That well oh you all about the thunderstorm you thought you’re so nice to stay in bed I read your mind welcome back just to find out how many of you here are first time didn’t come yesterday at all hello welcome BL confession over there okay so very warm welcome to those
Joining us for the first time so yesterday we already had the prayers of St Francis to get into the soul of who um Francis is uh to know who a person really is you see how he connects with God right and then in the evening we look at Pope Francis and St Francis
Looking at Mission especially through Mercy right so Mercy Mercy Mercy Mercy and that’s the mission with Evangel gum the joy of the Gospel so today in the morning we’re going to look at the Holy Spirit as the culminating gift and from Easter to Pentecost this
Whole time is this time we can say yes of the Lord Risen Lord but also of the spirit and so Wayne will take us through a little bit on uh Bon Aventure as well for this hour after the break we are going to look at the latest research so
Be ready to be taken into a worldwin um Adventure into what’s happening in the academic world especially in the francisan academic world okay just to excite you a little bit if you’re excited about such things and then tonight we’re going to go into sacraments into liturgy so that we end up with
Worship uh for those of you first time here just few words about Wayne Wayne is a conventional Pryer you can see that he’s gray and brown and he’s always very gray no he’s always very happy uh and he is he been teaching in St Louis University for 45 years and directed
Many many students uh doctor thesis I think even Master thesis just too many and a lot of it he engages the students very very deeply and which is why even after they get the doctoral thesis done the context still continues and you can see that it’s all about relationship
Which is actually about fraternity and I think way does it I was very moved and I tell you about the the latest research thing I I I I go ahead of myself it’s always done in it’s a very fraternal thing so way is a very fraternal guy and I think that’s the
Model for all of us in families in communities in fraternities um so let us invite Wayne to share with us this talk on the Holy Spirit and the in spirit and the spirit that brings us all together way so this is a whirlwind right actually this morning as we reflect on
Bonaventure it will be a little bit of a whirlwind because here we’re actually doing some hardcore theology not caling your own prayers and not caling on pokes and cyclicals but we’re diving a little deeper um and you may not catch everything but that’s all right I don’t catch everything either
Even though I’ve been going through this for years uh but hopefully you catch something all right as we go through this and so I’m asking you maybe uh to think a little little differently and try and follow my thinking so that then you can have some insight to which you
Can then respond okay so um let’s just put on our prayerful hats and thinking hats and um that Bon Venture a profound Theologian speak to us as best he can as best I can help him speak to you okay Pope John Paul published an encyclical which didn’t get much pressed
But I thought it was a very important one it was called Diaz domini day of the Lord so I guess one of the reasons because I know a frier who helped him write it so I heard about it before it was published but what pope um John Paul’s
Doing he’s trying to emphasize the importance of Sunday the day of the Lord we talked about the Lord’s Prayer gospel prayer well he’s writing in his encyclia about the day of the Lord the Sunday and then he in that context he speaks of the Sunday of Sundays which what Sunday is the Sunday
Of Sundays Easter basically is what he would say what pope um John would say is the Easter Sunday is extended because it’s the Sunday of Sundays it’s extended into three days beginning on Holy Thursday and that’s all Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday the vigil that’s all one liturgy it’s the Sunday
Liturgy with the jumping through to get to the Eucharist on the Easter Vigil so he in this context makes the point that the Sunday Eucharist is the primary Eucharist of Celebration so the mass on Sunday is unique to different context text than a Monday Tuesday Wednesday you during the
Week so a mass is not simply a mass a mass is unique in terms of its context when and where it’s celebrated especially the day of the Lord and he even goes so far in there to say there should not be any small community masses on Sunday including religious communities by the
Way why they belong with the full assembly on the day of the Lord at that Sunday Eucharist um but he adds something else he points out very clearly that Sunday the day of the Lord C we say celebrates the resurrection of Jesus he argues Sunday is the day of the resurrection and the
Day of Pentecost that’s one event the resurrection and the coming of the spirit because Jesus is raised by the spirit and that’s how the spirit initially comes into our history and our flesh so he would argue the Sunday of Sundays is Easter and Pentecost we separate them which is okay I guess you
Know but we got to keep in mind this is one celebration the resurrection and the coming of the spirit and so only on Pentecost Sunday do we complete our celebration of the Resurrection because the spirit culminating Gift of Life so the resurrection basically he argues is the complete outpouring of the
Fullness of the spirit the complete total outpouring of the full of the fullness of the spirit that raises Jesus from the dead Jesus didn’t decide to get out of the Tomb it was the spirit that raised him to life and so the fullness of the spirit is given to us actually in the
