Jul 15 – Memorial for St. Bonaventure, bishop, religious, doctor
St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) entered the Franciscan Order when he was 22. At the age of 35, he was chosen General of his Order and restored a perfect calm where peace had been disturbed by internal dissensions. He did much for his Order and composed The Life of St. Francis. He also assisted at the translation of the relics of St. Anthony of Padua.
Isa 1:10-17
Mt 10:34-11:1
“…it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword.”
Today, we celebrate the feast day of St Bonaventure, who was an Italian Catholic Franciscan bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian, and philosopher. One of his famous pieces of work included “Journey of the Mind to God” in 1259, which showed the way by which man as a creature ought to love and contemplate God through Christ after the example of St Francis.
But loving Jesus and God isn’t easy, especially when persecutions and conflicts come our way. Indeed, in today’s Gospel, Jesus spoke about the divisions in families that His cause would bring.
Persecutions within families hurt us the most.
Back then before my baby niece arrived, I used to be mocked by my family whenever I tried to follow some Catholic traditions, for example, abstaining from eating meat or wearing a veil during Mass. Also, I was called “naughty”, “dirty”, and some other vulgar words in dialect for committing a certain sin that I was struggling to overcome. “So embarrassing,” my mom would tell me, when I went for confession because of that sin.
Then the baby came, and my family realised that they had to stop calling me these names because they didn’t want to corrupt her mind with such nasty names.
Reading this Gospel made me think back about how I responded to my family’s mockery and name-calling. I tried to argue by telling them what I believed was right by our church’s teachings, but it wasn’t sticking with them.
Likewise, the Franciscan order had an internal discord during St Bonaventure’s life. The Spirituals upheld a rigorous view of poverty, while the Relaxati proposed a laxity of life. Faced with this conflict, St Bonaventure used his authority prudently by placating the first group and reproving the second. Despite his delicate health, the saint tirelessly visited each province of the order. And he eventually restored and reconciled the order, reforming it in St Francis’s spirit.
I truly admire St Bonaventure’s ability to reconcile opposing views; and to restore peace and harmony in the conflicts that he faced in life.
But in today’s gospel, Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace. Instead, he came to bring a sword.
What kind of peace was he talking about? Aren’t swords for hurting people, like how St Peter used a sword to cut off a servant’s ear to prevent Jesus’s impending arrest?
Perhaps the ‘peace’ our Lord was referring to was a false peace. For example, we should not be apathetic or turn a blind eye if someone attacks our faith. This may seem ‘peaceful’ to some; after all, society and social media has taught us that it’s better to not rock the boat. But does this really bring true peace in our hearts?
So, what should we do if we’re faced with an unjust comment or criticism from our brother or sister? We can follow Jesus’s word, for He said, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” (Mt 18:15-17)
And we can use a sword of love for God to defend ourselves, plus a sword of love to bless people who persecute us. For we should not “be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
(Today’s OXYGEN by Brenda Khoo)
Prayer: Dear Lord, please help us to have the strength to defend our faith and bless those who persecute us. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank You Lord, for giving us the gifts of faith, love, and peace to share with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. And thank You for showing us Your example when You were faced with persecutions. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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