JANUARY 2024 - Animation Material on the DREAM OF DON BOSCO-RASE %281%29


JANUARY 2024 - Animation Material on the DREAM OF DON BOSCO-RASE %281%29

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CELEBRATING 200 YEARS
OF THE DREAM OF JOHNY BOSCO AT THE AGE OF NINE!
ANIMAT“aIOMNULTMITAUDTEEoRf IcAhiLldrFenOwRereJpAlaNyiUngA…R” Y 2024
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Dear members of the Salesian Family,
Happy New Year!
In this year dedicated to celebrating the 200th anniversary of Johny Bosco's Dream at the age of
nine, the Rector Major has given the Strenna: e Dream that makes you Dream . e South Asia
Region of the Congregation is happy to present to the English-speaking Salesian world, animation
material extracted from the book A Dream that took Wings: Don Bosco's Vision and the
Transformative Legacy for Youth and the Salesian Family Worldwide. It is translated from material
published by the Mediterranean Region of our Congregation. e book is published by Kristu
Jyoti Publications, Bangalore. ose who need printed copies of the book may contact
kristujyotipub@yahoo.co.in
It is recommended that each community, under the guidance of the Rector/Superior/Leader,
schedule two sessions with the entire community every month at a convenient time. One session
could be focused on the Lectio Divina part of the theme/chapter for the month (starting with
January as Chapter 1). In the second session, the community could take up the Charismatic
Reading part. Both parts have questions for community discussion. It would be best if the two
sessions are scheduled on successive days or at least not too far apart so as to maintain the
continuity of theme to re ect on. It could also be done in one sitting. All other creative ways to use
the material are to be encouraged.
Fr inh Phuoc Giuseppe NGUYEN
Regional Councillor for East Asia-Oceania
Reference: Biju Michael (Compiled & Translated by), A Dream that took Wings: Don Bosco's Vision and the
Transformative Legacy for Youth and the Salesian Family Worldwide (Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 2023).

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DON BOSCO'S DREAM AT THE AGE OF NINE
It was at that age that I had a dream. All my life this remained deeply impressed on my mind. In
this dream I seemed to be near my home in a fairly large yard. A crowd of children were playing
there. Some were laughing, some were playing games, and quite a few were swearing. When I
heard these evil words, I jumped immediately amongst them and tried to stop them by using my
words and my fists.
At that moment a dignified man appeared, a nobly dressed adult. He wore a white cloak, and his
face shone so that I could not look directly at him. He called me by name, told me to take charge of
these children, and added these words: "You will have to win these friends of yours not by blows
but by gentleness and love. Start right away to teach them the ugliness of sin and the value of
virtue." Confused and frightened, I replied that I was a poor, ignorant child. I was unable to talk
to those youngsters about religion. At that moment the kids stopped their fighting, shouting, and
swearing; they gathered round the man who was speaking.
Hardly knowing what I was saying, I asked, "Who are you, ordering me to do the impossible?"
"Precisely because it seems impossible to you, you must make it
possible through obedience and the acquisition of knowledge."
"Where, by what means, can I acquire knowledge?"
"I will give you a teacher. Under her guidance you can become
wise. Without her, all wisdom is foolishness."
"But who are you that speak so?"
“I am the son of the woman whom your mother has taught you to
greet three times a day."
"My mother tells me not to mix with people I don't know unless I
have her permission. So, tell me your name."
"Ask my mother what my name is."
At that moment, I saw a lady of stately appearance standing beside
him. She was wearing a mantle that sparkled all over as though
covered with bright stars. Seeing from my questions and answers
that I was more confused than ever, she beckoned me to approach
her. She took me kindly by the hand and said, "Look." Glancing round, I realised that the
youngsters had all apparently run away. A large number of goats, dogs, cats, bears, and other
animals had taken their place.
"This is the field of your work. Make yourself humble, strong, and energetic. And what you will
see happening to these animals in a moment is what you must do for my children."