Resurrection so I want to think about this for a few minutes with you that in the spirit holy spirit all things are brought to completion the culminating gift all things are brought to completion both within the depths of God’s Own inner life and within the life that God shares
With us and also with all creation So within we have to think we think about the spirit we have to think about the spirit in terms of what the spirit does within God because that’s going to what the spirit does then within God is going to be echoed what the spirit does among
Us so the same spirit that links the father and the son as Jesus prays the I be in the father and the father is in me in his prayer how is he in the father and the father it’s by the spirit which culminates the Divine Life
Of God within God and the Divine Life Of God within God we know is love and there’s no love without a relationship of persons so the fullness of God’s inner life of love it has to be a love that’s expressed a love that’s received and a love that’s shared that’s true Among
Us love has to be expressed received and shared because that’s the basic pattern of Love within God’s own life and it’s to the fullness that there’s one God in these in the intimacy of these relationships and it’s in relationships in the way that God becomes whole as well as we as ourselves
So St Bon reflects therefore the spirit he calls the Nexus the Latin word I don’t know how to translate it’s the Nexus which is a connection the spirit is the connection within God Among the Divine persons the father and the son and the Son and the father and the spirit is the connection
Among Us and the spirit is the connection between us and God so the spirit is pretty busy in terms of of understanding the Divine relationship ship and so just as in within God’s very self there’s a dynamic life and um we know that we don’t we don’t know about
The trium God except the revelation of Jesus but we can think about it and ponder that mystery with our brains because they’re they’re meant to do that too not just Science and Technology but also Ponder the mystery that’s been revealed to us ponder that with our own
Thinking and Minds in St Bon eventure delves right into that so there’s the fold expression of self by the Father the Father the origin the full expression of self and full acceptance of that expression by the son so giving and receiv receiving and that go takes us into the
Intimacy of the m ual relationship that’s gifted by the spirit the spirit is the mutuality of the one being in the other the one expressing and the one accepting that and the one expressed so just as the spirit who connects the father and the son within the mystery of God brings us into
Communion with that same inner life of God because it’s the same Spirit that’s within God that that completes the fullness of the dynamic damc of love it’s that very same Spirit within the depth of very depth of the mystery of God that dwells in us which means that
Spirit connects us to the inner life of the intimacy of the shared love between the father and the Holy Spirit and that same Spirit given to us that’s within God brings us into communion with each other so I say all of this basically to make one point
And I quote St Bonaventure to make that point the spirit is the Randi explain that right Randi what’s that mean Roo means the reason of completion to finish the spirit sort of finishes the dynamic of Love within God so Bonaventure says the spirit is the r ofende of relationship within God and of
Our relationships with God the connector between us and the Transcendent Almighty Everlasting Almighty most high God the connecting the connector to what is beyond us is the spirit so the spirit is the roopen is the completing completion of the relationship within God and that same spirit is the completing of our relationship with
God so our Easter days now during these days here have as a goal the celebration of the gift of the spirit Pentecost so we celebrated lent the tree him three days of Easter here at St Mary’s very beautifully we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus himself but all of this has a reality Beyond
Itself namely to Foster our disposition to be open to and receptive of the gift of the holy spirit because the fullness of that gift of the Holy Spirit brings us to share in the spirit’s bond in the intimacy within the glory of the trium god and so we always
Pray in the unity of the Holy Spirit through Christ Our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit that’s a constant prayer in our liturgy how our prayer is complete in the unity of the holy spirit because ultimately that’s what our Easter is about so we just want to
Remember that lent is a creating space to prepare our hearts for the gift of the spirit through the resurrection of Christ and by that same Spirit we receive from our Lord and thereby enter into the glory of God and ultimately that Spirit fills us with the glory of God’s very self
Now let’s dive a little deeper okay first into a reflection on the role of the spirit in our lives as members of the mystical body even while we’re yet here on Earth on our pilgrimage and secondly I want to reflect on the role of the spirit in our
Lives within our final Homeland at the right hand of God because the spirit is still operating there as we ourselves rise from the dead into the glory of God by the spirit the spirit basically is what heaven is if I could say that but there in our homeland and I use
