AGC429_Artime_Holiness


AGC429_Artime_Holiness

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1. LETTER OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
«So that my ioy may be in you» (Jn l5,ll)
HOLINESS FOR YOU TOO
Shcr4r4a 201?
- lntroduction. l. cOD CALLS EVERYONE TO HOLINESS. - "Becoming a saint,, is the first and
most urgent task lor the christian - The "holiness of nert-door neighbours" and the universal
call to holiness - Mary ol Nazareth: a unique light on the path of hotiness - with salesian
sensitivity. - ll. JESUS ls HAPPINESS. - Don Bosco wanted his boys to be happy in this liîe
and lor all eterntty.- lll.SA|NTS FOB THE YOUNG AND W|TH THE YOUNG. - youth a time fot
holiness - Young saints and the youth of the sainfs. - lV. WHAT DOES lT MEAN: «HOLINESS lS
ALSO FOR YOU!,,? - V. SOME POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF HOLINESS. - PATHS OF HOLTNESS
TODAY lN THE LIGHT OF OUB HISTORY AS THE SALESTAN FAMtLy. - There are many paths
along the road to holiness - Ë,very saint is a word of God incarnated - Every saint in our Salesian
Family teils us that holiness is possrible. - HoLtNEss LtvED our tN THE SALESIAN cHARtsM
(usr rr 31 oeceueen 2018).
My Dear Brothers and Sisters, my Dear Salesian Family,
Continuing our century-old tradition, at the beginning of this
New Year 2019 I address myself to each one of you, in every part
of the "Salesian \\Morld" that as the Salesian Family we constitute
in more than 140 countries.
I do so while giving a commentary on a subject very familiar to
us, with a title taken directly from the Apostolic Exhortation of
Pope Francis on the call to holiness in today's world: Gaudete et
Exsultate'.
In choosing this subject and this title I want to translate into
our orffn language and in the light of our charismatic sensitivity
the strong appeal to holiness that Pope Francis has addressed to
the whole Church'. Therefore I want to emphasise those points
that are typically "our own" in the context of our Salesian spiri-
' Henceforth G.E.
'I express my gratitude to Fr Pier Luigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the
causes of Saints, and to Signora Lodoüca Maria Zanet, an expert collaborator of our
Postulation Offrce and renowned lecturer. Thanks to their foresight I have been able to
embellish these pages with material from the Postulation offrce which can throw so
much light on the subject.

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4 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
tuality, those shared by all the 31 groups of our Salesian Family as
the charismatic inheritance received from the Holy Spirit through
our beloved Father Don Bosco, who will certainly help us to live
our lives with the same deep joy that comes from the Lord: "So
that my joy may be in you" (Jn L5,L1^).
lVho are these words addressed to?
I can assure you that they are addressed to everyone.
To all of you my dear Salesian confreres SDB.
To all ofyou sisters and brothers ofthe various different congre-
gations and institutes of consecrated and lay life in our Salesian
Family.
To all ofyou brothers and sisters ofthe associations and various
groups of the Salesian Family.
To the fathers and mothers, to the men and lffomen teachers, to
the catechists and leaders in all our centres throughout the world.
And to all the teenagers and young people in our great Salesian
world.
I accept the invitation addressed by the Pope to the whole
Church. His Exhortation is not a treatise on holiness, but a call to
today's world, and especially to the Church, to live life as a vocation
and as a call to holiness; a holiness made flesh in this present time,
today, wherever each one may be, in our current circumstances.
I make my own this always fascinating call to holiness because
this "present time" in the Church demands it of us. Like me all
the recent Rector Majors have made very significant contributions
to the topic of Salesian holiness and our holy Patrons'.
" P Cnavrz, Let us d.raw on the spiritual experience of Don Bosco in order to walh
in holiness according to our specific uocation AGC 417 (2014); P Cnevoz "My dear Sale'
sians, be saints" AGC 379 Q002); J.E. VoccHI, Beatification of Bro Arternide Zatti: a
sensational precedent AGC 376 QO}l); Sanctity and Martyrdom at the dawn of the
third millennium AGC 368 (1999); E. VIcaNo, Don Bosco, soinü ASC 310 (1983); Ee-
planning our holiness together ASC 303 (1982); L. RICCERI, Don Rua, a call to holiness
ASC 263 (1971).

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THE NECTOR MAJOB 5
As in previous years, I believe that in addition to being read
personally, these ideas may be appropriate and suitable ,,guide-
lines" for the educative and pastoral programmes needed in the
various different contexts and situations of the "salesian world",
in which'üre are operating.
I. GOD CALLS EVERYONE TO HOLINESS
I should imagine that not a few people, even among ourselves
and certainly among the many young people who heard the pope,s
call, have felt that the word "holiness" may sound somewhat
remote, in many cases very remote and unfamiliar in the language
of today's world. It is quite possible that there are cultural obsta-
cles or interpretations that tend to confuse the path of holiness
with a kind of alienating spiritualism that is fleeing from reality.
Or perhaps at best the term "holiness" is understood as a word
applied to and applicable only to those who are venerated in the
pictures or statues in our churches.
Therefore, what the Pope is doing is quite admirable and even
"daring" as he presents the perennial relevance of Christian holi-
ness that is to be seen as a call coming from God Himself in his
Word, and is proposed as the goal in every person's journey. God
«rürants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre
existence" (G8,1).
The call to holiness is a natural part of our salesian tradition
(saint Francis of sales). The appeal of Pope Francis attracts at-
tention above all on account of the force and the determination
with which he maintains that holiness is a call addressed to every-
one, not just to the few, in so far as it corresponds to God,s funda-
mental plan for us. It is aimed therefore at ordinary people, at
those people we accompany in their ordinary daily lives consisting
in the simple things typical of ordinary people.
It is not about a holiness for the heroic few or for exceptional
people, but about an ordinary way of living an ordinary Christian

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6 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
life: a way of living Christian life rooted in the present day with
the dangers, the challenges and the opportunities that God offers
us as life unfolds.
Sacred
perfect as
Scripture invites us to
your heavenly Father
be
is
pheorlyfe: c"tY"o(uMtht e5r,e4fÙor;eamndu:st"Bbee
holy for I [the Lord] am holy" (Leu 1t,44).
There is then an explicit invitation to experience and to bear
witness to the perfection of Iove that is not something different
from holiness. Holiness, in fact, consists in the perfection of love;
a Iove that above all was made flesh in Christ.
saint Paul in the letter to the Ephesians referring to the Father
aolfsothweriwteosr:ld",Inth[aCthwriset,sthhoeuFldatbheerh]oclhyosaendusbblaemfoerelesthsebfeofuonredahtiimon.
He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus christ according
to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace which
he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved" (Eph t,4-6). No longer
servants therefore but friends (cf. Jn 15,15). No longer strangers
and sojourners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of
the household of God (cf. Eph 2,19). Therefore each and every one
of us is called to holiness: that is to a full and fulfrlled life according
to God's plan, in communion with Him and with our brothers and
sisters.
It is therefore not a question ofa perfection reserved to a few,
but of a call addressed to everyone.
Something that is infinitely valuable yet not a rarity, but
rather is part of the common vocation of believers. It is the beau-
tiful proposal that God makes to every man and \\ryomaTr.
It is not the pursuit of a false spirituality that takes one av/ay
from the fullness of life, but the fullness of being human made
perfect by Grace. "Life to the full" as Jesus promised.
Not with a standardised, trivialised, rigid approach; but a re-
sponse to the ever-ne\\ry breath of the Spirit, that creates commu-
nion while showing appreciation for the differences - "Indeed, the
spirit is at the origin of the noble ideals and undertakings which

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 7
benefit humanity on its journey through history"n.
It is not a question ofa collection ofabstract values subscribed
to and shown outward respect, but of a harmony of all those
virtues that incarnate the real values in one's life.
It is not merely the ability to reject evil and embrace good, but
a constant attitude ready with joy to live the good life well.
It is not a goal that is reached in an instant, but an ongoing
journey accompanied by God's patience and kindness, that in-
volves personal freedom and commitment.
It is not an attitude that excludes what is different, but rather a
fundamental experiencing of what is true, good, just and beautiful.
Finally, holiness is living according to the beatitudes, so as to
become salt and light in the world; it is journey towards being ful-
ly human as is every genuine spiritual experience. Therefore be-
coming holy does not require cutting ourselves off from our orffn
nature or from our brothers and sisters, but rather living a full
and courageous human life and an experience (sometimes hard
won) of communion and relationship with others.
"Becoming a saint" is the first and most urgent task for
the Christian
Saint
thee"5. It
Augustine declares: "My life will be true
is in Him, God Himself that the possibility
life, all full
of the path
of
of
holiness in following Christ is to be found. The path of holiness is
made possible for a Christian by the gift of God in Christ: in Him
- of whom the saints and especially the Virgin Mary are a marvel-
lous reflection - is revealed simultaneously the fullness of the face
of the Father and the true face of man.
In Jesus Christ the face of God and the face of man shine out
"together". In Jesus we meet the man from Galilee and the face of
the Father: "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn t4,g).
'Jonu Paur, II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio, Vatican City, Z December
1990, 28.
' AucusrrNr, Confessions, 10,28.

