Firmness

The following day, as the boys were lined up in the porticoes waiting to go into the dining room by groups under Father Savio's supervision, a stalk of cabbage struck his biretta. Quickly turning round, he caught a young lad named Augustin R... in the act of lowering his arm. Immediately he sent him to an adjacent small room and led the others into the dining hall. The lad, flustered and crying, kept saying that he had aimed at a companion, not the superior. He was a very lively boy, thoughtless at times but well-behaved and a good student. Because of this, his teacher who thought highly of him and other teachers and assistants who were convinced of his innocence sided with him at once. At supper time these teachers, who for other reasons bore some grudge to Father Savio, began to criticize him severely for having summarily punished an innocent pupil. Tempers were running high and words were not too carefully weighed. Then and there Don Bosco kept silent. At the "Good Night," however, he announced that Augustin R... would be sent home the next morning. It came like a thunderbolt.

After much grumbling among the teachers, one of them, a Salesian craftsmaster, declared with ill-considered vehemence: "Let one of us go to Don Bosco and tell him clearly that if that boy is not reprieved, we will leave."

"Let's not push things that far," objected the prefect of studies.' "I will talk with Don Bosco. I hope that things will be settled satisfactorily."

He acted accordingly. It was 10:30 P.M. and Don Bosco was still at his desk. The prefect of studies told him of the deep dissatisfaction of certain confreres and pleaded for an immediate pardon.' "There is no doubt about what the boy did," Don Bosco countered "God alone can judge his intentions, but his action at a time when silence was mandatory was in itself a breach of discipline. Furthermore, such an action in the wake of repeated warnings to the contrary could have triggered other serious infractions. Yet, despite the gravity of the offense, I could have found a way to spare the boy, who is really good, but you people, by openly siding with him, have made it impossible for me to back down. Everybody knows that you have set yourselves against Father Savio, and I shall never permit authority to be so challenged."

The prefect of studies returned to his companions at about 11: 15 P.M. and told them, "Not a chance. Don Bosco is adamant!"

All pensively withdrew to their rooms. Fortunately, saner counsel prevailed. Henry Bonetti one of the teachers, "Leave Don Bosco? Never!"

"With Don Bosco till death!" another said, voicing everybody's sentiments. And so it was. But at dawn Augustine R . . . left the Oratory. BM Vol. 8, ch. 7, p.52-53

Keep in mind that Don Bosco was a father to many poor young boys. And together with it, a dire need for being a strict disciplinarian had to be imposed. Don Bosco was never misunderstood on account of his sternness, because he always has firm reason to be such. He always put his mind before his heart when it comes to dealing with misdemeanor.

Article 97: Salesian orientation of Formation ...The first Salesians found their sure guide in Don Bosco. Living at the very heart of his community on action, they learned to model their own lives on his...

Trust in God

Don Bosco was called several times by the Minister of the Interior, Giovanni Lanza, for ’very important matters as regards church officials. At that time Don Bosco more than anyone else was in a position to assess the leanings of the Roman Curia, to know which envoy would be more acceptable to the Pope and cardinals and who could help bring about successful negotiations in Rome. Later on, he did mention this most delicate task of his to us, but at this time he maintained strict secrecy.

Among other things, he told us of Lanza's friendliness to him. One day, in the presence of other cabinet ministers, Lanza said to him, "Don Bosco, tell us, how can you meet so many expenses? Where do you get the money to feed all those boys? What's your secret?"

"Sir," Don Bosco answered, "I operate as a steam engine."

"What do you mean? I don't quite follow you."

"I keep going puff, puff!"

"Yes, but these 'puffs' must eventually be paid. What's your secret for that?"

"I will tell you, Your Excellency. An engine needs fuel ......

"What kind of fuel do you really mean?"

"The fuel of trust in God!" Don Bosco replied. "Without it, empires fall, kingdoms come to ruin, and the work of man is brought to naught."

These words, uttered as Don Bosco sometimes was wont to do, gave Lanza food for thought. BM Vol. 8, ch. 6, p.44-45

Keep in mind that Don Bosco's outstanding trust in God was beyond words. It is true that his great projects astounded everyone, but in the quiet of his room, he prayed and worked just as God wanted him to do. It reminds me of a saying: Work like everything depends on you. Pray like everything depends on God.

Article 1: God's action in the foundation and life of our society ...With a feeling of humble gratitude, we believe that the Society of St. Francis de Sales came in to being not as merely human venture, but by the initiative of God. Through the motherly intervention of Mary, the Holy Spirit raised up St. John Bosco to contribute to the salvation of youth, "that part of human society which is so exposed and yet so rich in promise."

Preparation for Death

On February 1, at the "Good Night,"Don Bosco had announced: "One of you will die, perhaps even before this month's Exercise for a Happy Death. If he lives long enough to make it, this will be the longest he will live."

