It is easy to get lost in the beauty of truth. There are people who devote their entire lives to the study of one subject and never exhaust that subject. The ones who do this most clearly are theologians who take as the object of their study that which they know at the beginning they will never understand. There have been many theologians in the history of the Church, and they have helped us to understand the depths of the mystery of God and his Christ. They will be the first to tell you, however, that to know about God is different than knowing God. Yes, knowledge and learning do not equate to holiness and likeness to God.
The Lord reveals himself to the childlike. St. Bonaventure was a great theologian, even being named a doctor of the Church. He was also a Franciscan, living his life in a way dedicated to imitating the loving poverty of the Son of God. Whereas St. Bonaventure could have spent his life and intellect attracting followers, gaining renown, and accumulating wealth; he instead devoted his life to humble service. St. Bonaventure’s intellect has borne much fruit for the Church, but it was his heart, which was fashioned after that of Jesus, that bore the one fruit that really matters: sanctity.