I looked round again, and where before I had seen wild animals, I now saw gentle lambs. They
were all jumping and bleating as if to welcome that man and lady.
Reference: Biju Michael (Compiled & Translated by), A Dream that took Wings: Don Bosco's Vision and the
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At that point, still dreaming, I began crying. I begged the lady to speak so that I could understand
her, because I did not know what all this could mean. She then placed her hand on my head and
said, "In good time you will understand everything."
With that, a noise woke me up and everything disappeared. I was totally bewildered. My hands
seemed to be sore from the blows I had given, and my face hurt from those I had received. The
memory of the man and the lady, and the things said and heard, so occupied my mind that I could
not get any more sleep that night.
I wasted no time in telling all about my dream. I spoke first to my brothers, who laughed at the
whole thing, and then to my mother and grandmother. Each one gave his own interpretation.
My brother Joseph said, "You're going to become a keeper of goats, sheep, and other animals."
My mother commented, "Who knows, but you may become a priest." Anthony merely grunted,
"Perhaps you'll become a robber chief."
But my grandmother, though she could not read or write, knew enough theology and made the
final judgement, saying, "Pay no a ention to dreams."
I agreed with my grandmother. However, I was unable to cast that dream out of my mind. The
things I shall have to say later will give some meaning to all this. I kept quiet about these things,
and my relatives paid li le a ention to them. But when I went to Rome in 1858 to speak to the
Pope about the Salesian Congregation, he asked me to tell him everything that had even the
suggestion of the supernatural about it. It was only then, for the first time, that I said anything
about this dream which I had when I was nine or ten years old. The Pope ordered me to write out
the dream in all its detail and to leave it as an encouragement to the sons of that Congregation
whose formation was the reason for that visit to Rome.
Source: Memoirs of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales from 1815 to 1855. The Autobiography of Saint John Bosco, tr. by Daniel
Lyons, S D B , with notes and commentary by Eugenio Ceria, S D B , Lawrence Castelvecchi, S D B and Michael Mendl,
SDB (New Rochelle, NY: Don Bosco Publications, 1989) 3-4.
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INTRODUCTION
Among the many dreams narrated by Don Bosco, the most de ning one for his vocation and
mission is arguably the most popular among them, the dream at the age of nine . Don Bosco
himself describes in the Memoirs of the Oratory that it was impressed on his mind and was
repeated several times.
In the dream at the age of nine, in particular, the mission that the saint of the youth would ful l
with dedication, e ort, sacri ce, but also with joy, charity, and passion is outlined. Jesus and Mary
indicate to John his mission: the eld of work (the poor and abandoned youth); the educational
method (not through beatings/blows but with charity and gentleness); the attitude to adopt (make
yourself humble, strong, and robust); the teacher and support (Mary Help of Christians); the fruits
of this commitment (the transformation from wolves to lambs). For this reason, the dream at the
age of nine remains an essential point of reference for the entire Salesian family. A dream that
remained impressed in his memory for a lifetime. A dream that seems like a typical vocation story
like those we nd in the Bible.
In 2024, the Salesian Family is celebrating the second centenary of this dream of young John
Bosco the future Don Bosco. In view of this celebration, the Rector Major, the Father and Centre
of Unity of the Salesian Family has chosen the Strenna for 2024 to be: e dream that makes you
dream. A heart that transforms 'wolves' into 'lambs'.
e year 2024 also marks 150 years of the approval of the Salesian Constitutions on 3 April
1874. e second part of every chapter draws attention to the articles from the Constitutions of
some of the Salesian Family members: SDB, FMA, MSMHC, VSDB, SMA, and Disciples.
