ratio-db-prayer-jesus


ratio-db-prayer-jesus

1 Pages 1-10

▲torna in alto

1.1 Page 1

▲torna in alto
Through the eyes of Don Bosco
Metaphors and Colours
of Salesian Formation

1.2 Page 2

▲torna in alto
An eyeful of colour
The new Salesian Ratio, its full title being The Formation of the Salesians of Don Bosco or FSDB for
short, echoes, at one point, the title of a 2004 letter from the then Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez
(‘But who do you say that I am?’ (Mk 8:28). Looking at Christ through the eyes of Don Bosco. AGC 384,
3–41). Article 28 of the FSDB begins: ‘To be Salesian is to see Christ through the eyes of Don Bosco’,
adding: ‘Don Bosco’s life itself is paradigmatic for our following of Jesus and for Salesian formation.
Don Bosco is for us not merely someone we admire but our pattern of life, a luminous way of
following Jesus, one who reveals to us the fatherhood of God and generates us in the sequela Christi.’
This evoking of the human eye, and we note also the deliberate use of ‘luminous’ here, is an
invitation, a prompt, and one particularly productive exploration might be to seize upon the human
eye’s appreciation of light and colour, starting with the colour of the iris itself.
What colour are your eyes?
The human eye is an incredibly complex organ working tirelessly to help us navigate the world. It can
distinguish approximately 10 million different colours. Its muscles are the most active muscles in the
human body. It can process 36,000 bits of information every hour, or focus on 50 different objects
every second. And did you know that the pupil of the eye expands as much as 45% when we look at
someone we love?
If Don Bosco’s life is paradigmatic not only for our following of Jesus, but also for Salesian
formation, what if we were to pose the question for ourselves: what is the colour of Salesian
formation?
The FSDB in colour
At first the question seems playful, perhaps even impossible. Yet colour has always helped us name
realities that words alone fail to capture. We speak of seeing life through rose-coloured glasses, of
feeling blue, of green shoots of hope, of golden opportunities. Colour evokes atmosphere, emotion,
and meaning. Perhaps Salesian formation has its own palette – not one dominant hue, but a rich
spectrum of the light of Christ. Each colour can reveal something essential. And together they can
disclose the beauty of a vocation gradually transformed into the likeness of the Good Shepherd.
Of course, Salesian formation is not a single colour. We could think of it as white light passing
through a prism. It appears to be one thing until it is refracted, revealing a spectrum. The FSDB is
not a list of disconnected themes but a single light expressed in many colours. How we might describe
those colours and their meaning for us would often be culturally bound, but that should not deter us
from attempting this exercise.
1

1.3 Page 3

▲torna in alto
Don Bosco rarely thought in abstract categories. We can be sure that colours, for him, would not
be mere ideas, but ways of seeing, or ways of describing things. As a born storyteller, Don Bosco would
often evoke colour. Once, in a sermon he gave on the Feast of St Cecilia, he described a scene as follows:
Cecilia kneeling in prayer and a resplendent angel standing at her side, filling the room with light.
The beauty of his countenance, the splendor and wealth of his apparel, and his multicolored wings
defied description. The upper part of his wings showed a marvelous, superhuman interlacing of
plumes, while the lower part sparkled with colors like a rainbow.
— BM VI, 644
We can imagine Salesian formation as learning to see with more colours than before. At first, we might
have seen things in terms of success or failure (black and white). But through prayer, community
interaction, study, mission… we gain a vision of richer hues. We can see grace where once we saw
difficulty, possibilities where once we saw only limitations, and Christ, where once all we saw was
another person. We can look at the FSDB as a document which identifies the colours with which
the gospel to the young paints the face of Christ, as reflected in Don Bosco. And we can consider
formation as learning to reflect these colours ourselves.
We do not merely define formation; we imagine it. The conceptual metaphors we discover in this
text shape what we notice, what we value, and ultimately how we are formed.
The imagination delights in colour, but before we begin to paint, it is helpful to understand the
palette. Conceptual analysis is not the enemy of imagination. It is rather the preparation of the canvas,
the mixing of the pigments, the understanding of how colours interact. Only then can the imagination
paint freely.
In all that follows we move between conceptual discussion, biblical reflection, poetry, prayer, and
practical formation. They are not different projects but successive moments in a single pedagogical
process. Before entering imaginatively into the Ratio, it is worth attending to the conceptual
metaphors that quietly shape its language. We can use appropriate digital tools to do this. Once these
conceptual metaphors are recognised, they become far more fruitful for contemplation, prayer, and
ultimately for formation.
2

1.4 Page 4

▲torna in alto
Seeing through Don Bosco’s eyes
Imagine Don Bosco in his mind’s eye, taking in the entire FSDB in a single ‘blink’:
Yes, this is a visual map of all co-occurring terms in the FSDB which, if we were to drill down into
it further (and we will!) would enable us to grasp what the Holy Spirit (who is not restricted to the
period from 1815-1888, nor to 10 million colours!) had in mind when he ‘raised up Don Bosco’ (C. 1).
The colours in this map, by the way, are simply the choice of the software that has produced it. They
have no significance other than to help separate and identify clusters of terms found in the FSDB.
An analysis of the FSDB using Google’s analytical tools tells us, unsurprisingly, that the phrase
‘Don Bosco’ (which it calls a bigram or two-word phrase) is the most frequent co-occurrence in the
FSDB. The tools express this in quite sophisticated ways, for example:
• a PMI of 0.87: PMI means Pointwise Mutual Information or how strongly two words associate
compared to how they would by chance only. The closer this score is to ‘1’, the stronger the
association.
• a Jaccard similarity score of 0.32: this score measures the overlap between the contexts for two
words. In this case, the contexts of the words making up the bigram ‘Don Bosco’ overlap in 32% of
the entire text.
Or, to put it simply: Don Bosco is central to the FSDB!
All well and good, you say, but MY human eye can’t read all that tiny writing on the above map.
Can you make it clearer?
Yes, bit by bit. Let’s focus on just a part of that map, and you can get an idea then of what we
can see:
3

1.5 Page 5

▲torna in alto
You can’t see Don Bosco, you say? Two responses to that: he will be in there somewhere, right at the
heart of the term ‘Salesian’, so we would have to drill down further; but the other response is to say
that YOU are Don Bosco, and YOU are now seeing through his eyes.
Seeing in terms of topics
The previously focused part of the visual map of the FSDB certainly gave us a glimpse of many of the
elements we consider so crucial to the charism: consecration, heart, prayer, priest and brother (the two
forms of the single Salesian vocation). We can see chastity there (and perhaps note that we can’t yet
see obedience and poverty… they are further out), youth and ministry (presumably including youth
ministry as such), spiritual accompaniment, and so on and so forth. But we need a bit more help,
either to understand just how this visual map works, or maybe by breaking things down into some
actual topics.
We are not interested in being too technical here, so explanations of how the map works, how
clusters of terms hold together, can be left aside for now. It would be clear to the discerning eye that
this map almost certainly offers statistical reasons for why things are grouped as they are, but we can
leave that to the experts in the field. We are more interested in gaining some new insights into the
FSDB by seeing through Don Bosco’s eyes.
Could we ask ‘the map’ to offer us some potential topics to look at? At our request it will turn this
coloured map into a series of tables, abandoning the colours for the moment to present the material
to us in tabular form:
4

1.6 Page 6

▲torna in alto
This is a machine at work, of course, and we need to bring our own knowledge of the Salesian
formation ‘domain’ into play to see if these are topics we would like to work with. And because it
is a computerised effort, we note immediately that there are 14 topics, the first being 0! Computer
languages like to start with 0 rather than 1.
To see if the above approach can be productive for us (you the reader will eventually make this
decision), let’s simply take the very first topic ‘0’: loving-kindness/kindness.
Loving-kindness
Our tools have identified this first topic by pointing to key extracts from the document:
Article 62: …Starting afresh from the Preventive System – summed up in the phrase ‘reason,
religion and loving kindness’ – is not so much a strategy as a process of spiritual renewal. It is going
back to our charismatic roots, especially to that most inspiring testament that Don Bosco left us in the
letter from Rome of May 1884…. [Plenty to think about here: kindness as more than just a strategy,
and the invitation to re-read the letter from Rome].
Article 66: … It is not enough to be among young people with kindness and a philanthropic
disposition, but to contemplate the presence of Christ acting in them and among them. (GC29 36).
5

1.7 Page 7

▲torna in alto
[Helps reinforce what was said about kindness not just being a strategy, reminding us that it is because
Christ is in every person we encounter. An invitation to re-read GC29].
Article 91: To live the Salesian vocation in a fraternal community and in an educative and pastoral
relationship calls for sexual and affective maturity, which is not unrelated to the loving kindness and
the family spirit of our charism. The Salesian is inspired by Don Bosco whose love was that of ‘a father,
brother and friend, able to draw out friendship in return’ (C 15). [We note that our sexual maturity is
not unrelated to loving kindness. If we go back to the focused portion of the map we saw earlier on, we
can see this connection mapped visually (the word ‘kindness’ is partly chopped off, but it is there with
the terms chastity, sexual, affective)…].
Article 113: …Like Christ, we are able to give of ourselves joyfully, without reserve, in freedom of
heart and with loving kindness… We integrate our need to love and to be loved into a capacity for
friendship and fraternal sharing and into the loving kindness of the Preventive System…[This is in the
context of the chaste Christ, so helps reinforce what was said in both 66 and 91, but perhaps also 62 where
it speaks of the Preventive System].
Article 135: …We encounter them ‘at their present stage of freedom’ (C 38) and help them open up
to new horizons through suitable proposals, within relationships marked by loving kindness. [‘Them’
is surely the young people we encounter, but not only. The reference in this number is to the more
extensive term ‘individuals’].
Article 367: …He learns to listen, be well-mannered and treat everyone with kindness, avoiding
prejudices and attempts to manipulate. [This is a reference to the prenovice, so treating everyone with
kindness now becomes a positive and identifying sign of a Salesian vocation from the very outset of the
vocational journey].
Article 405: …He ‘must be a man of prudence with spiritual and Salesian experience and an up-
to-date knowledge of practical psychology and youth problems. He should be able to relate easily to
people, engage in dialogue, and inspire confidence in the novices by his kindness’ (C 112). [Kindness is
also an essential quality of the novice director. He models what we just saw as an important vocational
sign in the candidate for Salesian life].
Article 490: …The cultivation of self-giving, kindness and patience allows one to grow, to form
a solid personality, and to develop the ability to face the difficulties that come one’s way. [This is in
reference to the practical trainee, well along the path of formation and at a particular stage where life
can throw up some curve balls, some problems. Kindness will be tested! Note how it is cleverly linked to
self-giving, patience].
Article 563: …He therefore fosters in himself the human qualities that attract others to him and
endow him with greater credibility, such as kindness, affability, loyalty, fidelity to his word, respect for
persons, openness to the ideas of others, restraint, discretion and the joyful approach to life found in
the optimistic humanism of St Francis de Sales (C 17). He develops the qualities that facilitate dialogue
with others, such as humility, kindness, trust, a willingness to listen, empathy, understanding and
charity in conversation. [We are now talking about the future Salesian priest. Note how kindness is part
of his credibility, on the one hand, and also a quality that facilitates dialogue, on the other].
Article 758: …It is important to ascertain that candidates have a clear sexual identification and the
sexual and affective maturity necessary for living the Salesian vocation with serenity and coherence.
6

1.8 Page 8

▲torna in alto
These are essential conditions for one who is called to live a chaste life in the educative mission and
to express it in the style of the Preventive System, which is based on loving kindness and openness.
[Again reinforcing something that was mentioned earlier, in 91].
Article 799: … c) A growing loving kindness in one’s lifestyle, giving to one’s relationships the
affability and gentleness characteristic of the Preventive System. [The context here is important.
Kindness is now linked to the grace of unity].
Article 927 (Appendix 9): Attitudes: kindness [Kindness is identified as an attitude to be on display
during the postnovitiate phase].
It would be obvious by now that if we take this as an example of how to approach each of the
topics, working systematically through some of the key terms in each topic area, we will find not
only plenty of stimulating thoughts to ponder and ‘deepen’, but, and this is important, we will also
get a sense of how the FSDB works ‘organically’. It has resulted from thousands (quite literally) of
contributions from around the Salesian world, contributions that have been sifted through various
processes and mechanisms over a number of years. We begin to realise how it all holds together, each
concept or notion being constantly reinforced and elaborated.
But do these topics, as listed in the previous tables of 14 topics, cover all the essentials of the FSDB?
No, not really. Take another look at the earlier focused map:
See the word ‘heart’ there up at the top? And note its colour… pink. There are other unlabelled pink
circles below, increasing in size, heading for the large labelled one which is ‘vocation’. Surely this will
be a productive term to explore, one that did not appear as such in the list of topics. Let’s do that one
now, but not just as a topic, since it did not appear as such in our list, but as a powerful metaphor.
7

1.9 Page 9

▲torna in alto
Heart
There are no fewer than 86 separate instances of ‘heart’ scattered throughout the FSDB (this includes
hearts, -hearted, heartfelt). Most are metaphorical expressions. A simple search of ‘heart’ in the text
will turn up at least the following:
• Sometimes the heart is thought of as a thing that can be ‘reached’, ‘touched’, ‘found’ (way to the
heart) or can be ‘open’ or ‘undivided’ or ‘free’; or it has ‘transparency’.
• At other times it has certain qualities like ‘wisdom’, ‘desires’, or can be described adjectivally as
‘missionary’, ‘pastoral’, ‘Marian’.
• Occasionally the heart becomes a container where God’s seed can be placed, or from which we can
draw resources.
• Or it becomes a place, especially the centre of something or someone: ‘at the heart of’, ‘in the heart
of’.
• The heart is often conceived as a person in need of ‘conversion’, being ‘transformed’ or ‘formed‘.
Or it has an ‘attitude’. Or we can ‘know’ it. Or it is someone we can follow: ‘after the heart of’, ‘with
the heart of’. It can sum up the person: ‘the whole of one’s being, heart, mind and soul’.
• And on yet other occasions, it is the real, physical heart that is being spoken of, as In Jesus’ ‘pure
heart‘, ‘a body and a heart like Jesus’, or Mary who ponders in her heart.
We could begin by noting that three of the important ‘incipit’ texts (by which we mean the Scriptural
texts that introduce chapters of the FSDB), mention ‘heart’!
• Chapter 1 (The Ratio): ‘I will run the way of your commands; you will give freedom to my heart.’
(Ps 119:32)
• Chapter 5 (Discernment and accompaniment): ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked
to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?’ (Lk 24:32)
• Chapter 12 (Admissions): ‘Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us
which one of these two you have chosen…”’ (Acts 1:24)
This is already a useful insight, and one that should motivate us to spend a little time meditating on
those three texts, especially as they are placed at the beginning, middle and end of the FSDB.
We could also consider what are called the ‘collocates’ of heart in the FSDB, or the other words
that are consistently closely linked with ‘heart’. It is usually considered that any word within 5 to the
right or 5 to the left of a term can be considered a collocate. If we list the collocates of ‘heart’ we find
the following. The number in parentheses is the count (either to the right or left of the word ‘heart’):
• young (7)
• Salesian (7)
• God (5)
• Don Bosco (4)
• open (4)
• mind (4)
• way (3)
• vocation (3)
8

