Dear Vinnie,<\/p>\n
I won\u2019t say your political ambitions are intrinsically unhealthy, but I will say that they are dangerous.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am glad to the tenth degree that you are having the \u201ctime of your life\u201d interning for an up-and-coming senator there on Capitol Hill.\u00a0 And I am also glad \u2013 really, I\u2019m not just saying this \u2013 that you are leaning in the direction of politics as you consider career possibilities.\u00a0 Heaven knows the world of politics always needs a few courageous people willing to stand by their Catholic convictions.\u00a0 But your ambition could easily go awry, leading you to moral compromise.\u00a0 I am certain you know what I mean.\u00a0 But never fear, today\u2019s saint is here, and he\u2019s got the answer.\u00a0 To appreciate that answer, however, you need to know a bit about him.<\/p>\n
Bonaventure followed in the footsteps of the great St Francis of Assisi and eventually became the minister general of all the Franciscans, codifying their rule, resolving internal strife, and earning the title of \u201csecond founder.\u201d\u00a0 Blessed Pope Gregory X named him cardinal and summoned him to the Council of Lyons, where the saint so perspicaciously and charitably ran the proceedings that he instigated a reunion between the Catholics and Orthodox (after Bonaventure died, however, the Orthodox returned to their schismatic ways).<\/p>\n
In addition to brilliant administration and delicate diplomacy, he showed spiritual eloquence and theological excellence in his prolific literary output.\u00a0 He received his doctorate from the University of Paris together with St Thomas Aquinas, the two of whom brought scholastic philosophy and theology to its enduring climax.\u00a0 And to top it all off, his Christian virtue ran so deep and was so contagious that the future Pope Innocent V said the following in his eulogy: \u201cNo one ever beheld Bonaventure who did not conceive a great regard and affection for him; and even strangers were desirous to follow his counsel and advice, simply from hearing him speak: for he was gentle, courteous, humble, pleasing to all, compassionate, prudent, chaste and adorned with all virtues.\u201d\u00a0 This \u201cSeraphic Doctor,\u201d as he was called (\u201cdoctor\u201d was what they called all professors at the time), accomplished all of this before dying at the young age of 53.<\/p>\n
Here was a man who achieved more in a short life than most politicians even dream of achieving in an entire career.\u00a0 And how did he do it?\u00a0 He focused all his talents on one thing \u2013 one thing only.\u00a0 Let him explain it to you in his own words: \u201cChrist is the way: Christ is the door.\u00a0 By Christ we mount, by Christ we are borne, for he is \u2018the mercy seat placed upon the ark of God,\u2019 \u2018the mystery hidden from all ages\u2019.\u00a0 A man should turn his face to this mercy-seat, should look at Christ hanging on the cross, should look with faith, hope, love, wonder joy, appreciation, praise and jubilation\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
That was Bonaventure\u2019s secret.\u00a0 And I think it\u2019s valid for you too.\u00a0 If you keep your heart and soul fixed on the greatest King of all time, the trappings of senatorial splendor will never be able to coax you off the path of True Success.\u00a0 Say hello to the monuments for me.<\/p>\n
Your devoted uncle,<\/p>\n
Eddy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Vinnie, I won\u2019t say your political ambitions are intrinsically unhealthy, but I will say that they are dangerous.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am glad to the tenth degree […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":359,"featured_media":145992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3719],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-142526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncle-eddy"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n