The Role Of Charity In The Ecclesiology Of St. Bonaventure -pontificia Facultas Theologica S. Bonaventurae. Dissertationes Ad Lauream- Page
A unique element of Bonaventurian charity is its link to Evangelical Poverty . Influenced by St. Francis, Bonaventure posits that the Church’s charity is most authentic when it is "poor." By stripping away temporal desires, the Church becomes a more transparent vessel for God’s love. Charity is not just giving from abundance; it is the total gift of self, modeled on the kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ. 4. The Affective Dimension
The rigorous research standard for Bonaventurian studies has long been set by the Pontificia Facultas Theologica S. Bonaventurae (the Seraphicum in Rome). Its series, Dissertationes ad lauream , has produced pivotal works examining Bonaventure’s commentary on the Sentences , his Breviloquium , and his mystical masterwork, the Itinerarium mentis in Deum . Drawing on the conclusions of these doctoral dissertations, this article argues that for Bonaventure, charity is not merely a virtue or a secondary attribute of the Church, but the very forma ecclesiae —the formative principle that constitutes, heals, and perfects the ecclesial body. A unique element of Bonaventurian charity is its
Charity is not a mere accident; it is the connatural disposition that makes the Church knowable as the mystical body of Christ. Without charity, the hierarchy becomes a "resounding gong or a clashing cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1). The Dissertationes ad lauream focusing on Bonaventure’s pneumatology (e.g., J. Ratzinger, The Theology of History in St. Bonaventure ) have clarified that the Holy Spirit is the donum that actualizes the Church. The Spirit is the personal, uncreated charity; created charity is the participation in that divine gift that gives the Church her life. Charity is not just giving from abundance; it
In his De sollicitudine pro pauperibus , Bonaventure emphasizes the importance of care for the poor and the vulnerable, citing the example of Christ who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9). This care for the poor is not just a moral obligation but a theological imperative that reflects the very nature of God. Bonaventurae (the Seraphicum in Rome)
