TO DO TODAY:

1. There is no quiz tomorrow. We’ll finish today’s PPT if we don’t have time to finish it all and then we’ll start studying about St. Dominic.

2. Do Stations

3. Take quiz over Bonaventure (on PPT)

4. Read PPT together. Discuss as you go.

DIDJAGEDIT/DIDJAREADIT?1. Bonaventure was elected General of which religious

order?

2. Bonaventure was the first Franciscan to ever be appointed a __________ in the Church.

3. How did Bonaventure feel about his appointment in #2?

4. According to tradition, when did Bonaventure meet St. Francis?

5. Bonaventure taught with and was good friends with what great Saint?

6. What is Bonaventure’s “Triple Way?”

EXTRA CREDIT: (ONE POINT) WHAT DOES THE NAME “BONAVENTURE” MEAN?

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ1. Bonaventure was elected General of which religious order? FRANCISCAN

2. Bonaventure was the first Franciscan to ever be appointed a _____________ in the Church. CARDINAL

3. How did Bonaventure feel about his appointment in #2? He wasn’t much interested in it. He only wanted to be a poor Franciscan. When they came to give him his red Cardinal hat and clothes, he told them to hang it on the wall – he was busy.

4. According to tradition, when did Bonaventure meet St. Francis? When he was a little boy Francis healed him.

5. Bonaventure taught with and was good friends with what great Saint? ST. THOMAS AQUINAS!

6. What is Bonaventure’s “Triple Way?” It was a way to describe the progress of the Christian spiritual or prayer life. It has 3 steps: the purgative, illuminative and unitive ways.

EXTRA CREDIT: (ONE POINT) WHAT DOES THE NAME “BONAVENTURE” MEAN? “ O GOOD FORTUNE!

ST. BONAVENTURE

• St. Bonaventure saw the Trinity reflected in all of reality.

• God created everything out of nothing.

• Therefore, everything must reflect God (The Trinity) in some way.

• In his spiritual treatise, The Triple Way, St. Bonaventure describes the three “ways” or stages of the spiritual life.

TRIPLE WAY of ST. BONAVENTURE

• Classification of the degrees or stages of Christian perfection in the spiritual life (the life of prayer):

1. Purgative

2. Illuminative

3. Unitive

3-Fold Action (TRINITATIAN)

1. Purgation leads to peace

2. illumination leads to truth

3. perfective union leads to love

3 Approaches to the “Triple Way”

• Know also that there are three approaches to this triple way:1. reading  with meditation

2. prayer

3. contemplation

PURGATIVE WAY

• The purgative way is the way, or state, of those who are beginners but still haven’t tamed their passions and evil inclinations in order to easily overcome temptations,

• in order to preserve and exercise charity and the other virtues have to keep up a continual warfare within themselves.

• It is so called because the chief concern of the soul in this state is to resist and to overcome the passions by nourishing, strengthening, and cherishing the virtue of charity.

Bonaventure’s Words

 “First, the steps of cleansing: The first level of spiritual life, purification, is divided in this manner: You must blush because of your crimes; tremble in the face of judgment; weep for the damage done; beg for remedy; fight the enticements of the enemy (the devil); desire martyrdom (white or red!) on account of the reward, and come close to Christ seeking shelter in Him.”

PURGATIVE WAY

1. One approaches the purgative way by reading the Scriptures and spiritual books to help your prayer life. When we meditate, Bonaventure says we experience 3 events which help us along the purgative way:

1. the sting of conscience

2. the beam of intelligence, and

3. the little flame of wisdom

2. The result of the purgative way is PEACE in your inner life.

ILLUMINITIVE WAY

• The illuminative way is that of those who are in the state of progress and have their passions better under control, so that they easily keep themselves from mortal sin, but who do not so easily avoid venial sins, because they still take pleasure in earthly things and allow their minds to be distracted by various imaginations and their hearts with numberless desires, though not in matters that are strictly unlawful.

• It is called the illuminative way, because in it the mind becomes more and more enlightened as to spiritual things and the practice of virtue.