That term because Bonaventure uses I like he speaks of Heaven in our homeland as we’re on the pilgrimage in our homeland with God at the right hand of God is where the gifting fullness of the spirit brings us into the heaven L Kingdom wraps us within the bond of the
Glory of God and seats us with the Risen Christ at the right hand of the father let me share an image beloved by St bonab he uses his image a number of times a tree but a tree has its roots in the earth and it comes from seeds planted in the
Earth and from that seed a tree emerges something visible tangible emerges a tree with roots in the earth and then finally ultimately there’s what we high on branches in the sky there’s abundant fruit so Roots the tree the fruit so ultimately what’s this tree about to bring forth
Fruit and he identifies here the seeds in the earth creation that’s God God plants those seeds and by the power of that Spirit those seeds grow and come into a visible Majestic tree visibility what was invisible becomes visible Incarnation Christ and OD quid for what to bear
Fruit in its branches that will nourish us that’s the spirit so he uses that image of the tree to understand how God as Creator father plants the seeds and by the power of the spirit that which is invisible within the Earth comes forth manifest power and is power and Glory
It’s the Incarnation of Christ being made visible Among Us which in turn bears fruit and thus that he would argue that really the whole purpose of the Incarnation of Christ becoming flesh is so that we receive the spirit because it is through the mediation of the Flesh of Christ
That we receive the gift of the spirit and only as mediated by Christ in his flesh in creation itself do we receive the spirit so basically we can argue the spirit is born from the cross his blood and water flowing forth this is my interpretation what I’m
Reading in bonov as I understand it Grace is in the seeds of divine presence because that’s gift the seeds are gift and so Grace is already implanted in created things themselves and in created persons because ultimately all are grounded in the creative act of God this is important thing to remember
That Grace is already within creation it’s within the seeds that God plants and thus created reality is graced Itself by the Holy Spirit I was taught in my Seminary days when we were studying St Thomas that Grace Builds on nature you heard that maybe Grace Builds on
Nature but voner doesn’t agree with that Grace is already within nature the seeds of divine presence is already there in created realities the spirit breathed over the Waters because it was by the spirit that God even created as the spirit moves over the waters and then ultimately that same spirit is what we
Receive in fullness um through the gift of the spirit mediated to us through the flesh through the tree of Christ so this gives a certain consistency first God’s Own Divine Life planted in the seeds of our initial creation secondly those seeds become of Grace become fully manifested in the
Incarnation as a majestic tree spreading branches wide and high into the heavens and thirdly subsequently rendi in the final analysis provides us with abundant fruit the gifts of the holy spirit so that those seeds within us all be nurtured into Glory ultimately the glory of God which has already been
Implanted so in all of this we remember it it’s Christ who is the center yes and a lot of studying Bond of ventur has been on that Christ the center however the Incarnate Christ is a vibrant Center that bears fruit and the Incarnation of the word culminates in the outpouring of the
Spirit so yes the centrality of Christ is a blossoming center from the soil of creation the tree rooted therein blossoms forth abundant fruit so that the Incarnate Word Jesus In the Flesh mediates the beginning in creation he’s his human nature is created it’s creator and uncreated together in the reality of Jesus
Mediates the beginning and the end creation and Glory so to conclude this point we want to say the climax the roopini endi of Christ’s Mission Christ’s very mission is what who holds middle of place is to affect what began in creation he completed in glory in a glory inflamed in the charity
Of the Holy Spirit we heard about that yesterday have you ever seen him on fire well if you’re in the spirit inflamed and that’s why he’ll use that word the spirit is to purify us yes Enlighten us but Above All To inflame Us with that fire ultim that fire of Charity and
Sometimes we get confused these words get interchanged Char there’s charity and there’s love now what are we talking about well theologically when we’re we with Bonaventure what charity means it’s identified with the estatic love of the holy spirit so it’s more than human love it’s an estatic Divine
Love the love of the spirit of God inflamed within us that’s what he means by charity the love of the Holy Spirit inflamed within us that’s charity it’s not dropping a what do you call a Singapore dollar in a box somewhere that may be important to do
But that’s not the charity we’re talking about and this differentiates charity is the highest gift of the spirit differentiated from Human love of neighbor and of God so when we say love it means one thing we say charity it’s basically referring to the ecstatic love of the Holy Spirit that’s given to
Us but our love however our human love and affection to be complete and to be fostered in its completeness that only happens when we’re inflamed with charity the charity of the holy spirit because it’s in that charity we come into the bask in the fullness of God’s Divine
Love so our human love and affection comes to its fullness and completion when that very love becomes charity I think it was John Paul who who said this he said you know um couples can fall in love human love and affection but unless that human love and affection over time becomes