With the intention of preparing an animation tool on this topic for the English-speaking groups of
the Salesian Family, I have selected and translated a Lectio Divina and a Charismatic reading each
per month that was published over three years (three books in 2020-2023) by the Salesian Youth
Movement of the Mediterranean Region (involving SDBs, FMAs, and Cooperators). e original
was published in Italian. I am grateful to the Regional Councillor, Fr. Juan Carlos Godoy Pérez and
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the various authors for the permission granted to use the material. e three books were named:
Nel cuore del mondo: ecco il tuo campo, ecco dove devi lavorare (2020.2021), Amati e chiamati:
renditi umile, forte e robusto (2021-2022), and Noi ci stiamo: non con le percosse ma con la
mansuetudine e la carità (2022-2023). Special thanks are due to Fr Carlo Maria Zanotti,
Fr Fabiano Gheller, Fr Andrea Checchinato, Fr Carlo Cassatella, Sr Maria Ko, FMA, Fr Marco
Rossetti, and Fr Marco Pavan. I am grateful to Sr Lydia Komuhra, FMA and Fr Jose
Kuttianimattathil, SDB for proofreading the entire work. Sr Mary adavanal, MSMHC, Sr.
Iaineh Kurbah, VSDB, Sr Josephine Selvi, SMA, and Fr Joe D'Souza, SDB (Founder of the
"Disciples") helped with identifying the articles from their respective Constitutions. I am grateful
to Kristu Jyoti Publications, Bangalore for the help rendered to make the book available in print.
e chapters for each month are linked together by the connecting thread of the Dream at the age
of nine. It was of fundamental importance in the life of Don Bosco. is dream was for him and is
now for us the key to understanding the works of our Father Don Bosco and for understanding the
origins of our Salesian Family. From the distance of about y years when Don Bosco was advised
by Pope Pius IX in 1858, to write down the dream for encouraging posterity, the dream has
evolved to be, as Fr Bozzolo describes, one of the most e ective symbols and one of the most
eloquent synthesis of the Salesian charism.It remains a dream that can still illuminate and guide
our choices and strengthen our pastoral charity.
is book meant to be an animation tool for the Salesian Family in the year of the bicentenary
celebration of the dream at the age of nine is organized with 12 Lectio Divina and 12 Charismatic
readings one each for every month of the year. Every month, one or more keywords of the dream
are stressed and the scripture readings, and charismatic readings are chosen to help re ection on
those aspects of the charism and mission. Hence the chapters are organized in the following order:
Lectio Divina
eme of the month based on the Dream at the age of nine
A Gospel text
Re ection on the text
Re ection on moving from text to life
Some questions for communal and personal re ection
A prayer
Charismatic Reading
Charismatic objective of the month
A brief theological and spiritual insight
A Salesian text
Constitutional reference
Some questions for communal and personal re ection
An appropriate concluding hymn
It is obvious that these are re ection guides and therefore they are not exhaustive and do not
claim to be exhaustive.
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It is hoped that they can be a concrete help and an impulse to stir up a profound and useful
animation in our communities for the journey of every member of the Salesian family.
e re ections and texts provided are meant to be only a beginning, a starting point that could
lead to greater focused re ection on the concrete situation of each one.
May Don Bosco, Dominic Savio, Mother Mazzarello, Artemide Zatti, and all Salesian Saints
support and encourage us to walk boldly to realize today the same dreams of salvation for the
multitude of children who await good and kind words that give meaning and signi cance to their
existence and transform them into honest citizens and good Christians.
Fr Biju Michael, sdb
General Councillor for South Asia
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1
JAUNUARY 2024: LECTIO DIVINA
“MULTITUDE”
When I was nine years old, I had a dream
that remained deeply imprinted in my mind
throughout my life. In this dream I seemed
to be near my home in a fairly large yard.
A MULTITUDE of children were
playing there. Some were laughing,
some were playing games, and quite a
few were swearing. When I heard
these evil words, I jumped
immediately amongst them and
tried to stop them by using my
words and my sts.
Gospel Text:
Luke 13:18-21
¹ He said therefore, What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? ¹ It is
like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the
birds of the air made nests in its branches.
² And again he said, To what should I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like yeast that a
woman took and mixed in with [a] three measures of our until all of it was leavened.
