Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
In an act of what some today would consider a supreme offense against the environment, Saint Boniface (675-754), whose feast we celebrate today, cut down a sizeable and important tree venerated by adherents of a local religion. Perhaps some today would see the tree as an example of religious diversity and give it a place of honor among the variants of religious experience. Boniface operated under a different set of standards. For him, anything that took one from what he saw as the truth had to be removed.
In a sense Boniface’s act is repeated—or perhaps perverted—by those who attack the structures of Christianity. Dialogue, as Ignatius Loyola has identified, should proceed with good intention and the ability to correct by using a clear exposition of the truth. It is not surprising that the Jesuits turned to education as their primary work during the time of Ignatius, since by means of understanding God’s creation, he argued that one can make better judgements concerning which trees need to come down and which trees are worth saving.