A Flickering Candle

A Flickering Candle

The Last Days of Don Bosco

By Bro. Ryan Oliver Bautista, SDB

November 30, 2010

When I was young there was a TV series entitled Are You Afraid of the Dark? As a child, I loved a good scare and I would often watch this teen series about a group of adolescents who would gather at night in the middle of the woods and each of the members take turn to present to the group a tale of horror. Tonight as we remember of our Father, Don Bosco, I am posing this question to all of us. Are you afraid of the dark? (lights off, with only one candle to be lighted.) Submitted for the approval of the Don Bosco Postnovitiate Community, I call this sermonette: the Tale of the Flickering Candle. (sprinkle some incense into the candle).

The candle was flickering. This was the description of those who have seen Don Bosco in his last days on earth. After years of tireless work for the salvation of the souls of countless young people, Don Bosco is slowly drifting into the darkness of death.

I cannot count anymore the number of times we have celebrated the Salesian Family Mass for the Dead. I have memorized already the lines from the book of Wisdom: the souls of the just are in the hand of God[1], the responsorial psalm response: though I walk in the valley of darkness I fear no evil for you are with me[2] and the Gospel proclamation, I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?[3]

The liturgical celebrations of the month of November remind us of death, of the end times and of the last things. These are the very things dear to the heart of Don Bosco. These are the main themes of his dreams, of his sermons, of his letters. This is the main theme of his life. His life is a preparation for death, his death is a preparation for life – eternal life. On January 31, 1888, the hour has come for Don Bosco to face death. Tonight let us relive that darkest hours in our Father’s life. Let us listen to his words as brings into fulfillment his humanity by entering into the agony of death.

December 29 to Fr Enria, One must learn how to live and how to die.

January 28 to Fr Bonetti, Tell my boys that I shall be waiting for all of them in heaven.

January 29 to the doctors, Tomorrow… Tomorrow… I will be going on a long journey…

January 29 to Fr Paul Albera, Paul… Paul… where are you? Why don’t you come?

January 30 to Fr Michael Rua, See that you are loved.

These final words of Don Bosco reveal to us his true greatness, his love for the young and for the Congregation, and his humble acceptance of death. In a few days time, Don Bosco’s relic would be with us. In it, he was depicted in his last moments. It might look unappealing, very unlike Don Bosco who was a priest filled with vigor and enthusiasm ready to undertake any project for the salvation of the young. But maybe, just maybe, the Congregation was guided by the Spirit to depict Don Bosco in his best hour – the hour of his death! Looking at the life of Christ himself we see that his greatest moment is not when he healed the blind, cleansed the temple or even transfigured in Mt Tabor. His greatest moment was when he breathed out his spirit to the Father in the cross. The darkest hour of death is made bright by the bright promise of the eternal life. The hour of Don Bosco’s death was the time when his Pro vobis was brought into fulfillment: for you I am ready even to give my life.

As we will soon look at this reliquary, may we be reminded of a man who had given his whole life for Christ, for the Church, for the young people and for us, his sons. It should move us to be grateful to be called sons of such a great father. As we marvel the serenity of his face at the hour of death immortalized by his death mask, may we be able to experience being loved by Don Bosco himself to the point of his death. I remember a story about one of his boys who was about to be sent out into the Oratory because of financial difficulties. The boy was so distressed and do not know what to do but Don Bosco with a father’s affection told him, Do not worry, as long as I am here, you will remain here with me. And after years of study, this boy came up to Don Bosco in the playground. Father, I have a gift for you, the boy excitedly said to Don Bosco. What is it? Don Bosco asked. Myself, the boy answered with a big. Thank you, I’ll take take it, replied Don Bosco. The boy became a Salesian priest who not only have given himself to Don Bosco but have become another Don Bosco to other young people. He never left the Oratory for he became the Oratory itself. We are all like this boy, offering ourselves to God through the hands of Don Bosco. If other religious congregations owe their founder their spirit and charism, we, Salesian, owe Don Bosco more than just our Salesian spirit and chharism, we owe him his love for us. He loved us so much, how much have we been loving him in return?