Re ection on the Text
e preceding passage states that the Kingdom already exists
and is at work in the world. Now it explains how. It has a
seemingly insigni cant and inconspicuous appearance,
almost invisible, and discernment is needed to recognize it.
e Kingdom of the Father is open to children; but to the
eyes of the worldly, it appears small and unsuccessful: a seed
that rots! But in this very aspect, its vital strength is revealed
spontaneous and speci c to become a plant. To perceive its
presence and action, one must turn one's gaze toward what doesn't count: God accomplishes His
plan through what is small, despised, and nothing (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:28).
These parables serve as criteria for discerning the divine plan from above, as God sees it: what
happened to Jesus in His history corresponds to what happens to His Kingdom in our history.
erefore, they are Christological parables, tracing the story of Jesus the seed that brings forth
life through death, the yeast that works only in concealment. ey become parables of the Church,
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of our communities, of each of us, called to follow Him. ey become useful parables for
understanding that the dying seed produces a multitude, a vital force to accompany, guide, and
direct!
e Kingdom of God
First and foremost, it is of God and not of man. e Kingdom can only be expressed through
similes, both because it is inexpressible directly, and because everything that exists is its
expression and image. Indeed, the entire creation is a re ection of the Son, the glory of the
Father. In Him alone do we directly see our faces as children, faces we had forgotten. It's
interesting to note that it is not said to what we can compare the beginning, growth,
and completion of the Kingdom. Instead, it is a rmed: the Kingdom of God is
like a mustard seed; it is like a bit of yeast. e Kingdom of God is already
ful lled in its inception and throughout its history. e Kingdom of God is
here and now.
Kingdom of God means: God exists, God lives, God is present and active
in the world, in our/my life. God is the most present and decisive reality in
every moment of my life, in every moment of history (Ratzinger, Address
to the Catechists,10 December 2000).
A tiny seed. Just a bit larger than a pinhead; Mark calls it the smallest of all
the seeds on earth (4:31).Just as the Word (8:4-15), the Kingdom is now
likened to a seed. e seed is an invisible yet irresistible vital force that
germinates according to its nature and fully expresses its potential by dying. e story of the
Kingdom, or of the seed, is the same as that of Jesus: the smallest among all (9:48), handed over
to humanity, taken and thrown outside the walls.
e seed grows only if it dies (John 12:24). is is its mystery: it produces life beyond death.
While everything else, in dying, rots forever, it becomes a plant, a ower, and fruit! A multitude
indeed! Death cannot conquer it; it becomes what is life conquering death! It is the tree of the
cross!
e characteristics of the Kingdom are those of Jesus: not grand, but small; it doesn't take, but
is taken; it's not signi cant, but cast aside; it doesn't remain in the city, but outside. And it dies. But
thus, it reveals its true nature as a seed: by dying it gives life, germinates, grows, and becomes a
tree. In Him, the Word made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory (John 1:14). In Him,
the seed that is thrown away but has grown to be the tree of the cross, every person nds a
dwelling in the glory of God: rediscovers their face as a child of God, re ecting the light of the
Father.
e Yeast isn't something apart from the our; it changes it and causes the dough to rise. It also
describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a historical reality in the making, initially small, almost
imperceptible, yet vital and dynamic. rough generational historical events, it will manifest itself
de nitively in its majesty. Here's the contrast: a humble beginning with a magni cent ending.
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e Yeast of which Jesus talks about was a tiny piece of raw dough, which naturally ferments. But
what does it mean to leaven the dough? What does the gure of yeast evoke?
In using the vivid image of yeast, Jesus wanted to emphasize not only the coming of the time of
salvation (already highlighted in the parable of the mustard seed) but also His powerful and
unstoppable action.
