Reflect
In episode one of Franciscan Media’s Off the Page podcast, Bruce Epperly talks about his new book about St. Bonaventure, Head, Heart, and Hands, and Bonaventure’s own transformative experience at La Verna, a mountain of retreat for Francis and his brothers where Francis is said to have received the stigmata. God does not always give us mystical experiences, but I believe God walks with us and enjoys experiencing the world in us and through us.
Pray
Francis came here, panting after peace, and Bonaventure too,
accepting his own plight to restore the order.
You pierced each in their own way with a mystical awakening.
La Verna goes with me—mystical euphoria, I know nothing of it,
yet you walked with me, I think, I hope, I know,
on the trail toward the precipice, where a dense fog
drifted beneath us like a river and seemed to say to me,
“Isn’t this fun, walking with each other, seeing what we can see?”
Act
Consider going on a walk, hike, or, if not physically able, a virtual hike at a place of your choosing via the Internet. Contemplate the reality that God walks with you, beside you, in you, and through you, as the two of you experience the beauty of creation together.
