Today we celebrate the feast of an apostle to the poor and to youth. John Bosco was born in 1815 in a small town near Turin, Italy. His family was very poor. He discerned a certain vocation to the priesthood and was ordained a priest in 1841. He dedicated his priestly life to helping the young – especially boys who needed education and training in skills that would be useful in their livelihood. He thus became a patron of Catholic schools in general as well as patron of vocational education that comes down to us today!
Other priests came to join him in his work and together they formed a new religious community known as the Salesians – the Order of St. Francis de Sales. A group of women formed a parallel group called: Daughters of Mary Help of Christians: the Salesian Sisters.
John Bosco and those who lived and worked with him, and those who came to know his work knew that he was motivated by his love for the Lord Jesus. They knew that he took to heart what Jesus said concerning children: that their humility was the golden key that would lead to life in the Kingdom forever. Children are simply loving, simply trusting, simply giving, simply faithful and loyal. Unless we turn (convert) and become like children we will not enter the Kingdom! Can we afford not to take Jesus' word on this!?
Not only this but whoever receives a child in the name of Jesus receives Jesus! In our day, this area needs to be healed more than any other. The Church – and all members in it – need to interact with children in a very pastoral and loving way – in a way that supersedes all mistrust, pain, and wrongdoing - despite what has surfaced in the past several years regarding the treatment of the very young. Children need to know that they are safe and welcomed and treasured in the arms of their loving mother the Church – by all who are members of it: but the confidence-level, the trust-level has to be reestablished and rebuilt.
But this needs to be done as soon as possible – for the children of today are the adults of tomorrow – the adult Christians who must be taught now as St. Paul tells us – to rejoice in the Lord always – to have no anxiety at all – to reside in the peace of God the Father – to think always what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious and excellent – so that the reality of the presence of Christ on earth in the Church can shine forth like the noonday sun – so that the world may see that in the Catholic Church there exists something special, something irresistible, something worth looking into!
O bless the Lord, my soul!
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