Trinitarian Perspectives in the Franciscan Theological Tradition

General Editor’s Introduction

4 General Editor’s Introduction Trinitarian Perspectives in the Franciscan Theological Tradition by Dr. Maria Calisi builds substantially on the previous four volumes in the Franciscan Heritage Series sponsored by the Secretariat for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT) of the English Speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor. Dr. Calisi is an authority on the theology of Saint Bonaventure. Her exposition of the foundations of the Seraphic Doctor’s theology in the contemplative experience of and reflection on the relational nature of God’s life retrieves an important theological perspective applicable to our contemporary search for meaning. Well schooled in the patristic inheritance, familiar with the riches of Orthodox theology, knowledgeable in the writings of Francis himself, Dr. Calisi engages the reader with a simple but profound analysis of the creedal sign shared by all Christians: “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In these pages we will discover how doctrine can shape life, and life, doctrine; how faith-filled human beings rooted in Trinitarian love can bear great fruit for both Church and society by engaging practitioners in action supportive of personal dignity, ecumenical relationships, social transformation, and ecclesial reform. It is with great pleasure and gratitude that the sponsors of CFIT offer this reflection to a wider public. Previous volumes have presented an overview of the tradition, discussed dimensions of creation and Christian anthropology in Franciscan theology, and illustrated them through an iconographic tradition founded in the Gospel of John. It is our hope that Trinitarian Perspectives in the Franciscan Theological Tradition will present in an accessible and exciting 5 form the central foundational element of the theological vision to students in the college classroom, the parish adult education program, Secular Fraternity gatherings, and various community meetings. Oftentimes in the history of Christianity the exposition of our Trinitarian belief has been confined simply to the realm of an incomprehensible and somewhat irrelevant “mystery” far removed from the concerns of ordinary life. Such is not the case in a world shaped by the sundering of relationships and the longing for belonging. The depth of the presentation and its consequences for our life will only be plumbed through a process of intellectual and affective conversion: If we believe that God is three-in-one, what does it mean to be “made in God’s image”? If we recognize that the social nature of God is foundational to our own quest for happiness, what structures can we create so as to anticipate this celestial economy of exchange in via? If we are to practice what we believe, how can we recommit ourselves to the creation of loving ecclesial relationships, to the treasuring of the revelation of God’s relational being in all of creation? May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit guide us in this task. A Unique Franciscan Vision The foundational significance of Trinitarian Perspectives in the Franciscan Theological Tradition may be seen by approaching the reading with the anthropological question in the back of one’s mind: What does it mean to be human in today’s Church and world? This has been explored initially in the third book in the Heritage series A Franciscan View of the Human Person (2005), and here only a few areas need be mentioned to indicate how this current exposition might be further explored and applied. Calisi indicates some other implications at the end of her exposition on Bonaventure. 6 Today in our world we all seek for happiness, an end to violence, a resting place of plenty, a clear knowledge of that which is true. We all search for goodness. “Everything,” Bonaventure writes, “naturally tends toward its source. A stone tends downward; fire tends upward; rivers run to the sea; the tree is joined to its root, and other things are joined to their root. The rational creature is God-like.”1 In other words, by our nature we tend towards home, the relationships from which we came, the weight of our desire and love leading us towards complete happiness. For Bonaventure, as a Christian, communion with God, with others, and with all of creation is our human destination. What great happiness would ensue were we to find our complete rest not in the possession of an infinite number of things, a poor consumer substitute for the focus of...