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B ACIS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
Jesus the Word made flesh is the complete and definitive word
of the Father. From the moment of the incarnation, the will of God
is fulfrtled in the person of Christ. He shows us in his life, in his
words and in his silences, in the choices he makes and in his ac-
tions, and above all in his passion, death and resurrection, what
God's plan is for man and woman, what His will is and the way to
comespond to it.
This plan of God for each one of us today is simply the fullness
of Christian life that is measured accordirug to the extent to which
Christ liues within us and to the degree in which, with the grace of
the Hoty Spirit we model our lives on that of Jesus the Lord.
Therefore it does not mean doing extraordinary things but living
in union with the Lord, making his actions, his thoughts and be-
haviour ours. In fact going to Holy Communion means expressing
and bearing witness to the fact that we want to take up and make
our o\\ryn the style of life, the way of living and the very same mis-
sion of Jesus Christ.
The Second Vatican Council itself in the Constitution on the
Church fïrmly proposed the uniuersal call to holiness and declared
that no one rffas excluded: "In the various types and duties of life,
one and the same holiness is cultivated by all who are moved by
the Spirit of God and who obey the voice of the Father, worship-
ping God the Father in spirit and in truth, following the poor
Christ the humble and cross-bearing Christ in order to be made
worthy of being partakers in his glory" (LG,4l).
The "holiness of next-door neighbours" and the universal
call to holiness
Edith Stein, while still an atheist, wrote about having received
a decisive impetus towards conversion from two encounters: one
with the wife of a friend killed in the war, who having become a
widow, in spite of intense sorrow demonstrated the surprising
light and strength of faith; the other was in a church (where Edith
had gone simply out of artistic interest) with an elderly \\Moman
who had come in with her shopping baskets in the middle of a

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 9
busy day to spend a moment of deep trust and adoration with
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Don Bosco had as his mother and first teacher Margaret Oc-
chiena: a simple uneducated peasant'woman, with no theological
training, but with a wise heart and an obedience based on faith.
Saint Teresa of Lisieux used to say that as a child she under-
stood little of what the priest was saying, but it was enough for
her to look at the face of her father Louis to understand every-
thing.
None of these lay people - Anna Reinach a friend of Edith, the
unknown v/oman with the shopping bags, mamma Margaret or
papà Louis Martin - ever thought in their lifetime of being holy,
nor rù/ere they aware of the influence they were having on the peo-
ple around them through their ordinary way of acting.
The presence of these simple and determined people, of these
«next-door saints" - as Pope Francis describes them (GE, 7) -
reminds us that what is important in life is to be holy, not to be
declared saints one day. In addition, it helps to reflect on the fact
that the canonised saints, first of all reached the simple holiness of
the people of God: they all share the same glory in a deep and
unswerving communion.
To live holiness then is the experience of being forestalled and
saved, and Iearning to correspond to this faithful love. It is the
responsibility of responding to a great gift.
From this point of view, perhaps one of the most important
contributions to Christian spirituality is that made by the Bishop
of Geneva Francis of Sales with his efforts to propose holiness
for eueryone taking "deuotion" out of the cloisters into the world.
In his splendid work "Introduction to the Deuout Life" he writes:
"As in the creation God commanded the plants to bring forth their
fruits each one according to its kind, so he commands all Chris-
tians who are the living plants of his Church to bring forth the
fruits of devotion, each according to his quality and vocation.

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O .I ACIS OF THE GENEBAL COUNCIL
Devotion ought then to be not only differently exercised by the
gentleman, the tradesman, the servant, the prince, the widow, the
maid and the married woman but its practice should be also
adapted to the strength, the employments and the obligations of
each one in particular [...] Wherever, then, we are, rffe may, and
should aspire to a perfect life"u.
The history of the Church is strongly marked by the many
\\ryomen and the many men, who with their faith, with their love
and with their lives have been like beacons that have illuminated
and continue to illuminate so many generations throughout time
including the present. They are a living testimony to how the
power of the Risen Lord in their lives has reached such a level that
like St Paul they have been able to declare (so many times without
using the words: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
me" (Gal 2,20). And they have demonstrated this, sometimes
through the heroism of their virtues and sometimes though the
sacrifice of their lives in martyrdom, and at other times through
"a life constantly offered for others even until death" (G8,5). At
the same time there is a holiness without a name, that of those
who have not achieved the honours of the altar, whose " lives may
not always have been perfect, yet even amid their faults and fail-
ings they kept moving forward and proved pleasing to the Lord"
(GE, 3). This is the holiness of our own mother or grandmother
or of others close to us; it is the holiness of a marriage which is
a beautiful path of growth in love; the holiness of fathers who
develop, grow to maturity, and give themselves generously to their
children, often with unexpected sacrifices. Men and women, the
Pope recalls, who work hard to support their families. The sick
who bear their illness patiently and with a spirit of faith, in union
with the suffering Jesus; elderly religious, with a life given and
who never lose their smile or their hope... (cf. GE,7).
It can be said with certainty that in every age of the history of
the Church and everywhere in the world there have been and still
" Francis of Sales, Introduction to the deuout life l,3

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THE RECTOR MAJOB 11
are saints of all ages, and in all conditions of life with very differ-
ent personal characteristics.
Pope Benedict XVI expressed this very well when. speaking
about his personal experience, he said: "I should like to add that
for me it is not only the great saints that I love and know well who
are the "sign-posts", but also the simple saints, that is to say the
good people that I see in my life, who will never be canonized.
They are ordinary people, one might say, without any signs of
heroism, but in their every-day goodness I see the truth of the
faith"'.
Certainly we find all this is the way so many people have in-
carnated the Christian path in their lives. Some may seem "small"
and others "great"; but all have followed an attractive and fasci-
nating journey.
Pope Benedict concludes with a very valuable expression which
in my judgment sums up in a magnificent way the message of the
Strenna for this year, when he says: "Dear friends, how great and
beautiful but also simple is the Christian uocation seen in this light!
We are all called to holiness; that is what the Christian life is"'.
Mary of Nazareth: a unique light on the path of holiness
All these simple and very often anonymous paths of holiness
always have a model to look to and on which to reflect. Christian
holiness has in Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of the Lord, of the
Son of God the most beautiful and the closest model.
Mary is the woman of the "Here I am," of full and total avail-
ability
word"
to the will
(Lk 1,38),
of God. Saying: "let
Mary is saying that
it be to me according to
she finds full and deep
your
hap-
piness in everything that "let it be" implies in faith. Not only
when the Son leaves home and is separated from her because he
has to carry out the mission of the Father; but also at the final
'Benedict XVI, Catechesis at the General Audience on 13 April 20J.1: [Teachings
vlr (2011), 4511.
lbid.,450.