The announcement had been prompted by a dream. One night Don Bosco dreamed that he was walking into the playground with his usual ‘guide’ during recreation time. Unexpectedly, a majestic, magnificent eagle appeared out of nowhere and began circling over the boys, gradually flying lower and lower. As Don Bosco gazed on in wonder, the guide said, "Do you see that eagle? It is after one of your boys."

"Which one?" Don Bosco asked.

"The one on whose head it will rest. Look!"

Don Bosco's eyes never left the eagle which, after wheeling about a little longer, finally spiraled down and perched on the head of thirteen-year-old Anthony Ferraris of Castellazzo Bormida. Don Bosco recognized the boy perfectly and then awoke. To assure himself that he was awake he clapped his hands. Then, mulling over the dream, he silently prayed, "0 Lord, if this is really going to happen, when will it be?"

He fell asleep again and once more he dreamed. His mysterious guide reappeared and said, "Ferraris will not live long enough to make the Exercise for a Happy Death more than once." He then vanished. BM Vol. 8, ch. 5, p.35

Keep in mind that Don Bosco always prepared his boys for their final moments here on earth. He deemed his mission accomplished when he could assure himself and his boys that Heaven would be their final destinations. He was not afraid to die because he himself was ever-prepared for it. Likewise, always keep in mind that dying is merely a doorway to the eternal bliss of heaven. Be never complacent when under the death of Mortal Sin.

Article 54: Death of the Confrere ...The community supports with greater love and prayer the confrere who is gravely ill. When the hour comes for him to bring his consecrated life to its fulfillments, his brothers help him to enter fully into Christ's paschal mystery...

Saving Souls

The other night I told you about an ugly big cat I had spotted sneaking into the Oratory and knocking flowers from your hands. It had horns, and its eyes burned like live coals. I also said that this hideous beast was the devil himself trying to ruin you.

At the time I thought that I was only imagining things, but now, to my great sorrow, I must say that this monster has wrought great havoc among you. I am not implying that most of you were victims. No, the victims were very few, but still more numerous than I thought. These last few days, certain things have happened here which never happened before. There is a lot of stealing going on: books, money, clothing, fruit, anything left unguarded. Then there are some who read books that are positively bad; they read them in church during the spiritual reading and even during services. There are those also who skip church and school and hide away even in restrooms. They would rather die in that foul air than report to their duties. Worse yet, some have set themselves up as corrupters of their own schoolmates. To make matters worse, they brag about the evil they do as if it were something to be proud of.

Scripture says that they "delight in doing evil, and rejoice in perversity." [Prov. 2, 14] I have therefore decided to get rid of these scandal-mongers. Don Bosco is the most forbearing man on earth and will put up with vandalism, mischief and pranks, but he draws the line when souls are at stake. Then he becomes adamant. When a boy comes here, I am happy because I see in him a soul to be saved. When he joins my other boys, he becomes my crown. But there are two sorts of crowns. If he cooperates with me and does his best to save his soul, he is a crown of roses; if, instead, he rejects my advice and shows no interest in his spiritual welfare, he becomes a very painful crown of thorns. And should it happen that, besides harming himself, he tries to ruin others, then I absolutely cannot put up with him and must get him out of the Oratory. Therefore, those who are responsible for these disorders will be notified tomorrow to leave this Oratory which they have disgraced by their misdeeds. BM Vol. 8, ch. 4, p.25

Keep in mind that saving souls was Don Bosco's top priority. He did not keep his dreams to himself - a personal gift from God - but he openly warned everyone about the dangers lurking around their souls. Save the souls of others, especially the ones under your care by sharing your gifts and making God known through your advice and actions.

Article 12: Union with God ...As he works for the savation of the young, the Salesian experiences the faherhood of God and continully reminds himself of the divine dimension of his work: "Apart from me, you can do nothing"...

Purity

Two or three nights ago I had a dream. Would you like to hear it? You are very dear to me, and so you are always in my dreams. I seemed to be in the playground with you swarming around me. Each one held a rose, a lily, a violet, or both a rose and a lily or some other flower. Suddenly a huge ugly cat, black as coal, appeared. It had horns, eyes as red as live coals, long sharp claws, and a disgustingly swollen belly. This ugly beast edged stealthily close to you, and in a trice clawed your flowers to the ground. When I first spotted this hideous creature, I was terrified, but to my astonishment you seemed totally unconcerned. Seeing it creep toward me to knock my flowers down. I immediately turned to dash off, but someone stopped me.

"Don't run away," he said. "Just tell your boys to raise their arms up high beyond the beast's reach."

I did as he told me. The monster tried hard to jump up, but its weight made it fall back clumsily to the ground.

The lily, my dear sons, symbolizes the beautiful virtue of purity, against which the devil wages endless war. Woe to those who keep their flower low! The devil will snatch it from them. Such are those who pamper the flesh by overeating or eating between meals, who shirk work and idle away their time, who are fond of certain conversations or books, and who shun self-denial. For goodness' sake, my children, fight this enemy or it will enslave you.

