Sister Death’s Sacramental Embrace:

Theological Narration of Sickness and Dying

in Bonaventure’s Legenda Maior

Outline

1) Why did Bonaventure write the Legenda Maior?

2) Which narratives in this hagiographical text

deal with suffering and death?

3) How does Bonaventure’s theology inform these

narratives?

4) What are some applications to pastoral care of

the sick today?

Historical Context: Commissioning

-Written by Bonaventure between 1257

and 1261.

-Declared to be the definitive life (vita)

of Francis by an administrative meeting

in Paris, 1266.

-Met the liturgical needs of the newly-

codified octave (eight day celebration)

of Francis’s feast.

Historical Context: Content

-Emphasizes imitation of Francis

-Forefronts humility as the end

result of austerity

-Focuses on the reception of

stigmata (visible in icon at left)

Word Study: corpus, corporis

1.2(2x), 1.6, 2.4, 2.7(2x),

5.1(3x), 5.3, 5.4, 5.6,

5.8(3x), 6.4, 9.3,

10.1(2x), 10.6, 13.2,

14.1(2x), 14.2(2x)

1.2, 4.8, 5.2, 5.7, 5.9,

5.11, 7.11, 8.5, 8.8, 9.3,

12.9, 12.10, 13.7,

15.5(2x), 15.8

Prol.2, 4.4, 5.9, 8.7, 9.2,

10.4(2x), 12.12, 13.9,

13.10, 14.1, 15.1, 15.2

Leper Narrative: Legenda 1.5

“While he was riding his horse

through the plain that lies below the

city of Assisi, he met a leper. This

unforeseen encounter struck him

with not a little horror. Recalling the

plan of perfection he had already

conceived in his mind, and

remembering that he must first

conquer himself if he wanted to

become a knight of Christ, he

dismounted from his horse and ran

to kiss him.”

Stigmata Narrative: Legenda 13.2-3

“He saw a Seraph having six wings … there appeared between

the wings the likeness of a man crucified.”

“As the vision was disappearing,

it left in his heart a marvelous

fire and imprinted in his flesh a

likeness of signs no less

marvelous.”

Death Narrative: Legenda 14

“When he was tortured by harsh

bodily suffering, he called his

tribulations not by the name of

‘pains’ but of ‘Sisters.’”

“There was in him such harmony of flesh with spirit, such

readiness of obedience, that, when he strove to attain all

holiness, not only did the flesh not resist, it even tried to run

ahead.”

Bonaventure’s Theology: Christ the Physician

“The physician is the Incarnate

Word himself, the invisible God in

a visible nature. The patient,

humankind, is neither pure spirit

nor flesh alone, but spirit in

mortal flesh…

…If a medicine was going to fit all of these circumstances, not

only did it have to be spiritual, but it also had to possess

something in the way of sensible signs. As sensible objects had

been the occasion of the fall of the soul, they might also become

the occasion of its rising.” Breviloquium 6.1.3

Contemporary Applications

Healthcare and

Justice

Compassionate,

Holistic Care

Seeing Christ in

Suffering

SLIDE 1-Introduction

Kevin Hughes, Timothy Brunk, and Jay Hammond.

One of the aspects I’m going to explore here, that wasn’t in the original paper, is what it

means to say that through Francis Bonaventure has an embodied mysticism.

SLIDE 2-Outline

1) Historical context; genre of text (hagiographical and theological, but meant to be performed)

2) Only focus on three [beginning and end of ministry]; using a word-study model

3) Embodied mysticism, a theological affirmation of the body informed by a truly sacramental

worldview; that is, informed by the understanding that physical things, viewed and used

properly, lead us to God.

Brev, and place in conjunction with what we learned from section 2.

4) I think it’s always important to apply what we study as medievalists, or particularly as

medieval theologians, to the questions and concerns of the contemporary world.