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.12 AcTs oF THE GENERAL C)IJNCIL
moment in which Mary experiences sorro\\À/ for his crucifixion and
death. An atrocious sorrow for a mother to experience.
In Mary the Mother of the Lord, we can witness the richness
of a life that has accepted God's plan at euery nlonxent; a life that
has been a constant "Here f am" said to God. How fascinating it
is, from this point of view to contemplate Mary and to meditate on
the value of human life and its full significance in the context of
eternity!
The courageous acceptance of God's mysterious plan leads
Mary to become the mother of all believers, the model for each one
of us in listening to and welcoming the Word of God and the safe
guide towards holiness. And this because she teaches us that only
God can make our life great. "Only if God is great is humankind
also great. With Mary, we must begin to understand that this is so.
We must not drift away from God but make God present; we must
ensure that He is great in our lives. Thus, we too will become di-
vine; all the splendour of the divine dignity will then be ours"'.
For this reason it is impossible to think that the easy path of
holiness can be followed by the Christian without having recourse
to Mary our Mother. Looking to her is to learn how to believe, how
to hope, how to love. And if we pray like her and with her we shall
certainly experience in our daily journey that consolation that can
come only from God. In addition invoking her as the Mother of
the Son of God we shall open our hearts to the gift of her inter-
cession as Mother of the Son and of her sons'o.
With Salesian sensitivity...
Therefore it could be said that to become a saint is to have
everything. If one does not become a saint one loses everything.
The goal of holiness and the invitation almost tender, to achieve it
' BrNenrcr XVI, Homily on the feast of the Assumption of Mary 15 August 2005.
"' As a continuation of this "Marian journey" we shall be celebrating in Buenos
Aires between 7 and 10 November 2019 the VIII International Congress of Mary HeIp
of Christians with the title: Mary the woman who belieued.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 13
is also the great message of Don Bosco, the pivot on which hinges
his whole spiritual proposal and his life witness.
The holiness that Don Bosco proposes is easy and pleasant, but
also strong
to become
as he suggests. In Dominic
a saint, I must become a
Ssaaviniot.'sIdceacnlahraatvioenn: o"Ipweaacnet
until I become a saint,", one can hear much - if not everything -
of what Don Bosco had managed to convey to him, following the
sermon in which Dominic had heard these encouraging words: "It
is easy to become a saint. Everyone should become a saint. There
is a great reward waiting in heaven for those who try to become
saints"'2. Don Bosco himself continued writing that this talk was
like a spark that set off into a consumingblaze the love of God in
Dominic Savio's heart.
In the wisdom of Don Bosco, who curbed Dominic's desire for
penance and recommended to him instead fidelity in his life of
prayer, in his studies and in duties done well, and diligence in
recreation (and we can also say in the whole area of relationships
in life), there emerges the awareness, typically Salesian, of the
universal call to holiness.
In founding the Society of Saint Francis of Sales in the first
place, and then (together with Mary Domenica Mazzarello the
co-foundress) the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians Don Bosco proposed as the object, right up to today, the
sanctification of its members".
Don Rua reminded the Salesians of this shortly afterwards
when he exhorted
Don Bosco taught
them
us in
in these words: "This
the 1"' article of the
is what our beloved
Holy Rule, where it
says that the object of our Pious Society is first the Christian
" ISS, Solesion Sources. 7. Don Bosco and his worh. Collected. uorÈs, IÀS, Rome
2014,1187. The complete passage I am referring to says: "Another day explanations
were being given about the meaning of words. "What does Dominic mean? he asked.
The reply was: "Dominic means belonging to God". "There you are", he said, "you see
how right I am in asking you to make me a saint. Even my name says that I belong to
God, so I must at all costs become one. I can't be happy ifI am not"".
", Ibid.,1186.
'' Cf. SDB Const.,2,25,65, 105: FMA Const.,5, 46,82.

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14 ACTS OF THE GENERAL C)UNCIL
perfection of its members and then various works of charity, both
spiritual and temporal on behalf of the ÿoürrg»la. Without that the
whole apostolic endeavour on behalf of youth would prove fruit-
less. Don Bosco knows perfectly well that the first, most radical
and decisive way to help others is to be saints.
In this "school of new and attractive apostolic spirituality,,ls,
Don Bosco interpreted the gospel from an original pedagogical and
pastoral point of view which «rrlêâflt a new "fusion" of the com-
mon elements of Christian holiness that was well balanced, con-
genial and regulated; the virtues and the means to holiness had
their own proper place, quantity, symmetry and beauty that were
characteristic"'6.
II. JESUS IS IIAPPINESS
The proposal of holiness is addressed to every Christian be-
cause it is the fullness of life and synonymous with happiness, of
blessedness. We Christians find happiness when we follow Jesus
Christ.
These words are directed towards the young. They are meant
for them. But we know very well that "holiness is also for ÿou»,
concerns everyone: the young, educators, fathers and mothers,
consecrated lay people, men and rüi/omen religious, priests. In short
these words of mine are directed towards each and every one of
the members of our Salesian Family, in such a way that we all feel
included, and naturally they concern all the People of God.
Very beautiful are the messages that with great conviction,
Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, have
sent to young people, and we should not feel detached from them.
" M. RuA, The sanctification of our souls and of those entrusted /o zs. Letter of the
Rector Major to the Provincials and Rectors of America, Valsalice, 24 September, 1894.
'o JoHN PAL'L Il, Address on the occasion of his uisit to thc Pontifical Salesian Uniuer-
sify, 31 January 1981, in,L Osseruatore Romano,8 February 1981, IASC 300 (1981),581.
'o E. VIcaNo Rediscouering the spirit of Mornese, ASC 301 (1981) 25.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 15
I shall put together only a small sample of these messages, with
one common denominator: in all of them the Popes ask the young
take the chance of accepting Jesus as the guarantee of their hap-
piness.
This was the great challenge that Saint John Paul II issued
when he told the young people of the world: ,,It is Jesus in fact
that you seeh when you d,ream of happiness; he is waiting for
you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to
which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that
thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is
he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who
reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that
others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do
something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the re-
fusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the
courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving
yourselves and society, making the world more human and more
fraternal"'7.
No less explicit was Pope Benedict XVI when he told the young
people: "Dear young people, the happiness you are seeking, the
happiness you have a right to enjoy has a name and a face: it is Je-
sus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. [...] Be completely con-
vinced of this: Christ takes from you nothing that is beautiful and
great, but brings everything to perfection for the glory of God, the
happiness of men and women, and the salvation of the world. [...]
Let yourselves be surprised by Christ! Let him have "the right of
free speech" during these days!""'8.
And Pope Francis told the young people that happiness is not
negotiable. There should be no reduction in their expectations so
that in the end happiness is not ensured in any genuine and seri-
ous way, but only as something that can be experienced in "small
'' JonN Paul Il, Prayer Vigil at the )(V WYD, Rome Tor Vergata, 19 August 2000.
'" BENnoICt XYI, Address at the welcoming ceremony for the young people in
Cologne, 18 August 2005.

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.16 AcIs oF THE GENERAL C)L)NCIL
doses", and which as so often happens does not last, and natural-
ly is not true happiness, nor does it bring full hurnan satisfaction:
"Your happiness has no price. It cannot be bought: it is not an app
that you can download on your phones"'n.
Don Bosco wanted his boys to be happy in this life and for
all eternity.
At the beginning of his Letter from Rome, on 10 May 1884,
Don Bosco writes to his boys: "I have only one wish: to see you
happy both in this world and in the next"'..
At the end of his life on earth these words sum up the heart of
his message to young people of every age and of the whole world.
He wants them to be happy, as a goal in the dreams of every young
person, today, tomorrow, always. But not just that. "In the next" is
that extra that only Jesus and his proposal of happiness, that is
holiness, can offer. It is the ans\\rÿer to the deep thirst for "for ever"
that burns in the heart of every young person.
The world, the society of all nations cannot propose this "for
ever" nor eternal happiness. But God can.
For Don Bosco all this was very clear, and he was able to sow in
the hearts of his boys the strong desire to become saints, to live for
God and
holiness
to reach paradise:
that was simple,
"He guided
serene and
the young along
joyful, bringing
a path of
together
their experience of life in the playground, with serious study and
a constant sense ofduty"".
"' FRANCIS, Hornily at the Mass for the Boys' and. Girls' Jubilee, Rome 24 April
20t6.
"'ISS, Soleslan Sources. 7. Don Bosco and his worh. Collected, works,IÀS, Rome
2014, Kristu Jyoti Publications 2017, 501.
'' J. E. VsccHI, Andate oltre. Terni di spiritualitd. giouanile, EIIe Di Ci, Leumann
(TO) 2002.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR '17
III. SAINTS FOR THE YOI]NG AND \\ryITH THE YOUNG
The holiness characteristic of the Salesian charism in which
there is room for everyone, consecrated persons and lay people has
its most specific expression in relation to youth holiness. Fr Pas-
cual Châvez, frÿ predecessor, wrote at the beginning of his min-
istry in the letter My Dear Salesians, be saints!: "The youngsters
themselves helped Don Bosco "to begin, in the context of everyday
experience, a new style of holiness tailored to the typical require-
ments of a boy's development. In this way they were to some e*-
tent both pupils and teachers at the same time. Ours is a holiness
both for and with the young; because in the search for holiness,
"Salesians and youngsters walk side by side": either we sanctify
ourselves with them, walking and learning with them in their
company, or \\rye shall not become saints at all"". The genuine Sale-
sian heart of our Family needs to be holy in order to reach the
young, while it does not neglect the even more radical duty to
make itself holy among the young andtogether with them.
This desire can be seen to apply to each and every one of the
31 groups that make up our Salesian Family. With a real interest
I looked for the references to holiness in the Constitutions and the
Regulations of the various Congregations in our Family, in the
Project of Apostolic Life of the Salesians Cooperators, in the
Plans, Statutes and Regulations (according to their own proper
names) of all the groups that belong to the tree of our charism.
I can assure you that in one rffay or another all of them consider
holiness as an aim and a purpose for which \\Me are born and also
as religious institutions, with the intention of achieving it in our
lives. Therefore a holiness that is proposed to each of the members
as the purpose ofthe apostolate directed towards others.
Youth a time for holiness.
ChuCrcohn"vin(Gce8d,9t)h, abtef"orHeoplirnoepsossinisg
the most attractive face
it to the young \\rye are all
of the
called
" P CtÂvnz, My Dear Salesians, be saints, AGC 379 (2002),2l-22.

