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Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented."Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."


Reflection


Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!


WOE! WOE is one of our PAPA acronyms. It means Walking On Eggshells! Indeed Jesus is using WOE as a warning! The towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are Walking On Eggshells with the Lord. These towns were visited by the Messiah and He performed many miracles in their sight. He healed a blind man* and he fed the 5,000 ** in Bethsaida.

Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, healed the sick and possessed of unclean spirits, and cured the paralytic lowered from the roof in Capernaum. He also cured the Centurion's servant. Still they did not want to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah. They didn't repent for their unbelief!

The Israelites knew about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Torah because they refused to repent despite God's warning. What about us?


We need to pay attention to this Gospel. Jesus is with us in the Holy Eucharist. We are witnesses to Jesus' greatest miracle. Through the priest, Jesus transforms the bread and wine into His precious Body and Blood during the consecration in the Holy Mass. Are we, Catholics, Walking On Eggshells?


In 2019 Pew Research found that only 31% of Catholics believe in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into Jesus' Body and Blood. That was seven years ago. Will the Lord find faith on earth now?


Today is the memorial of St. Bonaventure, a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He was a Franciscan and a contemporary of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas and Bonaventure were schoolmates and friends. Bonaventure is known as "the seraphic doctor" and Aquinas was "the angelic doctor." They both loved the Eucharist. It was St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas, who were appointed by Pope Urban IV to investigate the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena. Once they agreed that their scientific investigation proved that the bleeding host was truly Jesus' Body and Blood, they marched their results to Ovieto to present the Eucharistic relic to Pope Urban IV.

The feast of Corpus Christi was born. Let us pray for all Catholics to believe and by their reverence show that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist. Let us pray our PAPA Prayer for all priests to be on fire with love for the Holy Eucharist.




References

*(Mark 8: 22-51)

**(Luke 9:12-17)





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