FS #42: Spiritual Christocentrism, Part 3 – Aug 01 – Homily – Fr Terrance
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Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 01, 2023, where he continues his series on Franciscan Spirituality, and Spiritual Christocentrism, explaining how Christ is The Way, The Truth and The Life, showing the Franciscan triple way. Today he focuses on the first two, Christ as the The Way and The Truth.
Praise be Jesus and Mary. Today, we delve further into Franciscan spirituality, highlighting Christ as 'the way' and 'the truth' [John 14: 6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?6]. According to Saint Bonaventure's life of Saint Francis, Francis found Christ everywhere, in the universe and every being, his love for God reflected in all creations. His love yearned for a physical embodiment of Christ, leading him to Palestine to walk in Jesus' footsteps, connecting with his experiences, from Bethlehem to Calvary.
In sharing Christ's experiences with others, Saint Francis presented varied facets of Christ, to comfort the timid, inspire the weary, and ignite yearning for union with God. This led to the spread of devotion to Christ's sacred humanity. Saint Francis's reflections on Christ, especially his humility and suffering, encourage us to imitate and love Christ, seeking a deep union with God [1 John 4: 16 - God is love and has loved us - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?16].
Saint Bonaventure and Francisco de Osuna both emphasized the vital role of Christ's sacred humanity in achieving a deep union with God. For them, the only way to God was through fervent love for Christ. Therefore, Christ is first, the way, and also the truth.
Saint Francis, guided by prayer and intuition, sought truth in Christ with unwavering determination. According to Saint Bonaventure, we gain knowledge and understanding through the Word (the second person of the Trinity) who illuminates our souls, making everything intelligible. All aspects of creation make sense when viewed through the lens of Christ's mystery, as confirmed by John 14:21 - Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him. - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/14?21 and Psalm 36:9 - For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/36?9.
For Francis, the Cross of Jesus was his 'book' of truth, guiding his understanding and spiritual journey, as was for Saint Bonaventure. Meditating on the cross provides a pathway to truth, inflaming hearts with love for God. By meditating and embracing the cross, one is illuminated with the 'light of life' [John 8: 12 - I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?12].
00:00 – Introduction: Christ as the Way and Truth
00:25 – Bonaventure's Perspective on Francis's Vision of Christ
01:28 – Francis's Pilgrimage to Palestine and His Experience
02:08 –Christ Presented by Saint Francis
03:17 – Deep Union with God & the Role of Christ
04:10 – Christ as the Way and the Truth
05:08 – Understanding Christ and Perception of All Things
06:11 – The Cross of Jesus as the Central Book
Ave Maria!
Francisco de Osuna - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_de_Osuna
St Bonaventure - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonaventure
This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom
The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., "I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana" in Italian, which translates as "The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality". No English translations exist at the time of this recording.
Mass: St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori - Mem - http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1284
Readings: Tuesday 17th Week of Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080123.cfm
1st: exo 33:7-11, 34:5-9, 28
Resp: psa 103:6-13
Gsp: mat 13:35-43
More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1120&r=1457
Also on Facebook: https://fb.watch/m8SibbSp1Q/
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/ECz4-G9_PIQ