An interesting aspect of the parable of the yeast is the deliberate exaggeration Jesus employs: the
fermenting work of the yeast is disproportionate to the amount of our (just three measures,
corresponding to 39 kilograms of our). Jesus speaks of a large quantity of our capable of feeding
hundreds of people. Certainly, no housewife would knead such a large amount of our. What
interested Jesus was that the listeners could grasp the signi cance of the message underlying the
image of the our: the Kingdom of Heaven possesses within itself extraordinary power,
although it was insigni cant in its manifestation in history.
e e ectiveness of the Kingdom isn't worldly e ciency but rather the continuation of the
history of the One who was rejected and hidden in a garden cave! Whoever wants to see glory
should consider what is contemptible, hidden, in the world's dough, but is able to transform it. e
yeast is not only hidden. It is also dispersed and spread. I am life for the three days of human
history: today, tomorrow, and always (cf. Mk 8:31 .). Only this way will all the world's dough
shi from the Pharisees' yeast to the Kingdom's yeast: through insigni cance and humility.
Otherwise, despite all goodwill, one would only obstruct God's work in history.
From Text to Life
In summary, with the words of Pope Francis (June 14, 2015),
e second parable uses the image of the mustard seed. Despite being the smallest of all seeds, it
is full of life and grows to become 'larger than all the garden plants' (Mark 4:32). And so it is with
the Kingdom of God: a humanly small and apparently insigni cant reality. To be part of it, one
must be poor in heart, not rely on one's abilities, but on the power of God's love, not strive to be
important in the world's eyes but precious in God's eyes, who favours the simple and humble.
When we live this way, the strength of Christ bursts forth through us and transforms what is small
and modest into a reality that ferments the entire mass of the world and history.
From these two parables, an important lesson emerges: the Kingdom of God requires our
cooperation, but it is primarily the Lord's initiative and gi . Our weak work, seemingly small
in the face of the world's complex problems, when inserted into God's work, is unafraid of
di culties. e victory of the Lord is certain: His love will sprout and grow every seed of good on
earth. is opens us to trust and hope, despite the dramas, injustices, and su erings we encounter.
e seed of good and peace sprouts and develops, because it is made mature by the merciful love of
God.
e Kingdom of God is on the move. And not only is the Kingdom 'not still,' but even more, the
Kingdom of God 'is realised' every day.
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Yeast and seed are on the move to 'do' something. And so is the Kingdom. It's not a 'problem of
smallness,' where one might think, 'it's small, it's insigni cant, or it's big.' It's more a 'problem
of movement.' It's precisely in the movement that 'transformation happens'.
What attitude does the Lord ask of us so that the Kingdom of God may grow and be bread for
all and a dwelling for everyone? e answer is clear: docility. Indeed, the Kingdom of God
grows with docility to the power of the Holy Spirit.
is reality of the Kingdom of God reveals itself as decisive in death. Just like the seed, just like the
yeast, just like Jesus. e Kingdom is where everything slips from our hands and can no longer be
controlled; where nothing is understood of what is happening, at the exact limit beyond which
despair, exhaustion, surrender await us. e Kingdom of God is represented in Christ Himself
lying on that edge. His tomb itself turns into soil and our, what we are today, our existences. e
grain fallen to the ground, if it doesn't die, remains alone. e Lord thrown away in this world like
an utterly ordinary grain of Life, abandoned in a garden, executed on a cross, buried in a cave,
saved an immense multitude, and among them, us too.
And He makes our life His Kingdom, precisely where it is torn from us. Today, Jesus awaits us at
the end of dreams and plans, of love and a ections, of ideals and philosophies, of politics and
nance; He awaits us to redeem us, to ll us with Him, with His full and eternal life. It's not
death, it's life! It's not a tomb, it's the Kingdom of God! Man's incomparable solitude was
overcome the moment He found Himself in it. In its depths, man doesn't live by bread alone, but
in the authenticity of his being, he lives because he is loved and allowed to love (J. Ratzinger,
Homily for Holy Saturday).
