St Bonaventure
The theme of St Bonventure’s beautiful little work Bringing Forth Christ: Five Feasts of the Child Jesus, concerns spiritual motherhood, a theme dear to the hearts also of St Francis and St Clare, and found in their writings. In the Prologue to this work St Bonaventure explains how it entered his mind that a devout soul could spiritually conceive the Son of God, give birth to him, name him, seek and adore him with the Magi and then finally, present him to God the Father in the Temple. The ‘Five Feasts’ of this work describe these five events, which take place in the soul.1 Today, on the Feast of the Epiphany, St Bonaventure describes how the three powers of the soul (that is, the Three Kings) go in search of the Son of God. He writes:
We come now to the fourth feast, the Adoration of the Magi. After the soul by God’s grace has spiritually conceived, brought forth and named this dear Child, the three kings (understood here as the three powers of the soul) resolve to go in search of the Child, already revealed to them in the royal city, that is, in the structure of the created universe.
The powers of the soul are rightly described as ‘kings’ because now they rule the flesh, have dominion over the senses and are taken up entirely, as is fitting, with the pursuit of divine things.
They seek the Child through meditation, go in search of him in heartfelt longings and inquire about him in prayerful reflections: Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the East (Matt. 2:2). We have seen his splendour shining in the devout mind, we have seen his radiance lighting up the inner recesses of the soul. We have heard his voice and it is soft and tender; we have tasted his sweetness and it is delightful; we have caught his fragrance and it is alluring; we have felt his embrace and it is irresistible.
Now, Herod, give us the answer, tell us where the Beloved is to be found, show us the little Child we are yearning to see. He is the one we seek and long for.
O most tender, most loving, eternal Child, Babe from before the world began. When will we see you, when will we find you, when will we stand before your face? Without you, to rejoice is weariness; with you, to rejoice or weep as sheer delight. What is contrary to your will, we loathe; your good pleasure is our unending happiness. If it is such delight to weep over you, what must it be to find joy in you?
Where are you? We are looking for you. Where are you? We are searching for you in all things and above all else. Where are you who have been born king of the Jews, law of believers, light of the blind, leader of the poor, life of the dead, eternal salvation of all who live forever?
Scripture gives us the true answer: In Bethlehem of Judah (Matt. 2:5). Bethlehem means ‘house of bread’ and Judah ‘one who praises’.
Christ is found when we have confessed our sins and listened attentively to the teaching of the gospel, the bread of everlasting life, meditated upon it and rooted it firmly in our hearts, so that we may fulfil it by good works and proclaim it to others, that they may observe it also.
We find the Child Jesus with Mary his mother (cf Matt. 2:11) when we taste the sweetness of divine contemplation, sometimes accompanied by abundant tears of consolation, after we have shed tears of sorrow and made fruitful confession of our sins. We find the Child when prayer, which at the outset saw us almost despairing, leaves us rejoicing and assured of forgiveness. How happy such a ‘Mary’ by whom Jesus is conceived, from whom he is born and with whom he is found in tenderness and delight.
You also native powers of the soul, whom I have called kings, must go in search of the Child Jesus as did the three Magi, to worship him and offer him your gifts. Worship him with reverence, for he is the Creator, the Redeemer and the Rewarder of all. Worship him as the Creator, for he fashioned our very being; as the Redeemer, for he restored life to our spirit; as the Rewarder, for he grants us eternal life.
Adore him with reverence, you kings, for he is the most powerful king; adore him with veneration, for he is the most wise teacher; adore him with gladness, for he is the most generous prince. Do not be content to adore him, offer him gifts as well. Offer him the gold of ardent love, the frankincense of devout contemplation, the myrrh of bitter sorrow. Offer him the gold of love for the graces he has bestowed on you, the frankincense of devotion, for the joys he has prepared for you and the myrrh of sorrow for the sins you have committed. Offer gold in honour of Christ’s eternal godhead, frankincense in honour of the holiness of his soul, and myrrh in honour of his bodily sufferings.
Devout soul, in this way seek the Child Jesus, adore him, and offer him your gifts.
1 This translation is taken from: St Bonaventure, Bringing Forth Christ: Five Feasts of the Child Jesus, trans. and intro. E. Doyle OFM (Oxford: SLG Press), 1984.