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