BONAVENTURE’S WORDS

“The steps pertaining to illumination (the second level of spiritual life) are divided in this manner: Consider Who it is that is suffering (Christ Crucified) and surrender with faith. How good is the One who is suffering and be filled with deep compassion. How great is the One who is suffering and be carried away with admiration. Why He is suffering and be filled with trust and gratitude. How He is suffering and be led to conform to Him. How much He is suffering and embrace Him with ardor. What are the consequences of His suffering and contemplate Him with deep insight.”

ILLUMINATIVE WAY

1. One approaches the illuminative way through personal prayer – speaking to God from the heart as if to a friend.

2. The result of the illuminative way is that one is enlightened with new and ever deepening spiritual truths and convictions about the TRUTH.

UNITIVE WAY

• The unitive way is the way of those who are in the state of the perfect, that is, those who have their minds so drawn away from all temporal things that they enjoy great peace, who are neither agitated by various desires nor moved by any great extent by passion, and who have their minds chiefly fixed on God and their attention turned, either always or very frequently, to Him.

• It is the union with God by love and the actual experience and exercise of that love.

BONAVENTURE’S WORDS

“The steps of the unitive way, the third level of spiritual life, are divided in this manner: Watchfulness must arouse you since the spouse is at hand. (The spouse of our soul is Jesus Christ.)Trust must strengthen you since He is faithful. Desire must inflame you since He is sweet. Rapture must uplift you since He is lofty. Delight in Him must bring you peace since He is beautiful. Joy must inebriate you since His love is full. Close proximity must weld you to Him since His love is strong. Thus, in the intimacy of our loving soul let us always say to the Lord, ‘It is You I seek, in You I hope, for You I long, to You I rise, You I receive, in You I exalt, and to You I finally cling.’”

THE UNITIVE WAY

1. One approaches the unitive way by doing NOTHING. It comes through the gift of contemplation which is God’s alone to give. We cannot force this gift. We can only open our hearts to it.

2. The result of the unitive way is the gift of union in and with God’s love.

1. Contemplation = an experience of union with God in prayer which is humanly indescribable. Many saints and holy people have tried to explain this gift. It is the gift of perfect quiet peace, “mad” love and an experience of being totally immersed into God.

Disclaimer…

• Generally most souls experience these stages as Bonaventure explained.

• However, every spiritual writer cautions that while these stages naturally occur in order, one can be in the purgative stage and experience illluminative or unitive moments.

• These stages are fluid and interact with one another. • Remember: God works how He wills. As we see

patterns in nature, we can also see them in the spiritual life. However, He is not limited to our categories!

So the 3 Stages…

• Are less like a 3 step ladder

• And are more like a 3 ringed spiral!

In Class Assignment

• Watch this video:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lENzl-NqgKg

1.Discuss with a partner…how is this little story about a father and his son an allegory to the “3 stages of the spiritual life?”

2.Compare your answers to the next slides…

Answer (by Msgnr. Charles Pope)

1. Purgative way: In the video a young son seeks to be close to his father and enjoy his presence. The father is delighted at his enthusiastic love but must gently show the son that other necessary duties have not been attended to yet. The room of his life is not in good order, and must be rendered as such before he can come and sit close to his father. He shows his son what must be done. And the son to his credit runs to put things in order. The purgative way is not underway.

• http://blog.adw.org/2013/11/on-the-purgative-illuminative-and-unitive-stages-of-spiritual-life-as-seen-in-a-cartoon/

2. Illuminitive Way: In the video, the young boy makes progress, but he still has not fully understood or implemented what must take place before the deepest union is possible. Twice his father must correct him and help him to see, to be illumined as to what is needed. But in stages the young boy is understanding and conforming.

• 3. Unitive Way: And thus, in the video, the young boy having been led through stages by his father is now able to enjoy close union with him. His life is now in good order. There is a beautiful detail at the end of how his original desire to play a video game with his father is now deepened and he is content merely rest in union with his Father, for his own sake and not for some pleasure outside his Father’s embrace.

• The video is not perfect. It shows a father who points to what must be done but does not otherwise assist his son. Obviously in terms of grace, we cannot make any progress through these stages with out God’s absolute assistance. Nevertheless it is a lovely video that rather nicely illustrates the stages of our growth toward intimacy with God.