Homily: January 31 - Saint John Bosco - "Work, work, work for the salvation of souls."

 

This year marks the 200^th year since the birth of Saint John Bosco.  So many miraculous occurrences happened to and around John Bosco that Pope Pius XI said of his life, “The supernatural almost became natural, and the extraordinary, ordinary”.  Through Don Bosco’s blessing, many people were cured of dread diseases. One young boy who died in a state of sin, was even raised from the dead so he could make a good confession  He had the gift of prophecy, and could read hearts.  He had a vision of Our Lord and Our Lady at the age of nine, and from then on was determined to become a priest to fulfill the vocation they had shown him.  Although he started his studies late, John was so diligent that he completed the necessary work and was ordained in 1841, at the age of 26. 

Don Bosco was deeply concerned with the youth of his parish, many were being arrested for juvenile delinquency.  Once in prison, they learned more about crime, and would be back in jail soon after their release. 

He worked tirelessly with young boys in his neighborhood, providing for them a solid education and formation in the faith.  “There are three things to stay on the path to Heaven, he would tell them, “Go to confession regularly, receive Communion often, and choose a regular confessor to whom you can unburden your heart.” 

His goal to make saints out of them, and at least one of his boys became a saint, St. Dominic Savio. 

Set aflame with the same fire of love, may we seek out souls and serve you alone.  Don Bosco would say, “work, work, work for the salvation of souls.”  Through his love and care, many of these young boys, not only were saved from a life of crime, many of them entered seminary and become good and holy priests. 

The lives of the saints – like the life of Don Bosco – should be for each of us not merely some pious stories that we recall just to make us feel good; the lives of the Saints should be a daily challenge for each of us, a challenge to our complacency, a challenge to the easy compromises we make to the demands of Christian living, a challenge to the spiritual myopia that prevents us from seeing the needs of the materially and spiritually impoverished in our midst.

So we pray through Don Bosco’s intercession for the salvation of our young people from our culture of death, and that we may be diligent in working always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.