Bonaventure: The Souls Journey into
God, the Tree of Life, the Life of St.
Francis (The Classics of Western
Spirituality) by Ewert Cousins
An Ascent To Radical Grace
Long before Bonaventure was called The Prince of Mystics by Leo XIII or
The Seraphic Doctor by John Gerson, he was known throughout the
Christian world as The Devout Teacher. Professor Ewert Cousins says in
his introduction, In the history of Western Spirituality, Bonaventure holds a
central and pivotal position. The 13th century friar, professor at the
University of Paris, minister general of the Franciscan Order, cardinal and
advisor to popes, played a major role in the spiritual ferment of the high
Middle Ages…when Islamic, Jewish and Christian spirituality were
flourishing-he produced one of the richest syntheses of Christian
spirituality. Although cosmic in its scope, it was distinctively Christian in its
content, grounded in the doctrine of the Trinity and devotion to the
humanity of Christ. Within Christianity he achieved a striking integration of

Eastern and Western elements. The three works contained in this volume
offer the core of his vision. In The Souls Journey into God, considered
Bonaventures masterpiece, he takes the six-winged Seraph as the symbol
for the six stages of contemplation in which the created world is seen as a
reflection of God. The Tree of Life is a simple meditation on the life of
Jesus, based on the Gospel accounts in which Christ is seen as the Tree
of Life on whose branches blossom such virtues as humility, piety,
patience, constancy and justice. The Life of St. Francis was the official
biography commissioned by the Franciscan Order in 1260. The editor of
this volume, Dr. Ewert Cousins, is Professor of Theology, Fordham
University and Visiting Professor, Columbia University. He is Director of
the Spirituality Graduate Program at Fordham. Ignatius Brady, O.F.M.,
who wrote the preface to this volume, is one of the worlds leading
authorities on Bonaventure and early Franciscan spirituality. He is Prefect
of the Theology Section of the Franciscan research center, Collegio S.
Bonaventura at Grottaferrata near Rome.
Personal Review: Bonaventure: The Souls Journey into God,
the Tree of Life, the Life of St. Francis (The Classics of Western
Spirituality) by Ewert Cousins
This book is a spiritual gold mine for all people seeking to see God in
Jesus Christ as well as those from any and every background who seek
the Truth.
St Bonaventure (1217 - 1274) is a doctor of the Catholic Church, lover of
Christ, mystic and near contemporary of his spiritual father, St Francis of
Assisi.
The book's first work, "The Soul's Journey into God", is an account of how
to encounter God through creation, the soul, and reflecting on God's
attributes of Perfect Being and Perfect Goodness. These encounters are
treated in 6 steps leading us to the 7th and final step of the soul's spiritual
rapture into the Holy Trinity.
Bonaventure cries out to us to leave behind all thoughts and desires and
abandon our lives to Christ. Progressing through love, prayer and gazing
on God we will see and know The Persons of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, in this life and in the life to come.
The second work, "The Tree of Life", is a spiritual account of the central
events of Jesus' Life: His Hidden Life, Ministry, Passion, Death,
Resurrection, Ascencion and Glorification. It is a profoundly beautiful and
poetic work. Bonaventure calls us to be crucified in Christ and to live anew
in Him through sharing in His Virtues.
The final work, "The Life of St Francis", is a spiritual biography of the little
poor man of Christ. St Francis encounters us and bids us leave all to
follow and love Christ. Bonaventure shows us that we must, like St

Francis, die in Christ and reproduce His Virtues in our own lives. It is a
dynamic and powerful work.
This book will appeal to all people especially those pursuing the vision of
God in Jesus Christ. It is a spiritual treasure for all. For Catholics,
Bonaventure will provide great wisdom from the depths of the Church's
Tradition regarding the soul's mystical marriage to Jesus Christ. It will be
a great blessing for Orthodox Christians as Bonaventure, following St
Dionysius and the Eastern Church Fathers, shows us how to ascend to
God in spiritual darkness through the Vision of Divine Light. It will greatly
bless Protestants as it is a profound account of God's Justifying and
Sanctifying Grace.
Finally, it will powerfully speak to all Charismatics and Pentecostals who
have experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. St Bonaventure is a man
filled with the Holy Spirit who has produced a practical guide of great
wisdom on how to see, know and intimately love the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit.
All in all, a great spiritual treasure at a very affordable price. Highly
Recommended for all people.
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