Catholic Fire

By Jean M. Heimann July 15 is the memorial of St. Bonaventure, O.F.M., who is known as "Seraphic Doctor" because of his burning love for God and his great zeal to do God's work. Born Giovanni di Fidanza, he was an Italian medieval Franciscan, a scholastic theologian, and a philosopher. He was appointed as Cardinal and Bishop of Albano by Pope Gregory X. St. Bonaventure was born in the small town of Bagnoregio, Tuscany, Italy in 1221 and received the baptismal name of John. An event that occurred when he was a boy profoundly influenced his life. He had a serious illness and not even his father, who was a physician, believed that he would survive. His mother prayed for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, who had been canonized a short time earlier. And John was cured. He went to the University of Paris when he was 14, where he studied theology under the English Franciscan, Alexander of Hales. After he had received the diploma of Master of Arts, John asked...

By Jean M. Heimann July 15 is the memorial of St. Bonaventure, O.F.M., who is known as"Seraphic Doctor" because of his burning love for God and his great zeal to do God's work. St. Bonaventure was born in the small town of Bagnoregio, Tuscany, Italy in 1221 and received the baptismal name of John. An event that occurred when he was a boy profoundly influenced his life. He had a serious illness and not even his father, who was a physician, believed that he would survive. His mother prayed for the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, who had been canonized a short time earlier. And John was cured. He went to the University of Paris when he was 14, where he studied theology under the English Franciscan, Alexander of Hales. After he had received the diploma of Master of Arts, John asked himself an important question: "What must I do with my life?" Captivated by the witness of the zeal of the Friars Minor in Paris, John asked to be received into the fami...

“This is a prayer that we need to say every day: 'Holy Spirit, make my heart open to God's Word so that my heart might be open to good, so that my heart might be open to God's beauty every day.' Let me ask you: how many of you pray to the Holy Spirit every day? It will be few of you, but we must satisfy this desire for Jesus and pray every day to the Holy Spirit that He might open our hearts to Jesus.” ~ Pope Francis in his General Audience on May 15, 2013

May 14, 2013. (Romereports.com) The workings of the Holy Spirit: This was the theme of Pope Francis' homily during his daily Mass at the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta Chapel.  The Pope said the Holy Spirit teaches one to love. He added that to truly be a Christian one should see life as a gift that one gives, and not as a treasure that's kept from others. Since the Holy Spirit teaches us to love, said the Pope, one must pray and ask for a bigger heart. POPE FRANCIS “These days, as we prepare to celebrate the feast day of the Holy Spirit, let us pray: Come Holy Spirit! Come and make my heart bigger. A heart that can love with humility and meekness. Give me a big heart so that I may love. We ask this grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit lead us, so we don't stray on the wrong track of selfishness, which always ends badly. Let's pray for this grace.” Usually Vatican employees are allowed to attend the Pope's daily Mass. On Tuesday the group included empl...

Come, O Holy Spirit, come send forth the rays of Your Light come fill our hearts with Your Love wash what is not clean water what is dry heal what is wounded bend what is stubborn melt what is frozen re-direct what has gone astray. Come, O Holy Spirit, come.