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18 AcIs oF THE GENERALCOUNCIL
to live it and bear witness to it, in this way becoming a communi-
ty "that enjoyed favour", as on various occasions the Acts of the
Apostles puts it (cf. G8,93). Only living in this consistent manner
is it possible to accompany the young on the ways of holiness.
When Saint Ambrose declared that «êverÿ age is ready for ho-
liness,23, so too without doubt is youth! In the holiness of many
young people the Church recognises the grace of God, that antici-
pates and accompanies the life story of each one, the educational
value of the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation, the
fruitfulness of shared journeys in faith and charity, the prophetic
impact of these "champions" trho have often sealed in their blood
their being disciples of Christ and missionaries of the Gospel. The
language most requested by young people of today is the witness
of an authentic life. For this reason the life of young saints is the
real word of the Church; and the invitation to undertake a holy
life is the one that is most necessary for today's young people. An
authentic spiritual vitality and a fruitful pedagory of holiness do
not disappoint the deep aspirations of the young: their need for
life, for love, for growth, for joy, for freedom for a future and also
for mercy and reconciliation.
Certainly the proposal has the flavour ofa real challenge. Ifon
the one hand it is very attractive, on the other it can give rise to
fear and indecisiveness. It requires the effort to avoid the risks
and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence" (GE, l); it
implies overcoming the temptation to 'Just struggle along" since
the challenge of holiness is nothing different from everyday life,
but is precisely this ordinary life lived in an extraordinary way and
made beautiful by the grace of God. In fact the fruit of the Holy
Spirit is a life lived in joy and in love, and this is what holiness is.
In this regard the example the Pope offers us in the Apostolic Ex-
hortation of the testimony of the life of Cardinal Francesco Save-
rio Nguyên Van Thuân, who spent many years in prison is very
precious. He refused to waste time waiting for the day he would be
'" AMeRosn, De Virginitate, 40.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 19
set free and took another decision: "I will live the present mo-
ment, filling it to the brim with love and [...] I will seize the occa-
sions that present themselves every day; I will accomplish ordi
nary actions in an extraordinarÿ waÿ» (GE,l7).
Young saints and, the youth of the saints
"Jesus invites every disciple to give their entire lives, without
expecting any human advantage or benefit. Saints welcome this
demanding request and meekly and humbly start following the
crucified and risen Christ. The Church gazes at the sky of holi-
ness and sees an increasingly large and bright constellation of
young men and women, adolescents and young saints and blesseds
who, ever since the time of the first Christian communities, have
endured until our time. When the Church invokes them as our
patrons, she indicates them to young people as references for their
existence"2'. In various surveys including those in preparation for
the Synod of Bishops on the young, the young people themselves
recognise that they are «more receptive when faced with a "life
story" [compared with] an abstract theological s€rrnorr»2s and they
consider the lives of the saints to be very relevant to them. There-
fore certainly it is important to present them in a way that is
adapted to their age and condition.
It is also worth remembering that as well as the "Young saints"
it is necessary to present to young people the "youth of saints". In
fact all saints were once young and it would be useful to today's
young people to show them how the saints lived their lives as young
people. In this way it would be possible to begin to deal with many
youth situations that are neither simple nor easy, in which, howev-
er, God is present and active in a mysterious way. Showing that His
grace is at work through... complex procedures in the patient con-
" XV ORorNaRv AsseMer-y or rum Syxoo oF Brsuops, Young people, the faith and uo-
cational discernment. Instrumentum Laboris, LEÿ Rome 20t4, 214.
'o XV ORuNany AsspÀasr-y or rnp SyNoo oF Brsuops, Young people, the faith and uo-
cational discernment. Instrurnentum Laboris. Pre-synod,al meeting. îinal Document
(19-24 March 2018).

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20 ACTS oF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
struction of a holiness that matures with the passing of time in
many unforeseen iÿvays, can help all young people, without exception
to cultivate hope in a holiness that is always possible.
The last number of the Final Document of the Synod declares
in harmony with what we have been saying that the holiness of
the young also forms part of the holiness of the Church because,
«ÿoung people are an integral part ofthe Church. So too, therefore
is their holiness, which in recent decades has produced a manifold
flowering in all parts of the world: contemplating and meditating
during the Synod on the courage of so many young people who
have given their lives while remaining faithful to the Gospel has
been for us very moüng; listening to the testimony of the young
people present at the Synod who in the middle of persecutions have
chosen to share the passion of the Lord Jesus has been life giving.
Through the holiness of young people the Church can renew its
spiritual ardour and its apostolic vigour"'u.
IV WHAT DOES IT MEAN: "HOLINESS IS ALSO FORYOU!"?
Pope Francis tells us in a simple and direct way.
After saying that to be saints it is not necessary to be bishops,
priests or
our lives
religious
with love
haendadbdys:b"eWaerinagrewailtlnceaslsledintoevbeeryhtohliyngbywlievidnog,
wherever we find ourselves. Are you called to the consecrated life?
Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married?
Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ
does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labour-
ing with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and
sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently
teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position
of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and re-
nouncing personal gain" (Ç9,147.
'o XV Onoruary Asserr.rsl-v or tne SvNoo or Brsuoes, Young people, the faith and uo-
cational discernment Final Document, LEÿ Rome 2018, 167.

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THE RECT)B MAJ)R 21
This encourages us to put into simple words the challenge
facing us - one that is a valuable provocation for each and every
one ofus, at all ages and stages oflife.
So what is holiness, this holiness that is presented to us as
being close and accessible to the young person, the woman and man
of today?
--- It is something close, real, concrete, possible. Indeed it is the
fundamental vocation to love as Vatican Council II recog-
nises (.LG, 11); the soul, the essence of this call to holiness for
every individual is love fully lived: "God is love; and he who
abides in love abides in God and God abides in him" (1Jn 4,16).
--- It is a question of making the graee of Baptism bear fruit,
utithout being afraid. that God. is asking too much of us:
"Let the grace of your baptism bear fruit in a path of holiness.
Let everything be open to God; turn to him in every situation"
(GE,l1).In practical terms it is a question of liüng in the Spir-
it, allowing ourselves to be guided in the simplicity of everyday
life by the Holy Spirit without being afraid to aim high and
letting ourselves be loved and made free by God Himself.
Pope Benedict XVI invited young people, all young people to
«open themselves to the action of the Holy Spirit that he may
transform our lives so that we too may become tiny parts of
the great mosaic of holiness that God is creating in history so
that the face of Christ may shine in all its splendour. We are
not afraid to aim high, towards the heights of God, we are not
afraid that God is asking too much of u,s,,21.
--- It is a question of being saints because God has dreamed
of us in that way.
"Far from being timid, morose, acerbic or melancholy, or
putting on a dreary face, the saints are joyful and full of good
humour. Though completely realistic, they radiate a positive
" BENEDICT KY7, Catechesis in the General Aud,ience on 13 April 2071: Insegna-
menti ÿIl (2011).

