Mary In Our Lives

MARY’S PRESENCE

“What you see happening to these boys – turning from wild animals into gentle lambs – you would also do to my children: the young.” With these words our Blessed Mother gave John Bosco, in his first dream, his mission in life.

But being only nine years old then, he could only cry in bewilderment. Luckily Mary didn’t just leave after giving him this colossal task. True to what Jesus had said in the same dream: “I will give you a teacher without whom all wisdom is foolishness”, the Lady stayed with John, not only at the beginning to instruct him during his young years – but even throughout his entire life to be his constant guide and support. Hence later on Don Bosco as an old priest was able to say “at every step, in every circumstance, Mary was there”.

With Don Bosco gone, however, Mary up to now still remains with our congregation. What she had begun in Don Bosco she would bring to completion through Don Bosco’s sons. This Don Bosco himself believed when he said “every boy that comes to a Salesian school is brought by Mary”.

Every Salesian that comes to our congregation is brought by our Lady. Allow me to share with you my experience on this. There were five sons in my family. While all my brothers were already Bosconians, I was the only one who wasn’t. Fortunately I still made it to Don Bosco Technical Institute at Mandaluyong during my sixth year in elementary. But after that brief year I was snatched away by our parish priest to San Jose Minor Seminary. Why would Mary bring me to Don Bosco only to be swept out again after one year? It is also said that Mary sweeps away the bad boys from our schools especially during her feasts. Was I bad then? I enjoyed my time, nonetheless, with the Jesuits at San Jose. But after two years, the Jesuits, for lack of manpower, decided to close down San Jose. After trying out other seminaries, I decided that I would go back to the major seminary of Jesuits after finishing high school in DBTI where I graduated from elementary. But upon learning that I was coming from a seminary, the principal there suggested that I go instead to the Juniorate in Pampanga. And so I went. Mary managed after all to bring me back to Don Bosco and to do so she had a seminary closed down. And from that time onwards I never left Don Bosco.

“We believe that Mary is present among us and continues her mission as Mother of the Church and Help of Christians. We entrust ourselves to her that we may become for the young witnesses of her Son’s boundless love.” C8