Charity that marriage is not going to last love being transformed into charity and love our human love and affection is the way we’re attracted to move towards charity so the Easter Pas we call the Easter Pascal thes is about Pentecost because therein is poured into us the spirit of risen
Life now when Bonaventure speaks about our lives as members of the mystical Body of Christ he speaks about our journey on the way he always emphasizes of the spirit for example it’s the spirit that’s operating in the church and he argues and I was shocked when I first read
This he argues Christ instituted two sacraments only two and the others when two were instituted already in the very seeds of Creation in creation itself and the remaining ones were instituted by the Holy Spirit working within the church I was always taught Christ Institute of seven sacraments now that’s what the council
Trent said in response to a pmic with with reformers it’s how we understand Institute Christ is always the center of the spirit coming forth so and he would argue the spirit working within the church has the same Authority as Christ had when he was Among Us so the spirit The Voice continues to
Speak within the church as as as in our on our journey with the same authority to us as Christ himself as our equal which means it has to be discerned and discovered the two that that Christ instituted himself would of course be um a Eucharist and baptism that’s very
Clear and actually the reformers got their idea for this just two sacraments which the church then reacted against they got it from St Bonaventure so they had a point and the sacraments of creation are marriage obviously there within the very seed of creation that Sacrament is established and he also says
Penance was established when the Lord walks in the garden says Adam where are you calling Adam to come to himself in Freedom and that’s part of our very nature to desire to be reconciled and if we don’t desire reconciliation we’re missing our humanity and the sacraments that deal with the anointings like
Confirmation um sacrament of the sick even ordination are established by the spirit working within the church that’s all the gift of the spirit so St Bonaventure really when he reflects on the mystical body he sees it’s the spirit at this point in history Christ has already risen to the right
Hand of the father but who with us is the gift of the spirit and we receive that and because it’s from and through through his flesh he pours out his blood he pours out the spirit into US provided we’re disposed to receive so I think our Easter days are
Really orientated to help us be respect a receptive and properly disposed through the Eucharist for so great a Pentecost gift now he makes one thing clear that through out his teaching on visible created signs of sacraments B Aventure insist the final end of every Sacrament is the same infused Grace of the Holy
Spirit infused Grace of the Holy Spirit which will work specifically as signified by the visible real created realities in the sacraments so in the Eucharist we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as conditioned by informed by the visible signs of bread and wine which means that
Bread and wine teach us something about the spirit the grace of the spirit we’re about to receive nourishment s sustenance baptism is what the grace of the Holy Spirit but the grace of the Holy Spirit has signified by that water that refreshes and cleanses yes the grace of the Holy
Spirit but conditioned by the very seed in creation already there in the visible sign of the sacraments themselves the water The Bread and Wine the oil for the sick Etc so again that point is every Sacrament is for the grace of the Holy Spirit which means then the purpose of every Sacrament is
The grace of the Holy Spirit now he does say specifically for the Eucharist this is very important because the Eucharist itself and the Bread and Wine Not only signifies the grace of the the Holy Spirit to be received but also contains the body and blood of Christ broken and poured
Out and he will argue then the body and blood of Jesus signified by Bread and Wine is it sign of reality Beyond itself it’s a Sacrament pointing Beyond let’s think about this let’s try and think about this Bread and Wine are the signs the res he says the
Thing the thing created thing that’s rooted in creation and the body and blood of Christ that’s contained within that signification is itself a sign of something else Beyond it it’s the further sacrament of the mystical body so the body the body and blood of Christ is signified by The
Bread and Wine but the body and blood of Christ signifies Beyond itself to what the mystical body and so that’s basically a sacramentum a sign and a thing namely the grace of the Holy Spirit and so therefore he argues thus in the Eucharist we don’t stop at the body and blood of
Christ we must move through and beyond that focus of the body and blood of Christ to the deeper reality of the Holy Spirit at work in the mystical body because the body and blood of Christ that a signifies has a ropin ending IMM mediating to us the spirit the Holy
Spirit and as the my mystical body is the Ultimate Reality begun with Bread and Wine through the body and blood of Christ to its final purpose the fruit the Holy Spirit operating among us as the mystical body Reston means the finality so we receive the sacrament of the body and
Blood of Christ in you of receiving the grace of the holy spirit that informs the mystical body taken together in the Holy Spirit he writes in the Eucharist we must move through and beyond that simple focus on the body and blood of Christ to the deeper reality of the Holy Spirit at
