“On Enkindling Love” is the subtitle of Bonaventure’s famous treatise The Threefold Way. In a succinct and powerful way, it captures the essence of Bonaventure’s understanding of the spiritual journey. Bonaventure’s theology of the spiritual life provides a dynamic framework within which men and women, lay and religious, might better understand the challenges of human-spiritual development in a diverse cultural and historical context. In very practical ways his vision also invites everyone to follow Christ after the example of Francis of Assisi and make the human-spiritual journey into love “as far as possible” in the state of human pilgrimage (Itinerarium, VII. 2).
This intensive one-week program will focus on Bonaventure’s theology of the spiritual life as it is found in such important texts as the prologue to the Second Book of the Sentence Commentary, The Major Legend of St. Francis, The Perfection of Life Addressed to the Poor Clares, On Governing the Soul and the sermon On the Way of Life. Participants will be invited into a critical-reflective study of these texts both as they embody
Bonaventure’s understanding of the human-spiritual journey as well as offering a vision of spiritual formation and daily living to contemporary men and women.
This program might be of particular interest to Spiritual Directors, Franciscan Formation Directors,
Faith Formation Leaders, and/or individuals who are interested in an in-depth exploration into the vision of the spiritual life according to the mind of the Seraphic Doctor, the Franciscan Master of the 13th century.
Required texts include Works of St. Bonaventure X: Writings on the Spiritual Life, edited by E. Coughlin (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2006) and either Such is the Power of Love; Francis of Assisi as Seen by St. Bonaventure, edited by W. Hellmann, R. Armstrong and William Short (New City Press, 2007)