e mustard seed, the yeast, our human and eshly insigni cance constitute the authenticity of
our being: stripped of every mask, we experience that we don't live on bread and that we're born to
become bread: where everything is taken away from us, emerges victorious the love of Christ, as
the only source and reason for life.
rown into history like a mustard seed, kneaded into days like yeast, we're called to be citizens of
the Kingdom of God in Christ: it's in us and with us, visiting history, the places of our human
experiences, to become a tree capable of welcoming the birds of the sky - between our cruci ed
arms a biblical image of pagan peoples. Our redeemed insigni cance ferments the countless
nonsensical things that terrify people, opening the doors of the Kingdom to them. us, the silent
martyrdom of every day that awaits us, bloodless and therefore not even heroic, reveals the
authenticity and value of our life.
Some Questions for Communal and Personal Re ection
1. Re-read the Gospel text slowly. Ask yourself what it means for your life to be and enter into
the logic of the seed and yeast.
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2. e Kingdom of God is here and now. God is there. erefore, conversion means turning
to Him. Review your day and examine all your actions, big or small, to see if they were truly
lived in the awareness that God is there, that His Kingdom is being realised, that it's a
journey.
3. What path can you take to improve and strengthen the logic of small things that the
Gospel proposes to us?
4. Re ect as a community on the theme of the multitude and the Kingdom of God as
applied to your reality.
Prayer
Send us, O God, your fools,
those who commit fully,
who love sincerely,
not in words but in deeds,
and who truly know how to sacri ce themselves until the end.
We need fools who are willing to lose themselves to serve Christ.
Lovers of a simple life,
strangers to compromise,
determined not to betray,
ready for total sel essness, able to accept any task,
free and submissive at the same time,
spontaneous and tenacious,
gentle and strong.
Amen!
- Madeleine Delbrel
Extracts from: Biju Michael (Compiled & Translated by), A Dream that took Wings: Don Bosco’s Vision and the
Transformative Legacy for Youth and the Salesian Family Worldwide (Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 2023).
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1.1
JANUARY 2024: CHARISMATIC READING
“MULTITUDE”
When I was nine years old, I had a dream that
deeply impressed my mind for my entire life. In
my sleep, it seemed to me that I was near home,
in a very spacious courtyard, where a
MULTITUDE of children had gathered,
playing around. Some were laughing, others
were playing, and quite a few were swearing.
Upon hearing those curses, I immediately
threw myself into their midst, using sts and
words to silence them.
Charismatic Objective
To understand that even today, the harvest is plentiful, young people are a multitude, and they
are near home, in a courtyard. We want to recognize and rea rm the preference for young
people who are poor, abandoned, and in danger.
eological and Spiritual Insight
St. John Paul II wrote in Redemptoris Missio: missionary activity renews the Church, revitalizes
faith and Christian identity, and o ers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened
when it is given to others! (RM 2). erefore, every pastoral e ort arises from this dynamic
vitality of the ecclesial mission. And it is the most precious service that the Church can render to
humanity and to each individual who is in the search for the deep reasons to live life to the fullest.
All those who have encountered the risen Lord have felt the need to proclaim his resurrection to
others, as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus did. A er recognizing the Lord in the breaking
of the bread, they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found the Eleven gathered
together and those with them and reported what had happened to them along the way (Luke
24:33-34). is is how it was for Don Bosco and now his sons commit themselves to have a
preferential gaze for the multitude of young people awaiting the proclamation of life in its
fullness.
e Pope rightly recalled in Christus Vivit: e attentive gaze of one who has been called to be a
father, shepherd, and guide to young people consists in identifying the small ame that
continues to burn, the reed that seems to be breaking but is not yet broken (cf. Isaiah 42:3). It is
the ability to identify paths where others see only walls, to recognize possibilities where others
see only dangers. is is the gaze of God the Father, capable of valuing and nourishing the seeds of
goodness sown in the hearts of young people. erefore, every young person's heart must be
considered sacred ground, bearing seeds of divine life, and we must remove our sandals to
approach and deepen the Mystery (CV 67).