Work within the mystical body so ultimately the finality of what the Bread and Wine and the body and blood of Christ are about it’s about us as mystical Body of Christ filled inflamed with the spirit the deeper reality and soah stated above the final primary purpose of every Sacrament
Including the Eucharist is what infused gift of the Holy Spirit so for this reason baver insists that in the Eucharist we must eat with the mouth of our hearts not the mouth of our bodies we eat with the mouth of our bodies in view of eating with the mouth of our
Hearts now what’s he mean by that eating with our physical mouth May well be Sacrament but that that’s of no use if we stop there if we stop there even if consumed with faith the Eucharist does nothing for us but to eat with a mouth of the heart there must be
Faith which St Thomas would agree with faith in the will and affection in the heart think about that to consume the body and blood of Christ with the mouth of the heart there must first be affection in the heart or that body and blood of Christ
Is not going to do as much good might be the body and blood of Christ but so what it’s not going to do much good unless at the same time there is within us affection of heart and that’s what he emphasizes the affection the desire and it’s in that
Way that the infused gift of the Holy Spirit transforms moves that affection of heart into a static charity so he says we have to eat spiritually chew and so he says before we consume the Eucharist we must be chewing spiritually to allow that affection of heart to be within us that can really
That Holy Spirit then can and truly Infuse and transform it into charity Among Us in the mystical body and so look what does that mean to beat with the mouth and the heart I’m telling you what he says that means before we can even eat the receive the Eucharist with the mouth
Of the heart what we must Ponder the mystery of our Salvation we must meditate on the word of God to open ourselves to the reality of communion within the mystical body here on Earth and the work of the spirit in the lives of all those Among Us in in
The communion of saints here on Earth and in heaven as well wow so he’s really saying in a way we must Al to fully receive the gift of the body and blood of Christ the spirit that’s mediated to us we must have affection in our hearts having pondered the mystery of our
Salvation meditated on the word of God and opening our hearts to the reality of all in the mystical body then we can that’s chewing spiritually then we can truly receive the gift of the Eucharist the fullness of the gift of the Holy Spirit among us and so no wonder he
Says it’s not about the frequency of the Eucharist that’s important it’s about the disposition we have in receiving the eist and that needs more work which means he’s intimating for receiving this um gift of the spirit in the Eucharist we’ve got to spend time praying and pondering the mystery the preparing the
Heart otherwise oh I get communion and go home big deal no so we must move beyond the mediator to what the mediator mediates for us that is to the healing Grace the Holy Spirit and we must already possess that spirit so that we can choose spiritually which in turn disposes our
Hearts to be even more receptive to the spirit poured into us by the outpouring of the blood of Christ to swallow this Sacrament body and blood of Christ as a Sacrament we do that alone it profits nothing we must first be chewing spiritually in the
Spirit in order to eat with the mouth of the heart and so St Bon to the preparation of the heart into deeper affection and awe is more important than simple frequency why because the final res or the purpose of the body and blood of Christ is spiritual nourishment of the
Spirit which heals and nurtures us into glory and actually he speaks of every Sacrament as healing unto Glory and so Easter season is a good time to Foster affection of our hearts to ponder The Mystery of the past especially what we did in the Easter visual listen to
The inspired word in the whole liturgy itself so that the great Pascal Eucharist we might arrive to choose spiritually with the mouth of the heart not just sacramentally with the mouth on our face I notice St Francis has similar Insight when he speaks of the body and blood of
Christ check out the first admonition he writes for those who receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ while doing Penance which means while preparing a heart the spirit of the Lord will rest upon them and make its home home and Dwelling Place those who receive the body and
Blood of Christ the spirit of the Lord will rest upon them and make his home and Dwelling Place even there Francis in pondering the sacrament whose body and blood has some sense what bonent is saying thei the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon us the finding of a dwelling place
Within us so the Eucharist is primarily about Pentecost every Eucharist primarily about Pentecost actually we think about it if you think about these things the Eucharistic prayer itself is structured that way the prayer prayed at the Eucharist is structured that way because in that prayer and the
Eucharist is a prayer a prayer of blessing in that prayer of blessing it begins with a A Memory of thanks thanking God for all that God’s done for us it’s a prayer of Thanksgiving and it usually begins with creation itself if you’re careful in attending through the preface that prayer of praise and
