Seeking And Not Finding

Quaeretis me et non invenietis. Nota, quod a bonis quaeritur Christus et invenitur ab illis; quaeritur autem, sed non invenitur a reprobis, quibus hic dicitur: Quaeretis me et non invenietis. Quare autem non invenitur Dominus a quaerentibus, causa triplex est: una est ex parte temporis, alia ex parte loci, tertia ex parte modi quaerendi. Quaerunt ergo et non inveniunt illi qui quaerunt, non quando inveniri potest, et qui quaerunt, non ubi inveniri potest, et qui quaerunt, non qualiter inveniri potest. Quaerunt, non quando inveniri potest, qui non quaerunt de die, vel qui non quaerunt continue, vel qui non quaerunt tempestive. Quaerunt ergo et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt de die gratiae, sed in nocte culpae; unde Canticorum tertio: Per noctes quaesivi quem diligit anima mea; et sequitur: Quaesivi et non inveni. Nec mirum, quia quaesivit obscuro tempore. Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui quaerunt interrupte, cum ipse sit quaerendus continue; unde in Psalmo: Quaerite Dominum et confirmamini; quaerite faciem eius semper. Nota fabulam de vetula, quae dicebat: Quaere pulcrum maritum. Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt tempestive, sicut illa, de qua Canticorum quinto: Pessulum ostii mei aperui delicto meo; at ille declinaverat atque transierat; et sequitur: Quaesivi et non inveni illum; et loannis septimo dicitur: Adhuc modicum tempus vobiscum sum, et vado ad eum qui me misit; et subiungit: Quaeretis me et non invenietis; quasi dicat: quia tarde quaeritis. Propter haec tria dicitur Isaiae quinquagesimo quinto:Quaerite Dominum, dum inveniri potest. Quaerunt, non ubi inveniri potest, qui quaerunt in lecto carnalis voluptatis, vel qui in foro mundanae negotiationis, vel qui in choro pompae saecularis. Quaeritur ergo in lecto carnalis voluptatis; Canticorum tertio: In lectulo meo quaesivi quem diligit anima mea; sed non invenitur, quia sequitur: Quaesivi illum et non inveni; unde lob vigesimo octavo: Non invenitur in terra suaviter viventium. Quaeritur in foro mundanae negotiationis; Canticorum tertio: Surgam et circuibo civitatem; per vicos et plateas quaeram quem diligit anima mea. Expone de civitate mundi, de qua Psalmus: Vidi iniquitatem et contradictionem in civitate. Sed nec ibi invenitur; unde sequitur: Quaesivi illum et non inveni; Osee undecimo: In medio tui Sanctus, et non ingrediar civitatem; loquitur de se ipso Dominus. Quaeritur in choro pompae saecularis; Lucae secundo: Existimantes, illum esse in comitatu, venerunt iter diei unius, et requirebant eum inter cognatos et notos; sed nec ibi invenitur; unde sequitur: Et non invenientes regressi sunt in lerusalem. Propter haec tria corripit Dominus quaerentes se Lucae secundo: Quid est, quod me quaerebatis? Nesciebatis, quia in his quae Patris mei sunt oportet me esse? Quaerunt et non inveniunt qui non quaerunt, qualiter inveniri potest, ut in quibus est evagatio rationis, vel obliquitas intentionis, vel remissio operis. Non inveniunt in quibus est evagatio rationis de quibus Osee quinto: In gregibus suis et in armentis suis vadent ad quaerendum Dominum; supple: per curiosam cogitationem ; et non invenient; ablatus est ab eis; Sapientiae primo: In simplicitate cordis quaerite Dominum, quoniam invenitur ab his qui non tentant illum. Item, non invenitur ab his, in quibus est obliquilas intentionis,sive sit intentio maligna, qualem habuit Herodes; Matthaei secundo: Futurum est enim, ut Herodes quaerat puerum ad perdendum eum; sive sit intentio carnalis, qualem habebant turbae; loannis sexto: Quaeritis me, non quia vidistis signa, sed quia de panibus manducastis; sive sit curiosa, qualem habebant Pharisaei, loannis undecimo, qui quaerebant lesum et colloquebantur ad invicem in templo stantes: Quid putatis, quia non venit ad diem festum? Item, non invenitur ab his, in quibus est remissio operis; propter quod dicitur Lucae decimo tertio: Contendite intrare per angustam portam, quia dico vobis, multi quaerent intrare et non poterunt. Propter hoc dicitur Isaiae vigesimo primo: Si quaeritis, quaerite; convertimini et venite. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput VII, Collatio XXXII Source: Here, p571-2