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22 ACTS OF THE GENEBAL COUNCIL
and hopeful spirit" (GE,l22). John Bosco, when he was boy
founded tt..e Society of Joy and Dominic Saüo used to say to
new arrivals at the Oratory: "Here at the Oratory we make
holiness consist in beingvery cheerful"2s (even though we know
that it was not a superficial joy but deep-seated, in his inner
life, in a sense of responsibility before life and before God Him-
self).
Don Bosco understood very well and so passed on to his boys
the fact that commitment and joy go hand in hand, and that
holiness and joy are inseparable. His invitation therefore is
also a call to the "holiness of joy" and to a joy that is lived out
in a holy life. This does not mean ignoring the fact that a
commitment to holiness demands courage, since it is, to put it
another way, a course ofaction that goes "against the current",
a path at times leading to opposition, faced with which at times
we have to be like Jesus "signs of contradiction".
--- It is a question of a journey, that of holiness that accepts the
dimension of the cross.
Pope Francis reminds us of the need for inner strength in
order to be persevering and constant in doing good; he recalls
the need for vigilance: «We need to recognize and combat our
aggressive and selfish inclinations, and not let them take root"
(GE, ll4); he encourages evangelical freedom of speech so as
not to allow ourselves to be overcome by fear; above all he
invites us not to give up contemplating the Crucified One, the
source of grace and of freedom: "If, gazing on the face of
Christ, you feel unable to let yourself be healed and trans-
formed, then enter into the Lord's heart, into his wounds, for
that is the abode of divine Inêrcÿ» (GE,]^5l).
Perhaps nowadays reference to the cross is not so common
among us, but certainly, in this matter too we need to change.
It is not possible to live a genuine Christian life and follow the
path of holiness in daily life while putting the Cross to one side.
'" BM\\228.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 23
Having taken part during the last Synod in the canonization of
Saint Paul VI, celebrated together with that of six other saints,
I find these words of his most appropriate: "What would a
Gospel be, that is to say a Christianity without the cross, with-
out the suffering, without the sacrifice of Jesus? It would be a
Gospel, a Christianity without the Redemption, without Sal-
vation, of which we have an absolute need. The Lord saved us
with the Cross; he has given us back hope, the right to life with
his death. Carrying the Cross! It is a great thing, a great thing
my dear children! It means facing up to life with courage, with-
out weakness and without cowardice; it means transforming
into moral enerry the inevitable difficulties of our life; it
means, knowing how to understand human suffering and fi-
nally knowing how to truly love!"".
--- It is a question of living holiness so that it does not come
between us and our obligations, concerns, affections
but includes them all in love. Holiness is the perfection of love
and therefore corresponds to man's fundamental need: that of
being loved and of loving. The holier a man or woman may be
the more human they are because:
sion but is a mission" (G8,27).
"life
does
not
have
a
mis-
Holiness therefore is a process of becoming more human.
"We need a spirit of holiness capable of filling both our solitude
and our service, our personal lives and our evangelizing efforts,
so that every moment can be an expression of self-sacrificing
love in the Lord's eyes. In this way every minute of our lives
can be a step along the path to growbh in holiness" (GE,3l).
So holiness coincides with the complete flowering of all
that is human. It is not a proposed way of living that leads to
detaching oneself from the human condition and its circum-
stances, but one that enables people to experience ever more
fully and in a true manner their own human nature and that
oftheir brothers and sisters. In the face ofthe true saint, one
rr' PAUL VI, Address during the "Way of the 976ss",24 March 1967,

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24 A?TS oF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
always recognises clearly the man or rffomen they really are
with all their special distinguishing features of heart, mind
and will and openness to relationships: "In the saints one
thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not with-
draw from men, but rather become truly close to them"3..
Right now I invite you to remember, when, at the end of the
commentary we shall speak about the saints, blesseds, servants of
God and venerables of our Salesian Family the precious witness
that they offer us in their lives.
Don Bosco himself, so fully human, was the first to have found,
healed and reconciled the boys who often arrived at the Oratory
having Iived through difficult situations of affective poverty, eco-
nomic difficulties, of being orphaned and abandoned. To these
boys he offered all the riches of the family spirit and the Preven-
tive System, in a magnificent atmosphere including the spiritual,
which helped to cure them. Those wounds were healed thanks to
the fatherly approach of Don Bosco himself, the joyful family
atmosphere and the pathway of faith and of friendship with Jesus
to whom Don Bosco led his boys.
In Mornese Mother MazzarclIo and the first sisters, lived out,
with the particular sensitivity of women this coming face to face
with life situation of those poor babies and girls taken into the
first house of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
In this way our history has been repeated in so many groups
of the Salesian Family with a special feature typically ours, which
is also that of the Gospel that has allowed us to care for and to
heal the humanity of every person with whom we have come in
contact.
--- It is a question of a holiness that is also a "duty" and a gift
(that is a vocation, a responsibility, a commitment and a gift).
Holiness is a sharing in the life of God, not a perfection from a
moralistic point of üew that one has the presumption to arrive
"" BnNsorcr X\\rI, Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est, LEÿ Rome 2005,42.

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THE BECTOR MAJOR 25
at with just one's own efforts. In fact a holy life is not princi-
pally the result of our own effort, of our actions. It is God the
thrice Holy (cf lsoiah 6.3) who makes us saints through the ac-
tion of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the strength and the will.
Holiness is a commitment and a responsibility. It is something
that only you can do: "May you come to realize what that word
is, the message of Jesus that God wants to speak to the world
by your life,, (G8,24).
For the consecrated persons of our Salesian Family this duty
becomes indispensable. Paul VI said so in a radical manner:
"Religious life must be a holy life or else there is no reason why
it should exist at all"".
V SOME POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF HOLINESS
I offer some suggestions that may be appropriate for each one
personally and for our mission. Allow me to indicate some partic-
ular points.
Liaing eaeryd,ay life as the place to meet God,.
The heart of the Salesian spirit, which is our distinguishing
feature as a charismatic Family, can be identified by the fact
that it thinks of life in a positive way and sees it day after day
as the meeting place with God. This place is traversed by a rich
network of relationships, of work, of joy and of relaxation, of
family life, of the development of one's personal capabilities,
of giving and of service..., all lived in the light of God. This is
expressed in simple practical terms in that very Salesian con-
viction that comes from Don Bosco himself: to be a saint you
have to do well what you have to do.
It is the proposal of the holiness of everyday life. If Teresa of
Aüla found holiness among the dishes in a kitchen, and Fran-
cis of Sales shows that a Christian can live in the world sur-
'" PAut VI, Address on 27 June 1965,ir E. VrcaNÔ, Replanning our holiness to-
gether,ACS 303 (1981).