On January 31, 1888, 4:30AM, Fr Belmonte almost shouts: Don Bosco’s dying! Msgr Cagliero takes off his stole and drapes Don’s Bosco’s shoulders with it. He is already in the Light. (lights on)

[1] Wisdom 3:1

[2] Psalm 23

[3] John 11:25-26

Recollection and Meditation: Our Lady’s Life

Recollection and Meditation: Our Lady’s Life

Br Vince Michael K. Sabal, SDB

November 24, 2010

In our present world, communication seems to be very instant. One can gain access to information in a split second. The comfort of clicking a button to talk or to inform is enjoyed by those who are into these technologies. The culture of the internet, cellular phones, telephones and the like are here to provide us with the needs to interact notwithstanding the distance, time and space. With these technologies available, friendships and relationships are also formed. Even bonding moments can be put into memory and captured through digital cameras, and videos. With all these modern means of communication, there still arise vague relationships and even misunderstandings. Unfortunately, people are in to shallow and superficial relationships that are products of text messaging and online social networks. In all of these, there is still something lacking. We didn’t find peace amidst all these comforts. There must be something more. In the end, people are still thirsting for meaning. How can they find this meaning if they do not take a pause and see how their life had been? How can they discover this treasure if they are distracted with a lot of noise around?

A story is told of a man born in a city in Spain from a poor family. As a boy, he was employed as a laborer in a farm outside the city. When he grew up, he married a lovely girl, but after the early death of their son, they agreed to live in continence. This man went to church every morning, was always in a prayerful disposition even while working in the fields. He was aware of God’s presence even in his work. One time, his fellow workers complained that his religious practices caused him to be late at work. To test the truth of this accusation, the master wanted to observe him. One day, his master hid himself to watch him coming to the fields late but to his astonishment, he noticed several angels assisting him in his work while he prayed. The fruits of the daily prayer and work of that man was seen during the harvest time when he was able to gather more than the rest of the farmers.

A life of recollection is a life which renounces exterior things and uses them only in so far as they are necessary to the interior life. Unfortunately however, practical ignorance of the interior life is extensive. Many are being seduced by false doctrines now in fad, that activity and hardwork are the only things that matter, thus minimizing the value of the interior life, which obviously is the real life of the soul. Any kind of work not well founded on a strong interior life is doomed to be barren and fruitless both for oneself and for others.

God especially likes to communicate with souls leading a life of meditation. I just recalled the story of the prophet Elijah when he was told by God to stand before Him on top of the mountain. “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave” (1 Kings 19:11-13). In that gentle whisper, Elijah recognized the presence of our Lord.

We, Salesians, even in our active life, are reminded by Don Bosco not to miss the half an hour meditation time in the morning, the daily Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and other practices of piety. In the Salesian Constitutions, it is clearly stated that “for us, mental prayer is essential. It strengthens our intimate union with God, saves us from routine, keeps our heart free and fosters our dedication to others. For Don Bosco, it is a guarantee of joyous perseverance in our vocation” (C 93).

Actually, when I was in my high school years, I was so amazed by my Rector then who was devoutly praying the Breviary in his office amidst our talking, laughing, and playing of some musical instruments there. After his prayer, I approached him and asked, “Father, are you able to pray even if we are too noisy here in your office?” Then he simply answered, “As a Salesian, we must learn how to pray even in the midst of the noise of our boys. It is the interior silence that matters so that one could really pray and commune with God.”

As active contemplatives, we are exhorted that our apostolate should be the overflow of our interior life founded on prayer. Prayer starts with interior silence. When there is silence, there is peace and when there is peace, there is love, and when there is love, there is God. Every activity should be a fruit of prayer and meditation and that makes it apostolic. It is in this way that we acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit in our apostolate.

There is also someone whom we can look up to as model of deep and profound meditation. That is our Blessed Mother herself. Her life was a constant meditation and recollection and this was seen in the way she lived her life. No one saw her; no one knew her activities on the place where she lived yet God was especially delighted in the simplicity of the way she lived, and it was in that silence and solitude that He spoke with her most intimately. The Angel did not appear to her in the street, not even publicly at the Temple, but in the solitude of Nazareth. It was there that Mary felt herself to be all God’s and that God is all for her. In her home, an intimate communication between God and Mary took place. It was in the solitude of the retreat at Nazareth that the great mystery of the Incarnation took place.

Mary’s meditation was perpetual. If she leaves the house for some time, it was out of charity, as in the Visitation; or out of obedience as when going to Bethlehem for the census with Joseph; or to Egypt to escape from the wrath of Herod; or to the Temple at Jerusalem to present Jesus, their first-born son; or out of empathy and unity during the most painful moments of her son’s suffering and death on the Cross. She never undertook any journey merely for the sake of recreation or amusement.

