Don Bosco Our Model

Monthly Recollection 5-8 p.m. 18 January 2002

Salesian Community of Don Bosco Lawaan

OUR EXAMPLE OF PASTORAL CHARITY

The theme for tonight’s recollection is Don Bosco - our Model of Pastoral Charity. Article 21 of our Constitution speaks precisely of this idea and it reads as follows:

“We study and imitate Don Bosco, admiring in him a splendid blending of nature and grace. He was deeply human, rich in qualities of his people, open to the realities of this earth; and he was deeply the man of God, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and living ‘as seeing him who is invisible’.

These two aspects combined to create a closely-knit life project, the service of the young.”

Speaking of Don Bosco as our model, the above article tells us three things. First that our founder was both very human and very divine. Second it says further that these two opposite qualities in him complemented each other. Third such perfect combination of opposites enabled him to serve the young as he did. In the same manner of Don Bosco we too could be more effective shepherds of love for the young if we too would be able to combine the human and divine elements in our own selves.

Let us now first speak of the first element, the divine in Saint John Bosco.

Since I was an aspirant I had always been a fan of Don Bosco. Thanks to the salesians who told us endlessly stories of Don Bosco, I was perpetually mesmerized by his supernatural side: the dreams he had, the miracles he performed, the predictions he uttered. Let us recall a few.

In 1849 he multiplied hosts for about 600 oratory lads as the sacristan Joseph Buzzetti forgot to place a second ciborium on the altar. BM III, 311f.

During the same year he raised the boy Charles back to life, an event backed up by no less than 10 witnesses. BM III, 349-355.

1853 saw for the first time the many instances in which Don Bosco’s life was saved by the Grigio - that dog which heaven sent. BM IV, 495-502.

After the Rattazzi Bill - or the bill which provided for the confiscation of monasteries and convents in Italy- was introduced in 1854, Don Bosco dreamt of a messenger announcing solemn funerals at Court unless the said bill was retracted from Parliament. Five days later, the dream was repeated in a slightly different form and notice was given to King Victor Emmanuel II. However the warnings went unheeded. In January 1855 the Queen Mother Maria Theresa died. A little later also the Queen Consort Maria Adelaide, her young son Prince Victor Emannuel Leopold and Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa died. BM V, 115-123.

In 1854 Don Bosco related the Dream of the Twenty Two Moons predicting the death of Secundus Gurgo to the boarders including John Cagliero, John Turchi, John Baptist Anfossi, Felix Reviglio, Joseph Buzzetti. Gurgo died before Christmas in 1855. BM V, 246f. Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne prefaces this story with these words: “The Oratory boys were firmly convinced that God had given Don Bosco extraordinary gifts, because, among other things, he had predicted several deaths and other events that were totally unforeseeable.”

Don Bosco was constantly aware too of his boys’ spiritual condition. Fr. Michael Rua testifies: “Someone may think that, in manifesting his pupils’ conduct and personal secrets, Don Bosco was availing himself of information he had received from the boys themselves of from the young clerics supervising them. I can state with absolute certainty that this was not the case. The belief that Don Bosco could read our sins on our foreheads was so common that, when anyone committed a sin, he shied away from Don Bosco until he had gone to confession.” BM VI, 478-482.

On October 14, 1878 Don Bosco was most certainly in Turin. Yet that very day an unknown French-speaking priest who refused to give his name was the guest of Adele Clement at Saint-Rambert d’Albon, in the department of Drome. Giving in to the lady’s insistent questions as to his identity, he replied, “A few years from now my name will be printed in books, and these books will come into your hands. Then you will know who I am.” This was just one of the instances that Don Bosco was granted the gift of bilocation. Before disappearing mysteriously, Don Bosco cured the lady’s son who couldn’t hear, see or speak. BM XIV, 552-554.

Dreams , miracles, cures, predictions, bilocations... indeed since the beginning many had already been admiring Don Bosco’s supernatural gifts - some of which we have just recounted. I am one of them.

But as of late, impressed and awed as I am of the divine aura around Don Bosco, I couldn’t help but admire him more for his human qualities. Allow me now to speak of the second element: Don Bosco’s marvelous humanity.

Of his equally admirable human side, due to time constraint, I pick out only one which for me is most outstanding. I select Don Bosco’s gentle kindness, his patience, his self-control especially in the midst of trying situations.

For some to be kind might be very natural and thus an easy thing to do. But for a passionate character as Don Bosco, it had always been a heroic challenge. Just recall the instance he lost hold of himself when some of his classmates ganged on his weak friend Louis Comollo. In his personal account he wrote: “At that I completely forgot myself. Brute force and not reason was now moving me. I could not grab a stick or chair because there were none and so I gripped one of them by the shoulders and used him as a battering ram against those bullies. I knocked four of them to the floor and the others lost no time in taking to their heels.”BM I, 249f.

It was because of such temperament of his that Don Bosco took St. Francis of Sales, the gentle bishop of Geneva, as his patron and even that of his entire congregation starting with his first oratory at Valdoco. Don Bosco decided to put all his works under the protection of St. Francis after getting the approval of his confessor Don Cafasso and his collaborator Don Borel.

