In view of the fact that one correspondent has been
concerned that Don Bosco has been somewhat absent from the discussions (cf an
earlier 'austraLasia' reflection), and in view of the fact that jsut yesterday I
was urging our young men here to re-read the LEtter from Rome in the light of
some Sal. Studs we have been doing, the following homily by Cardinal Stickler is
spot on.
(via Nick Reina)
Cardinal Alphonse Stickler was the celebrant and
homilist this
morning. He began his homily by telling us that he had met Don
Philip Rinaldi
when he was a little boy in Vienna. Then as a Salesians he
had the
opportunity of going to Turin and living where Don Bosco began his
work. The
Cardinal, who has been ordained now for 65 years, spoke about his
advanced
age; he noted that he was 6th in line in the College of Cardinals
as regards
"moving up" from this life to the next – at least if age has any
influence.
He also shared with us that for older confreres as himself the
question of
fidelity is still a very real one. He expressed his concern
about always
remaining faithful to Don Bosco and Don Bosco's teachings. The
Cardinal went
on to remind us that one of the surest ways to remain faithful
to our Founder
is to read constantly and reflect on Don Bosco's letter from
Rome that we
fine at the end of our Constitutions and Regulations. He noted
that if Don
Bosco had this dream late in his life, then we should always
take care to be
vigilant and alert to the various influences that can enter
into our own
religious life and into our communities to dampen the spirit of
fidelity. He
concluded by thanking us for our commitment and by asking us to
be faithful
to Don Bosco as we returned to our various provinces and
works.