We look upon our Blessed Mother, wholly devoted to household chores even on days when pressing duties seem to claim all her time and attention. Even then, she knew how to sanctify these circumstances, being conscious of the presence of God, who never leaves her for a moment. In this way, all things in Mary contributed to a greater deepening of her interior life.

We journey with our Blessed Mother who by her life lived in recollection and meditation reflected her Son, Jesus Christ. Let us also deepen our relationship with the Lord whom we commit to follow believing that our “tireless works are made holy by prayer and union with Him” (C 95).

Don Bosco’s Devotion to the Holy Rosary

Don Bosco’s Devotion

to the Holy Rosary

Bro. Juvelan Samia, SDB

October 31, 2010

“If you only knew how bad I used to be” says an oratory boy, “Don Bosco saved my life.”

I begin my sermonette tonight in honor of Don Bosco expressing the same debt of gratitude to him and to his spiritual sons who have continued his work. I am a product of the educational apostolate and youth ministry of the Salesians in the Philippines, and to them I shall forever be grateful.

I wanted to point this out at the onset because I want us to be reminded of the good that our service brings to young people. When we go to encounter the young and allow ourselves to become like Don Bosco by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are able to touch their lives, inspire them to practice virtue, and bring their hearts to Jesus. And yet again, we achieve this only by becoming like Don Bosco through the Holy Spirit. This is perhaps the reason why the 26^th General Chapter insisted on a “return to Don Bosco.” “To return to Don Bosco,” says the Chapter “means loving him, studying him, imitating him, invoking him and making him known...”

When I was in high school, I was attracted to the Salesian life not because of Don Bosco but because of the Salesians in Don Bosco Mandaluyong who were my good friends. In fact, when I started my aspirancy in DBTI, Makati, one of my prayers was for me to be fascinated by Don Bosco and eventually learn to love him. I did study Don Bosco, and in reading him and seeing the life lived by his sons, learned to love him. It is my belief that we keep Don Bosco alive today when we continue to make present in us his characteristics, that is, when we become like moon that reflects the brilliance of the sun.

Tonight, I’d like to share an aspect of Don Bosco’s spirituality which became for me very real this month: Don Bosco’s Devotion to the Holy Rosary.

I was not very prayerful before entering the seminary, and one of the things that I feared was the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary. I wasn’t sure whether I’d survive praying the lengthy rosary everyday. But since I really wanted to become a priest, I decided to make the most out of it by just being open to it. Eventually I learned to love the rosary.

I know that Filipinos are very devoted to the Holy Rosary, but it was only this year that I experienced the intensity of such devotion. In Mapagong 2, as in the other chapels of Mary Help of Christians Mayapa, we had our rosary rally last Oct 24. In our chapel, there was absolutely nothing special with the activity: nothing spectacular, nothing avant-garde, nothing fancy. But I was deeply touched by the devotion of the people to the Blessed Mother and the simplicity of their faith. It seemed more of a family affair, with the children happily gathered around their loving Mother to whom they go for shelter and support.

In the case of Don Bosco, we are sure that there is no question about his great love for the Blessed Mother. On the day of profession of John Francesia, Don Bosco told him “Remember: nothing, absolutely nothing , must ever be done at the Oratory except in the name of Mary!”

On December 8, 1854, the day of thanksgiving to the Immaculate Mother for having spared all the oratory boys from the cholera epidemic that devastated Turin and the surrounding areas, Don Bosco said of the rosary, it is “a wonderful means for acquiring the virtue of purity and a sure protection against the snares of the devil.” How can we be fooled by the devil when during the rosary we meditate on the mysteries of life of our Lord Jesus Christ as presented in the Gospels. On another occasion, he reminded the boys, “recite the rosary devoutly and without haste.”

According to Fr. Stella, Don Bosco considered the Rosary not as an end in itself but as a means, that is, a means of sanctification, a means to start contemplation and fervent communication to God. Perhaps it is good to ask ourselves, “does my daily recitation of the holy rosary lead me to contemplation, to a fervent communication with God, to intimacy with him?” Indeed Don Bsoco saw the rosary as a means for training in Christian perfection and our striving for salvation.