SLIDE 3-Historical Context; Commissioning

This text was written between 1257 and 1261 by Bonaventure. Many lives, or vitae, of Francis

had already been composed, and these were diffused through various regions and used by

different groups. Since a life of Saint Francis was read liturgically to celebrate the octave of his

feast, the decision to commission a definitive version was primarily an attempt to establish

uniformity in worship. This makes sense in an era of liturgical reform, kicked off at the

beginning of the century by Innocent III and continued in the time of Bonaventure with the

publication of Haymo’s Ordinal.

SLIDE 4-Historical Context; Composition

Bonaventure had a tremendous amount of hagiographical material to sort through. Read slide.1

By examining three narratives of suffering and death, I hope to show that Bonaventure gives the

body a mystical role in the journey of Francis, which is also a journey of everyman, to God. The

body of Francis is where Bonaventure’s theological and hagiographical goals intersect.

1 Possible to comment, for example, on absolute poverty vs gospel poverty (see Hammond contextualization)

SLIDE 5-Word Study: The Body2 Note: The word flesh (caro, carnis) is used about 35 times.

The word body, referring to Francis himself or his embodied actions, is used over 50 times in the

text. Less than half of these instances involve the traditional trope of mortification or

purification—about 45%. In these passages Francis disciplines his body, not as an end in itself

but as an example geared toward benefiting his community. Key words include temptation, self-

denial, poverty, and humility.

About 30% of the uses show the body being restored to health and strength. Some are astounding

stories, where Francis bends the rules of austerity to reach out to those in need. For example, in

chapter five he has pity on a brother who cannot fall asleep, and gives him something to eat—

avoiding harm to the body from excessive fasting. The “illuminating” episodes bring a balance to

the asceticism of the first group.

The other 25% refer to the mystically union of Francis with Christ through the stigmata.

Bonaventure saw this miracle as the key to understanding St. Francis. The wounds of Christ are a

seal imprinted on his body, and they exist at the didactic intersection of bodily asceticism and

bodily affirmation.

SLIDE 6-Leper Narrative3

Occurs at the beginning of his conversion, in chapter 1

“While he was riding his horse through the plain that lies below the city of Assisi, [Francis] met

a leper. This unforeseen encounter struck him with not a little horror.” The sheer foreignness

and ugliness of this man jarred Francis and caused initial repulsion. The displaced leper

reminded Francis of the distressing theological truth that something has gone awry in the created

order. Francis gathered his wits together, “remembering that he must first conquer himself if he

wanted to become ‘a knight of Christ,’ dismounted his horse and ran to kiss [the leper].” In this

way Francis boldly imitated Christ, who approached and healed social outcasts. Indeed, Christ

came not for the healthy, but for the sick (cf. Lk 5:31-32). At the outset of his conversion,

Francis abandons everything to the Father’s will, paralleling the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.

This purgative death to self is confirmed in the Stigmata Narrative.

SLIDE 7-Stigmata Narrative4

Sees Seraph. An illumination: as Bonaventure says in Itinerarium, we cannot see the vision if the

mirror of our soul is not clear, in humility.

“As the vision was disappearing, it left in his heart a marvelous fire and imprinted in his flesh a

likeness of signs no less marvelous.”

Francis does not leave behind the body; it is essential to highest mystical end of his life. In the

last years of his life, the physical does not disappear, in fact, it is accented.

In this and other illuminative episodes, the body becomes strengthened, and fruitful for others.

This fruitfulness continues until, and even during, Francis’s bodily death.

2 Purgative = temptation; mortification; (self-denial, poverty/humility) ; Illuminative = renewal; (indwelling grace

and strength); Perfective = Union with Christ (mystical) 3 Attested to in Early Rule 9.2. 4 -It is here that Bonaventure mentions the Triple Way: LMj 13.7.7

SLIDE 8-Death Narrative

(read slide)

Sister death sounds familiar because it is a phrase in the short Canticle of Creatures (1225–26),

written by Francis toward the end of his life. dialectic of praise b/t God and creation—every part

returns to unity with its Source.