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Salesian Text
As we know, the mission gives our entire life its concrete tone, its touch and original colour. e
mission is a characteristic element of the Salesian charism and life, to the point of shaping the
face of our consecration, which is precisely apostolic consecration. erefore, our recipients, the
multitude of young people we encounter or who await this encounter, are always the objects of
our preference. ere cannot be a Salesian without a passion for the preference for young people.
It may be interesting to reread the Circular Letter of Don Paolo Albera, written on October 18,
1920, titled: Don Bosco, our model in the acquisition of religious perfection, in educating and
sanctifying youth, in dealing with others, and in doing good to all (Circulars of Fr Albera, XXXV,
p. 360-383). Here we include an interesting passage on the preference of the Salesian for the
multitude of poor and abandoned youth.
From the Circular Letters of Fr Albera, XXXV, p. 372-373
e Gi of Preference for the Young
Once this point is well established, I will say that to imitate the apostolate of the Father among the
young, it is not enough to feel a certain natural attraction for them, but we must truly prefer them.
is preference, in its initial state, is a gi from God, it is the very Salesian vocation; but it is up to
our intelligence and our heart to develop and perfect it.
Intelligence re ects on the ministry received in the Lord, in order to carry it out properly: See to it
that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord (Colossians 4:17). It thinks about
the greatness of the ministry of educating youth and forming them in true and solid virtue: that is,
to draw from the child the whole person, just as the artist sculpts the statue from the marble: to
elevate young people from a state of intellectual and moral inferiority to a higher state: to shape
the spirit, the heart, the will, and the conscience through piety, humility, gentleness, strength,
justice, self-denial, zeal, and edi cation, gradually instilling them through example. In short, in
the light of youth apostolate, intelligence intuits, meditates, and understands all the beauty of Don
Bosco's heavenly pedagogy and sets its heart on re to practice it with love, attracting, winning,
and transforming.
We must love young people.
Preference is the perfection of love: it is therefore formed above all in the heart and is formed by
loving. It must be, my dear ones, that we love the young people whom Providence entrusts to our
care, as Don Bosco knew how to love them. I do not say that it is easy, but this is where the secret of
the expansive vitality of our Congregation lies.
However, it must be said that Don Bosco preferred us in a unique way: we felt the irresistible
charm of it, but words fail to make it understood by those who have not experienced it for
themselves, and even the most fervent imagination cannot represent it with images that can give a
true idea of it.
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Even now, I seem to feel all the sweetness of his preference for me as a young boy: I felt as if I were
made a prisoner by an a ectionate power that nourished my thoughts, words, and actions, but I
cannot describe this state of my soul better, which was also the state of my companions back then.
I felt that I was loved in a way I had never experienced before, which had nothing to do with the
intense love my unforgettable parents had for me.
Constitutional Reference for Meditation and Prayer
Read, meditate, and pray with the articles from the Constitutions:
SDB: 26-30 (Recipients of our mission)
FMA: 6-7 (Identity and Mission)
MSMHC: 1-3; 71-72 (Identity and Charism)
VSDB: 1-3 (Nature & Aim of the Congregation)
SMA: 1-2 (Nature & Spirituality)
Disciples: 1, 2, 4, 5 (Nature & Purpose)
Some Questions for Communal and Personal Re ection
1. Are we, as a community, embedded in the dynamic vitality of ecclesial mission? Can we say
that our commitment is a dynamic passion for the multitude of young people?
2. Is our preference the ability to identify paths where others see only walls, to recognize
possibilities where others see only dangers?
3. Is our preference for the multitude of young people a perfection of love ? What can we
enhance? What can we trans gure?
4. Share one of the Constitution articles among those mentioned and try to pray with that text.
An Appropriate Concluding Hymn
Extracts from: Biju Michael (Compiled & Translated by), A Dream that took Wings: Don Bosco’s Vision and the
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Transformative Legacy for Youth and the Salesian Family Worldwide (Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 2023).