As we honor Don Bosco, we do not content ourselves with a feeling of distant admiration. We owe it to him, him who is our spiritual father, to imitate his example. As we end the month of October, perhaps it is fitting that we renew our devotion to the Holy Rosary, and we do this as a concrete expression of our commitment to follow Christ according to the way of Don Bosco.

The Primacy of the Union with God According to Our Lady

Bro. Marc Will Lim, SDB

October 24, 2010

My dearest confreres, I'll be starting this sermonette of mine with a confession. For some weeks now I have thoughts of... leaving, I mean leaving the Salesian Congregation. There is something within from which I felt so imperfect, so inadequate and so incomplete. I was so anxious upon thinking what kind of a Salesian my person could give to the actual Mission I am about to embrace.

I fear that my existence will not give a clear sign but rather a distorted image.

I fear that I would be nothing but a thinking creature, who uses only his mind in dealing with others at the same time preaching his reflected thoughts and yet his actions present otherwise.

I fear that I could not be a Don Bosco.

I fear that I could not represent Christ.

And that was until I had my first spiritual direction with my present Spiritual Director.

Our conversation was an awakening for me to keep the faith and to strive more to be faithful.

His words came to me so strong, which eventually led me to rekindle and relive the very first reason why I am here.

My dearest conferrers, I know it is no different to anybody. My reason I believe is the same reason as yours. Perhaps, with varying degrees or unique expression but I can be certain we all share this same reason.

And what I'm speaking about is love - our love for Christ!

RETURNING TO THE ROOTS

When I was writing my philosophy of life I was surprised to start it with a verse of a song I read from one of the homilies of St. Josemaria Escriva which led me then to answer an invitation I took for granted after graduating from high school and I’m pertaining to my religious vocation. The lyrics of this song is in Spanish but translated in English it goes:

“My life is consists of loving,

and if with loving I’m familiar,

it is because I’ve sorrowed much;

for there’s no finer lover,

than one who’s suffered much.”

Now, I feel so little speaking you about this claiming this as a significant part of my philosophy of life and yet I myself know that I have been so clearly inconsistent with.

Allow me to share what I thought was my downfall. And it is none other than my very self.

Yes. It is because of me. I set Him aside. I took for granted of my Beloved.

All along I thought it is just enough to excel, to do things extraordinarily; to be the best in all the fields of my work; to be a good model for admiration because of my competency in sports, in music, in academics, in dealing with people, in accounting, in whatever things I do.

But now, I realized, I have set aside the fore most, most important reason of my BEING and it is none other than the Union with CHRIST, which is the primary reason for my very BEING.

The doings I enumerated earlier, before all else need to be founded in God lest they will remain empty.

Mary, our Model

Our Lady on her part is the best example of this Union. Her plan of life can be summarized in these words: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). It is so clear to her who should be the center of her life, to whom her heart should be completely attached. Her desire was simply to be a handmaid of the Lord and not the Lord. She never took pride on what she can offer, of what she was tasked to do. Yes, she hoped for the salvation from which she herself will take a role. But then, upon recognizing this she remained at the disposal of the God above her.

And it is primarily because she believed. Mary is indeed a woman of faith. “Blessed are you who believed”, was the greeting of her cousin, Elizabeth. (cf. Lk 1:45) upon listening to Mary’s Magnificat.

The Magnificat as Pope Benedict explains on his encyclical Deus Caritas Est presents the portrait of our Lady’s soul. According to him, it is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. From this he concluded that Mary is completely at home with the Word of God. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God.

Yet, it finds it completeness on Our Lady’s deeds.

Precisely, because she loved and continuously loving us. In her sublime gestures in the many episodes in the Gospel, we saw her recessions and kept herself in to the background. She never outshone Christ. But she remains beneath the Cross and at the hour of Pentecost. Can she not be a very wonderful model to behold?

LOVE DEMANDS PRESENCE NOT PRESENTS

Love demands presence not presents

Bro. Ramil Maranan, SDB

Good evening...

Our prayer deepens our relationship with God. As we deepen our relationship with god we become lovable and more loving person. And this love is expressed in our deeds.

Allow me to begin this sermonette with a simple story.

Once, there was a young man who wrote a flowery letter to his girlfriend.

It goes like this...

Dear Joanna,

I just want you to know that I love you with every piece of my being.

I think about you every day, I dream about you every night.

I am willing to give my heart and my soul and they are yours forever.

I can climb the highest mountain.

I can swim the seven seas.

I can fight the most dangerous lion in the jungle to prove my great love for you.