Thanksgiving begins with the first gift God gave us creation itself creation itself unto The Obedience and past of his son so it’s a prayer of Thanksgiving and even unto what God did through Christ in his Passover so as theologians today are saying the so-called institution narrative you can’t separate it from the
Whole prayer it’s part one part of the whole prayer of Thanksgiving it’s the culmination of what we thank God for the suffering death and resurrection of his his son but then once we get the prayer of Thanksgiving completes itself from creation completes itself in what Jesus
Did the night before he died at the Last Supper we’re thanking God for that we’re not reenacting that having a little play about what happened at the Last Supper no we’re thanking God for the great mystery what God has done through Christ in his Passover
So but once we do that we have we proclaim a mystery of Faith which is not just about a consecration here it’s about the totality of what God has done for us beginning with creation itself we proclaim the mystery of our faith that’s it and that and then after that what
Happens in the new translation at least was just make more accurate in this respect therefore that often gets kind of SC therefore therefore what’s this mean what’s this do marks the shift to the work of the spirit Among Us in the communion of saints but therefore is what this great
Mystery of Salvation has accomplished for us that we are the mystical body filled with the spirit and so there’s a whole shift there to the work of the spirit within the church in the there’s the epices we call down the Holy Spirit the we might be filled with the Holy
Spirit we might become one in Christ in the spirit so right there the second part of that prayer gives us the renan of this great mystery the power and the presence of spirit Among Us make connecting us into the mystical Body of Christ and that is the culmination and
So calling down the spirit upon us is just as important as calling down the spirit on the gifts of bread and wine but we missed that at least I’ve missed it for most of my life so notice that it marks a shift to the
Work of the spirit Among Us the r of the Eucharist itself and so no wonder we pray or taking of the one bread and one cup may we be gathered into one body by the holy spirit so Eucharistic prayer itself outlines that for us but we often miss
It so that second epices is calling down the spirit of on us that we be in communion with the whole mystical body with All God’s Children wherever they may be scattered throughout the world it’s the Rini of the first epiclesis calling down the spirit on the gifts of Bread and
Wine in his final and uh richest text the hexameron which Bonaventure was writing and he died before he completed it he applies the same principle to the Creed he accents that the first article in the Creed is I believe in god father almighty second I believe
In Jesus Christ’s only son born of the Virgin and third I believe in the Holy Spirit the communion of saints forgiveness of sins resurrection of the body he will say that third text in the Creed completes the first two because it’s what the first two elements in are Creed I’m believing in
God the Father who created I believe in his son Jesus Christ born of the Virgin completes itself I believe in the Holy Spirit in the Holy Spirit what communion of saints the mystical body we believe that we are the mystical Body of Christ that’s what we’re professing and that’s
What the foundation and it rests on the foundations of our faith in God and what God has done in his son Jesus so there it’s astounding when I notice that this final article in the Creed is on the holy spirit all alone no the Holy Spirit Among Us making us one
Body one Spirit In Christ that’s the fruit of our faith and so I want to quote what he actually says I believe in the Holy Spirit bonavent is saying this and he quotes he continues the spirit unites the communion of saints us the spirit purifies sins and the spirit is operative in the
Resurrection of the Flesh and in the glory of eternal life that’s the fullness of our faith and praying that we might become one body one Spirit In Christ and the Eucharist that’s the fullness of the mystery of the Eucharist if we’re eating with the mouth of the heart I want to conclude
Here by talking about the glory because the sacraments are healing unto Glory as he says a lot the most significant aspect of this roopini of the Creed of the sacraments of the ropi of our whole life Temple lives it’s the spirit as operative in the resurrection of the Flesh and the
Glory of eternal life as we just heard above and confirmed every time we recite the Creed we look forward to the life of the world to go in justce profession of the spirit among us we look forward to the life of the world to come it doesn’t mean another world someplace
Else but it means the fullness of what God intended and only at that point can we fully be incorporated into the highest Spirit looking forward to the life to come the reward of Charity writes Bonaventure he didn’t say love the reward of Charity and I’m quoting Bonaventure contains the consummation
The Integrity the fullness of all Goods related to completion of Glory the body too shares in this communion of Glory of a static love in the mystical body in fold communion through love I want to conclude BAS Bally by letting Bonaventure here speak directly this is what he says it’s
In a bravium one of his shorter theological words to be recommended to everybody notice how he completes this through the love of the highest Spirit he’s talking about Glory what’s that mean we say unto Glory unto the glory of God what’s what do we mean by