Without denying the existence of his suffering, Francis recontextualized its meaning by

subsuming sickness within the larger framework of God’s care and compassion. Far from

regarding the effects of illness as imaginary or negligible, Francis “takes them up” into a

resurrected understanding of complete reliance upon the goodness of God. In other words, he is

willing to acknowledge his suffering and use it as a teaching tool to lead others to God.

-In life as in death, Francis conforms to the will of the Father

Adding a further theological dimension to these stories, we will consider a story Bonaventure

tells in his manual of theology.

Bonaventure’s Sacramental Theology: Christ, Divine and Human Physician

-Narrative Framework5 Fall into sin throws order out of whack; disobedience and pride destroy

the alignment of soul and body. Further, the human body is now subject to death and degraded

by toil as the elements wear upon this makeshift “tent” (2 Cor 5:4). Nonetheless, despite this

destruction, God had mercy through God’s Son, and, according to Bonaventure, “saw to it that

the disease of sin should not run rampant without a sacramental remedy.”6 In taking up a human

tent, the eternal Son became temporal. Human beings can now approach him through a point of

commonality, and experience his presence even, one might say especially, in weakness and

fragility.

Bonaventure’s sacramental worldview, based on the joyful reality of Christ’s Incarnation,

inspires us to see the “stuff of this world” as expressions of divine reality. Christ did not merely

treat the symptoms, he took on the very nature of his “patients” in order to set aright the disorder

caused by sin.

Bonaventure purposefully draws out the positive aspects of the body in order to support an

underlying theology of physical and temporal redemption, a theology that could be called

“embodied mysticism.” As human beings, our access to Christ comes through his flesh, through

the mystery of his suffering, to which Francis bears special witness via the stigmata. Here the

Body plays a didactic role. The expression of divinity through Francis’s stigmata is the perfect

example of God working in and through the physical to draw humans toward perfection.

Purgation and Illumination yield perfection. ONLY THUS can the soul become rightly ordered.

The crucifixion of the self in the Christian life is not morbid; it is the opposite—it is a pouring

out of love that lifts up givers and receivers to mystical union with God.

5 Resonance to Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran Council on priests treating sinners as a doctor treats a patient—with

careful remedies appropriate to the disease. [Hammond Binder] 6 John 1:14 speaks of Christ taking on flesh to dwell among us. It is significant that the noun in Paul’s description of

the body as a tent (skene) is a direct cognate of the verb used by John to describe the Incarnation.

Francis allowed for exceptions to his rules on accepting money for sick brothers in “evident need.” See Early Rule 8.3, 8.7, 15.2; Later Rule 4.2–3.

The Legenda Maior was written around the same time as his most famous work, the Itinerarium. Here there is also a triple way.

Contemporary Applications: One Slide

Social Justice and Healthcare:

-There are many similarities between Francis’s time and our time. Rise of coined money in the

mercantile system is changing things, including morality.7

Today there are also many advances, and one of them is quality medical care. In an era where

the quality and availability of medical care is unprecedented, it is somewhat shocking that many

Christians oppose on principle the ministry of physical healing to those, such as welfare

recipients, who are not in a position to afford trips to the doctor.

Compassionate, Holistic Care:

-Reading the life of Francis, we grow with Francis. As the Legenda Maior continues, we learn

that the incident with the leper was not an isolated event. Francis continued to exercise charity

and care toward his sick and suffering brothers and sisters. He “showed deeds of humility and

humanity to lepers with gentle piety. He visited their houses frequently, generously distributed

alms to them, and with a great drive of compassion kissed their hands and their mouths.” The

ministry Francis performed is the same one that priests, pastors, doctors, nurses, and anyone

entrusted with the care of a sick person can provide today.

Through Francis’s own willingness to treat anyone at anytime, we gain insight into the holistic

nature of care at all stages of life.

