Friday, 12 October 2012

Saint is Made



For Don Bosco, the journey to Sanctity was not so smooth, as we may think. He was not a born saint. He struggled to become a saint.
When we compare the two sons of Mama Margaret, Joseph and John Bosco, we find the first was more good natured, well behaved than the second. As for Joseph, he was patient, meek, affectionate, gentle, kind besides he was the first to make a move when welcoming guests and spoke in a warm and cordial manner which made him loved on the contrary John Bosco was rather serious, reserved and cautious. He would not speak with stranger, and would speak sparingly. He would not allow himself to be taken for a ride by anyone. Apart form these qualities he was also hot tempered, impulsive, violent. This is evident form the dream at the age of nine where he hurls punches at the unruly boys.
Further, Don Bosco, found very difficult to obey and to submit to his superiors. We find in the Biographical Memoirs Vol. 9.  Don Bosco struggled to be submissive to Archbishop Gastaldi when it came to his on the issue of his seminarian and priests and more so about the administrative purpose. By nature he was inclined to prove his point and would defend tooth and nail and to impress upon other his points of view especially those who offered him good counsels.
His superior intelligence and prodigious memory, tremendous physical strength made him proud. He himself states, “My peers, even the older and bigger ones were afraid of me because of my courage and great physical strength.”

Testimonies of People who knew him
1. Don Cagliero states that Don Bosco, “hot tempered, and proud, brooking no opposition”
2. Giacomelli testifies that “It was clear that without virtue, his anger would have had the better of him. None of our Companions, and there were many, had this defect so strongly as he”
3. His parish priest endorse to the fact that he was hot tempered when he said that he was “strange, and hard hearted.”
4. His Doctor who treated him from 1872 onwards till his death describes him as impetuous and hot tempered, deeply attached to his own ideas.
All these testimonies of his contemporaries tell us that he hot tempered, impetuous, hard hearted and so forth. These all tell us that he was very human who went through the process of any normal human being could go through. All these weakness did not deter him from striving toward the path of sanctity. He really worked hard to come out of his weakness and we see a great saint today in him.


The path he walked
1. Family the cradle of life and love also becomes a cradle of sanctity as we see in the life of Saint John Bosco. His mother Mama Margaret taught him everything. He was the person who prepared John for his first holy communion as true Christian mother. She also brought all other sons of hers in good catholic ambient. A word in the ear, remember that God sees you, left an indelible impression on John throughout his life. It is here he learnt to be good catholic and good citizen.
2. It is Don Calosso introduced him to methodical mediation, spiritual reading, and frequent celebration of the sacraments. He was deeply influenced by this and from then on ‘he began to taste the spiritual life.’
At Seminary of Chieri, Comollo was perfect complement to Don Bosco and vise versa, “Each needed the other, I was in need of spiritual help, he was in need of physical help, and strength.
3. He in his Seminary days, he took upon himself ascetical practice – fasting, penance, abstinence and violence against himself which led him to extreme weakness earlier it had cost Comollos life.
4. During his Ordination he took the motto – “the sweetness and kindness of St. Francis de Sales will be my guide in everything” because he was aware of his weakness.
5. During his stay at Convitto Ecclesiasticus, where he learnt how to be a priest, he completely submitted himself to his spiritual director (St. Joseph Cafasso) and obeyed him without saying a word.
6. He used to receive a lot of letters from all over and it was his policy not to reply them when he was excited; how would rather pray, allow hours and days to pass till he was absolutely calm.


A call and challenge to all Salesians and the people of God to imitate and the father and friend of youth. Who struggled to become a saint and indeed he is one of the complete saint that the church has ever produced in history. As we prepare for the Bicentenary of the birth of this great and gigantic saint he calls us to renew and  our life and become servants, mystic and shepherd which in turn will lead us to sanctity. As blessed John Paul II called us to be, "Salesians Be Holy."


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