1.10 Page 10

▲torna in alto
• self (3)
• religious (3)
• poverty (3)
• people (3)
• mission (3)
• Jesus Christ (3)
There are many others at lower levels of count: 2, and 1, but let’s just stay with the stronger collocations
at 3 and above. From the above list, the following observations might be made:
1. “Heart” as centre of the Salesian pastoral and spiritual identity
Collocates: Salesian (7), Don Bosco (4), young (7), people (3), mission (3)
In the Ratio, the heart is often used to describe:
• the pastoral heart, shaped by the charism of Don Bosco (Preventive System, art. 62; eductive and
pastoral dimension, art. 465)
• the educator’s heart for the young (Predilection for the young, art. 131)
• the apostolic heart formed for mission (The unifying power of love, art. 137)
This matches the highest-frequency collocates.
The Ratio emphasises formation along the following lines:
• ‘after the heart of Don Bosco’ e.g. for the specific formation of the Brother (art. 532)
• ‘a heart that is free’ (Vocation, mission, formation, art. 74)
• ‘our founder’s missionary heart’ (The missionary dimension, art. 70)
The collocates strongly reflect these emphases.
2. Christological–theological configuration of the heart
Collocates: God (5), Jesus Christ (3), open (4), mind (4)
The Ratio speaks of:
• transforming the heart of the Salesian into the image of the heart of Christ (The formative power
of the grace of unity, art. 139)
• transparency of heart (in other words ‘open’) (Evangelical counsels, art. 496)
• transformation of mind and heart (Spiritual discernment, art. 566; the obedient Christ, art. 111)
• the whole of one’s being, heart, mind and soul (Formation is lifelong, art. 45)
Thus, the collocates point to themes central to initial and ongoing formation:
• spiritual life (Personal spiritual accompaniment, art. 199)
• interiority (Formative power of the grace of unity, art. 139)
• openness to God’s initiative (Formation is lifelong, art. 45)
• affective maturity, after the model of the chaste Christ (The chaste Christ, art. 113)
3. Heart as locus of vocational growth and religious identity
Collocates: vocation (3), religious (3), poverty (3), self (3)
These terms correspond closely to core formation goals in the Ratio:
• a formation that reaches the heart (Keys to reading the Ratio, art. 7)
9

2 Pages 11-20

▲torna in alto

2.1 Page 11

▲torna in alto
• configuration to Christ (Keys to reading the Ratio, art. 7)
• formation in the evangelical counsels, especially poverty (which often has strong ‘heart’ language:
detachment of heart, freedom of heart) (The poor Christ, art. 112)
• growth in self-knowledge, self-donation, undivided heart and inner freedom (Purification of
motives, art. 790; vocation and formation, art. 58; educative and pastoral dimension, art. 572)
The Ratio’s anthropology emphasises the unity of:
• identity
• vocation
• affectivity
Hence, ‘heart’ frequently appears in contexts of interior formation.
4. Pastoral charity as the unifying core (winning hearts)
Across the Ratio, ‘pastoral charity’ is defined as:
• the centre of the Salesian spirit (Our reading of the gospel, art. 28)
• rooted in the heart of Christ (Spiritual dimension, art. 537; the formative power of the grace of unity,
art. 139)
• expressed in educational love for the young (Educative and pastoral dimension, art. 456; winning
hearts, art. 31)
The collocates cluster around precisely this triad:
• Christological (God, Jesus)
• Charismatic (Don Bosco, Salesian)
• Pastoral/educational (young, people, mission)
5. Affective–educational dynamic: openness, relationship, integration
Collocates: open (4), mind (4), self (3), way (3)
These usage contexts fit well with the Ratio’s formation priorities:
• forming an open and welcoming heart in the educator (An animating style, art. 135)
• integrating heart and mind in discernment (Spiritual discernment, art. 566)
• arriving at “wisdom of the heart” (Intellectual dimension, art. 567)
• affective maturity as a prerequisite for vocational commitment (Our apostolic consecration, art. 91)
The Ratio also stresses that Salesian educators are:
• ‘passionate people who know how to love’ – heart by implication (Formation to affective and sexual
maturity, art. 92)
• capable of relationships (Human and fraternal dimension, art. 410)
• open to ongoing formation (Formation is lifelong, art. 45)
Overall conclusion
The collocates point to:
1. The centrality of pastoral charity
— the ‘heart’ as the seat of Salesian apostolic love.
2. Configuration to Christ
10

2.2 Page 12

▲torna in alto
— the heart formed in the image of Christ the Good Shepherd.
3. Charismatic identity
— the heart shaped according to Don Bosco, Salesian history, and the mission to youth.
4. Vocational and religious growth
— the heart as locus of discernment, interior freedom, and evangelical poverty.
5. Affective and relational maturity
— openness, integration of heart and mind, self-knowledge.
Metaphor is obviously a productive approach to the FSDB. Let’s take an entire chapter and analyse it
in terms of metaphor. We might be able to gain some very rich insights from this kind of exercise.
11

2.3 Page 13

▲torna in alto
Metaphor
What follows is just one example of how we might analyse the metaphorical structure of a chapter of
the FSDB.
We are choosing Chapter two: Our identity in the Church. From Chapter three onwards we seem to
have a major metaphor anyway, the journey. So by choosing Chapter two, we can start without any
presuppositions and see what happens.
CHAPTER TWO: OUR IDENTITY IN THE CHURCH
1. Overall metaphorical logic of the chapter
Chapter 2 is not metaphorically random. It is built around a small number of governing metaphor
systems that recur, overlap, and reinforce one another. These metaphors are not decorative; they are
identity-constituting.
At the highest level, the chapter constructs Salesian identity through:
FORMATION AS CONFORMATION IN RELATIONAL SPACE
Everything else serves this.
2. Primary metaphor clusters
A. Organic / bodily metaphors
(Identity as life, growth, unity, embodiment)
These are foundational and largely biblical.
Key expressions:
• until Christ be formed in you
• living members of his Body
• living Rule
• living memorials
• our hearts are unified by grace
• inner fire
• seeds of goodness sown in the hearts of the young
• humus from which formation arises
A conceptual metaphor can be derived from the above:
SALESIAN LIFE IS A LIVING ORGANISM
Implications of this:
• Identity is received, not fabricated.
• Growth is gradual, organic, vulnerable.
• Unity is physiological (heart, body), not merely juridical.
• Formation is cultivation, not training.
This aligns strongly with:
• Pauline ecclesiology (Body of Christ)
• Don Bosco’s affective and relational pedagogy
12

2.4 Page 14

▲torna in alto
• The Salesian emphasis on heart over structure
B. Relational / familial metaphors
(Identity as belonging, generation, accompaniment)
Key expressions:
• family spirit
• fatherhood
• mother and teacher
• brothers
• sons and daughters
• being generated in the sequela Christi or following of Christ
• fathers, pastors and guides
• Marian heart of the Church
A conceptual metaphor can be derived from the above:
FORMATION IS GENERATION WITHIN A FAMILY
Implications of this:
• Authority is parental, not managerial.
• Formation happens through presence and relationship.
• Community is not instrumental but constitutive.
• Mary functions as archetypal relational mediator.
Notably:
• Mary is not framed juridically or doctrinally but maternal-formative.
• The Salesian brother is explicitly an icon of communion.
C. Journey / movement metaphors
(Vocation as dynamic, responsive, even risky)
Key expressions:
• following Christ
• paths
• footsteps
• frontiers
• outposts
• peripheries
• missionary wave
• lifelong journey
• initial enthusiasm → gradual conformation
A conceptual metaphor can be derived from the above:
VOCATION IS A JOURNEY SHARED WITH OTHERS
Implications of this:
• Stability comes from direction, not immobility.
• Risk and change are normal, even necessary.
13

2.5 Page 15

▲torna in alto
• Formation is never ‘completed’.
• History and biography matter.
This allows the text to:
• Legitimate adaptation and inculturation
• Address rapid cultural change without identity loss
• Frame obedience as movement rather than submission
D. Light / vision metaphors
(Discernment as seeing rightly)
Key expressions:
• seeing with the eyes of Don Bosco
• look attentively
• discern pathways
• recognize potential
• luminous way
• epiphany and revelation
• reading the gospel
A conceptual metaphor can be derived from the above:
FORMATION IS LEARNING HOW TO SEE
Implications of this:
• Formation is perceptual before it is operational.
• The founder provides a hermeneutical lens.
• Discernment precedes strategy.
• Young people are revelatory subjects, not objects.
This metaphor cluster is crucial for:
• Justifying shared formation
• Grounding synodality
• Framing youth as ‘holy ground’
E. Fire- ardour-passion metaphors
(Interior motivation and authenticity)
Key expressions:
• inner fire
• ardour of charity
• zeal
• inflame
• passionate about Jesus
• ecstasy of action
A conceptual metaphor can be derived from the above:
AUTHENTIC FORMATION IS IGNITED FROM WITHIN
Implications of this:
14

2.6 Page 16

▲torna in alto
• Motivation is affective and spiritual, not merely ethical.
• Activity is evaluated by interior source.
• Contemplation and action are fused, not balanced.
This is deeply Salesian and explicitly tied to:
• Da mihi animas
• Francis de Sales
• ‘ecstasy of action’
3. Secondary but important metaphors
A. Building / space
• build community
• walls vs pathways
• spaces where the Gospel can thrive
• alternate spaces
Community as inhabited space, not structure.
B. Mission as gift / entrustment
• mission is given
• entrusted
• initiative is God’s
Guards against functionalism.
C. Formation as shaping
• conformed
• shaped
• model lives
• assimilate
• configured
Classic formational language, but softened by organic imagery.
4. What is striking by its absence
Equally important is what the chapter does not foreground metaphorically:
• Very little military imagery (despite ‘frontiers’)… so not Ignatian in that sense!
• Minimal bureaucratic/juridical metaphor… this has been deliberately avoided.
• Limited economic/managerial framing… likewise avoided
• Technology appears only as context, not a governing metaphor, though this may change as we move
on to other chapters.
This preserves:
• A theological rather than institutional self-understanding
• Continuity with Don Bosco’s affective pedagogy
• Resistance to technocratic formation models
15

2.7 Page 17

▲torna in alto
The aim of this kind of conceptual analysis is not to close down meaning but to open the imagination.
By understanding the metaphors through which the Ratio speaks, we become more capable of praying
them, inhabiting them, and allowing them to shape our lives.
Praying and inhabiting our metaphors
Scripture abounds with imagery and metaphor: ‘The Lord is my shepherd…’; ‘I am the Bread of life’;
‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.’
The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses a metaphor to define prayer, by writing, ‘Prayer is the life
of the new heart’ (§2697). Therefore, we need to understand how prayer is ‘life’ and a ‘new heart’. The
Ratio takes up this challenge when it writes: ‘Formation is not, therefore, a phase or a part of Salesian
life, but rather a dimension that embraces the whole of life in such a way that prayer, fraternal life,
apostolic commitment and the living out of the evangelical counsels all become formative, a response
to the Lord who calls us every day and always’ (art. 74). The first Lectio (for Chapter 1) speaks to us
of newness of heart: ‘the concept of the heart being freed actually reflects a deep desire for spiritual
transformation and a willingness to be changed by God, for the heart in biblical language represents
the innermost being of a person, including his thoughts, emotions, and will.’
Metaphors shape our thinking. We build our worldview through them. Hence the importance of
‘pastoral discernment, which is the ability to read situations in the light of faith through prolonged
interaction with the challenges presented by the many worldviews of our time, the natural and human
sciences and technology, and contemporary globalized culture. Teachers will not, therefore, be pure
academics but people capable of pastoral discernment, with the ability to “make philosophy come
alive” by allowing it to “light up” the experience of their students’ (art. 448).
‘Configuration to Christ the Good Shepherd’ (cf. art. 564) and ‘identification with the Church, the
Body of Christ’ (cf. art. 565), require us to be drawn into the Lord and into the Church via these
two metaphors. Scripture has created those metaphors, but as we inhabit them over time, these same
metaphors create us.
Metaphors are capable of expressing the inexpressible. When we reach out to God in prayer,
especially through meditation, what is our prayer like at that moment? Perhaps it is more like poetry
than prose, since it is the Spirit praying within us ‘with groans that words cannot express’ (Rom 8:26).
Metaphor becomes our form of intimate prayer: ‘Salesian meditation, rooted in an understanding of
prayer as friendship with Christ, encourages us to focus on the person of Jesus, especially his passion’
(art. 411).
Metaphor cultivates prayer as personal relationship with God. Scripture is rich in metaphors. The
Church has a treasury of metaphors. Don Bosco was a master of metaphor, clearly appreciating the
value of Aristotle’s comment that ‘to learn easily is naturally pleasant to all people, and words signify
something, so whatever words create knowledge in us are the pleasantest… Metaphor most brings
about learning” (Rhetoric, 1410b). That very much describes Don Bosco the educator. And then there
are his dreams, and his Memoirs. Pietro Braido, speaking of these, says that ‘the parable and the
message’ come first and ‘above the history’(‘“Memorie” del futuro’, in Ricerche Storiche Salesiane 11,
pp. 97-127).
16

2.8 Page 18

▲torna in alto
Prayer as a Prism:
Reading the Ratio

2.9 Page 19

▲torna in alto
Introduction
Was Don Bosco a Romantic? We can leave the answer to scholars and connoisseurs of the ‘literary’
Don Bosco! What we can say with certainty is that he was born in or about the year that is usually
defined as the beginning of Italian Romanticism, represented by poets and novelists such as Giacomo
Leopardi, Alessandro Manzoni and Silvio Pellico. We know, too, that he personally knew Silvio Pellico
and was occasionally advised by him on matters of language. Pellico, like all the Romantics of his era,
and not only in Italy, liked to use light and colour as symbols of love and guidance. Consider the
following brief excerpt (in translation) from his ‘Canzone’, written in prison:
Thou sun! thou fount divine
Of light! the gift is thine!
O, how, beyond the gloom
That wraps my living tomb,
Through forest, garden, mead, and grove,
All nature drinks the ray
Of glorious day, –
Inebriate with love!
Two English Romantic poets of the same era who were, in their own way, also in love with Italy and
Italian Romanticism, were William Blake and John Keats. ‘That God is colouring Newton does show’,
Blake once wrote in a poem he called ‘On Art and Artists. To Venetian Artists XXIII’, going on to
say, ‘And the Devil is a black outline, all of us know.’
Yet a little further on in that poem he adds,
Outline! There’s no outline, there’s no such thing:
All is chiaroscuro, poco-pen – it’s all colouring!’
Indeed an interesting way of dispatching the devil, or was he really suggesting that the devil is still
there, but more subtly… no hard outlines, but still there in the murky shades. And the reference to
Newton? In 1666 Isaac Newton was the first to ‘trap’ the rainbow by sending light through a prism.
John Keats (who, incidentally, died in Rome) reacted negatively to this idea, feeling that Newton was
unweaving the rainbow, destroying its poetry.
Let us side with Blake’s belief that ‘God is colouring’ and suggest a response to this colouring God,
in prayer, especially as we read the renewed Salesian Ratio, which reflects on prayer at every turn. But
we can also side with Keats inasmuch as we can and should use the possibilities of poetic language to
explore the beauty of the rainbow and everything else ‘that God is colouring’, our lives especially.
The Liturgy of the Hours can also give us a lead:
When early cock begins to crow
And everything from sleep awakes,
New life and hope spring up again
While out of darkness, colour breaks.
(A morning hymn in the Liturgy of the Hours)
1

2.10 Page 20

▲torna in alto
A little rhyme from an American children’s book classic helps us realise what colour might offer us:
The colors live between black and white
In a land we know best by sight.
But knowing best isn’t everything,
For colors dance and colors sing,
And colors laugh and colors cry –
Turn off the light and colors die.
Each has a taste, each has a smell
And each has a wonderful story to tell.
(Mary O’Neill, Author, Leonard Weisgar, Illustrator, Hailstones and Halibut Bones:
Adventures in Poetry and Color, Doubleday 1961.)
There are times when we want to dance and sing and laugh – and cry. And the time will come, too,
when we must die. Prayer belongs to all these times and moods, just as colour does. We might even
find ourselves at a time and place of darkness, but just as night becomes day, we can look upon dark
times as wanting to give way to the God who colours. Whatever place we are in, it can help to see it as
a prism that opens up to other possibilities. Life is a prism and so many ‘wavelengths’ of society are
focused through this prism. So much art and creativity for starters: painters, sculptors, potters, wood-
burners, writers, poets, street philosophers, and Salesians… people who pay attention to life in all its
manifestations. Surely people like this can be good pray-ers, since prayer is about life, including about
us and God talking to one another about life – ours, and that of others.
In other words, as we read the Ratio, we can only but see the importance that prayer plays in it.
So what if we were to regard prayer as a prism refracting the light that shines through and from this
wonderful document? We can ask ourselves how prayer refracts (yes, refracts, not reflects) the many
themes so central to Salesian formation. And we can allow each colour, through poetry and image, to
serve as a point of entry into various prayer traditions or emphases.
2

