St. Bonaventure

"Let us die, and enter into the darkness, silencing our anxieties, our passions and all the fantasies of our imagination. Let us pass over with the crucified Christ from this world to the Father so that, when the Father has shown himself to us, we can say with Philip: It is enough. We may hear with Paul: My grace is sufficient for you; and we can rejoice with David, saying: My flesh and my heart fail me, but God is the strength of my heart and my heritage for ever. Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all people say: Amen. Amen!"

This is a quote from The Journey of the Mind to God written by St. Bonaventure. I picked it up because of the deep meaning of those words. There is certainty of direction that we have to take. His call to die has roots in St. Paul saying that we have to die for this world to be born for Jesus Christ. It sounds challenging especially when people are afraid of death. St. Bonaventure encourages us to do one more step that will change our entire life. In Jesus Christ we see our Father, and with the grace we receive from Him, we can do everything. Based on this too, we rejoice because something that we relied on before, now is replaced with the strength of God.

It seems to be so difficult and complicated but actually it is so simple. Our anxieties and desires very often control our decisions, build our fears, keep us from loving another person. If we can bury them and replace them with the love of God, then our soul finds strength in God. From this very moment our entire world is changed and we learn about the new meaning of things and directions. This strength helps us to carry our daily cross, open our heart to others, sing hymns of praise to God. So do not be afraid to die with Jesus Christ. In him is our life. "Blessed be the Lord for ever, and let all people say: Amen. Amen!"