That well he’s trying to figure it out and Noti what he says so that’s healing unto Glory every sacrament to bring us the gift of the Holy Spirit through the love of the highest spirit in glory the soul will become supremely spiritual what’s that mean these
Endowments of the spirit give the soul a supreme Readiness to ascend to God and the human body through the love of that same spirit perfects in itself and conforms to its Heavenly dwelling conforms to the Blessed spirit and through that highest Spirit the fullness of delights the inebriation of bliss
From God the head sort of flows down the Garment upon the human body that’s why we can say profession resurrection of the body because it’s the work of the spirit flows down so the spirit given to us in baptism is the same spirit that ultimately is
Operative as we share in the glory of God in that same work of the holy spirit so that our human body shares in the resurrection is thus the work of Love of the highest Spirit which that love of the highest Spirit perfects and conforms the human body to its Heavenly dwelling to the
Blessed Spirit itself this means that same spirit gives us the Supreme Readiness to ascend to God our own Resurrection Supreme Readiness to ascend to God just as the fullness of delights and inebriation of bliss flow down from that Spirit to embrace our bodies ultimately and so bonavent is speaking of a god conforming
Glory the notion of God conforming Glory realizes that the seeds of Glory already planted within us from the beginning of our creation the beginning of our conception we’re created in the image of God now that image of God that God created within us is fully activated in
The very fullness of the glory of God no longer just a SE a fruit thereof but fully affecting the glory of God thus there are no more sacraments and so likewise he writes that the soul and glory is fully Alive totally end doubt in its own three characteristics of memory intellect and
Will it’s now wholly conformed to God fully United with God complete at rest in God for it finds in God the sum of all Goods peace light Everlasting abundance and thus in that state of Glory all goods are gathered together in it living by virtue of eternal life the
Soul filled with the Holy Spirit is therefore said to be blessed and glorious said to be blessed and glorious we should look forward the life of the world to come and he continues this Glory will enjoy god with eagerness and Delight possess God forever fullness of light fullness of Peace uninterrupted flow
Eternally and glorification means tending perfectly to the highest Heaven hungry will be satisfied with the glory of God Melody the choir of angels will sing to God without them friendship and this is beautiful they will all love God more than themselves and one another as themselves that’s the basic command you know he
Saying in glory with the holy spirit that will be realized can you imagine being with others all others who love God more than themselves and one another as themselves he says God will love them more than they love themselves and this is in harmony they shall all have one
Will because they shall have no will but the will of God Harmony of will security they will never in any way lack any Goods so the bond of Love or the Conexus the Nexus the connection ultimately communion within the glory of God has focused up to this point on the immediate communion with
God within the very Nexus love of God however this Nexus of the spirit Embraces the whole mystical body and he makes it you know if you can take Delight when um you realize or experienced someone loving another as oneself he says that multiplies our joy he says now think of this each of
The countless angels and human beings Will Rejoice for every other as for himself that love will be multiplied Untold times if that’s true of all the countless Souls that God has created and he concludes a human heart in glory will scarcely be able to contain its own
Joy that will belong to it for so great a good how will it comprehend so many and such great joys in the glory of God so great a good no so great a good multiplying the joy and that’s what I’ve learned from singaporeans so thank you very much and can you imagine Bonaventure
Writing this that he probably tasted I think I I’m just wondering whether when Bon writes this it’s like in the mystical contemplative he writes what he sees it’s like the oculis contemplates it’s yeah and and the yeah we said that bonent is three eyes like I said not to
See hu but it’s the hu is Ghost so ulis Caris which is a fleshy eye the ulis Ronis which is a rational rational mind but is the oculis contempla which is the contemplative ey so most see us what God sees and he writes what he sees right so
He actually sees this mystical body yeah when you’re reading him after a long period of time suddenly you see what he sees that’s what a text does if you really get into it and it takes a lot of work to get in it because we tend to impose ourselves on everything we read
Rather than let the what we read instead of really listening to the author and admittedly we did this in kotakinabalu um but today’s flow I I got it so yeah so it was like I could I could feel the what Bon Venture felt as you were just
Reading the text yeah that right you felt that right the Eucharistic prayer and then the preach we were almost taken into heaven and then we now can look forward to that life to come which is the ruini and the anyway yeah all right um You Got question okay a quick
Question because uh maybe okay we take the question take the question okay are we able here on Earth to experience episodes of aesthetic love of the Holy Spirit and how do we Su sustain how do we grow in this love how do we sustain it do we here on Earth experiences a