3 Pages 21-30

▲torna in alto

3.1 Page 21

▲torna in alto
Beige
Finding God in the ordinary
3

3.2 Page 22

▲torna in alto
Beige: attention to daily fidelity, noticing, gratitude, details…
We gladly employ the ordinary moments of formation laid down by the Constitutions and
Regulations: meditation, listening to the Word, personal and community prayer, the Eucharist
and the sacrament of Reconciliation, Marian devotion, the monthly recollection, the friendly talk
with the rector, personal spiritual accompaniment, faith sharing, personal reading, the personal
plan of life and the community day, together with all the initiatives promoted by the province, the
region, the Church and society.
— Ratio, no. 78
Beige is often regarded as dull, ordinary, and yet it is the colour of what is sometimes overlooked. Sand,
bread, clay, parchment, unbleached linen, all things we take for granted… we can think of them all as
beige. So too with personal, even community daily prayer. Any daily activity can end up ‘beige’!
BEIGE
Beige is the colour that nobody sees,
Yet beige fills the world with remarkable ease.
It’s biscuit and barley, dry grasses and hay,
The dust on the road at the close of the day.
Beige is old parchment, a weathered stone wall,
The pages of books that have outlived us all.
It’s oatmeal and bread crust, a well-worn shoe,
The quiet little prayer that carries you through.
Beige is the driftwood cast up by the sea,
The shell on the shoreline, the bark of a tree.
It’s linen and canvas, unbleached and plain,
The scent of the earth after soft autumn rain.
While beige lacks the splendour of ruby or gold,
It shelters the stories that quietly unfold.
The grand and the glorious may dazzle the eye,
But beige keeps the hearth warm when bright colours die.
For beige knows of waiting, of patience and care,
Of tending to house chores and saying a prayer.
Of hands that keep working though no one may praise,
Of lives that bring goodness through ordinary days.
So bless all that’s humble, unnoticed and true,
The commonplace moments around me and you.
And grant us the grace, when bright seasons have fled,
To find you in beige as in purple or red.
4

3.3 Page 23

▲torna in alto
LET THE ARTIST TEACH US TO PRAY
The Bishop said that we ought imitate painters and sculptors, who produce their works by dint of
many a stroke of the pencil or chisel; if we would form a deep impression in our hearts we must
repeat the same thing many times.
— Jean-Pierre Camus, The Spirit of St Francis de Sales
It seems that Saint Francis de Sales was not alone in conceiving of spiritual life in artistic terms.
Someone much closer to us in time said,
He is, in a sense, at the point of my pen, my pick, my paintbrush, my needle – and my heart and
my thought. It is by carrying to its natural completion the stroke, the line, the stitch I am working
on that I shall lay hold on that ultimate end towards which my will at its deepest level tends.
— Teilhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe
Think of prayer as a way of seeing things, and we can borrow from the artist’s special way of seeing
things. This way of seeing involves at least five components, five perceptual skills:
1. edges (including emotional ones)
2. spaces (including negative ones)
3. relationships (human and divine)
4. light and shade (joy and sorrow)
5. everything together (which is more than the sum of its parts).
What I am before the Creator, that is my prayer. The light-giving gaze of God penetrates to where
no other glance can reach. He sees me and teaches me to see myself as I am. To pray, therefore, is to
feel and welcome this paternal gaze of God, without obstructing it in a vain effort to do everything
by myself. (J.E. Vecchi, AGC 374 19)
— Ratio, callout in the section on the ‘Spiritual dimension’ (no. 411 or thereabouts.)
5

3.4 Page 24

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
The Spirit does not usually follow extraordinary ways but speaks through the attitudes and
aspirations, intentions and motivations that are perceived in the daily rhythm of life, in interaction
with people, in dealing with reality, in the ordinary course of events and in the ability to face and
overcome difficulties, in fraternal life and participation in the shared mission, and in the daily
experience of prayer.
— Ratio, no. 691
• Starting point: place yourself in God’s presence: ‘O God, come to my assistance, O Lord make haste
to help me’ (4th century prayer, but we know it best from the Liturgy of the Hours).
• Develop the inner eye.
• Where was God in the ordinary events of today?
• What have I overlooked as being too familiar, so not really recognised?
• What humble task lies before me in the present?
• Can I receive this ordinary moment as a gift?
• Keep it simple: the publican had one sentence: ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner.’ (Lk 18:13)
• We all have a mother. Jesus had one too. Her name was Mary. Her cousin Elizabeth (also a mother-
to-be) gave us a prayer: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. (Lk 1:42)
• Long tradition has added to Elizabeth’s prayer: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
• Prayer grows out of life, experience – and flows back into it.
6

3.5 Page 25

▲torna in alto
Purple
Prayer from the centre of our lives
7

3.6 Page 26

▲torna in alto
Purple: from the centre to the heights
Don Bosco lived a simple, practical and profound relationship with God. He gives us the example
of a constantly prayerful attitude, the ability to live and work in the presence of God and to direct
all things to his glory… Going beyond occasional dialogue, our prayer strives to become unitive love:
‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Gal 2:20; AGC 338 16).
— Ratio, no. 115
Purple tends towards the mystical, but it also has its roots in solid reality. We can think of it as a unitive
factor: born of the marriage of red and of blue. A colour of balance, composed and secure.
PURPLE
Purple’s a colour that creeps in at night –
A lavender moment of spiritual light.
A regal shade in dusk’s embrace,
Whispers of night in velvet lace.
There’s imperial purple; it’s mystical too.
The way to get purple is red mixed with blue.
There’s purple plums and quartz amethyst.
There’s a purple bruise when struck with a fist.
Jesus wore purple when Pilate said,
‘Here is the man! Do you want this one dead?’
The purple feeling is hard to explain,
For purple speaks both of glory and pain.
Mauve and magenta, even puce can pose
As purple dye, or as purple prose.
Advent is purple, so too is Lent –
Liturgical times to be abstinent.
Yet the timbre of purple’s a wondrous thing:
Where the fire and the calm together sing,
A colour that gathers what life rends apart,
Bringing peace to the mind and strength to the heart.
Purple is wisdom grown patient with years,
Tempered by joy and acquainted with tears,
Rooted in earth yet aspiring above,
A kingdom of balance established in love.
8

3.7 Page 27

▲torna in alto
THE JESUS PRAYER
Don Bosco’s life itself is paradigmatic for our following of Jesus and for Salesian formation. Don
Bosco is for us not merely someone we admire but our pattern of life, a luminous way of following
Jesus, one who reveals to us the fatherhood of God and generates us in the sequela Christi. ‘We
cannot be satisfied with knowing his history and activities, but we need to rediscover the secret of
his continuous union with God, the spiritual path that led him to live the grace of unity.
— Ratio, no. 28
The Christian Church is said to breathe with two lungs, one most of us know as ‘Western Christianity’,
while the other we may not know so well: Eastern Christianity, largely Orthodox.
From the East, and going back to the Desert Fathers and Mothers comes a simple prayer, the
‘Jesus Prayer’.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Those who practise this prayer recognise it in many passages of the Gospel where men and women
call on Jesus for mercy. For example, the Canaanite woman’s ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of
David; my daughter is tormented by a demon’ (Mt 15:22), or the ten lepers who said, ‘Jesus, Master,
have mercy on us!’ (Lk 17:11-19), or Bartimaeus, the blind man, who said, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have
mercy on me!’ (Mk 10:46-48), or the man who said ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic
and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.’ (Mt 17:14-15).
This is a prayer from the heart. It is a prayer of belief – Jesus is Lord, the Christ. It can be repeated
over and over again to discipline the wandering mind and fill it with joy. It makes God present to us,
helps us see the world the way Jesus saw it (as deserving of great mercy or long-suffering love). And
imagine the power of the prayer if we occasionally replace ‘me’ with someone else!
9

3.8 Page 28

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
‘Meeting the Lord gets us moving, urges us to leave aside self-absorption. A relationship with the
Lord is not static, nor is it focussed on self. “Because when we put Christ at the centre of our life,
we ourselves don’t become the centre! The more that you unite yourself to Christ and he becomes
the centre of your life, the more he leads you out of yourself, leads you from making yourself the
centre and opens you to others”’ (Pope Francis)
— Ratio no. 94
• Father, into your hands I place my spirit.
• Purify intentions: My God, I offer you this day, now, all the good that I shall do, and promise to
accept, for love of you, all the difficulties that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself this day in a
manner pleasing to you.
• Here is the man! A parish priest found an old peasant just sitting in the church each day in front
of the crucifix. When asked what he did he replied: ‘I just look at him. He looks at me and we are
both happy.’
• Grace has its times and seasons. Advent (4 weeks before Christmas) and Lent (4 weeks before
Easter), are special times of grace.
• Feast and Fast: feast when something good happens? Of course! Let fast be preparation. We need
both in life; it cannot be all feast or all fast.
• Jesus prayer for his disciples (Jn 17) so let him pray for you.
• There is a seeing which comes before word and which in a sense is wordless. That too can be prayer.
• God loves the people I don’t love, can’t bring myself to love. Just accept it.
• 1. Inhale your own pain and confusion. Fill it with love and compassion and exhale the energy deep
within you. 2. Inhale the pain and confusion of others. Replace it with warmth and compassion.
Exhale this energy. 3. Move your focus now to your community and the young people you are working
for and do the same as above. 4. Finally, shift your focus to the wider world. Inhale… Exhale…
10

3.9 Page 29

▲torna in alto
Red
Prayer involving head, heart and hands
11

3.10 Page 30

▲torna in alto
Red: blood, fire, passion, courage, prophetic prayer, the gifts of the
Spirit…
Our prayer is woven from the recognition of the primacy of grace and is rooted in a personal
relationship of friendship with Jesus (leiturgia), from the desire to make it apostolic (kerygma)
and at the service of charity (diakonia) through the witness of one’s faith (martyria) (AGC 394 25).
It draws us out of ourselves towards the Father and towards our brothers and sisters in a single
movement of love.
— Ratio, no. 116
Red is easily associated with blood, fire, passion. In liturgical terms it is associated with the fire of the
Holy Spirit, the passion of Christ and the martyrdom of those who have given their lives for the faith.
In moments of trial, red reminds us of bravery and witness.
RED
‘You predict the weather’, so Jesus said,
‘By sunrise or sunset whenever they’re red.’
But they could not interpret the subtle warning,
That he was the sign, not the eve or the morning.
Red are the tongues of Pentecost fire.
Red is the hellish funeral pyre.
Red is a symbol of hearts in love.
Red is the planet Mars up above.
Red is the colour martyrs wear,
Not cloth alone but witness rare;
Their blood, once spilled by fear and hate,
Sows seeds no evil can frustrate.
Love is like a red, red rose,
Its colour and fragrance everyone knows.
The boldest political colour is red:
On flags and maps as empires spread.
Red fights with blue on electoral maps,
Cardinals wear it, and paupers perhaps
Are ‘in the red’, ‘broke’, we could say,
When fortune and money have slipped away.
Christ’s body was broken, his blood for us shed,
Hung on the cross until he was dead.
Made present still in bread and wine,
the crimson gift of love divine.
12

4 Pages 31-40

▲torna in alto

4.1 Page 31

▲torna in alto
THE EUCHARIST
The celebration of the Eucharist is the central act of our day. In it we give thanks to the Father,
remember the salvation accomplished by the Son, commune with the Body and Blood of Christ
and receive the Spirit that makes us capable of fraternal communion and renews us in our apostolic
commitment… Through Eucharistic adoration and visits to the Blessed Sacrament we nourish ‘our
union with God and revive friendship with the Lord’ (GC29 16). The Liturgy of the Hours extends
the grace of the Eucharist to the various hours of the day (C 89).
— Ratio, no. 116
The Eucharist, ‘the central act of our day’: do we fully appreciate the richness of this central prayer act
of our Catholic Faith? Here is a breakdown of its richness:
Sometimes people focus entirely on the central words of Jesus (the ‘institution narrative’) as the most
important ‘words of consecration’, disregarding the rest as mere context. In fact, the consecration of
the bread and wine occurs as a result of the whole Eucharistic Prayer because the invocation of the
Holy Spirit and the link to the Paschal Mystery of the cross and resurrection are likewise key elements.
In addition, the prayer begins and ends with praise and thanksgiving to God – at the beginning,
it encompasses the Preface, the Holy Holy… and the first part of what follows; at the end, the praise is
centred on the final doxology and Amen. The invocation of the Holy Spirit is in two parts – first, the
prayer asks that the bread and wine will be changed and, second, that the community will be united
with Christ as his Body. Joined to the Lord’s Supper narrative is the memorial of Jesus’ death and
resurrection which begins with the Eucharistic Acclamation. The offering which follows the memorial
speaks of our participation in Christ’s saving act. Finally there are prayers of intercession (for the pope,
the bishops, etc.). This structure is outlined and explained in the General Instruction of the Roman
Missal, 79. (cf: https://nlc.catholic.org.au/blog-posts/the-eucharistic-prayer for more on this.)
13

4.2 Page 32

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
Devotion to Mary is for us a strong invitation to recognize her as ‘model of prayer and pastoral
love, the teacher of wisdom and the guide of our Family’, and to contemplate and imitate ‘her
faith, her concern for the needy, her fidelity at the hour of the cross and her joy at the wonders
wrought by the Father’ (C 92).
— Ratio, no. 117
HEAD, HEART, HANDS
If the head reminds us of intellect, mind, will, and the heart of love, passion, compassion, then the
hands remind us of action, service, practicality. These are all ingredients of prayer. Mary, the Mother
of Jesus, Mother of God, is our model of prayer in all these ways.
To begin to pray, we need to make ourselves aware that we stand (or sit, kneel, lie down, walk…)
in God’s presence and give God our full attention. This almost certainly involves our head. We may
even be seeking enlightenment for our minds.
The moment we feel moved, drawn into a conversation with God, the heart is involved, as it is in
all person-to-person, heart-to-heart dialogue.
And if we are praying in Jesus’ name or as he taught us to pray (Our Father…) we are being drawn
into heart-to-heart relationship with the Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
But the only way to gauge the value and importance of prayer is through observing its results:
how do we act as a result of our prayer? Are we more charitable? More at peace? Do we deal better
with the people with whom we live and work, day by day?
It follows that a certain amount of discipline is involved – head, heart and hands have their own
kind of distinctive discipline and it also requires discipline to hold all three together.
That discipline may involve time, place, even posture. It will involve certain attitudes (e.g.
perseverance, humility) and decisions.
Spend some time thinking about this.
14

4.3 Page 33

▲torna in alto
Blue
Quiet prayer
15

4.4 Page 34

▲torna in alto
Blue: depth, horizons, silence, trust, the prayer of quiet…
During a time of quiet, for example the monthly recollection or the annual retreat, open your
heart to the Lord, asking for light and strength. In the presence of the Lord ask yourself what he
wants of you. To make it practical, examine different aspects of your life as a consecrated Salesian
apostle as they are described in the Constitutions.
— Ratio, no. 877
Blue seems to invite us into open spaces and to new horizons; even the universe beckons. It may invite
a prayer of praise, but may also remind us that we are nothing beside this vastness. At times blue may
provoke thoughts of coldness and death. Prayer can embrace any or all of the above and more besides.
BLUE
Blue is the colour of sea and sky,
A sapphire throne for the Lord on high,
The priceless choice of Renaissance blues
For the Virgin’s mantle lends prayer pure hues.
Blue is the rare Lapis Lazuli
And the iris of some, while others agree
That as they grow older and dimmer of sight,
It’s the inner eye piercing the indigo night.
Blue is the background colour of day.
Blue is sadness, life gone astray.
Blue is an iceberg in (Ant)arctic cold.
Blue is the corpse for whom the bell told.
You can hear blue in jokes, in blue murder too.
You can smell blue in cheese veined through and through.
The earth seen from space is a brilliant blue ball,
A vision so splendid it can’t but enthral.
Blue is the stillness before God’s face,
The indigo depth of unearned grace,
Where words fall away and the will comes to rest,
Held in the silence where love knows it best.
Blue is the twilight of inward prayer,
A depth where the heart knows God is there,
No striving of mind, no fervent plea,
Just with him in silence, attentive and free.
16