Then he signed:

Lovingly yours,

Justin

Below the letter he scribbled a P.S. (or postscript)

“My love, I’ll visit you on Sunday if it will not rain.”

On the letter that you have heard, the young man expressed his love using sweet words. Towards the end of the letter he mentioned that he will be visiting her on Sunday, but with a condition, if it will not rain. As for me this is not a genuine love, in others words unauthentic love. I didn’t see the sincerity and the sense of sacrifice of the man.

It is so easy to profess love with sweet and lofty words but when it calls for sacrifice, that’s a different story. I think that the test of true love is deeds. According to Kahlil Gibran, “Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of seasons.” Love is not seasonal. It doesn’t need condition but it demands presence not present. Love demands presence not presents. That in all gifts no matter how great or small derives their ultimate value from the giver’s intention. Gifts are therefore just signs. Their real value is not intrinsic to them: a simple token out of gratuitous love is much more valuable than expensive gifts. The important is not the gift, but the one who gives the gift.

Deeds are test of true love. True love involves friendship, the joy of just being together, of smiling together, sharing things, doing things, being concerned about each other, supporting and encouraging each other especially in moments of difficulties and discouragements. I believe that, it is basically the ideal life-of-relationship in the community. That the true love involves friendship, the joy of just being together, of smiling together, sharing things, doing things, being concerned about each other, supporting and encouraging each other especially in moments of difficulties and discouragements.

True love is expressed by generous people who desire not to receive but only to give. They are not worried about what they will get later. According to Pope Benedict XVI on his encyclical letter Deus Caritas est, “Those who give love must also receive love.” Maybe this love may not be coming from the beloved but from the one who is love–that is God. As what St. Francis de Sales said, “The true lover is a humble person never thinks anyone has done him wrong.”[1] And he believes that in this life everything has its own meaning and significance that would help him to grow and develop a deep relationship with his Creator and his neighbour. Because he only desire of the lover is only the beloved and nothing else. The heart of the lover is willing to sacrifice, willing to give everything, willing to sacrifice even his dreams and his only life. In our case we are also ding this—the little sacrifice that we are doing especially in doing our apostolate and assistance—wasting our time with the young.

I wholeheartedly believe we all have the capacity and power to love and this capacity and power to love is from God. And no one can truly love unless God is active within him. As Jesus would say, “without me you can do nothing. You cannot bear fruit. Because, I am the vine and you are the branches.” Only he who knows God can know the meaning of love. Because God is Love Himself. But how can we know him? We can know him by our intimate relationship with him that is through prayer.

We all know that Saint John Bosco, our beloved father and founder is a true lover. Or in other words, “a man of prayer” his intimate relationship with God is manifested in his deeds – all his deeds expressed hid love with God. We have seen all these from the very beginning until the end of his life. The total dedication of himself to the mission entrusted to him by God, especially the salvation of the souls of the young. He did not hesitate to ask or beg for money for his boys. And his consistent communion with God helped him to express his love true his deeds. He wrote many catechetical materials and about the life of saints, for the boys because he wanted to let them know how he loved them true deeds.

When Don Bosco gave himself to his ministry, his intention was to consecrate all his energies to the greater glory of God and the good of souls; he intended to work to produce good citizens of this world, hoping that in due time they would be worthy citizens of heaven.

We, the Salesians of Don Bosco, follow Jesus Christ closely by choosing an intensely evangelical way of loving God and our neighbour with undivided heart, [2]following the example and spirit of Don Bosco. God calls us to live in community and entrusts us with brothers to love. The brotherly love, our pastoral charity and the practice of evangelical counsels are the bonds which form us into one and constantly reinforce communion—the communion of true lovers of God. Now, I remember the first recollection we had here in the Post novitiate given by Fr. Rolo Alcasid, SDB. He said, “Intimacy with God leads to love for his people – a love which we call pastoral charity. It is the love of Christ Himself –experienced by us.

True love determines the way we relate with people. The signals that we send – look of our eyes, the feel of our touch, the words we speak, the joke we make and the stories we tell –that there is nothing in us that doesn’t project meaning. Because we are the walking, living, breathing and talking signs. And so if we are filled with God’s love, people will know, even if they will not understand. And because of these, we become one heart and one soul in loving and serving God, and in helping one another despite our imperfections and differences in personalities.[3] People will continue to respect us on account of the God we represent.

