The Soul’s Journey into God:

Preface of St. Bonaventure to the “The Soul’s Journey into God”:

Bonaventure understands the gospel of Peace preached by St. Francis in a very specific way:

At the beginning I call to the primal abyss from where all enlightenment descends: to the ‘Father of Light’ from whom every good grace and perfect gift precedes, namely to the Eternal Father, through his Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the intercession of the most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of the same God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Blessed Francis, our Master and Father, may he give our spirit ‘enlightened eyes’ so that ‘we can guide our steps on the way to that peace’ ‘that surpasses all understanding.’

It was our Lord Jesus Christ who brought and announced this peace and our Father Francis repeated His message: He invoked peace at the beginning and the end of every sermon, he wished peace at every greeting, he yearned for the peace of ecstasy in every contemplation. Francis resembled the citizen of that Jerusalem of whom the friend of peace has said: ‘Pray for that which brings peace unto Jerusalem’. For he knew that the throne of Salomon could only survive in peace, for it stands written: ‘He dwelt in peace and his house is upon Mount Zion.’

From CCFMC, Lesson Unit 23