4.5 Page 35

▲torna in alto
PRAYER’S PERSONAL NAME
Following the example of Jesus and Don Bosco, the Salesian is solicitous about personal prayer,
from which he draws nourishment for his life and ministry. This personal dialogue with the Lord
gives authenticity, depth and quality to community prayer: ‘We can form praying communities
only if individually we become men of prayer’.
— Ratio, no. 116
Jesus is not just another prophet and miracle worker. He alone has seen God face to face. Which means
that he alone can reveal heavenly things. John’s Gospel particularly emphasised this knowledge of God
right from the beginning: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was in the beginning with God… No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who
is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known’ (Jn 1:1-3, 18).
Why doesn’t Jesus tell us more about God? What does God look like? What was it like when
God speaks? What does heaven look like? He doesn’t tell us more because this reality is beyond every
category we know. Its breadth and depth is wider and deeper and more wondrous than the earthly
mind can even begin to take in – something like trying to explain to a two-year-old what it’s like to
have a child; you simply let the child experience your love. You can’t explain it. So Jesus says things
like, ‘As the Father loves me, so do I love you.’
And this way I get a hint of what God is like, because Jesus is the Son of God and he loves me.
Spend some quiet time with Jesus.
17

4.6 Page 36

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
We learn to attend to our experiences – to dwell before the mystery of life, the beauty of nature,
the mystery of the other, whether it is a young person or a confrere or one who shares the mission
with us. We need the ‘pastoral look’ and ‘serene attentiveness’ (EG 51; LS 225–226)
— Ratio, no. 78
• ‘Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter’ (John Keats).
• You are prayer, a sacred word made flesh.
• Today’s time with the Lord may well be a time of thank-yous. It is a beautiful, easy (and sometimes
much overlooked) way to pray.
• Go deep, but keep it simple. Life is ultimately good and now, this moment, is part of God’s love
for you.
• Prayer is the simplest and most essential of all religious acts.
• If all you hear are curses, try quietly blessing something, someone. Blessings are for more than
sneezes!
• Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
• Somehow, I am a bond between persons, a link in the chain. Let me be your messenger of peace.
• Wherever you are – you are on hallowed ground.
• God needs a proper name for us to sense his personal presence. He has one – Jesus!
• What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: “Contemplative prayer [oracion mental] in my
opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be
alone with him who we know loves us.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2709)
18

4.7 Page 37

▲torna in alto
Green
Simple, heart-to-heart colloquy
19

4.8 Page 38

▲torna in alto
Green: growth, healing, seasons, God in all things
Don Bosco lived a simple, practical and profound relationship with God. He gives us the example
of a constantly prayerful attitude, the ability to live and work in the presence of God and to direct
all things to his glory. Following the example of our founder, we cultivate union with God, aware
of the need to pray without ceasing in a simple heart-to-heart colloquy with the living Christ and
with the Father, whom we feel close at hand (C 12).
— Ratio, no. 115
Green is a colour with strong positive symbolism, especially in the Scriptures, but we should be
realistic enough to acknowledge some other, more secular applications as well: envy and jealousy
(‘green with envy’), inexperience (‘green’ meaning naïve or immature), decay and corruption (mould,
stagnant water, rot). In other words, we can let green guide our ‘simple, practical and profound
relationship with God’, which must take into account both the positives and negatives of our daily life.
GREEN
Green is the world just after the rain,
Blessed, bathed and budding again and again.
In bud and blade, in branch and tree,
Creation sings its constancy.
Green marks the season’s growing grace,
God’s patient work in time and place;
Not all at once does goodness flower,
But gathers strength from hour to hour.
The sound of green is the trickling stream
Of water on rocks. There’s the sunlit gleam
Of the grasshopper’s green: a yellowish jade.
There’s refreshing green of lime lemonade.
Yet green may be found where mould has spread,
On things neglected, left for dead;
But God can bring from such decay
New life to bloom from where it lay.
Green is the novice, unprepared,
The fruit not ripe, the branch still spared;
Yet patient years and sun and rain
Can turn such greenness into gain.
Green is the colour healers know,
Of herbs and leaves that thrive and grow;
The wounded earth, the troubled mind,
Seek peace among the green to find.
20

4.9 Page 39

▲torna in alto
HABITATS FOR PRAYER
Docile to the Spirit, we live an experience of humble, trusting and apostolic prayer in which praying
and living are united. In personal and community prayer we cultivate, nourish and celebrate the
ability to find God in life. From Don Bosco we learn to recognize and give thanks for the action of
grace in the lives of the young; we pray for them that the Father’s design may be fulfilled in them;
we pray with them, becoming thus witnesses of faith and hope, and of that union with God that
should be the characteristic of the sons of Don Bosco (C 95).
— Ratio, no. 114
Habitat: the place where plants, living beings naturally live or grow. The Ratio mentions this word in
the context of the digital world. We might ask ourselves if there can be habitats for other things too –
prayer, for instance.
Here are seven prayer habitats worth thinking about:
1. Routine and ritual: routines are comfortable, even comforting acts. They are also a way of
exercising a modicum of control over the chaos of our surroundings. Perhaps we can see some of
them as freeing us up for other things, like prayer. Or we can attach a brief prayer or ritual to a
daily routine like getting dressed, or eating: a word of thanks (grace), the sign of the cross…
2. Your room: ‘Listen! I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I
will come into his house and rest.’ (Rev 3:20) Invite the Lord in and talk to him.
3. Silence and solitude: Silence is a great habitat for prayer. So is solitude, which is a kind of intimacy
with myself. In one of his cartoons called “Sitting on the fence”, Michael Leunig writes: ‘Come
sit down beside me I said to myself, and although it doesn’t make sense, I held my own hand as a
small sign of trust, and together I sat on the fence.’
4. Time and seasons: Time seems to have negative overtones for some, be it ‘killing time’, ‘doing
time’. But there is always time for prayer. The past has already gone, and the future is unknown,
but there is always now. Let’s use it. Seasons are more than spring, summer, winter, autumn. The
Church gives us Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time.
5. The core of our being: the hub of calm. God within.
6. Wherever we feel ‘locked in’: Make your ‘walled city’ into a new Jerusalem, a place where God’s
glory can shine out. (Rev 21)
7. In the courtyard, on the playground: the most natural habitat of all for the Salesian! Brief one-
liners of intercession for this boy, that girl…
21

4.10 Page 40

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
Honesty and transparency in quiet prayer and in dialogue with one’s guides are always helpful,
growth-enabling, and even vital.
— Ratio, no. 92
• Listen! My sheep hear my voice. Can I distinguish his voice amid the confusion of voices?
• In the high country, as winter approaches, cattlemen teach cattle to hear the word SALT, and they
come running.
• The shepherd carries the injured lamb on his shoulders, close to his soothing voice and beating heart.
• Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength (St Francis de Sales).
• What we need is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love and an ocean of patience.
• Whatever the situation, it is the little virtues that count: patience, humility, gentleness, simplicity,
honesty, hospitality…
• ‘So then, as the Holy Spirit says, “If you hear God’s voice today, do not be stubborn…”’
• Give us this day our daily bread.
• Cover me, Lord, with the cloak of innocence and the robe of love. My God, do not let me appear
before you stripped of good works.
• No words needed for true, deep communion. It is communion in spirit, one present to the other.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt,
and cleanse me from my sin (Ps 51).
22

5 Pages 41-50

▲torna in alto

5.1 Page 41

▲torna in alto
Yellow
Our prayer is joyful, bound up with the young
23

5.2 Page 42

▲torna in alto
Yellow: praise, gratitude, joyful participation in life…
Salesian prayer bears the mark of apostles dedicated to the good of the young. It is rooted in life: it
precedes, accompanies and follows apostolic activity; it is bound up with the young, for whom and
with whom we pray. It is a prayer that is ‘joyful and creative, simple and profound. It lends itself
to community participation, is drawn from life experience and flows back into it’ (C 86).
— Lectio, Chapter 4
Think of yellow as a prayer of delight in creation, of imagination and joy, as something youthful in
its expression. And yet, like any colour, it has its ‘darker’ shades, so don’t be put off by the somewhat
raw images it might occasionally evoke… yellow fever and the like!
YELLOW
Yellow is topaz beyond compare –
Except for wisdom, and that’s only fair.
Yellow’s found everywhere, of course,
Like sun on the stubble or desert sands coarse.
It’s the taste of custard, the feeling of fun.
Yellow’s the colour of the noonday sun.
Yellow is flaxen, tawny or mellow;
The buzz of the honeybee’s definitely yellow.
While yellow brings pleasure – the primrose path,
The touch of yellow brings bad aftermath:
Purulent discharges, jaundice and pee,
Febrile diseases, leprosy.
Yellow is prayer that dances and sings;
Yellow gives thanks for ordinary things.
Yellow is blessing the gifts of the day,
Finding delight along life’s winding way.
So let’s raise our thoughts to canary song,
Hearts of gold, the call of the gong,
Or the flash of the firefly on hot summer nights,
The soft glow of candles, of votive lights.
Yellow is prayer that rejoices and plays,
Finding small wonders in commonplace days.
It kindles the spirit, creative and free,
Recalls all the dreams of the person-to-be.
24

5.3 Page 43

▲torna in alto
FINDING THE CENTRE
Our apostolic consecration embraces the whole of our life. It includes not only the vows but all our
being and action, in a relationship to God that marks our deepest personal experience as well as
all that we are called to do as pastors and educators. It is a personal experience that begins already
before profession when the Lord becomes the centre of our thoughts and affections, and continues
up to death, becoming more total and profound as it permeates our whole life.
— Ratio, no. 137
From the 4th century deserts comes a gift: men and women who found out how to live from the centre
of their lives without strong images or ideas to guide their prayer (though we might regard the desert
harshness as strong). They rid themselves, though, of all the usual thoughts of locality and place in
the emptiness of the desert. They looked for and found God in themselves, deep within.
Here are some simple ‘rules’ they followed:
• RULE 1: Centreing prayer began by focusing on God, on receiving God’s goodness. They would
use a line or two of Scripture, or anything else to help with this. It was as effortless as possible, and
lasted just until one felt a simple desire to ‘be’, to ‘stay there’.
• RULE 2: Of course, distractions seem to enter at this point, so the pray-er chooses a word,
something to recall him or her to the task at hand. If we need an image, think of a river with all is
surface activity, and the deep current flowing beneath. Distractions are the surface, so we can use a
‘word’, any word we choose for the purpose, to sink back into the river current below, flowing into
the ocean of infinite love that is God within us.
• RULE 3: It is God, not peace or tranquillity we truly seek. We have found God within. Let’s just
stay there (using the ‘word’ if needs be). We let ourselves be moved – heart, affections.
• RULE 4: Conclude the experience with a prayer such as the Our Father. We need to come out of
ourselves, ground ourselves.
25

5.4 Page 44

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
• Pray as you can, not as you can’t.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour
(‘Auguries of Innocence’, William Blake)
• Time only needs a fraction to move into eternity.
• Start where you are, and deepen what you have.
• Be surprised by joy!
• Choose a quiet place. Vibrations take their toll (a room full of loud music carries its charge long
after).
There’ve been times when I’ve turned from his presence,
And I’ve walked other paths, other ways,
But I’ve called on his name, in the dark of my shame
And his mercy was gentle as silence.
• Let Prayer, the Spirit of Prayer, pray within us.
• ‘Lord, you have examined me and you know me.’ (Psalm 139:1)
• Think of the bee extracting nectar from a flower, or the work of preparing a meal. Attention to
detail. Rest in this moment, not in the past or the future.
26

5.5 Page 45

▲torna in alto
Orange
Prayer of mission, intercession
27

5.6 Page 46

▲torna in alto
Orange: zeal for the mission, enthusiasm…
The spirit that reigns is one of zeal and enthusiasm for the Salesian mission and is based on
motivations of faith and love for Christ rather than on external factors. The moments of prayer
and community reflection lead one to consider the world with a discerning mind, see it with the
eyes of God, and commit oneself to its transformation.
— Ratio, no. 461
Theologically, orange feels less like yellow’s gratitude and more like a calling – the prayer that says,
‘Here I am; send me.’ That gives it a distinct place in a sequence of prayer-colours. We can let orange
be the colour of mission. But it is also a prayer of intercession, especially for the young.
ORANGE
Orange is amber, Ezekiel’s flame,
Refining fire of prophetic fame.
There’s the citrus tones of a sunny goodbye –
The tangerine sunset stunning the sky.
Orange is prayer that awakens the ear,
To hear the Voice calling distinctly and clear.
Like Samuel answering, eager and young,
We offer our hearts and loosen our tongue.
Orange is prayer when the heart is aflame,
Called into service, yet freed from self-fame.
Orange is zeal that refuses to tire,
Fed by the breath of the Spirit’s own fire.
An orange is orange; there’s the taste of a mango.
Orange is music of Argentine tango.
Most carrots, some parrots, late autumn leaves,
Soft wet pine needles in the eaves
Are orange. But then there is rust,
And the fierce north wind smell of thick orange dust.
The saffron-clad monks outside Buddhist pagodas
Remind us at once of exotic spice odours.
Yet the English word ‘orange’ has no rhyming mate,
So the only way out is to change the debate –
By thinking ‘I eat’, which in French is ‘je mange’
And there is our rhyme: ‘Je mange une orange’!
28

5.7 Page 47

▲torna in alto
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
We become attentive to what God is doing in the lives of the young and in our own lives, and
we respond with wonder, praise, thanks, petition and intercession (C 95). Going beyond the
externals, we touch the inner resources from which we live, accessing the level of our convictions,
attitudes and motivations. In the openness of personal sharing, motivations, conflicts, illusions and
disappointments and knowledge of one’s needs come to light. An effort is made to process our
reactions, understand what God is telling us and renew our response (C 119; GC29 39h).
— Ratio, no. 67
Somewhere in the world at this very moment, individuals and entire communities are at prayer.
Just as our beautiful world is wrapped in a protective atmosphere, and despite our damage to
it, this atmosphere tries to heal itself, so, too, is the world wrapped in a protective healing layer of
prayer. Some of this prayer may be of the ‘little faith’ kind (Lord, give me X, I want it now!), but
that’s okay too. A father will listen to his child’s poor words and will try to meet the real needs. Many
prayers, however, are ones of adoration, praise, confession, thanksgiving and intercession, especially
intercession for less selfish needs.
Just as someone, somewhere, is praying for us at this moment, we too can INTERCEDE (pray for,
or ask Jesus to beg his Father, ask Jesus’ Mother to ask Jesus to beg his Father!…) on behalf of others.
Consider the following three elements of intercession:
1. The world with its needs is dependent on and waiting to be helped by intercession (whether
knowingly or not).
2. God is an all-sufficient supplier for those needs. The prayer Jesus taught us acknowledges that.
3. The Church, body of Christ with its divine calling and promise, is waiting to be stirred to a sense
of its responsibility and power – by its members.
God seeks intercessors, works through them, honours them, waits for them. Can we accept this
invitation?
Glory be to the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as we humbly pray: Lord, be with your
people.
29

5.8 Page 48

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
The Holy Spirit who raised up Don Bosco continues to work in our hearts, assisting us not only to
imitate Jesus but to be gradually transfigured into his likeness (C 1; 2 Cor 3:18). On our part we
give thanks and respond with daily fidelity to this work of the Spirit. We are also attentive to the
ways in which the Spirit works in the hearts of the young and we pray for and cultivate the gifts
of the Spirit that our work might bear lasting fruit (C 99).
— Ratio, no. 105
• In terms of the universe, the survival of any species, the statistics are overwhelming: you should not
be born or you are dead. But here you are, alive! What a gift to be thankful for.
• Pray as a caretaker, not a proprietor:
‣ Quieten yourself with your prayer ‘word’.
‣ Bring to mind anything you can offer God and ask, ‘Where did it come from? Is it mine to keep?
What would separate me from it?
‣ Release the idea of ‘mine’. One less piece of baggage to carry on the journey.
• ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’: a brave prayer indeed!
• The Easter Vigil begins in darkness. But then a fire is enkindled, a candle lit. Set fire to my heart,
O Lord.
• ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ Romans 10:15.
• We pray for our young people, but do we also pray for our missionaries?
Lord Jesus Christ, watch over your missionaries, especially those in the Salesian Famiy – priests,
consecrated men and women, and lay people – who leave everything to give testimony to your word
and your love. In difficult moments, sustain their energies, comfort their hearts, and crown their work
with spiritual achievements. Let the adorable image of you crucified on the Cross, which accompanies
them throughout life, speak to them of heroism, generosity, love and peace. Amen
30