Those attending the dying Francis observed that he “burned with a great desire to return to the

humility he practiced at the beginning; to nurse the lepers as he did at the outset.” A far cry from

denigrating earthly priorities, this recapitulation by Francis of his own life can impart caretakers

today with courage to assist their patients, affirming the impulse to set disorder aright in the face

of potential death.

And finally, the mystical dimension of Seeing Christ in the Sick and Suffering:

The Legenda Maior extends the context where the healing work of Christ is carried out. St.

Francis instructed his followers with these words: “Brother, as long as you see a poor person, a

mirror of the Lord and his poor Mother is placed before you. Likewise in the sick, look closely

for the infirmities which He accepted.” Witnessing Francis’s ability to look past the distortions

disease imposes upon the body inspires us to do likewise, to recognize that Christ is at work

when we show love and care to others regardless of the situation. Francis teaches that we cannot

begin to follow Christ without this movement outside of ourselves. Francis directs our attention

away from personal obstacles, which would prevent us from lending a listening ear to a brother

or sister who is suffering from abandonment due to illness. Since Bonaventure sees the medical

and the spiritual aspects of health as inextricably intertwined, it follows that the vocation to heal

the sick is also spiritual in nature. In the end, acts of compassion and care are not only human—

they are divine, for they find their source and exemplar in the sacramentally-present Christ.

7 (Money itself hurts you, according to Francis. “Owning” money is different than owning tools, which have

immediate use.)

Cross-Textual Resonances within Francis’s Own Works

Purgative

-Earlier Rule (1220) on praising God in all circumstances, as a means of reconciliation

“I beg the sick brother to thank God for everything and to desire to be whatever the Lord

wills, sick or well, because God teaches all those He has destined for eternal life by the torments

of punishments, sicknesses, and the spirit of sorrow.” 10.3 [purgative model] Admonitions 13.1

“A servant of God cannot know how much patience and humility he has within himself as long

as he is content.”

Illuminative: Something Beautiful comes out of suffering

-Canticle of Exhortation (for the Ladies of San Damiano [1225]), wherein he exhorts that

the sisters “provide for their bodies with discernment.”

-Canticle of Exhortation (for the Ladies of San Damiano [1225]). There is also an

interplay of healthy and sick, who support one another through the mystery of patient suffering.

Revolves around care. Likewise Admonitions 24: “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as

much when he is sick, and cannot repay him, as when he is well and can repay him.” See

Contemporary Application of Seeing Christ in Neighbor by means of pastoral—and specifically medical—care.

-Note that these sisters were, themselves, troubled by Francis’s own illness. He

understood that doctors themselves, as Sulmasy puts it, are “wounded healers.” Doctors should

show their humanity.

Perfective

-Canticle of Creatures (1225–26); dialectic of praise b/t God and creation—becoming

one through praise8

8 Note that Sister Death itself breaks the parallelism of the poem—perhaps an homage or acknowledgement of its

shocking and abrupt reality.

Main Missing Areas: Sacraments/Christ + Realism/death honesty + Anointing of Sick

End:

While the dignity of each person dictates the utmost respect for life, it does not necessarily

justify the preservation of life at any cost. In a world where end of life care is becoming more

and more complex, the simplicity of the Seraphic Doctor’s trust in God’s providential care can

stimulate the faithful to ask the question, “To what end are we extending life?” The full

ramifications, for both the individual and the community, of artificially preserving a life must be

weighed. For example, there are situations in which the healthy desire of a loved one to preserve

the life of his or her beloved can become a disordered and possessive love.

Random Notes:

Prayer and Praise, Peace and Poverty, Penance.

The Stigmata is the only time Bonaventure mentions the Triple Way: LMj 13.7.7

Notes for Future:

Early Rule 10.4 Don’t seek medicine “with too much of a desire to free the flesh.” || Morphine