Don Bosco to his Filipino boys

Title

Creator

Deltour, Oscar

Language

English

Source

The Little Apostle of the Mountain Province XIX (10) June 1950

Year

1950

Subject

Priesthood

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[This article contains the message of Don Bosco to all the boys who will consider Priesthood as their vocation. He shares a story of how the idea of the Priesthood was accepted by one family.]

Fulltext

tjo fe 1/lP~tno YJc 1 l'>Y Rrv. OSCAR Dn TOUR,c.1.c.::!/ - - ~-..;;;;;::._~ - ~- - ---~ who by e.11 means wanted to prevent or stop my schooling. My dear Boys, Whenever the month of June comes around, I am gratefully reminded of my ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Indeed, in permitting me to spend my life as a priest among my beloved boys, the Sacred Heart of Jesus has given me an honor greater than any the world could give. I would nOt have traded the sacred joy of one day in the priesthood of Jesus Christ for all the pleasures and riches of the world, nor for the glitter of kingly thrones. You will remember how as a young boy, I considered the priestly vocation as my highest ideal. It was as a priest that I wanted to devote and to sacrifice my whole life for the welfare of boys. Long and hard was my path towards my priestly goal. I was a poor boy; my dear mother could not afford to let me study. I had to earn my school expenses and worse still, I had to overcome the hostile attitude of my stepbrother, Holy Priesthood was for me so sublime an ideal. that I was ready to sacrifice anything in order to attain it. I wanted to become a priest, and, thanks to Jesus and Mary, I became one. It was on the Saturday after Pentecost- June 5, 1841 that I was ordained a Priest of God forever. Later, in preparing my boys for a suitable vocation, Holy Priesthood was always foremost in my mind and I am proud to say that during my lifetime nearly 2,500 of my boys have become priests. One day a noble lady approached me and expressed her desire to adopt one of my boys. She would adopt him as her son and after her death leave her castle with all her riches to him. I called for the boy she referred to and in the presence of the lady I proposed to him the generous offer of the noble woman. The boy hesitatingly looked at me and said: "Don Bosco, when I will be with this good lady, will I be able to become a priest?" "Oh my dear," interFATHER GAVE a beautiful crucifix to his little daughter, and said to her as he did so: "Now tell me, what is the difference between the figure of Jesus on the cross as on this crucifix, and the Host which the priest holds up at the consecration of the Mass?" The little girl did not hesitate a moment. "When I look at the cross," she said, "I see Jesus and He is not there. When I look at the Host, I do not see Jesus, but He is there." -The Messenger of the Sacred Heart for India. -26rupted the womc:m, "I would prefer to protect him from some danger, she that you give up that thought and cried out indignantly: "My son a perpetuate in the world the name priest! I would rather see him deadl" of my noble family." "Thanks, noble I was deeply shocked with such lanlady,'' answered the boy," in that guage on the lips of a Catholic wocase I prefer to stay with Don Bosco man, and I rose to retire from the and become a priest." room . . . "But why are you going?" Another day, among the many the Countess asked confused. I anvisitors who came to me at Turin, swered her with great displeasure: there was a . certain Countess, who "I feel that I ought to have nothing came to ask my blessing on herself further to do with a woman who holds and on her four boys. I heartily in such low estimation the Priestgave her and her children my priest- hood, which is more glorious and ly blessing and requested them al- more noble than anything else upon ways to have confidence in Mary, our earth. I am certain that God will Blessed Mother. The lady rose from answer your insolent prayer." The her knees satisfied. Then she asked Countess tried to stammer some kind me about the future of her boys. of excuse for her outrageous lanLaughingly I took them one by one guage, but I did not change my manin front of me. "This one is to be- ner and the talk broke down. come a great General; of this one we On the following day the Countess shall make a Statesman; our Henry returned to make further excuse. here will be a Doctor, who will make "Countess," I said to her, "you are people talk of him .. . " The Countess, despising the greatest gift God can exulting in the glorious future of her make to you and to your family. Is sons, turned to them exclaiming: it then disgraceful to be the chosen "Oh, my children, you are not the of God?" "I ask your pardon, Don first of our family to take positions of Bosco: pray for me." honor in the ranks of Society." "I shall pray for you, but your own Meanwhile, the fourth and young- prayer was definitely answered by est son stood before me. The mother God from the moment you uttered anxiously waited for my words about it." the f.uture of her youngest and dear- Some months passed. The boy est boy. Praying to our Blessed became sick; his condition became Mother, I placed my hand on the alarming. A relative of the Counhead of the boy and lovingly looked tess requested me to come and to into his face. "And what shall be bless the boy who was dying. I the future of the last one?" insisted went and entered the room of the the mother. sick boy. The poor little fellow took "The future of this boy will be most my hand and reverently kissed it. glorious, this little boy shall be God's After a long silence, the boy made priest." effort, and extending a transparent, At these words, the atmosphere wasted hand towards his mother, exbecame tense. The homely little claimed: "Mama-you rememberscene was suddenly charged with there, in Don Bosco's room? . ... It an atmosphere of tragedy. The no- is you . . . . and God is taking me ble lady went pale and trembling from you! . .. " The mother at this with her excess of emotion and strain- broke into loud weeping and sobbed ing the boy to her breast as though uncontrollably. -27"No, my child," she exclaimed, it was my love for you that made me speak as I did .. . . 0 my son, live for the love of your mama . . . . Beg Don Bosco, beseech him to cure you." I was deeply moved and could not utter a word. Finally, however, comforting the poor woman, as best I might, I blessed the boy, and went my way. The decree of God, however, was irrevocable. Oh my dear Boys, how I wish all fathers and mothers to read and to ponder this sad story. Too many among them think very lightly of H<;>lY Priesthood. Wishing to prepare a bright and honorable future for their boys, they give but an indifferent thought to the most glorious of all vocations, the Holy Priesthood. They prefer their sons to become lawyers, physicians or engineers rather than to see them invested with dignity which even the angels contemplate in wondrous astonishment. PH01-o "· LAMtNEUI\ It they only knew the glory of a zealous priest and the great privilege of a family that gives a priest to God. My dear Filipino Boys, in the choice of your vocation, do not hesitate to consider also Holy Priesthood. and ask the advice of your Superiors and spiritual directors about it. This is the greatest gift our Divine Master can make to you and this is also what your beloved Country needs most. More than anything else the Philippines need more priests, more zealous priests. No matter how prosperous the Republic of the Philippines may be, it will be a success in the measure that its citizens achieve salvation. God bless you all! Affectionately yours, BE GENEROUS Be generous to Christ's sad poor ... Your slightest gifts to them endure When marb1e towers, kissing skies, Sha1l crash in rum Never dies The deed that helps their miseries. E.F.G. SJ. -28

pages

26-28

Media