5.9 Page 49

▲torna in alto
Turquoise
Jesus, Lord, bringing it all together
31

5.10 Page 50

▲torna in alto
Turquoise:
The different dimensions of formation, in turn, are all aimed at transforming the heart of the
Salesian into the image of the heart of Christ. The entire process of formation aims at helping
Salesians ‘to enter into communion with the charity of Christ the good shepherd’ (PDV 57; Gift
89). But human authenticity is never some pure and secure possession. It is a constant withdrawal
from inauthenticity to the wholeness and harmony to which we are called, and every successful
withdrawal only brings to light the need for further withdrawals. So, in the dynamic of grace and
freedom, we experience the slow redemption of our whole being, as all the dimensions of our growth
come together and we become a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17–19), not only as individuals but
also as members of one Body and ‘members of one another’ (Eph 4:25).
— Ratio, no. 139
Turquoise sits between blue and green, sea and sky, depth and growth. It can gather the qualities of the
other colours without becoming merely a summary. For prayer, it suggests wholeness, reconciliation,
harmony, and the weaving together of life’s disparate strands.
TURQUOISE
Turquoise is kingfisher, dragonfly wing,
Clear mountain tarns in the thaw of the spring.
It’s glacier melt under midsummer sky,
And distant horizons where sea breezes sigh.
Turquoise is peacock and beetle-shell sheen,
The marriage of oceanic blue and leafy green.
It’s the flash of a gem in a silversmith’s tray,
And the colour of shallows on a tropical bay.
Turquoise is coral reefs teeming with life,
A meeting of currents, not conflict and strife.
It mingles and balances, blends and unites,
Finding one pattern in disparate sights.
Yet turquoise may fade when exposed to the sun,
Its brilliance diminished, its lustre undone.
And tropical waters conceal rocks below,
While fair winds may shift where uncertain tides flow.
Turquoise is prayer when the fragments belong,
When discord is woven again into song.
It gathers the colours we’ve scattered apart,
And fashions a whole from the pieces of heart.
Turquoise is prayer of the sea and the sky,
Where questions and answers together may lie.
It welcomes each colour, each shadow, each hue,
And finds them completed in one larger view.
32

6 Pages 51-60

▲torna in alto

6.1 Page 51

▲torna in alto
A TURQUOISE EXAMEN
Just as interiority is nourished by moments of silence, reflection, personal prayer and meditation
on the Word of God, so the discerning attitude is fostered by personal and community spiritual
accompaniment, and likewise the contemplative attitude is fostered by the daily examination of
consciousness that focuses first of all on the grace that precedes and envelops us. We slowly thus
become contemplatives in action.
— Ratio, no. 116
Let’s use the colour turquoise and its various images of reconciliation and integration as a way to
conduct an examination of conscience/consciousness, by asking reflecting for a moment on some
integrating aspects of our lives, and asking ourselves some questions:
1. Presence: God, where were you with me today – especially in the in-between moments I almost
missed?
2. Gratitude: What is one clear moment of life, colour, or connection I can thank you for right now?
3. Integration: Where did I feel divided or pulled apart today – and what would it look like to see
those parts as belonging to one whole story?
4. Release: What am I still carrying that I don’t need to hold overnight? I place it back into your care.
5. Wholeness: Where did I glimpse wholeness, even briefly? What contradictions in me might be part
of a larger harmony?
God, hold all my colours together – make my life turquoise: integrated, alive, and held in you.
33

6.2 Page 52

▲torna in alto
SOME PRAYER PROMPTS
Reflecting on my life in faith, I realize that my life is not a series of coincidences but that it is linked
to God’s providence. God wants to manifest himself in my life so that it becomes part of the history
of salvation. The gateway of the mystery is Christ: freely I am called to accept Christ and build
my life on him who is already its foundation. I realize that, with my free and ongoing response, it
is the Spirit who conforms my life to Christ. Thus it is that God gradually becomes the ordering
centre of my life. In my journey of healing and of growth, all the aspects of my life find integration
in Christ.
— Ratio, no. 874
Turquoise as calm waters
God, let Your peace move through me like turquoise waters – steady, clear, and deep.
Wash over my restless thoughts and still what’s been stirred up inside me.
Teach me to rest in you the way waters holds the sky without strain.
Turquoise as healing and wholeness
Heal what is frayed in me, even the parts I can’t name yet.
Bring wholeness where I’ve been split between fear and hope.
Restore me gently, layer by layer, without rushing what needs time.
Turquoise as truth and expression
Give me courage to speak with clarity and kindness.
Let my words reflect truth without sharpness, honesty without harm.
Free what I’ve been holding back so it can be expressed with grace.
Turquoise as presence and balance
Centre me in your presence like the horizon where sky meets sea.
Hold me in balance when I swing between overwhelm and numbness.
Teach me to breathe in rhythm with your steadiness.
34

6.3 Page 53

▲torna in alto
Conclusion
Prayer is a whisper, a sigh or a shout,
A journey within and a venturing out.
Prayer is a question that won’t go away,
The night-watcher’s vigil awaiting the day.
Prayer is the hush before birdsong takes wing,
The pause in the heart before we can sing.
It rides on the incense that drifts through the air,
Yet finds the lone traveller and settles there.
Prayer is a candle that flickers and bends,
A silence that deepens, a listening that mends.
It’s woven through tears and the laughter of friends,
Through roads that seem broken and roads without ends.
Prayer is as common as bread on a plate,
As sudden as love or the knock at a gate.
It lingers in hospitals, prisons and schools,
Among saints and sinners and self-proclaimed fools.
Prayer may be joyful, prayer may be numb,
We pray with the tongue, or we pray struck dumb.
Sometimes we are searching, sometimes we are found,
Sometimes we hear music, sometimes no sound.
Prayer is the bee at its labour all day,
Gathering nectar to carry away.
Prayer is the seed in the dark of the loam,
Reaching for light while still hidden from home.
Prayer is the tide that returns to the shore,
The opening hand that need clutch no more.
Prayer is the Spirit’s mysterious art,
The Triune God in the depths of the heart.
So when shadows lengthen and daylight grows thin,
May prayer be the doorway through which we step in;
And when morning awakens the sky overhead,
May prayer be the path upon which we are led.
35

6.4 Page 54

▲torna in alto
Jesus in Context
Christ in the Warp and Weft of Formation

6.5 Page 55

▲torna in alto
Introduction
Do you remember the context for the following brief exchange?
“Well, what do you think? Will you take me to Turin to study?”
“I think there is good material in you.”
“Good material for what?”
“To make a beautiful garment for Our Blessed Lord.”
“Wonderful! I am the cloth and you are the tailor. You will work on me to make something
beautiful for the Lord.”
— Life of the Young Dominic Savio
‘Do you remember the context…?’ Yes, Don Bosco’s first encounter with Dominic Savio at the Becchi.
The latter had just come with his father from Mondonio. It is a formation narrative. And Don Bosco
already knew that Dominic’s mother was a seamstress, so he immediately drew on an image that the
youngster would find familiar, and, of course, received the response that has become part of Salesian
lore: I am the cloth and you are the tailor…
The renewed Salesian Ratio can readily borrow this image of tailor and cloth, but perhaps it invites
us to take the metaphor one step further. Don Bosco’s task with Dominic was that of a master tailor:
discerning good material and fashioning it into a beautiful garment for the Lord. The Ratio, however,
is not the work of a single tailor. This document, perhaps more than any other document in the history
of the Congregation, is the fruit of countless conversations, reflections, experiences and contributions
gathered from Salesians young and old, members of the Salesian Family, lay collaborators, consecrated
persons, and many friends of Don Bosco. If the image of the tailor helps us understand personal
accompaniment, the image of the tapestry helps us understand the communal wisdom embodied in
this document. The many threads have been woven together into a single design. Indeed, the word
contextus, from which we get the word ‘context’, comes from contexere — “to weave together” —
making the tapestry not merely an illustration but a fitting symbol of the Ratio itself.
Tapestries tell a story. Perhaps the most famous and best-known such tapestry is the Bayeux
Tapestry. A little over 50 centimetres high and nearly 70 metres long, the tapestry was created in the
11th century and depicts the story of William the Conqueror’s conquest of England in 1066 during the
Battle of Hastings. The tapestry is presumed to have been commissioned by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux,
William the Conqueror’s half-brother.
And then there are the magnificent 500-year-old Acts of the Apostles Tapestries. Their creation
began in 1515 when Leo X commissioned Raphael to create a series of paintings (known as cartoons)
that would serve as models for the tapestries. As the first step in a tapestry’s production, a painted
cartoon would be placed behind the warp and visible between threads. Remarkably, the Acts of the
Apostles’ cartoons still exist today, unheard of for other surviving tapestry sets. Leo X’s tapestries were
woven between 1516 and 1521 in Brussels. The tapestries were designed for the Sistine Chapel’s lower
walls. They are a perfect example of religious imagery in a tapestry set.
Imagining our Ratio as a tapestry places it in a rich ‘context’ indeed! It can tell a story. It can help
us move through the document without being constrained by its formal structure. Like any tapestry,
1

6.6 Page 56

▲torna in alto
there are two sides: the front, which presents a visual image, while the reverse is full of knots and
crossings, threads that disappear and reappear again. So while the front shows us an image, the back
reveals the tapestry’s construction, its strength.
We can take hold of a single thread and trace where it appears and disappears, and in a tapestry,
no thread is isolated.
Let us take one thread, then. We can call it the ‘Jesus’ thread. We might also say that while the
front reveals the image of the Jesus ‘we are called to be living memorials of’, the reverse reveals us,
who we are, with all our knots and crossings, the Jesus thread appearing and disappearing at times. By
switching back and forth between the front and reverse, we can ask ourselves more than one question:
of the front we can ask ‘What colours are woven together whenever Jesus appears?’, while of the reverse
we can ask ‘Where does the Jesus thread disappear from view for me, and what other threads dominate
those moments?’, or ‘Where is the thread still present but pulled so tightly that it distorts the pattern?’,
or even, ‘Where is there entanglement rather than harmony, and how does that entanglement affect
the appearance of the Jesus thread?’ Over to you, the reader, for further questions this image might
suggest to you.
2

6.7 Page 57

▲torna in alto
Colours galore!
A tapestry without colours would be boring! Our lives without colour would be ‘monotonous’ (=
monotone)! Jesus was a ‘colourful’ figure, and representing him would need a broad palette. We have
to make choices.
It would not be widely known, but the initial drafts of the revised Salesian Ratio were colour-
coded. There was no profound significance to these colours, just a useful way to organise the material,
establish heading levels; just as there is no deep significance to the colours we will choose. They are
just ways of thinking about our subject, and are not an attempt to ‘type’ Jesus, or ourselves for that
matter. Since Jesus represents the fullness of humanity, as well as the divine, our chosen colours should
attempt to cover that fullness to the extent possible.
Here is our selection of threads:
1. Beige: From buttery creams to sandy browns, beige is a basic, body colour (or think
camel, desert sand, tan, buff, parchment…). We will let it represent the very physical side of the person
who was Jesus, from foetus to limp, pierced form on the cross.
Beige expresses the full physical reality of Jesus: conceived, born, living, suffering, and dying in
human flesh. It holds together growth and vulnerability, from foetus to crucified body.
Key themes: incarnation, corporeality, vulnerability, human condition, hidden life
2. Purple: Often associated with majesty and mystery, purple is naturally found in many
flowers and has become nearly synonymous with various royal families. Jesus was arrayed in purple at
his trial. So think of mysterious power, spirit…
Purple evokes majesty revealed through paradox: the mocked kingship of Christ, the mystery of
divine authority made visible in suffering and trial.
Key themes: kingship, trial, paradox, hidden glory, mystery of revelation
3. Red: Red shades are often associated with love, passion, and strong emotions. The
passionate side of Jesus.
Red signifies the intensity of Christ’s love, desire, suffering, and self-gift. It expresses the emotional
and sacrificial depth of divine-human love.
Key themes: passion, love, sacrifice, suffering, affectivity
4. Blue: As timeless as the sky and sea, blue has a rich and storied past. From the ancient
Egyptians who treasured it for its heavenly representation, to its role in Renaissance art as a symbol
of divinity. The divine side of Jesus.
Blue symbolises the eternal and divine identity of Christ, echoing sky, sea, and iconographic
tradition. It expresses who Christ is in his divine nature.
Key themes: divinity, transcendence, eternity, contemplation, Marian resonance
3

6.8 Page 58

▲torna in alto
5. Orange: Orange is often about warmth, success, bounty, abundance: Jesus’ ‘I came that
they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ We will include missionary fecundity.
Orange expresses vitality, fruitfulness, and outward-flowing life. It reflects Christ’s mission and
the abundance he offers to humanity.
Key themes: mission, abundance, fruitfulness, vitality, evangelising dynamism
6. Green: Green suggests healing, balance, renewal. Green pastures and still waters. But
think too of Jesus’ relationships here on earth, his humane side, his respect, his accompaniment of
his disciples…
Green symbolises growth, healing, accompaniment, and relational maturity. It reflects Jesus’
human relationships and pastoral presence.
Key themes: growth, healing, accompaniment, discipleship, pastoral care
7. Yellow:Yellow often symbolises joy, clarity, energy. But we will let it represent Jesus as
paschal light / transfigured unity, the risen and glorified Christ. Christ as light after passage through
death.
Yellow expresses the light of the Risen Christ and the unifying clarity of the Paschal Mystery. It
integrates the full spectrum of Christological meaning into a single radiant coherence.
Key themes: resurrection, integration, light, unity, transfiguration
8. Turquoise: Turquoise holds profound spiritual significance across a number of cultures.
We will let it represent communion, the Church and the Congregation, and all that we hold most dear
about the person of Jesus and his importance for our spiritual life.
Turquoise represents communion in the Spirit: the Church, the Salesian Congregation, and the
lived unity of all who share in Christ’s mission.
Key themes: communion, Church, community, shared charism, spiritual unity.
Another way of interpreting our colours
Think of them as follows:
Incarnation axis (beige → red): bodily Jesus, affective/emotional Jesus, suffering Jesus.
Transcendence axis (blue → purple → yellow): divinity, mystery, glory.
Relational/ethical axis (green, orange): life, growth, abundance, human flourishing.
Ecclesial/communional synthesis (turquoise): integration beyond the individual Jesus.
Right now our colour range is thematic. We could make it also formationally dynamic. And
indeed, rather than thinking of formation as some kind of linear process (phases, stages…) we can mix
these colours around, maybe even think of them as a spiral and blended process (which formation
really is).
4

6.9 Page 59

▲torna in alto
Beige → embodied identity (who I am)
Green → relational growth (how I live)
Red → affective depth (how I love/suffer)
Orange → outward mission (what flows from me)
Blue/Purple → contemplation of Christ (who he is in mystery)
Yellow → paschal integration (what unifies everything)
Turquoise → ecclesial communion (where all is held together)
5

