work on the family farm, Joseph entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary six years later, taking the name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. When his brother Pamphile, a priest in the same congregation, fell ill and was unable to go to the Hawaiian Islands as assigned, Damien quickly volunteered in his place. In May 1864, two months after arriving in his new mission, Damien was ordained a priest in Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii. In 1873, he went to the Hawaiian government’s leper colony on the island of Moloka’i, set up seven years earlier. Part of a team of four chaplains taking that assignment for three months each year, Damien soon volunteered to remain permanently, caring for the people’s physical, medical, and spiritual needs. In time, he became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support. Soon the settlement had new houses and a new church, school and orphanage. Morale improved considerably. A few years later, he succeeded in getting the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope, to help staff this colony in Kalaupapa. Damien contracted Hansen’s disease and died of its complications. As requested, he was buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his body moved to Belgium. Part of Damien’s body was returned to his beloved Hawaiian brothers and sisters after his beatification in 1995. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, it selected Damien as one of its two representatives in the Statuary Hall at the US Capitol. Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009. Reflection Some people thought Damien was a hero for going to Moloka’i and others thought he was crazy. When a Protestant clergyman wrote that Damien was guilty of immoral behavior, Robert Louis Stevenson vigorously defended him in an “Open Letter to Dr. Hyde.”
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Embrace the inspiring spiritual life of Saint Bonaventure that still resonates today! |
Jesus Calls Us Jesus is calling each and every one of us from the boats of our own comforts. Maybe, like me, Jesus is calling you from the comfort of a traditional family close to home to religious life. But maybe not. Maybe the comfort that you seek in the boat is actually your own independence and lack of commitment, and what Jesus is calling you step out onto are the waters of a traditional family, committing yourself to others. While each of our vocations is uniquely different and what is asked of me is likely not what will be asked of you, one thing is true for us all: True disciples of Christ never get comfortable in their seats. Rather than staying where it is safe, clinging to what is familiar, they recognize that the mission of Christ does not have walls or limits, and being a disciple is not a nine-to-five job. Whether it be for desire for pleasure, a response to fear, or simply the result of overwhelming apathy, any comfort that leaves us sitting in the boat when Jesus is standing out on the sea is a roadblock to discipleship. Jesus is calling us, and we must be willing to let go of what keeps us from him. —from the book Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship
by Casey Cole, OFM |
"His [Bonaventure] writings contain a wealth of wisdom. I hope this text brings Bonaventure to life for you and that, in learning about his vision of God and the world, you will discover something important about your own faith journey." —from Head, Heart, and Hands: An Introduction to Saint Bonaventure. |
To Toil or Not to Toil Reflect Too often we blindly strive for success, fulfillment, riches, or pleasure. As the Book of Wisdom reminds us, even as they grumbled and complained, God provided his people with manna from Heaven, a food that conformed to every taste. To the chocolate lover, it tasted like the best chocolate; to the nacho lover, it had just enough spice, and to the pizza lover, it was the perfect slice. Don’t let yourself get so busy chasing a dream that you miss out on life. And the one who made it—just for you. Pray God, help me to slow down,
to trust in your love and your providence,
to know that you alone know what I truly need
and you alone will provide it.
Heavenly Father, I entrust myself to you
And to your tender love. Act There is a wonderful prayer called “The Surrender Novena.” Today, when you find yourself overwhelmed by worries, take a break. Let yourself relax for even a moment; collect your thoughts and cares and set them aside. Now, make the sign of the cross, and pray these words: “O, my Jesus, I surrender myself completely to you. Thy will be done. Take care of everything.” Today's Pause+Pray was written by Herman Sutter. Learn more here! |
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