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26 ACTS oF THE GENERAL ))UNCL
rounded the tasks of life and its preoccupations and be a saint,
with the simplicity of joy Don Bosco with the exact fulfilment
to one's duties and a life lived all for the love of God, creates
with his boys at Valdocco a real school of holiness.
Being ind.iaiduals and. communities of prayer.
Holiness is the greatest gift that we can offer to the young,
and - I may add - nowadays young people, youngsters and their
families need the witness of our lives. And, as I have said, this
simple holiness will be the most precious gift that we can offer
them.
Nevertheless, this process is not possible without cultivating
depth in our lives, without a genuine faith and without prayer
as the expression ofthis faith. Pope Francis declares: "I do not
believe in holiness without praÿer» (G8,147). And in fact all of
this is impossible without intimacy with the Lord Jesus:
prayer of thanksgiving, the expression of our gratitude to the
transcendent God; prayer of supplication, the expression of a
heart that trusts in God; prayer ofintercession, the expression
of fraternal love; prayer of adoration, the expression of our
recognition of the transcendence of God; prayer of meditation
on the Word, the expression of a docile and obedient heart;
Eucharistic prayer the summit and source of all holiness.
Deueloping in our liaes the fruits of the Holy Spirit:
charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity,
mildness, faith, modesty... Holiness is not quarrelling, arguing,
envy, division, haste. "Holiness does not make you less human,
since it is an encounter between your weakness and the porÿÿer
of God's grace" (G8,34).
Practising the airtues.' not only rejecting evil and pursuing
good, but being passionate about good, doing good things well,
euerything that is good... Prayer and action in the world, ser-
vice and self-giving and also times for silence. Family life and a
sense of responsibility at work. "Everything can be accepted
and integrated into our life in this world, and become a part of

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 27
our path to holiness. We are called to be contemplatives even
in the midst of action, and to grow in holiness by responsibly
and generously carrying out our proper mission" (G8,26).
So then, following the good life of the Gospel, in the joyful and
constant practice of the virtues will truly be a simple way of
holiness.
Bearing witness to communion.
The path of holiness is followed together and the way to holi-
ness is one lived in community and pursued together The
saints are always together, a company. Where there is one of
them, others will always be found. Everyday holiness makes
communion flourish and fosters relationships. We beeome
saints togethen It is not possible to be saints alone and God
does not save us alone: «no one is saved alone, as an isolated
individual" (G8,6). Holiness is nourished by relationships, by
familiarity, by communion because Christian spirituality is es-
sentially communitarian, ecclesial, profoundly different and
far from a vision of holiness that is elitist or heroic.
On the contrar5r, there is no Christian holiness where commu-
nion with others is forgotten, where one forgets to seek and to
Iook at the face of the other, where one forgets the fraternity
and the revolution oftenderness.
(Jndcrstanding that eueryone's life is a mission.
The Pope clearly asks that the whole of one's life be seen as a
mission. Sometimes in difficult moments, people ask what is
the purpose of their lives, what is the point of living, the rea-
son for their being in the world, what personal contribution
could they make?... In all these cases the question being asked
is: what is my mission? And it is in the light of all this one dis-
covers that "a
earth without
Christian cannot think of his or her
seeing it as a path of holiness" (GE ,
mission on
Lg), always
giving the best of oneself in this commitment.
Some Salesian houses, such as Valdocco, Mornese, Valsalice,
Nizza, Iwea, San Giovannino... from the very beginning pro-
vide proofofa holiness that is a shared experience, that flour-

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28 Acrs oF THE âENERAL couNCtL
ishes in friendship, in dedication and in service, (today we
speak about life as "vocation and mission").
Seeking the simplieity (which is not easiness) of the
Beatitudes (cf. GE, 70-91).
In proclaiming the Beatitudes Jesus offered us a real path to
holiness. .The Beatitudes are like a Christian's identity card,
(G8,63).
In them a way of life is proposed to us which includes process-
es which go from poverty of heart which also means austerity
of life, to reacting with humble meekness in a world where
quarrels easily arise over the slightest thing; from the courage
to allow ourselves to be "pierced" by other peoples'sorrow and
to show them compassion, to seeking justice with a true
hunger and thirst, while others share out the spoils obtained
by means of injustice, corruption and the abuse of power.
The Beatitudes lead the Christian to look and to act with mer-
cy, which means helping others and also forgiving them; they
encourage him to keep a heart that is pure and free from all
that taints love for God and for one's neighbour. The proposal
ofJesus asks us to sow seeds ofpeace andjustice and to build
bridges between people. It also asks us to accept the lack ofun-
derstanding, deceitfulness in our regard, and fînally all perse-
cutions, even the most subtle ones that exist today.
Growing through small gestures (GE,16). This is another
simple inücator, practical and within everyones reach. God calls
us to holiness through small gestures, through simple things,
which we certainly find in other people and reproduce in our-
selves in everyday life; encouraged also by the fact that the path
of holiness is neither unique nor the same for everyone.
One follows a path of holiness according to one's own state of
being either a man or a \\ryoman. From this point of view femi-
nine tenderness, attention to small details and gestures are a
magnificent example for all. For this reason Pope Francis says:
"I would stress too that the "genius of woman" is seen in fem-
inine styles of holiness, which are an essential means of re-

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 29
flecting God's holiness in this world and [...] I think too of all
those unknown or forgotten rÿi/omen who, each in her own \\ryay,
sustained and transformed families and communities by the
po\\ryer of their witness" (GE, LZ).
Everything, except refusing to fly when we have been
created for the heights!
There are so many small steps that can help us to journey in
the way of holiness, in this simple holiness, anonymous but
which shape our lives in a beautiful way. As I have said, every-
thing can help us; everything except refusing to fly when we
have been born for the heights! Because we are "God's chosen
ones, holy and beloved" (Col 3,L2).
What I want to say has been expressed in a magnificent manner
by Mamerto Menapace" in a beautiful story a fine metaphor
that speaks of the dilemma between staying on the ground or
flyrng up to God, to holiness, towards the heights.
This is what the story says:
Once upon a time, a countryman who was walking along a path
in the high mountains found in the rocks close to the summit a
strange egg: too big to be a hen's and too small to be that of an
ostrich.
Not knowing what it might be he decided to take it with him.
Back at home he showed it to his wife. She had a turkey which
was sitting on its nest. Seeing that the egg was more or less the
size ofthe others, she put it under the tail ofthe turkey.
The chicks began to break the shells and the little one from the
egg taken from the mountain did the same. It seemed to be an
animal different from the others, but the differences were not
sufficient to make it stand out among the rest of the clutch, even
though it was a small condor. Although hatched by a turkey it
had another origin.
Given that it had no other model to learn from the little condor
imitated what he saw the turkeys do. . He used to follow the large
"' M. MENArACE, Cuentos rodados, Patria Grande, Buenos Aires 1986 (our transla-
tion)

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30 ACIS oF THE GENERAL CoUNCL
turkey looking for worms, seeds and scraps. He dug the earth
and jumping up tried to pluck the fruit from the bushes. He lived
in the henhouse and was afraid of the dogs that often came to
steal food. At night he climbed up the branches of the carob tree
afraid of the weasels and other predators. He lived this way imi-
tating what he saw the others do.
At times he felt a little strange. Especially when he had the
chance to be alone. But that did not happen often. In fact the
turkeys did not like solitude, nor that others should be alone. It
is a species that likes to move about always in flocks, swelling
their chests to make an impression and opening their tails and
dragging their wings. In the face of whatever happened, there
was always a strong scornful response.
The characteristic ofturkeys is this: in spite ofbeing a large size
they do not fly.
One midday when the clear sky was being crossed by white
clouds the little animal was surprised to see some strange birds
flying majestically, almost without moüng their wings. He felt a
jolt in the depth of his being. Something like an old call that
wished to reawaken him in the depth of his existence. His eyes
used to always looking at the ground searching for food, were un-
able to distinguish what was happening in the heights. His heart
was awakened with a strong nostalgia: why can't I also fly like
that? His heart was beating quickly and with anxiety.
At that moment a turkey approached him and asked him what he
was doing. He laughed when he heard what he had to say. He told
him that he was a romantic and should stop joking. They were
something different. They should return to reality and he sug-
gested that he would accompany him to a place where he had
found a lot of ripe fruit and a large number of worms.
Confused, the poor animal woke from his enchantment and fol-
lowed his companion who took him back to the henhouse.
He took up his normal life again always tormented by a deep in-
ner sense of dis-satisfaction that made him feel strange.
He never discovered his true identity as a condor.
Having become old one day he died. Yes unfortunately he died
exactly as he had lived.
And to think that he was born for the heights!

