Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest
A recipe for a joyful life according to Fr. John Bosco
Pope Pius XI on the occasion of the canonization of St. John Bosco, called him a "spiritual giant" and added: In his life the supernatural became almost natural, and the extraordinary - ordinary. God, by sending this giant into the world, made a joke to the man of the nineteenth century. It was an age of rationalism, socialism, the development of science, atheism, and a choking on reason and its products. Europe of that time was ruled by a revolution - rebels overthrew kings and kingdoms, democracies were built, the Church and God were fought. St. John Bosco was a clear sign of opposition to this "rational" godlessness.
St. John Bosco was born on August 16, 1815, in Becchi, in a commune of Castelnuovo d'Asti - 40 kilometers from Turin. Later the settlement was renamed Castelnuovo Don Bosco. His father, Francis died when John was only 2 years old. His mother, Margaret, had to take care of three sons: Antonio, Giuseppe and John. Religious life was the basis for the children upbringing by their mother. She used every opportunity to tell the boys about theProvidence and God's judgment. She raised them Spartan. Such a hard life made them strong, who did not flinch from difficulties.
Saving morally neglected boys - this thought permeated John’s mind from an early age. The educative desire of St. John Bosco and his great love for young people resulted during his stay in Turin, when as a priest (he was ordained in 1841) he looked after the youth from the street, for whom he organized an oratory, which became a place of life for young people; a place for prayer, study, work, play, creativity, rest ... Within 15 years, he created an extraordinary community that looked after abandoned and poor youth. Later on, vocational schools, workshops and educational institutions were established, but most of all, Don Bosco's educational method was born, called a preventive system, based on three basic principles: love, understanding and religion. The Saint required boys to work on themselves, spend their free time actively and be creative.
Fr. Bosco died on January 31, 1888, at the age of 73, faithful to his promise to the end: "I promised God that even my last breath would be for my poor boys." In 1929, John Bosco was beatified by Pius XI and canonized five years later. One of the most important messages that Fr. Bosco advice is expressed in the words: “I want to give you a recipe for holiness: joy first; second, study duties and prayer; third, doing good to all. " It is worth remembering and following it while going through life.
until Tomorrow
fr. george