Gift is given if we receive it and if we open ourselves to it which means as we talked about in The Lord’s Prayer whole strength whole energy whole self remember that’s what it takes the opening ourselves fully and leaving ourselves behind that doesn’t mean I’m against
Myself but it means I’m opening my heart fully to what’s beyond and that takes all our energy all our strength all our all day every day that’s the how I haven’t gotten there yet but I kind of know where I’m supposed to be going and at least that’s
A help to kind of know where I’m supposed to be going and can I add because it’s a gift we don’t cling on to it and I think that’s why Frances was always talking about C proprio which means without appropriation thinking at this gift is mine I think once we think that this
Gift is mine I think we’ve lost it and I think that’s why it’s given away and that’s why we’re free that’s ever Happ I mean have you ever had an experience where you just wish time would stop just time stop just be right here that’s heading that direction I’ll take yes angry
Are going back to what was presented there about Grace yeah it says that Grace is not is not founded on nature and yet they will always tell us uh Grace would build on nature how is it that can we say then that Bonaventure is more strongly linging to original Grace
Instead of original sin because original sin is our basic explain to me the question it’s something like the domestic view is Grace built upon nature but since that this grace is already planted in the seed so we’re focusing on the original Grace which is basically the original Holiness and the original goodness
Rather than focusing on the original and on sacraments just to clarify I understand now that sacraments then is an kind of an affirmation of that Grace built on nature and sacraments is um kind of now the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to continue in fleshing or incarnating that Grace built on nature
Yeah very yeah very you got it very nicely that um but what Thomas was concerned about he was trying to um in a certain sense what a secularism does desac mentalized nature so that’s therefore our plundering our Discovery and that’s it no matter what we do with
It to separate that totally from any other reality Bonaventure doesn’t separate realities he sees the like Pope Francis he sees the connection as Pope Francis said last night we talked he sees the connection between the way we treat the earth and the way we treat each other both are poisonous at
This he sees the connection and I think I think you got that in terms what for me is so important for this and actually Pope Francis I’m going to talk about tonight he says to really celebrate our liturgy appropriately we’ve got to re-appreciate Creation the signs the symbols for us we
Just get the words you know I grew up thinking just get the words of consecration in we’re done we can go home uh no it’s the totality of blessing and over elements of creation which means those signs this has a lot of implication if we were to take this
Seriously really for example even our most important sign the Eucharist body and blood of Christ that’s mass produced by producers who knows halfway across the world those little Wafers we get is that really appropriate for our sign that really for one we’re not connected to and really uh is mass
Produced it’s not the loaf of bread on the table somehow we’ve got to re-appreciate just the visible signs themselves so that the altar the table is a sign of Christ and the altar shouldn’t look like the pastor’s desk you know with clutter only the body and blood of Christ belong there on that
Sacred Space so it’s not a candle stand it’s not a place for stands for flowers and everything they can be elsewhere but not there that’s simply respecting carefully the appropriate signs that are part of our celebration and worship um so that has a lot of implications and so for example that was
Wonderful Holy Saturday here a lot of baptism really baptisms there was real water there and there was real immersion there and the place got all wet it wasn’t an eye dropper on the forehead the sign the natural sign we have to engage in order to engage with what that sign signifies pointing
Towards the Holy Spirit complimented Always by the spoken word Always by the spoken word the word and it’s the union of those two the natural sign and the word of prayer that’s spoken that constitute the reality of that sign becoming the Sacrament in view of the word that’s spoken so there’s always I
Didn’t go into that but there’s always with the sign in the Eucharist there’s a blessing a word is spoken and participating this is one of my Hang-Ups I don’t understand how we can do the pray everyone is to participate the assembly is to participate okay and they participate in the blessing the prayer
Of blessing the Eucharistic prayer is a prayer of the assembly which the priest leads it’s not the priest prayer I always thought it’s the prayer of the assembly in which the priest is presiding because the priest himself has to be a member of that assembly in order
To preside in the assembly no so and then we all are gathered a pray a prayer of blessing over these signs Bread and Wine and the People Prayed that blessing but then so often they don’t partake in the blessing that which they prayed if we simply run to the
Tabernacle and get some consecrated host to give communion during mass that’s a communion Earth what’s the connection between the blessing and the reality of the creative signs in the participation of the assembly I think we got a lot of thinking to do a lot of rethinking to do and I’ll talk about that
Tonight
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