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THE RECTOR MAJOB 31
It is all about the way of Christian growth towards holiness:
"We are not afraid to aim high towards the heights of God; we are
not afraid that God will ask too much"s3.
VI. PATHS OF HOLINESS TODAY IN THE LIGHT OF
OTJR HISTORY AS THE SALESIAN EAMILY
There are many paths along the road to holiness.
TVe know that some are saints but we never know who is holi-
er than another. Only God knows our hearts. There is a special
beauty in each one. One should not ask of someone what they can-
not and should not give. Saying this is encouraging, healthy. Oth-
erwise we would convince ourselves that we could not be saints
because we shall never be like the saints that are proposed to us as
models. "There is no need to put into holiness more perfection
than is in fact actually there"34. That is to say Christian heroism is
not a question ofheroics, Christian perfection is not the perfection
o(Jf nthLe4,s2u).pePrahreardois.e"Iins
mÿ
like
Father's house there are many roorrls»
a garden: there is the humble violet or
the sublime lily and the rose. No state of life represents an insur-
mountable obstacle to the fullness of joy and of life.
With Don Bosco we meet not only Dominic Savio, John Mas-
saglia and Francis Besucco; but also Michael Magone and many
other difficult youngsters whose life stories are characterized by
deep wounds.
In the first foundations of the Salesians and the Daughters of
Mary Help of Christians are to be found the first real orphanages
and people of various kinds the victims of injustice and trauma
(Charles Braga, Laura Vicuf,a...).
"" BENEDICT §lI, Catechesis in the General Audience on 73 April 2077: Insegna-
mentiÿll (201L).
"'
Speyr
APtCtiAdtRely,2""LCeotllroaqcucieo
di Dio,, in Aa.
Internazionale
Vv.,
del
pLeansmieisrosiocnriesteiacnclo.e,siJaalecadiBAodorkie(n:neGiuàone
non ancora), Milano 1986, 32 quoted in L. M. Zanet, La santità dimostrabile.
Antropologia e prassi della canonizzazione, Dehoniane, Bologrra 2016, 204.

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32 ACTS oF THE GENEBAL C)LINCIL
Then there are those with particular personal wounds: such
as Beltrami or Czartoryski who knew that they would never be
able to lead a regular oratorian life because of their illness.
Artemides Zatti too was rejected from the priesthood because of
sickness. Francis Convertini showed very modest intellectual
gifts and it was only his outstanding holiness that convinced the
Superiors to allow him to continue to the priesthood. Alexandri-
na Mary da Costa was confined to bed with a progressive paraly-
sis. Nino Baglieri lived through the same situation. Vera Grita, a
Salesian mystic, lived a similar calvary, following the trauma suf-
fered in an accident.
In this way, in Don Bosco's house there is room and a wel-
come for a whole variety of those wounded in all sorts of ways by
sorrowful family or personal events; people who according to the
normal criteria of human prudence or efficiency should never have
been accepted. People who at a first cursory glance seem to be
completely at odds with the joyful and even "vigorous" vivacity of
the Salesian spirit. Yet in the light of faith the facts show that no
personal situation constitutes an impediment to holiness.
Every saint is a word of God incarnated.
There are no two saints the same. Imitating the saints is not
copying them. Each one needs his own time and has his own path
because "the paths ofholiness are personal"'u.
The galary of holiness is vast and varied: therefore it should not
be levelled out into a generic orientation towards good, but should
be considered as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and poten-
tial development. Liüng reflections of the Gospel the saints inter-
pret its most authentic spirit and are a mirror that reflects the face
of Jesus Christ, the Holy One of God. They spread abroad the gift of
goodness and of beauty, not grving in to the passing and ephemeral
fashions of time, and with the flare of a heart forever young make
the miracle of love possible. With the power of grace saints change
"' JoHN Paul Il, Apostolic Letter Nouo Millennio Ineunte, Rome 2001, 31.

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THE RECTOR MAJOB 33
the world, but also the Church, made more evangelical and more
credible by their witness.
It is the same Holy Spirit who inspired the sacred authors who
animates the Saints to give their lives for the Gospel. Their dif-
ferent ways of "incarnating" holiness constitute a sure way of un-
dertaking a living and effective hermeneutics of the Word of God.
Every saint in our Salesian Family tells us that holiness
is possible.
Every one ofour Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, Servants ofGod
brings with them a wealth of elements that deserve further con-
sideration and appreciation. It is a matter of contemplating a dia-
mond with a multitude of facets, some more visible and attractive,
others less immediately so, but not for this reason less real and im-
pelling. To know and to make known these extraordinary exam-
ples of believers leads to an ever more progressive involvement in
their journey, a passionate interest in the events of their lives, a
joyful sharing in the projects and the hopes that guided their steps.
I offer you some examples.
The holiness of the young people "on our doorstep".
With the witness of Dominic Savio, Laura Vicuf,a, Zeffirinus
Namuncurâ, of the five young oratorians of Poznan, of Albert
Marvelli and others, there are 46 young Saints and Blesseds
from the Salesian Family under 29 years of age.
In particular some of the aspects of the witness of Saint Do-
minic Savio deserve to be highlighted:
a A reminder that the idea of the preventive aspect is not only a
pedagogical, educational factor, but also a theological one. In
his life as Don Bosco himself testified, there is a preventive
grace at work that can be seen'u.
supre'omDeo, nanBdosIcomraercvaellllse:d"aI tretchoegrvr/isaeydgrinacheimhada
soul where the
already worked
Holy Spirit reigrred
in his young heart
and mind.", J. Bosco, Vita del giouanetto Sauio Domenico allieuo d.ell'Oratorio di
S. Francesco di Sales con appendice sulle grazie ottenute per sua intercessione, Ed.. 5,

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34 AjTS oF THE GENERALCOUNCIL
. The decisive value represented by the First Communion".
. The fact that he is a sort of leader and teacher in the ways of
God (just as Don Bosco also saw him in the Lanzo dream in
1876), as is confirmed in the lives of so many of our Blesseds,
Venerables and Servants of God who will make their own
Dominic's proposals: Laura Vicufla, Zefirinus Namuncurâ,
Joseph Kowalski, Albert Marvelli, Joseph Quadrio, Octavius
.
Ortiz Arrieta.
The role of Dominic in the founding of the Immaculate Con-
ception Sodality, training ground of the future Salesian Con-
gregation, in conjunction with John Massaglia, a true friend
of spiritual things, of whom Don Bosco declared: "If I were to
write about the good example and virtues of John Massaglia,
I should be largely repeating what I have already written about
Dominic whose faithful follower he was as long as he lived"".
---+ The missionary holiness of the Salesian charism, ex-
pressed in a good number of men and women, consecrated and
lay people who demonstrate: the proclamation of the Gospel,
the inculturation of the faith, the promotion of women, the
defence of the rights of the poor and of the native populations,
Torino, Tipografia e Libreria Salesiana 1878 in ISS, Fozli Salesiane. 7. Don Bosco e la
sua opera. Rarcolta antologica,IÀS, Rome 2014, 1039.
and
it is
fc"i'nuRdltsiavpaitttsuerdme obinmecetohnmet eloisffetghrseatocseroyuoorncfetDheoofmdaianjyoicyo{fSuhal iüsliofeF, iriassnttdyCpooifcmadmellycuisnciovioennn,ceocsmteeedmn ittâoms etahnestsee:eud.cIthhtaawrtiasistf
a wonderful and never-to-be forgotten day for him; it was a renewal of his life for God ,
a life that can be taken as an example by anyone. Ifone got him to talk about his First
Communion several years later his face lit up with joy and happiness as he said: "That
was the happiest and most wonderful day of my life. He made some promises on that
day which he preserved carefully in a little book and often re-read them [...] 1. I will go
often to Confession and I will go to HoIy Communion as often as I am allowed by my
confessor. 2. I will try to keep Sundays and holy days holy. 3. My friends will be Jesus
and Mary. 4. Death but not sin". These promises which he often went over were the
guiding light ofhis life until he died" (J. Bosco, Vita del giouanetto Sauio Dornenico al-
lieuo dell'Oratorio d,i S. Francesco di Sales con appendice sulle grazie ottenute per sua
intercessione, Ed. 5, Torino, Tipografia e Libreria Salesiana 1878 in ISS, Salesian
Sources. 7. Don Bosco and his work. Collected works,IÀS, Rome 2014, Krystu Jyoti
Publications 20L7 Life of the young Dominic Sauio, pupil at the Oratory of St Francis
de Sales, LlTl).
"o lbid.,l2l0.