One may asked what are the real reasons that urged Don Bosco to select this holy bishop as patron. Is it simply for personal ascetical reasons?

In the Biographical Memoirs, Fr. Lemoyne attests to at least three reasons which Don Bosco himself gave.

First, because Marchioness Barolo herself planned to found at the Rifugio a congregation of priests under the title of St. Francis of Sales. In fact it was for this reason that she had a mural of the saint painted above the entrance hall of the priests’ residence at the Rifugio.

Second, the work for the welfare of boys required unruffled calm and forbearance. Don Bosco therefore had wished to place himself under the special protection of a saint who had been a perfect model of these virtues.

Third, at Don Bosco’s time Protestantism was insidiously infiltrating Piedmont’s poorer classes particularly in Turin. Don Bosco had intended to obtain through St. Francis’ intercession knowledge and fortitude to combat the same enemies whom the saintly bishop had so splendidly triumphed over during his lifetime. BM II, 196-197.

Did Don Bosco’s decision for St. Francis helped him? Yes, we all know that it did. Don Bosco had totally departed from his younger impetuous self. He had been very patient in disappointments BM V, 174; in putting up with long conversations BM V, 206; in dealing with some benefactors BM V, 207; with difficult boys BM V, 236f.; in disputes and audiences BM VI, 90, 246, 380f; in interviews BM VII, 17, 22; in letter writing BM VII, 24f.; in bearing ailments BM VII, 133, 403; in trying circumstances BM VIII, 167f., 177f., 182, 219f., 268; with callers BM VII, 272; with convicts, in working for the approval of his society, with his own bishop, in listening to people and admonishing them BM IV, 132, 386f;, in bearing with insults and threats BM VII, 189; BM IV, 437;. The volumes of the Biographical Memoirs are filled with accounts of his ability to remain calm in the most turbulent upheaval. Let us narrate one such account.

In 1857 he admitted a boy to the Oratory. The police found him in a corner of Piazza Castello, huddled up and shivering. A few days later Don Bosco got him a job with a good blacksmith in town and personalty took him there. The boy did well for a couple of weeks but then he became so unruly that the blacksmith fired him. With his customary patience Don Bosco found him another job. Within a week he had been fired again. Don Bosco continued to find jobs for him at various shops for some two years. It is no exaggeration to say that this boy made the rounds of all the shops in town wearing out everybody’s patience.

When his last employer dismissed him, the boy came back to the Oratory. It so happened that it was lunch time. Therefore he went straight to the dining room and told Don Bosco to find him another job.

“How about some lunch?” Don Bosco asked him.

“I’ve already eaten,” the boy answered.

“Well then let me finish and then we’ll take care of it.”

“I can’t wait. Come right away.”

Despite the boy’s rudeness, Don Bosco replied calmly, “Don’t you realize that you can’t hold a job because you drive everybody crazy? Do you know how many times you’ve been fired? You’d better change your ways or you’ll never be able to earn a living!”

The boy stalked out of the dining room in a huff and a few days later he left the Oratory for good without a word to anyone. He then tried to make a living as best as he could, drifting from job to job, even abroad. Finally he returned to Turin and felt ill. One day during a temporary improvement in his health, he called on Don Bosco and beg his pardon for all the troubles he had caused him. Delighted to see him after so many years, Don Bosco comforted the young man and assured him that he still cared for him and that he had always prayed for him. He then added: “Remember that the Oratory is still your home. If you wish to return when you feel better, Don Bosco is always your friend. All he seeks is the salvation of your soul!” The young man was greatly moved at Don Bosco’s words and cheerfully thanked him saying: “Now I have to go back to the hospital. If God willing I recover, I’ll return to make up for all my misdoing. ” Don Bosco blessed him. It was the last blessing that the young man received from Don Bosco. He died a few weeks later, resigned and repentant. BM V, 491-492.

I said before that I pick out Don Bosco’s self-control as outstanding for me in his human side. The reason for this choice is simple, like Don Bosco at his young years, I too need self-control.

Every year I used to ask for an evaluation from my students about myself as well as my teaching. And without fail every time I get these same remarks.

“He is a good friend but I tremble with fear when he gets angry.”

“Sometimes strict, very serious and sometimes not joyful”

“Fr. Nioret could sometimes be a ‘pain in the ass’ when he is mad.”

“His face is quite scary.”

“He easily gets angry.”

Of course, I also get other remarks in plenty like these ones.

“Stay as cute as you are!”

“Crush ng bayan!”

That’s me... like Don Bosco’s impetuous younger self. But not like him when he was older.

At this point, to aptly end this reflection let us once again share in threes on these following questions:

What do I want to imitate in Don Bosco?

What is something that Don Bosco excels in, which I admire?

What is something that Don Bosco excels in, which I could still work on in my person?

We might not equal Don Bosco in his supernatural feats, but if we work well enough on our human qualifications, our efforts might also be worthy to be considered miraculous.