6.10 Page 60

▲torna in alto
Choices, and more choices
Our choice of threads, while not entirely random, is at best subjective. Anyone else might have chosen
different colours or given them different meanings. The graphic artists who provided the layout for
the print edition of the new Ratio, for example, worked with more or less similar colours but used
them for organisational purposes.
Likewise subjective will be the reflections that follow and their alignment with a particular colour.
Which is where you, the reader, come in. So here is a brief test for you. The first reflection, entitled
‘Bachelor’, looks at a very human choice Jesus made, and a very human choice the Salesian SDB also
makes. So what colour would it come under for you?
First of all, read the following reflection.
Bachelor
Jesus’ choice to remain unmarried (LG 42; PC 14) is a sign of the life of the resurrection, where
there will be neither marrying nor giving in marriage (Mt 22:30). Jesus is the Pure of Heart (Mt
5:8) who constantly beholds the Face of the Father (Mt 18:10). In his presence everyone feels safe.
— Ratio no. 113
Most rabbis and Jewish leaders were expected to be married, to demonstrate obedience to Genesis
1:28 to ‘be fruitful and multiply’. As an observant Jew, Jesus would have faced strong cultural pressure
to follow this norm. However, the Gospels portray Jesus as single throughout his ministry. None
of the four Gospel accounts mention Jesus being married or refer to a wife. In other words he was
a bachelor, at a time when bachelorhood was uncommon for a young man. In addition to that he
actually affirmed this state as an option: When the disciples said it would be better not to marry, Jesus
agreed in Matthew 19:12, saying ‘there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.’
And that is our choice. The Salesian SDB is a bachelor! But an eye to the history of this word
in English might be helpful. The term ‘bachelor’ which comes from the old French word ‘bacheler’
and entered the English language as far back as 1297 [Oxford English Dictionary], originally held the
meaning of a young man or a knight in training, often someone who had not yet attained the full status
of a knight. That might be a useful insight for the young Salesian, who is indeed a ‘knight in training’.
However, the meaning of the word has evolved over time, as happens to words generally, and today
the ‘bachelor’ is perceived to be a free and independent being, and while freedom and independence
are good things, we can also recognise modern individualistic trends underlying this shift in meaning.
Once we begin to add certain adjectives to the term, there are warnings, too, for the older Salesian,
not to become a ‘crusty old bachelor’, or not even ‘a confirmed bachelor’ set in his ways, resistant to
expectations of companionship.
We need to turn to Jesus to appreciate his approach to bachelorhood. First, though unmarried
himself, he spoke positively of marriage, marriage feasts (Cana in particular), children… And he had
no favourites, despite ‘the beloved disciple’. Jesus was and is there for all. We are all his favourites. The
beloved disciple is never actually named, and that may be deliberate, so we can fully accept that ‘those
who seek him with all their heart’ [Lectio, Chap 7] are his favourites. Jesus was a loving friend, and
many of his friends are named in the Gospels, including women. He also made a point, in his final
6

7 Pages 61-70

▲torna in alto

7.1 Page 61

▲torna in alto
discourse to his disciples, of telling them that they were not servants but friends. Friends, friendship,
so essential to everything Salesian. See no. 185 on Don Bosco’s praxis of accompaniment.
Which colour?
What do you think?
Beige represents the human, embodied, earthy reality of Jesus – his humanity, his Jewishness, his
life in a particular culture. The opening paragraph certainly belongs there:
• Jesus as an observant Jew.
• The cultural expectation of marriage.
• His unusual bachelorhood.
• The historical and social context of first-century Judaism.
That is all very much the ‘sand, clay, flesh-and-blood’ Jesus.
But the reflection does not stop there. It moves from a historical fact about Jesus to a formative
challenge for the Salesian:
And that is our choice. The Salesian SDB is a bachelor!
Then it explores the meaning of bachelorhood as:
• a deliberate vocation,
• a form of training,
• a path of growth,
• a warning against stagnation,
• an invitation to remain open, companionable, and available.
That feels less like Beige and more like Orange — the colour of apprenticeship, development,
formation, quest, and transformation. Our etymological insight about the bachelor as a ‘knight in
training’ is especially Orange. It evokes the young Salesian as someone on a journey, not yet finished,
still becoming. And Orange, like any other colour, could also be thought to have its shadow side, in
this case the warning not to become a crusty, confirmed old bachelor.
There is also a small hint of Green lurking there. The danger of becoming a ‘confirmed bachelor’ is
really the danger of losing relationality, companionship, community, and affective maturity. If Green
in our system carries themes of communion, fraternity, accompaniment, and relationships, then the
warning is ultimately a Green warning.
As you can see, tug on one thread and you inevitably tug on many others!
7

7.2 Page 62

▲torna in alto
Beige
The Human Jesus
8

7.3 Page 63

▲torna in alto
Following the Beige Thread
Salesian identity, which characterizes our formation, defining ‘its tasks and fundamental
requirements’, ‘is the basis of unity and belonging to the Congregation, the fundamental criterion
of discernment, the constant point of reference and the goal towards which everything tends.’ This
identity is achieved by identifying in a Salesian way with Christ Jesus, namely, ‘spending ourselves
for the young as Don Bosco did.’
— Lectio, Chapter 2
Questions of identity are at the heart of the ‘Beige’ reflections. Who was Jesus? Who am I?
Foetus
…‘until Christ is formed in you.’ It is Christ who aspires to be allowed to make himself present in
the person being formed, any Salesian, whether temporarily or perpetually professed.
— Meditatio, Chapter 2
The Incarnation did not begin with the birth accounts relayed in the Gospels; it began at the moment
the divine Son was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ first moments on this earth
were not in the manger, but in Mary. Jesus’ body, his muscles and bones, formed in the cavity of
her body.
Our devotion to the human person of Jesus seems to avoid this reality, perhaps regarding ‘foetus’
as an undignified term for Jesus, other than to borrow Elizabeth’s words, describing him as ‘the fruit
of thy womb’. But if we lose the essential truths bound up in the Incarnation, then we lose the gospel.
The Apostles Creed states that Jesus was ‘conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary’. The
Apostle Paul is happy to identify himself as a mother suffering the pains of childbirth ‘until Christ
is formed in you’. We can consider that much of this forming takes place in the womb, before actual
childbirth.
Our Salesian formation, too, begins somewhat earlier than we might imagine, since it is the Spirit
who ‘conceives’ the idea of a vocation within us, though we do not usually use that kind of language
about it. The word ‘vocation’ refers to a call. But the Church’s Magisterium does not limit itself just
to call: ‘The Holy Spirit…writes into the heart and life of every baptized person a project of love and
grace, which is the only way to give full meaning to existence’ (St John Paul II).
The Ratio takes it back to the Trinity itself: Our life is rooted and founded in the Blessed Trinity.
In this is love, that God has first loved us (1 Jn 4:10). From this prevenient love flow all the vocations in
the Church, including our own Salesian consecrated vocation (VC 14) [no. 58]. ‘Rooted’, ‘founded’ are
words that take us back to the very beginnings.
Worth pondering on.
9

7.4 Page 64

▲torna in alto
A young man reaches manhood
As she [Mary] taught Jesus, we ask her to teach us to walk always before the luminous cloud of
the Father’s will.
— Ratio, no. 79
The Bible records twenty as the age of majority, but in rabbinic times it became twelve plus one day
for girls and thirteen plus one day for boys. It was not until at least the 13th century, however, that this
became the synagogue ceremony known as the Bar Mitzvah (for boys; Bat Mitzvah for girls). Once
Jewish children reach that age, they are said to ‘become’ b’nai mitzvah, at which point they begin to
be held accountable for their own actions.
What do we make of the event, then, that the Jerusalem Bible sandwiches between two headings
describing ‘The hidden life of Jesus at Nazareth’ and ‘The hidden life at Nazareth resumed’? The
intervening heading reads: ‘Jesus among the teachers of the Law’. Luke quite deliberately tells us
Jesus was twelve years old at this point, so we can begin to appreciate what is the likely context here…
preparation for Jewish manhood, accepting accountability for one’s actions, reading and discussing
the Torah in public, which is clearly what the now about-to-be ‘young man’ Jesus explicitly does.
In the ‘hidden life at Nazareth’ scenes, Jesus ‘grew, became strong, filled with wisdom’, and when
he resumed this life with his parents back in Nazareth he ‘lived under their authority’. The Ratio sums
all this up briefly in a reference to Mary, who ‘taught Jesus’.
But that intervening scene at the Temple in Jerusalem? A young man asserting his independence!
First of all remaining behind without telling his parents. Then a realisation of what is emerging as his
vocation in life (‘I must be in my Father’s house’). At no point in this brief exchange with mum and
dad do we get the sense that Jesus actually acknowledges the anguish they had been feeling, though he
does submit readily to their authority in the years that follow. Yet Mary, by then, would have become
certain of one thing: he will leave us again, and this time for good. We will have to just let him go.
The Ratio is alert to moments like these, warning of so-called counter-indications: Lack of
openness and a willingness to learn, a habit of non-conformity, a constant attitude of confrontation,
a ‘contradictory spirit’, an excessive tendency to independence; or else, an excessive dependence on the
surroundings, family, group, or on other people’ [no. 755.d]. But it also speaks of the Ability to make
free choices in the light of motives that are genuine and coherent with one’s state of life, and this assumes,
among other things, The ability to take initiatives that are thought out and coherent, making good use
of freedom and accepting responsibility for the choices made [no. 751].
Mary’s (and for that matter, also Joseph’s) teaching role might seem to have been easy, with such
a ‘docile’ recipient who accepted parental authority, but by now there were things ‘they did not
understand’, and Mary felt the need to ‘store up all these things in her heart’. There are lessons for
formators and formees alike in this brief incident.
10

7.5 Page 65

▲torna in alto
Purple
The Mysterious, Majestic Jesus
11

7.6 Page 66

▲torna in alto
Following the Purple Thread
…‘our highest knowledge… is to know Jesus Christ, and our greatest delight is to reveal to all people
the unfathomable riches of his mystery’ (C 34).
— Ratio, no. 42
The contemplation of who Jesus is, and what that means for us, is at the heart of our ‘purple’
reflections.
God’s story and our story
The mission is given by God. The initiative is always God’s and comes to us through Jesus, epiphany
and revelation of the mystery of the triune God. Jesus’ mission is to reveal the Father (Jn 1:18) and
to gather into one the scattered children of God (Jn 11:52).
— Ratio no. 23
‘Jesus, epiphany and revelation of the mystery of the triune God’. If God had an autobiography, then
it is Jesus thus described. Fortunately for us, the Ratio then brings this statement of mystery and
majesty down to earth a little by then explaining Jesus’ mission: to ‘reveal’ the Father and to ‘gather’
the scattered children of God into one.
It is John’s Gospel that is being quoted here. Let’s look at a passage from that Gospel that
is not directly quoted in the Ratio but referred to indirectly, when it lists, among the many titles
suggested for further reading, the Letter the then Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime wrote
to Salesians in 2018: ‘‘Lord, give me this water’ (John 4:15). Let us cultivate the art of listening and
of accompaniment’[AGC 426]. This is about Jesus’ longest conversation by far (there is a longer
monologue) in the Gospels, with a woman at a well in Sychar, Samaria.
We have heard it many times but we need to go back, be present, appreciate the shock power
of this conversation, listen, look at how Jesus engaged with the woman, gradually overcoming any
apprehensions, being honest and direct, encouraging trust and then revealing who he was. This
conversation can still serve as a template for personal evangelisation by communicating. An excellent
case of Jesus revealing the Father and gathering his scattered children (including women, Gentiles)
into one.
There is a request, shock at the request, an initial communication, the woman now alert, then a
promise (the woman likes this promise), then a challenge (the woman is disconcerted by this), then
the revelation: worship, the ‘Hour’, the spirit and truth, the Messiah, and then ‘I am he, the one who
is speaking to you.’ God’s powerful autobiographical moment, but one that the disciples (who were
also shocked, if not indeed scandalised) needed an explanation of: ‘My food is to do the will of him
who sent me and to complete his work.’
The conversation at the well is not simply an episode of evangelisation. It is also a moment of
revelation. Jesus gradually discloses who he is, and in doing so reveals the Father who sent him. One
might even call it a moment in God’s autobiography: God telling his own story in human words and
gestures. Yet the story does not end with Jesus. The Samaritan woman herself becomes part of that
12

7.7 Page 67

▲torna in alto
story. Having encountered Christ, she leaves her water jar behind and becomes a witness to her own
people. God’s autobiography now includes her story as well.
This may help explain why the Ratio places such value on autobiography. To write one’s life story
in faith is not merely an exercise in self-analysis or recollection. It is an attempt to recognise how one’s
own story has become intertwined with God’s story. The Samaritan woman could have written her
autobiography beginning with a chance encounter at a well; faith would have taught her to see it
instead as a moment of grace within the history of salvation. The Ratio invites us to make the same
discovery in our own lives:
Writing one’s autobiography is almost essential if one wants to draw up a serious personal plan of
life, making the effort to pass from the anecdotal to a grasp of the meaning of one’s life, identifying
the most relevant and significant points in three areas: ‘this is how I am’ (a new knowledge and
acceptance of oneself); ‘this is what I am made for’ (a new awareness of one’s vocation and mission);
‘these are my relationships’ (a new awareness of my relationship with myself, with others, with
God). Reflecting on my life in faith, I realize that my life is not a series of coincidences but that it
is linked to God’s providence. God wants to manifest himself in my life so that it becomes part of
the history of salvation. The gateway of the mystery is Christ: freely I am called to accept Christ
and build my life on him who is already its foundation [no. 874]
There’s an AI for that!
Young people, Salesians included, encounter AI not only as a technological tool but also as a cultural
force, an assistant or a companion that influences how they study, communicate, think and relate
to others. The Salesian Congregation invites ‘conscious involvement by everyone in the advent of
artificial intelligence (AI)’ as something that ‘offers us new possibilities to carry out our ministry,
communicating and fostering authentic human relationships which are close and real, inspired by
the Preventive System.’
— Ratio no. 103
At first glance, the thread of Jesus and the thread of artificial intelligence seem woven from different
looms. Yet Pope Leo’s reflection on the promise and peril of AI reminds us that every new thread in
the human story must ultimately be judged by the image it helps to reveal. For Christians, that image
is disclosed most clearly in Jesus of Nazareth – the human face in whom we glimpse both God’s future
and our own.
Jesus as criterion for AI use also raises critical questions. Does our use of AI encourage genuine
encounter, or does it isolate us from one another? Does it foster responsibility, or tempt us to delegate
judgement and conscience to machines? Does it deepen our attentiveness to the vulnerable, or
render people into data points and statistical categories? Does it nurture wisdom, or merely multiply
information? These questions are not technical but profoundly human.
The Gospels are striking in this regard. Jesus never treats people as problems to be solved or
resources to be managed. He encounters them as persons. He notices the individual in the crowd, the
excluded at the margins, the one whose voice is easily overlooked. An AI-driven world risks valuing
13

7.8 Page 68

▲torna in alto
what is measurable, predictable, and optimisable. Jesus continually draws attention to what is unique,
personal, and irreducible. His example cautions us against allowing technological logic to become the
dominant logic of human life.
For formation, the implications are significant. AI can assist learning, reflection, and
administration. It can even serve as a conversation partner for exploring ideas. But it cannot
accompany a young person as a mentor does. It cannot offer friendship, witness, forgiveness, or
authentic self-gift. These belong to the realm of human relationships. The goal is not to create more
intelligent systems, but more mature disciples.
The renewed Ratio needed to deal with AI and the questions it poses to Salesian formation
today. And while it does not explicitly link its AI approach to the person of Jesus, its underlying
anthropology makes it possible for us to see this connection:
From an anthropological perspective, AI, however sophisticated, is only an imitation of human
intelligence. It lacks interiority and the ability to introspect, it has no conscience and is incapable
of relating to the other, all of which characterize human persons created in the image of God.
It cannot replace accompaniment, interpersonal relationships and dialogue that are essential for
Salesian formation. We could say that ‘the lights are on’, but there is ‘no body at home’!… AI is
to be judged through the lenses of human dignity, freedom, grace and the Salesian mission. In
practice, this means asking whether AI promotes or undermines the values at the heart of the
Preventive System. [no. 103]
14

7.9 Page 69

▲torna in alto
Red
The Passionate Jesus
15

7.10 Page 70

▲torna in alto
Following the Red Thread
By our religious profession we follow Jesus Christ who, ‘chaste and poor, redeemed and sanctified
men through his obedience,’ and we ‘share more closely in his paschal mystery, his self-emptying
and his life in the Spirit’? (C 60).
— Ratio, no. 110
Passion understood as suffering is something active (or better, where we take agency, as Jesus did with
suffering). It can also be passive, where we suffer through loss of agency, inactivity, the negative side of
‘red’ as understood within our scheme of things. But the meaning of ‘passion’ has also shifted today.
If you were to look up the word in a modern dictionary, you would likely find these as the top three
definitions: (1) ‘any kind of feeling or emotion’; (2) ‘passionate, sexual love’; (3) ‘someone who is the
object of such feelings.’ A good dictionary may then have a separate entry explaining the Christian
use of the term. These are the kinds of things we associate with the word passion in our society. Our
reflections explore these aspects.
Blood-red passion
Salesian meditation, rooted in an understanding of prayer as friendship with Christ, encourages
us to focus on the person of Jesus, especially his passion. The fruits are seen in daily life and in
the ministry.
— Ratio, no. 411
If you were asked to provide evidence from the Gospels of Jesus’ spilling of blood, where might you
start? With the scene in Gethsemane maybe? Certainly with the scourging at the pillar (especially if
you have ever watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ), and then the Crucifixion. But let’s not
forget the implicit spilling of blood at the Presentation in the Temple (rite of circumcision). Jesus and
blood are inextricably linked, including his blood-line, which runs like a scarlet thread from Genesis
to Revelation.
Yet, interestingly, the single mention of ‘Jesus’ passion’ in the Ratio, in the blood-spilling sense we
have considered above, is in the quote above from no. 411. In all other respects, the Ratio would seem
to be bloodless! We should not be misled by this thought. The history of the Salesians of Don Bosco
includes the precious blood of many martyrs.
What we might consider, instead, is the far more prolific use of ‘passion’ in its ‘blood-red’
metaphorical sense in the Ratio. We are to become passionate about Jesus [no. 19] and learn to respond
passionately to the love with which we have been loved and to be transfigured into his likeness (2 Cor
3:18) so as to become, like Jesus, the merciful face of the Father to young people [no. 23].
This kind of ‘passion’ implies sacrifice. When we decide to take up our cross and follow Jesus
(Luke 9:23), we have the opportunity to suffer in partnership with him and his mission. To live
passionately, in the truest sense of the word, is to follow the way of our Lord and accept the cost,
whatever it may be. As we consider the joy set before us and follow Jesus obediently, we should expect
16