We pledge ourselves to build up the community in which we live. And we must love our community despite its imperfections, and know that in it we find the presence of Christ the absolute true and humble lover. And “if there is true love,” according to Don Bosco, “you will seek nothing else but the greater glory of God”[4] and the salvation of souls.

Deeds are test of true love. And the source of this true love is God. To whom we should have intimate relationship—the intimate relationship which is basically developed through prayer. Because whenever we pray, we become aware of God, we become aware of God’s love, and our hearts is being filled with love. And we cannot but share this love to other by our deeds.

The whole life of Don Bosco is a prayer. He lived not so much for all the activities he did but all that he did was an offering to the Father. When we unite ourselves in prayer with Jesus, our whole life becomes a prayer – a liturgy of life. And like Don Bosco, everything we do becomes an offering to the Father out of love.

Our prayer deepens our relationship with God. As we deepen our relationship with god we become lovable and more loving person. And this love is expressed in our deeds.

St. John Bosco...

Pray for us!

---

[1] Klauder, F. (1997). Everyday with Saint Francis de Sales. P. 33

[2] C. 80

[3] Article 50

[4] MB XVII, 111

TO LIVE A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT

Bro. John Paul Rasay, SDB

August 31, 2010

DB SERMONETTE

TO LIVE A LIFE OF CONTENTMENT

To live a life of contentment… what does it really mean?

On a personal note, I see contentment as a state of satisfaction – a state wherein a person has reached his/her highest goal. And the highest goal, which we speak of, would have to be the ultimate end of a person’s life. There can be no greater end but a person’s happiness. And this is what it really means to be contented. Contentment equates itself in the attainment of happiness. To live contented is to live a happy life. Contentment is Happiness.

However, it is easier said than done. Many factors block us from living a contented life. Our weakness inclines us to desire – to desire for things, to desire for comfort. And when things don’t work out according to how we want them to proceed, we complain. Maybe this is the reason why happiness is such a difficult state to gain?

The question now is… how do we achieve contentment?

Reading an article in the web on contentment, I stumbled upon T. Pierce Brown, a Christian writer. He said that to live a life of contentment “… is to learn how to be able to live independent of everything but to be dependent on God.”

Nowadays, as I look at how people go about their daily lives, it’s as if they are the one’s running the show. People have become self-centered – they indulge themselves with their desire. And as their desires accumulate and as they do not get what they want, they result succumbed to discontentment eliminating the opportunity for happiness.

To live a life of contentment is to live it in God… it is to place all our trust in God. It is believing that His grace is enough to empower us in our daily lives.

As I reflect upon the real value of contentment, I ask myself… am I really living a life of contentment? Have I really placed my life in the hands of God?

I’ve been a Salesian for about a year and a half now... and for the year and a half as a Salesian, I have been plagued with inner struggles – inner struggles that uncovered how weak I am…many a times, I desire for things, I choose comfort for sacrifice, I complain about a lot of things – the food, the schedule, the games, the movie, the work. I’m discontented with a lot of things… this may be the reason why I’m not totally happy with my life. I haven’t placed all my trust in Him. In the silence of my heart, I know the struggles have exposed my incapacity to confront it alone. And I know that I only have God to cling to.

Despite my superficial love of God, He gives off Himself without restriction. In moments of difficulties, He empowers me with courage, patience, and perseverance. In moments of sadness, He liberates me with love and mercy.

It’s embarrassing to admit that even now, I couldn’t say out loud that I have a strong bond with God… the love is there but it is not enough; I still find my connection with Him quite inadequate. But it is my greatest consolation to be certain of one thing… that He will never stop assuring me of His love until I realize that He is everything that I need in life.

When asked why I chose to be a Salesian, it is simply because of my great admiration for Don Bosco. He was genuinely happy and optimistic, and his genuine happiness inspires me to follow his way of life – that one can attain holiness in genuine happiness. In one way or another, this may be because his life was genuinely that of contentment. Even at an early age, he knew what was important in life – to live for the love of God. Though his life was defined by hardships and struggles, he knew God was with Him – all the way. Maybe this is why he had so much trust in Divine Providence? He had nothing but he was able to build a home for the poor youth of Turin. Maybe this is why he dedicated himself in proclaiming the love of God esp. to the young so that they may in turn live a life of contentment in God… that in life God is the only one that matters.

