Monday, September 2 : Saint Bonaventure

It seems to me that they have attained the highest degree of all who, with all their hearts and without duplicity, have sufficient mastery over themselves to seek nothing other than to be despised, accounted for nothing and live in utter abasement… So long as you haven’t attained to this, believe yourself to have achieved nothing. For since, indeed, we are all “unprofitable servants”, in the Lord’s words (Lk 17,10), even were we to carry out everything well, so long as we haven’t attained this degree of lowliness we shan’t yet be standing in the truth but will be, and will be proceeding in vanity… You know, too, how the Lord Jesus began to act first of all before he began to teach. Later on he would say: “Learn from me for I am meek and humble in heart” (Mt 11,29). But first of all he wanted to put this truly into practice and without duplicity. He did this with all his heart just as, with all his heart and in very truth, he was humble and meek. There was no “yes” and “no” in him (cf 2Cor 1,19). He immersed himself so deeply in humility, scorn and abjection, annihilated himself so much in the eyes of all, that when he started to preach, proclaim God’s wonders and accomplish miracles and wonderful works, no one showed him any regard. He was despised and mocked, saying: “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” and similar words. So the words of the apostle Paul became true: “He humbled himself, taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2,7). Not just an ordinary servant through his incarnation, but a slave of no account according to the manner of a humble and despised life.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team