St. John Bosco Parish P.O. Box 1336 MCPO 1253 Makati City - Don Bosco Philippine North Province (FIN)
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SALESIAN MISSION ANIMATION (FIN) ISSUE NO. # 12 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2008
“STRIVE TO MAKE YOURSELF LOVED”
oving kindness sees the
heart and does not see the
surface. It uses not the eye of what
externalities alone are seen but with
the eyes of faith. We look at the
young people in the mission areas
not by the color of their skin or by
curls of their hair but by the love of
God for them. They are gifts of God
for us.
Loving
kindness
or
amorevolezza is rooted in the
charity of the Good Shepherd. It is
the key that gives access to the
heart of every young person. There
are very few people who rebel in the
face of genuine goodness. One gets
discipline with a blend of kindness
and firmness, and by never asking
what is above the strength of the
child.
In a dream towards the end of his
life, Don Bosco narrates to his
Salesians and boys of a past pupil
by the name of Valfre who appears
to him and explains the efficacy of loving
kindness. "See", said Valfre, "familiarity
leads to affection, and affection leads to
confidence; confidence opens the heart
which reveals everything without fear.
They become frank and docile to
whatever is told them by the one who
they feel certain loves them".
..
Of course, the path of loving
kindness is not always easy. To become
a friend of young people is a slow
conquest. Affection cannot be imposed.
Don Bosco knew it too well, "In every
young heart, even of the most
unfortunate, there is a chord". The heart
is like a fortress, always closed to rigidity
and harshness. Hence his advice to
educators and parents: "Strive to
make yourself loved".
Don Bosco wants a type of love in
the company of the young that
manifests itself in concrete gestures,
in one's behavior, in one's manner of
acting, of speaking, in the tone of the
voice, in the smile. "If the young feel
that they are loved because the
educators take part in the things that
are pleasing to them, they learn to
love the things they naturally don't
like, such as discipline, study, etc.,
and these things they learn to do with
enthusiasm and love".
Don Bosco lived this principle.
With all the work he had in hand, he
spent time with them in recreation to
converse, play, crack jokes, recount
lively stories, and laugh heartily with
them. This was good and useful for
the education of the young.
Don Bosco lived more than forty
years in the midst of boys. He claimed
that he got whatever he asked for from
them, and never even once did he need
to raise his hand or his voice. The secret
of his success with boys was Loving
Kindness.
S I M P L E H I N T S: Loving - Kindness
1. “Smile Always!” – Blessed Laura Vicuna, just 13.
2. Treat people as kings and queens.
3. Don’t forget to say thank you to the simplest services received from the most ordinary people
including waiters, servants, gas boys, tellers, sales people, janitors and even to the boys.
4. Like what the boys like and they will like what you like.
5. Outgrow your anger by using reason and faith. Do not raise your voice, just improve your arguments.
6. If you want to be loved, you yourselves must love. Make the boys feel that you love them.
7. God trusts us! In return, give trust as a gift. Trust and give responsibilities to the children and to the boys.
8. Only one cardinal rule of any Salesian House: Be a Gentle – Man.