For now, my life is a far cry of what it really means to live in contentment. But I’m full of hope… that the day would come when I would be able to proclaim to the world that I truly Love the Lord without inhibitions – and perhaps, even to the point of martyrdom. When this day comes, it would be an honor to say that I have lived a life of contentment.

I’d like to end with this quote from the Bible,

1 Timothy 6:6 – “… godliness with contentment is great gain.”

St. John Bosco

Pray For Us!

MARY’S FHM: Model of our Consecration

Br Dennis G. Maleon, SDB

Commemoration of Mary Help of Christians

August 24, 2010 @DBPN Chapel

MARY’S FHM: Model of our Consecration

The word “model” has been defined by so many dictonaries published in our times. Merriam Webster would define it as a “structural design,” “a miniature representation,” “a pattern or something to be made.” Other dictionaries defined it as “one who is employed to display clothes or merchandise, as in a fashion show, in a photograph or on a television.” Yet we know that the word “model” is much more inspiring as far as the definition is concerned. A model is a person worthy of imitation. A model is someone who is perfect and therefore serves as a pattern or standard for others to follow. Tonight, let us turn our gaze to our Blessed Virgin Mary as the examplar of consecrated life. A Model for us to imitate.

What makes a person consecrated? As we have learned in the novitiate, consecrated persons profess the evangelical counsels of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Second, consecrated persons follow Christ more closely under the action of the Holy Spirit. They follow more closely than those who do not profess the vows. Here, the word “more” means a radical following of Christ. All of us, baptized Chritians, are called to follow Christ but some people have the grace to follow His footsteps and lifestyle more than others. Not everyone recieves this special grace. We can count ourselves as one who has received this under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Lastly, consecrated persons dedicate themselves totally to God, whom they love most of all. Only those who receive this special grace to such a total self-giving to God become consecrated person. By our vow of obedience, chastity, and poverty, our love of God is total and it is for life.

How is Mary our model of consecrated life? Let me point out three virtues of our Blessed Mother on how is she our model of consecrated life. Mary’s FHM: Faith, Humility, and Meaning of sacrifice.

Faith. Faith is the absolute basis of consecrated life, and Mary had this faith. At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel told her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus “(Lk. 1:28 & 31). Mary believed what she heard about Jesus that He will be the Son of the Most High God. At the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, she was greeted by Elizabeth, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy” (Lk 1:42-44). Then Elizabeth exclaimed, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:45). Our blessed Mother believed in the promise that she would conceive the Son of God, that she was to become the Mother of the Lord. She really believed it. Mary’s faith in the divinity of Christ is model for us as consecrated persons. If we have faith like our Blessed Mother, everything in the consecrated life makes sense. We give up marriage and the legitimate joys of being with someone because we believe that Jesus did this for us, and for me. We give up material possessions because we believe that Jesus became poor and lived a life of poverty before us and out of love for us. We give up the independent use of our free will and give our obedience to another human being because we believe that Jesus became obedient even up to death.

Humility. If faith is the core of our consecrated life, humilty is the language of consecrated life. And Mary spoke this laguage during her entire life on earth. Our Blessed Mother is our model of humble submission to the will of God. She humbly accepted the will of God. At every stage in her life, she lived out what she said at the Annunciation, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). Humility was the pattern of Mary’s consecrated life and how I wish it will also the pattern as we live our consecrated life. We surrender our will to the demands of consecrated life because we know that another person did it before us, Our Blessed Mother. We did not stand up for our own rights because we had the example of Mary to inspire us. Mary’s total and constant surrender to the divine will in selfless humility is the model for us to imitate.

Meaning of Sacrifice. If faith is the core of our consecrated life, humilty is the language of consecrated life; sacrifice is the atmosphere of consecrated life. Mary’s whole life was a life of sacrifice. She not only submitted to the will of God but she endured the will of God by her loving sacrifice. Because of her great love for Jesus, Mary made a life-long sacrifice. A true consecrated life is a life that knows the difference between pleasure and joy. Pleasure is what the world has to offer its followers. Joy is what Christ promises His followers. Consecrated life is meant to be a life of joy, true loy, joy in spirit, joy in the Lord.

Mary’s faith, humility, and sacrifice are the standards by which we as consecrated persons must live and live to the full. In the apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II, “Vita Consecrata,” he wrote a short article regarding on Mary as a model of consecration and discipleship. At the end of that article we are reminded to have a filial relationship to Mary. This filial relationship is the royal road to fidelity to one’s vocation and a most effective help for advancing in that vocation and in living it fully.