You shall seek me and not find me. 1 Note that Christ is sought by the good and He is found by them, but He is sought and He is not found by the wicked, to whom it is said here: 'You shall seek me and not find me.' The reason why the Lord is not found by those who seek Him has a threefold cause, one in time, one in place, and the third by the manner of seeking. Therefore they seek and do not find who seek when He is not to found, where He is not to be found, and in a way by which He is not to be found. They seek when He is not be found who do not seek Him in the day, or who do not seek Him always, or who do not seek Him in a fitting manner. Therefore they seek and do not find who do not seek in the day of grace, but in the night of sin, whence it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs, 'Through the night I sought him whom my soul loves...' and it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 2 Indeed because she seeks at the time of darkness. They seek and do not find who seek intermittently, when He should always be sought, whence in the Psalm: 'Seek the Lord and be strengthened, seek His face always.' 3 Note the fable about the old woman who says: Seek a handsome husband. They seek and do not find who do not seek fittingly, as she of whom it says in the fifth chapter of the Song of Songs: 'I opened the bolt of my door to my beloved, but he had turned aside and gone.' And it follows: 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 4 And in the seventh chapter of John: 'I am with you but a little while, and I go to Him who sent me, ' and below, 'You shall seek me and not find me.' 5 As if He said, because you seek me tardily. Because of these three things it is said in the fifty fifth chapter of Isaiah: 'Seek the Lord while He can be found.' 6 They seek where He cannot be found, when they seek Him on the bed of carnal pleasure, or in the marketplace of worldly business, or in the gathering of the pomp of the age. Therefore He is sought on the couch of carnal pleasure when it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs: 'On my bed I sought Him whom my soul loves,' but He is not found, because it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' 7 Whence in the twenty eighth chapter of Job: 'He is not found in the land of those who live sweetly.' 8 He is sought in the marketplace of worldly business, when it says in the third chapter of the Song of Songs: 'I rose up and went around the city, through the streets and squares I sought him whom my soul loves.' 9 Which speaks of the city of the world, concerning which the Psalm says, 'I saw wickedness and contradiction in the city.' 10 But He is not found there, whence it follows, 'I sought him and I did not find him.' In the eleventh chapter of Hosea: 'In the midst of you I am Holy and I shall not enter the city.' 11 which the Lord says about Himself. He is sought in the gathering of the pomp of the age, as in the second chapter of Luke: 'Thinking that He was among the company, they went one day on their journey, and then they sought Him with their relations and kin, but they did not find Him there,' whence it follows, 'And not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem.' On account of these three things the Lord corrects those who seek Him saying, 'Where were you seeking me? Do you not know that it is necessary for me to be among the things of my Father?' 12 They seek and do not find who do not seek in a way by which it is possible to find, as those who have shifting minds, or hidden intent, or who lack works. Of those who do not find because of shifting minds, it is said in the fifth chapter of Hosea: 'All their flocks and herds will not turn them to seeking the Lord,' which is because of the distraction of their thoughts, 'And they do not find Him because He has withdrawn from them.' 13 In the first chapter of Wisdom, 'In simplicity of heart seek the Lord, because He is found by those who do not put Him to the test.' 14 Likewise He is not found by those in whom there is hidden intent, or in whom there is malign intent, as Herod had in the second chapter of Matthew, 'Herod shall seek the child in order to destroy him.' 15 Or it may be done with carnal intent, as with the crowd in the sixth chapter of John: 'You seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate bread.' 16 Or it may be from curiosity, as the Pharisees had in the eleventh chapter of John: 'They looked for Jesus and they spoke together standing in the temple: 'What do you think? Shall He not come on the feast day?' 17 Likewise He is not found by those in whom there is a lack of works, because of which it says in the thirteenth Chapter of Luke: 'Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because I say to you that many seek to enter and cannot.' 18 On account of which it is said in the twenty first chapter of Isaiah: 'If you will seek, seek. Turn and come.' 19 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 7 1 Jn 7.34 2 Song 3.1 3 Ps 104.4 4 Song 5.6 5 Jn 7.33-34 6 Isaiah 55.6 7 Song 3.1 8 Job 28.13 9 Song 3.2 10 Ps 54.9 11 Hosea 11.9 12 Lk 2.44-45,49 13 Hosea 5.6 14 Wisd 1.1 15 Mt 2.13 16 Jn 6.26 17 Jn 11.56 18 Lk 13.23 19 Isaiah 21.12