These victories are hard to win, but Holy Scripture tells us the means to use. "This kind of devil can be cast out only by prayer and fasting." [Matt. 17, 20] Raise your arm, and your flower will be safe. Purity is a heavenly virtue. Whoever wishes to safeguard it must raise himself heavenward. Prayer is your salvation. By prayer I mean your morning and night prayers devoutly said, meditation and Holy Mass, frequent confession and Communion, sermons and exhortations, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary, and your school duties. By prayer you will rise heavenward. Thus you will safeguard the most beautiful of virtues. Try as much as he wants, the devil will not be able to snatch it from you. BM Vol. 8, ch. 3, p.20

Keep in mind that Don Bosco has always kept his baptismal innocence. He was a shining example of purity to the people he met. He has given us very practical advice on how to keep and preserve this beautiful virtue. Be an example of purity as well.

Article 84: Attitudes and means for growing in chastity ...For this reason, the Salesian, faithful to the Constitutions, lives a life of work and temperance, practices mortification and the custody of the senses, makes the discreet and prudent use of the means of Social Communication and does not neglect the natural means which contribute to physical and mental health...

Own Your Formation

One evening St. Philip Neri said to his youngsters, "My dear boys, I have something to tell you. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes, yes," they replied excitedly.

"Good! Listen then. In this world there are lots of smart people and lots of fools. The smart ones are those who sweat and suffer a little to gain heaven; the fools are those who follow the path of eternal perdition. And there are so many of these!"

It's the same with you, my dear sons. Many of you are smart; some are fools. The other day a lad came to me.

"Don Bosco, may I go home?"

"Why?"

"Because I can't stand the cold here."

"My dear boy," I said to him, "don't you know that we must put up with a little suffering and learn to subdue our flesh in order to win heaven?"

Had this boy been really smart, he would have said to himself, Oh well, if I stick it out, I'll gain more merits for heaven. I want to show Our Lady how much I appreciate Her bringing me here, away from so many spiritual dangers, and making it easy for me to do good and find my vocation.

Then there are other youngsters who are even bigger fools; they eat meat on forbidden days, indulge in foul conversations or songs, read bad books, and run down their superiors. They are fools who heedlessly rush to perdition. To their dismay, they will realize, when it will be too late, that they thought they were smart because they got away with their wrongdoings. Seemingly, they fooled their superiors, but, in truth, they made fools of themselves. BM Vol. 8, ch. 2, p.15

Keep in mind that Don Bosco wanted his boys to own their formation. He never coerced them to stay or to leave the oratory. Moreover, Don Bosco nurtured vocations and is always concerned about their salvation.

Article 28: Young people called to serve the Church ...We are convinced that many young people are rich in spiritual potential and give indications of an apostolic vocation. We help them discover, accept and deveolp the gift of a lay, consecrated or priestly vocation, for the benefit of the whole Church and the Salesian Family.

An Offering to Mary

Don Bosco, with ever greater trust, saw to it that work on the Church of Mary, Help of Christians went on steadily. His main preoccupation, however, was the painting to be placed above the main altar. When he broached the matter to the artist - Thomas Lorenzone – he astounded those present with the grandeur of his conception: high in the heavens, Our Lady amid choirs of angels; around Her, the Twelve Apostles; then, in descending order, martyrs, prophets, virgins, and confessors; on earth, below, banners proclaiming Mary's great victories and, finally, peoples of all races raising their hands to Her in supplication. He talked as if he had actually seen what he was so minutely describing. Lorenzone listened in amazement. "And where are you going to put this painting?" he asked.

"In the new church, of course."

"Are you sure it will fit?"

"Why not?"

"Where will you find a studio large enough for such a canvas?

"That's your problem!"

"There is no place huge enough for this job. I'd have to make Piazza Castello my studio, unless you want a miniature painting to be seen through a magnifying glass." Everybody laughed. Ruler in hand, Lorenzone, proved his point. Regretfully, Don Bosco had to agree that in the painting only the Apostles, Evangelists and a few angels would represent the heavenly court doing honor to Mary, and the Oratory alone would stand in the foreground below the Blessed Virgin.

Lorenzone rented a loft in Palazzo Madama and began working. He had a time limit of about three years.

When he was nearly through, noticing that the lion beside St. Mark was so striking as to divert attention from the main subject, he toned it down. Our Lady's features came out splendidly.

When the painting was set into place in the new church, Lorenzone fell to his knees in tears. BM Vol. 8, ch. 1, p.2-3

Keep in mind that Don Bosco was always immersed in the glory of Mary. This always lets him offer something to her, however simple, however grand, however silly. He knows that Mary will always accept his offering and bring them to its perfection.

ARTICLE 9: Patrons and Protectors of our Society ...Don Bosco entrusted our society in a special way, to Mary, whom he made its principal patroness, as well as to St. Joseph and to St. Francis de Sales, the zealous pastor and doctor of Charity...