8 Pages 71-80

▲torna in alto

8.1 Page 71

▲torna in alto
to suffer – not least in the death of worldly habits and the cost of hard choices that come into conflict
with the world’s value systems.
Salesian life and mission require good health and physical resistance, as well as a capacity for sacrifice
and for a demanding life’ [no. 365] and ‘An ability to make sacrifices, even great ones, when one’s own
responsibilities, the needs of others, or educative and pastoral service are at stake, without giving way to
frustration [no. 751], is an important criterion for vocational discernment.
GC29 told us that ‘We need to reach out to, almost touch, the inner fire of the Da mihi animas,
in which prayer and work are united in sharing the pastoral charity of the Risen Lord. This is being
passionate about the Lord!’
‘My God, my God, why?’
Salesian educators and pastors are passionate people who know how to love because we experience
what it means to be loved by God and by others. Our model is God himself and his passionate
love for his people.
— Ratio no. 92
What was Jesus’ experience of God? What kind of a model was his God? This is not some abstract,
theological question, but something real, if Jesus was fully human, and that is fundamental to our
Christian faith. Jesus of Nazareth is, like us, truly a member of the human race, ‘one who in every
respect has been tested as we are’ (Hebrews 4:15). That means, like you and me, except, in his case,
‘without sin’. It means the whole gamut of human experience, from the uplifting and transcendent
joy of feeling I am the most important person in the world so deeply am I loved, to the profound and
abysmal inner ‘scream’ of abandonment when God seems no longer to exist for me: ‘My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?’
Jesus did feel and know he was loved, and had a word for it, ‘Abba’, ‘dear Father’. He also knew
his Psalms, something he called on in his moment of forsakenness, but we can assume he also knew
the Psalms that speak of God in nature. When Jesus gazed at the fields, the woods, and the lake, he
would have been at home with Israel’s creed and with the psalmist’s prayer: ‘I am filled with awe at
your presence’ (Psalm 5:7).
We know of Jesus’ God through what he taught and did. God, for him, was a farmer who never
gives up, keeps on sowing (Matthew 13:3-32); a shepherd who goes looking for and brings home the
stray (Luke 15:3-7); a woman with enough yeast and the desire to use it, to feed far more than her
hungry family (Matthew 13:13); someone who wants us to live life to the full (John 10:10).
And Jesus’ God was present on Calvary, not willing the innocent Jesus to be killed, but lovingly
sustaining Jesus and loving people though him. God as revealed by Jesus is present wherever there
is love.
The Ratio takes this for granted but the Salesian in formation… meaning every Salesian from first
profession to his final breath (a span of life otherwise known as ongoing formation) cannot take it for
granted. Coming to ‘know’ God is a journey that never ends, and requires us to be open to everything,
open in love. And there will be those moments of sheer anguish, for God’s love does not protect us
from all suffering. But it will protect us in all suffering.
We take to heart what the Ratio says at one point: The experience of God that we live in the Salesian
Congregation through our consecration is a principle of identity and a formative criterion [no. 25].
17

8.2 Page 72

▲torna in alto
Blue
The Divine Jesus
18

8.3 Page 73

▲torna in alto
Following the Blue Thread
The service we offer to young people is education and evangelization ‘according to a plan for total
human wellbeing directed to Christ, the perfect Man’ (C 31).
— Ratio, no. 132
Jesus of Nazareth lived the divine paradigm from the inside, showing us what it is to be fully human.
The perfect Man. Yet, he revealed a God who is spacious enough to hold our failures, our fears and
our unfinished selves. Don Bosco’s vocation matured in the bosom of his far from perfect family, the
Ratio tells us [no. 29]. Our ideal, in following Christ, is perfection, a divine ideal sought after by the
imperfect beings that we are. How to keep all this in balance lies at the heart of our ‘blue’ reflections.
Blue is the colour of horizon and depth.
Being (imperfectly) perfect
‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that
you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ (Rom 12:2)
— Ratio, Chapter 11
What is divine perfection? Is it a matter of precision, never making mistakes, Father, Son and Spirit
in lockstep all marching in the same direction? We can only know what it is from Jesus, who reveals
the Father and the Spirit to us. And the God revealed by Jesus of Nazareth is nothing like that. The
ancient Hebrew names, Hesed and Emet (steadfast love and faithfulness) became Jesus’ own divine
command to his disciples: ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have
loved you, you also should love one another’ (John 13:34-35). This takes us well beyond any thoughts
about perfection as rigidity and control.
And yet, to many in today’s world, loving like this does look like imperfection, because it is open,
unregulated, unpredictable and imprecise.
The Lectio for Chapter 11 looks closely at St Paul’s words on discernment – of ‘what is good, and
acceptable and perfect’, but it should also be seen in close connection with the Scripture quote that
opens Chapter 3, ‘Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 2:5), or
rather, with the continuation of that quote, which would have added, ‘who, though he was in the form
of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself…’ There
is the key, kenosis (κένωσις), which conveys the way God loves, each Person of the Trinity uninhibited
in self-giving and trusting that the other Person does the same.
And that is the way the Ratio frames the effort of each Salesian to be perfect, even in his imperfect
ways: Going beyond externals, we touch the inner resources from which we live, accessing the level of our
convictions, attitudes and motivations. We become aware of our faith or lack of it, the many voices that
play in the depths of our being, the quality of our relationships and our responses, our lights and our
shadows. We are thus helped to discern the love with which we have been loved, the voice of the Spirit
inviting us to grow in our vocation of self-giving for the benefit of the young [no. 890].
19

8.4 Page 74

▲torna in alto
Dwelling in mystery
We learn to attend to our experiences – to dwell before the mystery of life, the beauty of nature,
the mystery of the other, whether it is a young person or a confrere or one who shares the mission
with us. We need the ‘pastoral look’ and ‘serene attentiveness’ (EG 51; LS 225–226)
— Ratio, no. 78
We learn to attend to our experiences – to dwell before the mystery of life, the beauty of nature,
and the mystery of the other. This is not a technique but a way of being in the world, one that we
see perfectly realised in Jesus of Nazareth. The Gospels reveal a man who moved through life with a
remarkable capacity for attentive presence. He noticed what others overlooked: birds in the sky, lilies
in the field, a widow placing two small coins in the treasury, children pushed to the margins, a blind
beggar calling from the roadside, a woman silently touching the hem of his cloak. Nothing was too
small, too ordinary, or too insignificant for his gaze. His attention was neither hurried nor distracted;
it was marked by wonder, compassion, and openness to the Father’s action in every circumstance.
Jesus lived with a contemplative gaze. He read the book of nature, drawing wisdom from seeds,
vineyards, weather, shepherds, and harvests. He stood before the mystery of others without reducing
them to labels or roles. Fishermen became apostles, a Samaritan woman became a witness, a tax
collector became a disciple. Where others saw categories, Jesus saw persons. His attentiveness allowed
him to discern grace already at work in the lives of those he encountered. His eyes were always fixed
on a horizon larger than immediate demands, yet he was wholly present to the person before him.
He lived beneath open skies, attentive to the Father’s presence. In him, wonder became wisdom, and
contemplation became mission. Attentive seeing is not an escape from mission but one of its deepest
sources.
The Ratio reminds us that this is part of the process of discernment ‘enlightened by the person of
Christ and by his gospel, lived according to Don Bosco’s spirit’ (C 98), that attending to our experiences,
we learn from them – even when they are negative [no. 78]. It also applies this attentiveness to prayer,
since through personal, group and community accompaniment, the confreres are helped to attend to
their experience of prayer in its personal and communitarian, liturgical and sacramental dimensions,
so as to ‘learn by experience’ the meaning of Salesian prayer [no. 161].
Fr Vecchi, quoted in a ‘callout’ in one section of the Ratio dealing with the spiritual dimension,
anchors our prayerful dwelling in mystery, saying, What I am before the Creator, that is my prayer.
The light-giving gaze of God penetrates to where no other glance can reach. He sees me and teaches
me to see myself as I am. To pray, therefore, is to feel and welcome this paternal gaze of God, without
obstructing it in a vain effort to do everything by myself.
20

8.5 Page 75

▲torna in alto
Orange
The Vital, Abundant Jesus
21

8.6 Page 76

▲torna in alto
Following the Orange Thread
Growing in our following of Christ, our lives become an educational message addressed especially
to the young, proclaiming ‘that God exists, that his love can fill a life completely; and that the
need to love, the urge to possess, and the freedom to control one’s whole existence, find their fullest
meaning in Christ the Saviour’ (C 62).
— Ratio, no. 110
Orange, in our particular scheme of colour choices, is very much a formation colour: apprenticeship
(to Jesus), development, quest, and transformation… and outward mission, what flows from me.
Leaning into life, wholeheartedly
‘I will run the way of your commands; you will give freedom to my heart .’ (Psalm 119:32)…The
heart is often considered the seat of emotions and desires, and in this context, the psalmist is asking
God to transform his innermost being so that he can live in docile obedience to God wholeheartedly.
— Lectio, Chapter 1
Jesus was completely free of heart, and as a result he leaned into life – wholeheartedly. Because that
is how God loves us, and Jesus wished to show that through his way of life. We can describe this
‘way of life’ in quite contemporary terms: wholehearted living starts with awareness, self-awareness.
He understood his inner world, and so could engage with clarity. He also practised intentionality,
deciding in each instance how he wanted to show up with the people he met. And he was clearly an
active listener, consistently sending the message that the other person mattered.
Or we can describe this ‘way of life’ in biblical terms.
A key word in the Greek of the Christian Scriptures is kardia (καρδία), used more than two
hundred times, and referring to more than the physical heart. We use words such as ‘cardio’ and
‘cardiologist’ to refer to the physical heart only, but kardia is used in Scripture as an integrated,
non‑specific ‘location’ within a human being – a way in which one meets and relates to all things that
exist. Obviously, it is not a place, but more a way in which Being itself – a flow of life and love – is
present within and around us. That, too, fits a description of the wholehearted Jesus leaning into life.
Or we can describe it in Salaesian terms.
When the Ratio talks about formation in mission, while it does not make specific reference to the
biblical concept of kardia it does ‘name’ it in a very Salesian way: pastoral charity. The love of God that
we call ‘pastoral charity’ overflows into apostolic activity, and the lives and faces of our youth enter our
prayer and our lives. It then goes on to say, Properly understood, [formation in mission] indicates that
the mission entrusted to us ‘sets the tenor’ (C 3.) for the entire formation programme, which is aimed at
forming an educator and pastor of young people, and that in our encounters with young people we are
called to learn in a concrete way the exercise of pastoral charity and the grace of unity that allows us to
encounter God in them and through them [no. 66].
Leaning into life the Salesian way!
22

8.7 Page 77

▲torna in alto
The life of a Mediterranean Jewish vagrant
The beginning of the disciple’s journey is the work of Jesus’ initiative, first addressing them with
the words, ‘What are you looking for?’ The question prompts a response. It is an invitation to the
disciple to clarify for himself what he is really looking for in life. With this simple question, Jesus
probes the heart of the future disciple so that he may clarify the ultimate meaning of life, his
inner journey.
— Lectio, Chapter 7
Consider, for a moment, the following description:
He looks like a beggar, yet his eyes lack the proper cringe, his voice the proper whine, his walk the proper
shuffle. He speaks about the rule of God, and they listen as much from curiosity as anything else. They
know all about rule and power, about kingdom and empire, but they know it in terms of tax and
debt, malnutrition and sickness, agrarian oppression and demonic possession. What, they really want
to know, can this kingdom of God do for a lame child, a blind parent, a demented soul screaming its
tortured isolation among the graves that mark the edges of the village?
— John Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus
Now imagine that this is the man the two disciples, who had just left John the Baptist, were now
intrigued by and followed to what can only have been a temporary residence, since he was always on
the move. And imagine that this is the man who puts the ‘What are you looking for?’ question to
you. Imagine, too, that after following him for a while, you hear things mainly like ‘Carry no purse,
no bag, no sandals, nor two tunics. Whatever house you enter, eat what is set before you; heal the sick
in it and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come upon you”’, or ‘If you follow me, you carry a
cross’, or ‘Blessed are the hungry.’
The historical Jesus might well have been a scruffy vagrant, a man of no fixed abode. A Nazareth
boy who had left that behind… or was ‘driven out of town’, as Luke reminds us! Mark 1:16–38 describes
an inaugural day in Capernaum, where finally the whole city and all its sick are gathered together at
Peter’s door once the Sabbath has ended. Anyone with some business clout would recognize what
should happen or is already happening. Peter’s house is becoming a brokerage for Jesus’ healing, and
Peter will broker between Jesus and those seeking help. We know what happens, though. Jesus leaves
for a lonely place to pray. And when Simon and the others find him, he simply says, ‘Let us go on to
the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.’
Mission can sound glorious, but by following this man we know we will be always on the move,
and not always equipped for it. We will be dependent on others. The alternative, if we stay still, settle
down, is pretty much the opposite of what Jesus did and taught. That would be a temptation to act
as brokers for the kingdom, set up hierarchies, maybe even a little side hustle for extra income.
Under the heading of ‘Formation in mission’, the Ratio tells us: ‘In the variety of contexts and
forms that the Salesian mission is assuming, new possibilities of formation are also taking shape, in
search of a more intense and fruitful dialogue with the realities in which one is called to live and
work, and with the many people with whom one interacts and collaborates’ [no. 268] This suggests
some experimentation. What if that were to follow a Jesus Tradition stripped of the layers of doctrinal
redaction? Formation in itinerant radicalism!
23

8.8 Page 78

▲torna in alto
Green
The Humane, Respectful Jesus
24

8.9 Page 79

▲torna in alto
Following the Green Thread
‘Meeting the Lord gets us moving, urges us to leave aside self-absorption. A relationship with the
Lord is not static, nor is it focused on self. “Because when we put Christ at the centre of our life, we
ourselves don’t become the centre! The more that you unite yourself to Christ and he becomes the
centre of your life, the more he leads you out of yourself, leads you from making yourself the centre
and opens you to others”’ [Francis, Address to the Participants at the International Congress on
Catechesis, Rome, 27 September 2013] (CICLSAL, Rejoice, LEV, Vatican 2014, 5)
— Ratio, no. 94
The Green thread, which is part of the Jesus image on the front of our tapestry, asks us questions on
the reverse side: How do I live? How do I relate to others? Who do I take care of? What is community
for me?
Care of the carers
Called to a delicate service for the benefit of confreres in initial formation, formators, aware of
their own fragility, learn to take care of their own formation and all-round growth.
— Ratio, fn 13, Chapter 4
We all have our favourite healing stories in the Gospels, and it is natural that we focus on the healer
and the one being healed. But in doing so, we might just miss something else, that on several occasions
there is another person involved – the carer, the one who pleads with Jesus (or perhaps just acts in a
way that pleads) to ‘take care’ of a situation. Jesus cared for them, too.
Perhaps the best remembered carer is the good Samaritan, except that it is a story rather than a real
person. But think of those who came to plead with Jesus. Two fathers distraught at the illness of their
children: Jairus’ daughter and the official’s son. In healing these children, Jesus was also responding to
their parents’ deep distress. Or the Centurion, worried about his servant. He is deferential to Jesus,
not wanting to put Jesus out, no need to come. We know the words off by heart because we say a
variant of them daily at Mass: ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak
the word, and my servant will be healed.‘ (Matthew 8:8). Jesus had not found faith like that in Israel!
There is the wordless caring of a group of friends who simply strip back a roof and lower their
sick companion down for Jesus to heal: sins forgiven and paralysis gone. We know how he felt since
‘he went home glorifying God.’ We can presume the carers did the same!
In Saelsian formation it is the formators, including rectors, who are the carers, ‘taking care’ (this
phrase appears dozens of times in the Ratio) of people and situations. The following words are Fr
Vecchi’s: Formators must possess ‘skills and a determination to exert an influence, to engage in dialogue
with the candidates, to interact in a genuinely evangelical way with the challenges they bring up, without
being defensive or resigned. In a word, they are not to be guides who helplessly watch from the sidelines as
[the candidates] form their convictions and attitudes. They are not to be silent and detached ‘examples’,
but educators who make suggestions and persuade.’ [fn 8, Chapter 6]
25