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THE RECT)R MAJ)R 35
the foundation of local Churches. Deeply impressive is the fact
that a very large proportion ofthe brothers and sisters ofour
Salesian Family who are in the process of the recognition of
their heroic virtues and of their holiness are missionaries:
(Blessed Mary Romero Meneses FMA; Blessed Mary Troncatti
FMA; the Venerable Vincent Cimatti).
-- The oblative holiness of the "victim" expressing the deep
roots of "Da mihi animas, coetera tolle". Leading the way in
this group is the Venerable Fr Andrew Beltrami (1870-1897),
whose example provides a pattern for a long list of others
living Salesian holiness in this way which starting from the
trio Andrew Beltrami, August Czartoryski, Louis Variara,
continues through the years with other great figures such as
Blessed Eusebia Palomino, Blessed Alexandrina Mary da
Costa, Blessed Laura Vicuf,a, without forgetting the numerous
host of martyrs (among whom should be mentioned the g5
martyrs of the Spanish ciül war, and amongthese manyyoung
confreres in formation and young priests).
-- The dimension of the "broken home": families in which at
least one ofthe parents is absent. or else where the presence of
the mother and/or the father, for different reasons (physical,
psychological, moral or spiritual), creates problems for the
children. Don Bosco, who himself experienced the early death of
his father and having to live away from home following Mamma
Margaret's prudent decision, wanted the Salesian work to be
.
particularly dedicated f6 «poor and abandoned youth".
Blessed Laura Vicufia, born in Chile in 1891, who had not
known a father and whose mother in Argentina began to live
with a rich landowner Manuel Mora. Larrra, suffering from the
irregular moral situation of her mother mamma, offered her
.
life for her.
The Servant of God Charles Braga, born in Valtellina (in
the north of Italy) in 1889. He was abandoned by his father
while still very young, and his mother was sent away because,
through a mixture of ignorance and gossip, she was considered

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36 ACIS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
emotionally unstable. Charles met with great humiliations and
several times saw the authentic nature of his Salesian vocation
put in question, but in this great suffering he was able to bring
to maturity a great capacity for reconciliation, and to show a
deep sense of paternity and goodness especially with regard to
the parents of confreres.
--- The vocational dimension: in the context of the bicente-
nary of the birth of Don Bosco there were two beatiflrcations of
two confreres martyrs, whose Iives reflect some constitutive
. aspects of our charism.
The person of Stephen Sândor (1914-1953), beatified in 2013
(his cause was introduced in 2006), recalls the complementari-
ty of the two forms of the single consecrated Salesian vocation:
the lay (Brother) and the priestly. The shining testimony of
Stephen Sândor, as a Salesian Brother, expresses a clear and
decisive vocational choice, an exemplary life, an educational ex-
pertise and an apostolic fruitfulness, in which we see a presen-
tation of the vocation and the mission of the Salesian Brother,
with a special love for the young apprentices and for the world
. of work.
Titus Zelorran (1915-1969), beatified in Bratislava on 30 Sep-
tember 2017 (his cause was introduced in 2010). When the
Czechslovakian communist regime, in April 1950, prohibited
religious orders and began to deport male and female religious
to concentration camps it was decided it was necessary to or-
ganize secret journeys to Turin to enable young Salesians to
complete their studies. Titus took upon himself this dangerous
enterprise and organized two expeditions for about 20 young
Salesians. During a third expedition Fr Zeman with the other
fugitives was arrested. He endured a severe trial during which
he was described as a traitor to the fatherland and a Vatican
spy and was condemned to death. He accepted his calvary with
a great spirit of sacrifice and oblation: «Even if I lose my life I
would not consider it wasted, knowing that at least one of
those I helped has become a priest in my place."

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THE RECTOR MAJOB 37
---+ The dimension of "Salesian paternity and maternity":
after the great example of paternity in Don Bosco, we recall
among others, Saint Mary Domenica Mazzarcllo, Blessed
Michael Rua, Blessed Philip Rinaldi, Blessed Joseph Calasanz,
Venerable Mamma Margaret, Venerable Vincent Cimatti, Ven-
erable TeresaValsè, Venerable Augustus Arribat, the Servant of
God Fr Charles Braga, the Servant of God Fr Andrew Majcen...
'-- The episcopal dimension: in the varied examples of holi-
ness that flourished at the school ofDon Bosco, there are a sig-
nificant number of bishops who incarnated in a special way
pastoral charity, typical of the Salesian charism, in the episco-
pal ministry: Louis Versiglia (1873-1930), Martyr and Saint;
Louis Olivares (1873-1943), Venerable; Stephen Ferrando
(1895-1978), Venerable and Founder; Octavius Ortiz Arrieta
( 18 78- 1 958), Venerable; Augustus Hlond ( 188 1 - 1948), Venera-
ble, cardinal; Anthony de Almeida Lustosa (1886-1974), Ser-
vant of God; Orestes Marengo (1906-1998), Servant of God.
--- The dimension of "charismatic sonship". It is also very
interesting to notice that we venerate some saints who shared
with Don Bosco some stages of life, appreciated his holiness,
his apostolic and educational fruitfulness, but then followed
their own path with evangelical freedom and became in their
turn founders, with their own perceptive intuitions, a genuine
love for the poor and unlimited trust in Providence: Saint
Leonardo Murialdo, Saint Louis Guanella, Saint Louis Orione.
This situation that has been described is so beautiful, that it
fills us with a sense of responsibility and also encouragement. It
can clearly be seen that we are the depositories of a precious in-
heritance which deserves to be better known and appreciated. The
danger is to reduce this heritage of holiness to liturgical celebra-
tions, not fully appreciating its potentiality in the areas of the
spiritual, pastoral, ecclesial, educative, cultural, historical, social,
missionary mission. The Saints, Blesseds, Venerables and Ser-
vants of God are precious nuggets that have been extracted from

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38 ACTS OF THE GENERALCOUNCIL
the darkness of the mine so that they will shine out and reflect in
the Church and in the Salesian Family the splendour of truth and
the love of Christ.
--- The pastoral aspect of these people is connected to their
effectiveness as successful examples of Christianity lived in the
particular socio-cultural and political situations of the world,
the Church and the Salesian Family itself.
---, The spiritual aspect involves the invitation to imitate their
virtues as the source of the inspiration and of the planning
ability for our style of life and for our mission. The pastoral
and spiritual work involved in a cause is a genuine form of
education to holiness, to which, given our charism, we ought to
be particularly sensitive and attentive.
I end this commentary on the Strenna with the extensive and
uptodate information from our Postulation Office. It will certain-
ly be of great interest to our Salesian Family and especially to all
the groups in this beautiful tree of Salesianity who can see one or
other of their members included in one of the processes. As Don
Rua wrote, the holiness of us all his sons and daughters will be a
proof of the holiness lived by and handed down to us by Don Bosco
himself, the beloved Father of the whole Salesian Family spread
around the world.
My dear brothers and sisters I can confidently state that the
greatest and the most pressing need that we have today in our
Salesian world is not to do more things, not to plan or replan
initiatives, to open new foundations... but rather to show what our
lives individuatly and collectively communicate, our way of living
the Gospel which develops and expands in time as the continua-
tion of the way Jesus lived". What really is at stake is our holiness!
We are saints, as \\ryas our Father and the Founder of our beau-
tiful Salesian Family which today is spread throughout the world!
"'cf.vc,62.

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THE RECTOR MAJOR 39
Pope John Paul II, today a saint, made an enthusiastic appeal
to us that although at the time was addressed to the Salesians,
equally applies to the whole Salesian Family in general and to each
one of its groups. Let us listen to it once again as a word addressed
to each one of us and to our Institute. This is what he said:
You want to «propose once again with courage "tending to-
wards holiness" as the principal response to the challenges of the
contemporary world. In short it is a matter not so much of taking
up ne\\ry activities as of living and bearing witness to the Gospel
without any compromises so as to encourage towards holiness
those young people that you meet. Salesians for the third millen-
nium! May you be enthusiastic teachers and guides, saints and
formers of saints as rü/as St John Bosco,n0.
Let us ask Mary our Mother and the Help of Christians that
she may grant us the light necessary to see clearly and to follow
faithfully with all our hearts this path of life. May she give her
support to the commitment of each one and of the whole Salesian
Family along the path of Salesian holiness for the sake of those to
whom we are sent and for our own.
May she, the Mother, expert in the Spirit, work in us the mar-
vels of grace that she has worked in all our saints.
May the Help of Christians accompany and guide us.
I wish you a year full of the fruits of holiness.
Affectionately,
dz$
Fr Ângel Fpnxrirrropz Anrnun, sdb
Rector Major
oo JoHN Paur, II, Message of H.H. John Paul II at the beginning of the GC2S, rn
GC25, r40.