Let me end with a prayer. In the silence of our hearts, let us pray for one another that we may grow in faith, humity, and in sacrifice as we live each day our vocation as a consecrated person.

“Mary, Mother of God, your life of consecration is the model of our consecrated life. It is the standard for us to follow. It is the norm for us to imitate. Obtain for us from your Son, the light to believe that he is our God. Obtain for us the humility, like you, to always tell God, “Let it be done to me according to your will.” Above all, obtain for us the strength to forego the pleasure of this world so that like you, we may enjoy the intimacy of God’s loving embrace – in time and for all eternity. Amen” (Fr John A. Hardon, SJ)

Mary, Help of Christians

Pray for us!

Temperance - The Hinge Where Other Virtues Turn

A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components. Similar objects that work with hinges are door hinges and closet doors. In biology, many joints function as hinges. A hinge joint is a bone joint in which the articular surfaces are molded to each other in such a manner as to permit motion only in one plane that is backward and forward the extent of motion at the same time being considerable. The best examples of these joints are the the knee- and ankle-joint, but only allowing very slight side to side movement.

In our spiritual life, there is also a ‘hinge’ which governs our day-to-day activities. This ‘device’ allow us to be aware of our actions in order to put all into proper order. We have to consider that too much of something or too little is not at all good. Too much of rest or sleep makes us lazy and does not contribute to our life especially as religious in an active life. Less time for resting is not also beneficial for it will not give us the proper composure to work or do things because of exhaustion. Virtus in medio stat (Virtue always stands in the middle). This ‘hinge’ is presented to us as the virtue of Temperance.

 Temperance as one of the cardinal virtues, is presented as self-control and the custody of the heart—the moderation of the inclinations and passions, a constant effort to be balanced and reasonable, and a break with earthly attractions not by going away from them but by staying among them with the heart under control. In one sense, temperance may be regarded as a characteristic of all the moral virtues; the moderation it enjoins is central to each of them. Thus, it is the virtue which restrains concupiscence or which controls the yearning for pleasures and delights which most powerfully attract the human heart

Temperance as a virtue leads to self-control. It is a ‘hinge’ where other various moderating virtues turn: self-restraint, humility, meekness, clemency, modesty, abstinence, simplicity, and austerity (asceticism): this adds up to an overall attitude of self-control and discipline. In this way, temperance becomes a preparation for the acceptance of many difficult and unpleasant requirements of daily work

“Salesian life considered in its activity work and temperance enlivened by the charity of the heart,” says Blessed Philip Rinaldi. In our tradition, work and temperance are two elements inseparably linked. In Don Bosco’s dream of the ten diamonds, the diamonds of work and temperance on the two shoulders seem to support the mantle of the personage. In the Salesian apostolic life, work and temperance cannot be separated from each other; they have complementary functions of motivation and support. The daily realities of life call on one hand for enthusiasm in our work and on the other for renunciation through temperance; on this side for commitment in our duties and on that for mortification of our self-seeking desires. We see how work and temperance collaborate with each other.

Temperance leads to a healthy balance in everything and not only to the control of the concupiscence. Our father Don Bosco wanted temperance and common sense to be present in work. He also encouraged the Salesians to work as much as one’s health will allow and to keep guard against idleness.

Don Bosco told us that “we learn how to be loved” by those entrusted to our care in the apostolate. From this love would flow a sense of trust from them which will be the ‘cord’ that connects the Salesian to them in order to lead them towards God, the source of all love. Our temperance can be measured also by the effort we make to love by making ourselves be loved. It is temperance which helps us to “remain even-tempered” in the midst of a busy and work-filled day with and for the young. This should spring forth from our personal growth in faith, hope, and charity nourished by the Sacraments and our personal encounter with the Lord.

We are all asked to meditate on the virtue of temperance as we look back into our own life. There can be no better venue for us to develop this virtue but in our daily living. We have Don Bosco as our model. We look up to him as our guide in progressing in this virtue believing in his words that those who practice temperance “is blessed by the Lord and benefits our intelligence and our physical health leading us toward a more orderly and holy life”. Let temperance be the ‘hinge’ in our spiritual journey.

Bro. Vince Michael Sabal

Sermonette in honor of St John Bosco

July 31, 2010

Don Bosco Sacred Heart-Postnovitiate