8.10 Page 80

▲torna in alto
Knock before entering
The individual himself is ‘a necessary and irreplaceable agent in his own formation’ (PDV 69).
The response to God’s call is made by the individual who is called, and no one can replace him in
that response. Like God, the formator learns to respect the freedom of those entrusted to his care.
— Ratio, no.60
‘Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in
to you and eat with you, and you with me’ (Revelation 3:20).
Jesus’ call, the ‘call of the friend’ as Pope Francis termed it, is more likely a gentle tap at the door of
our soul, than a thunderous clap coming down from the heavens. Jesus even used the image directly
when encouraging his disciples at a moment when he and they were being harassed by ‘the crowd
gathered in thousands’ (Luke 12:1). He tells his ‘little flock’: ‘be like those who are waiting for their
master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he
comes and knocks’ (Luke 12:36).
If we reflect on Jesus in action, as he deals with people, we sense his courtesy (except, maybe
when he overthrew the tables in the ‘marketplace’ that his Father’s House had become!), determining
whether to wait for the invitation or take the first step, wanting to put on his apron and serve, taking
his time before eating, cleaning up the crumbs, addressing individuals by name. “Our courteous
Christ,” as an early 15th-century poem calls Jesus, shows his courtesy every time he meets the lost sheep
he has come to seek and to save. It particularly graces his encounters with women: the Samaritan
woman, the widow of Nain, Mary and Martha of Bethany. The God-Man is a gentle-man.
Or, as the Ratio sums it up so beautifully, alluding to the Emmaus story: The risen Christ walking
with his two disciples on the way to Emmaus stands before us as a shining and inspiring example of the
way God deals with us (Lk 24:13–35). Jesus does not wait for them to approach him (Lk 24:15); he takes
an interest in their affairs and listens to them attentively (24:17); he does not silence or dismiss them
(24:19); he allows himself to be questioned, but he also knows how to ask questions and explain patiently
(24:25-27); he respects their journey without imposing his own (24:28); he is available, willing to stop
and share with them (24:29-30); he is able to open their eyes and make their hearts burn (24:31-32); and
finally, he lets them take the initiative for a new journey when they freely choose to return to Jerusalem
and recount what they have experienced (24:33-35) [no. 61].
Respect is a key word in the Ratio starting with our Patron: ‘With profound respect for the person
and their freedom, [St Francis de Sales] never wished to impose his own will but preferred to motivate
his directees in such a way that they would arrive at and take the necessary decisions themselves.
In this he was imitating God himself’[no. 63], Formation to sexual and affective maturity involves
‘openness to others, the ability to communicate and enter into healthy and meaningful relationships,
mutual respect, non-possessiveness, and responsibility for one’s actions and respect for boundaries’ [no.
92]. ‘Relationship is, therefore, “at the heart of every educative approach,” the driving force behind
the effectiveness of the EPC (GC24 92), and the foundation of community life. The ability to relate
involves communication skills, assertiveness, empathy, active listening, reliability, respect for boundaries,
management of cultural differences, flexibility, collaboration, teamwork, fraternal correction and the
ability to handle disagreements in a constructive way’ [no. 92].
26

9 Pages 81-90

▲torna in alto

9.1 Page 81

▲torna in alto
Yellow
The Risen and Glorified Christ
27

9.2 Page 82

▲torna in alto
Following the Yellow Thread
‘And all of us … are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another;
for this comes from the Lord the Spirit.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18)
— Ratio, Chapter 4
The unifying clarity of the Paschal Mystery, and in Salesian terms, ‘the grace of unity’.
A different tapestry?
With their eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, focusing on his person and work through faith, believers see
the glory of God revealed in them. Thus, they are compared to mirrors that reflect the image of
what they contemplate. By contemplating the glory of the Lord, they reflect it.
— Lectio, Chapter 4
What if our tapestry’s main thread (Jesus) was based only on what the Apostle Paul said about him,
and had nothing of what the Gospels say about him. Would it look any different? After all, before his
call-conversion he had only met (persecuted!) followers of ‘the Way’, not yet called Christians, and
had not met Jesus of Nazareth. His encounter on the road to Damascus was with the Risen Christ.
We are not even sure what Paul actually knew of the Jesus Tradition, other than that he was ‘born
of a woman’ (but no mention of Mary), or ‘of the seed of David according to the flesh’ (Romans
1:3). He seems to refer to ‘the Lord’s brother’ in Galatians 1:19, when he stayed a fortnight with Peter
(whom he calls Cephas) in Jerusalem. Some of his teachings ‘echo’ Jesus’ messages in the Gospels,
though not word for word, and on one occasion he gives us a saying of Jesus that does not appear
in any of the canonical Gospels: ‘In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must
support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, “It is more blessed
to give than to receive.”’(Acts 20:35)
So the chances are that our tapestry might look different. According to our chosen colour scheme
there would be more yellow thread!
But of course it is more complex than this. The Meditatio that follows the opening quote (see
above) to Chapter 4 of the Ratio, reminds us of another thread we must take into account – the Holy
Spirit: The Salesian formation process is a process of transformation. It is a process of being transformed,
leaving behind the old self to become a new person who reflects the image of Christ imprinted in
us by the action of the Holy Spirit. This transformation takes place in all dimensions of formation,
whether human and fraternal, spiritual and intellectual, educational and pastoral, or charismatic.
This is the challenge of Saint Paul in this passage from 2 Corinthians 3:18. The transformation is not
instantaneous, but one of progression, ‘from glory to glory’, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit,
not our effort: The power of the Holy Spirit imprints in every Salesian the image we contemplate, and
this same Spirit enables us to radiate and make visible what we contemplate in faith.
It is at least a reminder of the need to keep ‘our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ’, be it the Pauline Christ,
the Gospel Jesus, or the image of God in the other, especially the young other, who is worthy of our
love and compassion.
28

9.3 Page 83

▲torna in alto
Weavers of hope
Religious profession marks for each one the beginning of Salesian life and the identity of the
consecrated person in the Church. ‘The offering of his freedom through obedience, the spirit of
evangelical poverty and the love which becomes a gift in chastity, make the Salesian a sign of the
power of the resurrection… they transform him into an educator who proclaims to the young “a
new heaven and a new earth,” awakening in them hope and the dedication and joy to which it
gives rise’ (C 63).
— Ratio, no. 780
‘Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life’ (Romans 6:4). Another
yellow thread from St Paul! But we don’t need to rely just on St Paul: ‘I am the Resurrection and the
Life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies’ (John 11:25-26).
‘Newness of life’ carries an eschatological dimension, pointing to the ultimate renewal of all
creation. In Romans 8:21, Paul speaks of the creation itself being set free from its bondage to decay
and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. This future hope inspires believers
to live in the present with the assurance that their new life in Christ is a foretaste of the eternal life
to come.
Grasping what walking in newness of life actually means in practice is the great challenge. The
Ratio responds to this in a number of ways. As a consecrated person the brother is a sign of the life
of the resurrection offered by Jesus to everyone. His affective maturity, human warmth and tangible
joy become manifestations of his consecrated chastity. He is an eschatological sign, a reminder that all
human beings are called to share in the life of the resurrection and communion with God the father of
all [no. 545]. This is repeated in more or less similar terms a little later, regarding the Salesian priest:
As a consecrated person, the Salesian priest is an eschatological sign. In his celibacy, he is a sign of the life
of the resurrection that Jesus offers everyone. His affective maturity is a limpid expression of his celibacy,
and his passion for the Lord translates into a joy that is visible and contagious ‘as we await the blessed
hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ [no. 580].
Living in the present with the assurance that the new life in Christ is a foretaste of the eternal
life to come is another way of expressing a familiar Salesian phrase, the ‘grace of unity’. We are called
to deepen the grace of unity ‘by which our Salesian life is at once religious and apostolic’. Don Bosco
‘wanted the active and contemplative life… to go hand in hand through the ardour of charity’ (GC22
20) [no. 22].
This is walking in newness of life for the Salesian: The grace of unity, which is the unifying power
of divine love in us, harmonizes the different dimensions of Salesian formation. We see this in Don
Bosco. ‘He was deeply human, rich in the qualities of his people, open to the realities of this earth; and
he was just as deeply the man of God, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and living ‘as though he
saw him who is invisible.’ These two aspects combined to create a closely-knit life project: the service of
the young’ (C 21) [no. 139].
Pope Leo’s conclusion to his first encyclical (Magnifica Humanitas) also breathes this sense of
newness of life: ‘With the same faith as Mary, let us become “weavers of hope” in our world, sharing
who we are and what we have, so that the presence of Jesus may grow among us and his Kingdom
take shape.’
29

9.4 Page 84

▲torna in alto
Turquoise
Jesus, Lord, bringing it all together
30

9.5 Page 85

▲torna in alto
Following the Turquoise Thread
Paul, the witness and pastor, outlines some inspiring principles for a simple pedagogy of formation
in the life of Christ. It should be noted first of all that in his writing he intends to accompany an
entire Christian community.
— Meditatio, Chapter 3
Jesus’ life continues in the Church, and in the communion of those who share in and continue his
mission. Ecclesial communion, where it is all held together.
Bringing the scattered mob back together
Don Bosco bequeathed an ecclesial form of life to us that involves creating bonds of communion
between Salesians, members of the Salesian Family, lay people, and young people, within a shared
charism and mission. This is a direct participation in the mission of Christ who came to bring
together the scattered children of God (Jn 11:52); it is sustained by the Spirit and celebrated joyfully
in the Eucharist.
— Ratio, no. 21
Paul had it easy, in one sense – he encountered the Risen Christ and was immediately blinded, bowled
over by it! But the chosen disciples of Jesus, in their most unapostolic moments (heading out of town,
or locking themselves up in a room, or reverting to their old fishing habits) struggled to find ways to
describe this strange experience.
John’s Gospel, written so long after the others, does it through Mary Magdalene and her story in
the garden, thinking he was the gardener, but then hearing her name, clinging to the Lord. He shook
her off: ‘Do not hold onto me’, but commissioned her to tell the others, which she did: ‘I have seen
the Lord’.
Luke relied on the Road to Emmaus story which may have drawn on the celebration of the
Eucharist in the communities: an acknowledgement of doubts and failures, Scripture texts and
explanations, a meal, the breaking of bread, and the impulsive ‘Go, the meal is over, tell everyone!’
But then there is the ‘breakfast’ story. People usually invite you to dinner. Jesus invited his wary,
scattered mob to breakfast! Jesus there, waiting for and waiting on his friends, fish cooking, a breakfast
on the shore as a welcoming, a righting of some serious wrongs (Peter’s!), and a new commissioning:
‘Feed my sheep’, and ‘Follow me!’ (once more).
Do we find community difficult? We would be lying if said we didn’t, at least sometimes! But
it is so comforting to realise that Jesus’ immediate followers needed his presence to bring then back
together. And we need that too.
We accept our confreres as a gift from God, love them as Christ taught and make the faith-sharing
experience of listening to the Word and celebrating the Eucharist the basis of community life, which
thus becomes a ‘sign’ and ‘school’ of faith (GC23 216–218). ‘Before being the fruit of our efforts, fraternal
life in community is a gift of God and a fruit of the Eucharist that we celebrate: “Because there is one
bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17) [no. 109].
31

9.6 Page 86

▲torna in alto
Where the threads meet: the challenge of communion
…the communion made possible by the Eucharist infinitely exceeds our best natural dispositions,
and at the same time warns us that we cannot delude ourselves that we are united to Christ if we
are divided from our brothers (GC29 23). The ideal community does not exist, of course. Every
Christian reality is built on human frailty. Communities have to learn to build unity through
dialogue and reconciliation, forgiveness and prayer.
— Ratio, no. 109
Meals are a significant theme in the Gospels, particularly in Luke, where Jesus is often depicted as either
going to, at, or coming from a meal. Luke’s Gospel indicates that the evangelist may have particularly
appreciated good food – at least it shows clearly that he noticed and commented on food more than
any other Gospel writer!
But what is of most interest is the kinds of people Jesus dined with and the lessons we can draw
from these moments. Jesus dined with the despised (tax collectors), dealt with horrible hosts (Simon
the Pharisee) or hassled hostesses (Martha), welcomed unexpected guests (the sinful woman). He
would invite himself on occasions (Zaccheus), cooked on another occasion (breakfast on the shore),
and was prepared to share a morsel with the man who would betray him (Judas). Salesian Scripture
scholar, Fr Frank Moloney (recently returned to the Father’s Home), summed up Jesus’ meals with so
many different groups and individuals in the title of his bestseller on the Eucharist: A Body Broken
for a Broken People.
The Ratio deals with the reality of Salesian formation, a reality that acknowledges the brokenness
of all involved, formators as well as formees. Human frailty and fragility are a reality in any community,
and consecrated men are no exception. The choice of a fragment from article 109 (above) is deliberate,
because to only list all the positive statements in the Ratio about fraternal communion (and there are
many) would be to ignore a central teaching of the gospel, as it focuses on Jesus’ table fellowship.
According to the Gospels, Jesus’ contemporaries were staggered by his preparedness to share his own
table with sinners (Mark 2:15; Luke 15:1-2), to deliberately visit the tables of tax collectors (Luke
19:5), and to allow a prostitute to attend to him at a table where he was an invited guest (Luke
7:36-38). In these situations, his table-fellowship was most unsuitable for a religious leader or a
Rabbi. He was active in sharing his table with the irreligious.
— Francis J. Moloney SDB, A Body Broken for a Broken People
And now, in every Salesian community, which celebrates Eucharist as the ‘central act of our day’ [no.
116] he is active in sharing it with Religious who are also ready to admit their frailty!
32

9.7 Page 87

▲torna in alto
Conclusion
A tapestry is made to be contemplated, not merely analysed. The Ratio is not asking us to locate every
mention of Jesus. It invites us to stand back and contemplate the whole tapestry. Only then do we see
that Jesus is not one thread among many, but the pattern that gives meaning to the whole weave.
And then what? Contemplative prayer, where we seek to be in union with the prayer of Jesus,
insofar as it helps us participate in his mystery.
But we have been working with colour, have we not? Attempting to explore the image of Jesus
that emerges from the Ratio (and ourselves in the light of that). We could let the ‘colours’ of Jesus be
woven into our prayer. For example, Blue is the colour of transcendence in our scheme – the colour
of what draws the eye beyond itself. In that case Jesus is not simply one item in a list of blue things;
he is the one who inhabits every blue image, from Galilee to Gethsemane and then eternal Glory:
• the blue of Galilee (his ministry),
• the blue of Mary’s mantle (his incarnation),
• the blue of Friday twilight (his passion),
• the blue of the Easter dawn (his resurrection),
• the blue planet seen from space (his cosmic lordship).
Blue is the lake of Galilee.
Blue is the robe of humility.
Blue is the distance Jesus could see
Beyond every border of tribe and decree.
Blue is the shadow of Gethsemane.
Blue is the grief of Calvary.
Blue is the dawn on the Galilean shore
Where the risen Christ called his friends once more.
Blue is the earth from the heavens viewed,
Floating in darkness, serene and renewed.
Blue is our home in the vast mystery,
Gathered in Christ through eternity.
Amen.
33