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HOW DO I MAKE AN ONLINE RETREAT?
I. It is important to establish a
routine during retreat. Answer these questions,
A. When will I pray? What will be my
schedule for prayer?
SUGGESTIONS
Morning - (When I first get up, I
could pray the Angelus and “Saint John Bosco, pray for us, now and at the hour
of our death. Amen)
Late Morning – I could read the
Scripture passage for the day and spend a minute thinking about it, asking the
Holy Spirit to open your heart to hear his Word.
Afternoon – I could think about
the Scripture passage again and offer the aspiration as well.
Evening – I could say the Lord’s
Prayer slowly and reflectively and then read the meditation on Don Bosco’s
life. I should then pray with Dom Bosco to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
for an increase in faith, hope and joy!
Night – I could thank God for the
Day, review what thoughts you have had, then offer adoration, contrition,
thanksgiving and intercessory prayer for those in need.
B. Where will I pray?
You should find somewhere peaceful. Can
I play music? The music should be soft and reflective. It should not distract
you from prayer.
C. How long should a pray per period?
It is up to you, if you can do five
minutes, ten minutes, two minutes, as long as you are focused and a peace with
God.
II. You are ready to make a retreat.
Often your retreat prayer for someone you know. Saint John Bosco is the patron
saint of young people, especially those in trouble. I hope this time, joined
to the whole parish, will be a time of great grace for you, your family as
well as the whole Christian Community.
If you have questions or want to share
something, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me.
God bless you and may Dom Bosco guide
you to eternal life in Him.
Three days with Don Bosco
DAY ONE
Reading
“And taking a child,
he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he said to them:
Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receives me. And
whosoever shall receive me, receives not me, but him that sent me.” —Mark
9:35-36
Meditation
Today we begin the holy
Triduum of our dear Patron Saint, John Bosco. “Don Bosco,” as he liked to be
called, was born in a town called Becchi, near Turin,
Italy
in 1815. He had a very difficult childhood the family being very poor. John’s
father died when he was two. His mother Margaret and his three brothers lived
day by day, selling crops from the garden in the town market to survive. There
are many stories about Don Bosco, stories from his childhood, his priesthood
and his life in general that John often used to preach the presence of Jesus
in the world and his reliance on Mary for help and protection. He was greatly
devoted to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
From his very childhood,
John spent himself completely in forgiving and healing the suffering and
anxiety of the world in which he lived. As he saw all around him the violence,
the ignorance and the poverty of Italy, he was determined to seek out the
youth of the lower classes whop were many of them homeless, lost and with no
hope. He taught them the only way to a better place in this life and in the
life to come. John Bosco did not talk much: but he acted. He did not write big
and elaborate books: his example was what mattered. When asked about the
secret of his immense success with the young people, he simply answered: “love
. . .” Don Bosco knew that selfishness, tolerance of injustice and hatred, was
at the root of society’s problems and thus the root of personal problems.
He knew when people talked
behind his back that was often. He felt deeply when people treated him or the
poor kids he was trying to help like outcasts; all the time thinking they were
superior and not worthy of God’s grace. Don Bosco was determined to bring the
poor kids he gathered on Sundays, the only Heart that understood their needs,
Jesus. He is the greatest apostle to young people in modern times.
“And taking a child, he
set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he said to them,
whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receives me. And
whosoever shall receive me, receives not me, but him that sent me.” —Mark
9:35-3
Don Bosco’s figure stands
out vividly against the bitter and harsh background of the late 19th century.
He was an apostle to adolescence who were lost, homeless and with no hope. John
Bosco fought for their right to be respected and cared for, to be loved and
educated, to be trained not only in job skills but also in the faith that was
his greatest gift. Bosco helped them find their way to heaven, he established
homes and schools for them, and he formed them to be holy and righteous in the
sight of God. “And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when
he had embraced, he said to them, whosoever shall receive one such child as
this in my name, receives me. And whosoever shall receive me, receives not me,
but him that sent me.” —Mark 9:35-36
A story
This story Don Bosco
called, The Frightened Robber. A small part of the Bosco farm was given
over to a little vineyard that was his mother Margaret’s special care. That
year there was a severe shortage of good grapes, at night thieves went all
around the neighboring farms trying to steal them.
When the grapes were
ready, Margaret and her three sons picked three large baskets for the market.
While picking the grapes Margaret noticed a strange man lurking around the
edge of the vineyard.
Margaret said to her sons,
“this man is up to no good. Tonight we are going to have trouble. This man is
too big for us to handle ourselves. We have to come up with a plan to save our
grapes and teach him a lesson. Tonight we will lay a trap for him.”
That night after the stars
came out, John and his two brothers gathered around the barn doors waiting for
a signal from their mother. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared and crept up to
the baskets filled with grapes. All of a sudden Margaret shouted loudly,
“there he is officer, get him!” With that, the boys started screaming and
hitting the barn door with sticks. At the same time, they all stamped their
feet on the ground and shouting, “Get him officer, get him.” Startled out of
his skin, the robber stumbled off into the darkness and disappeared.
“We has neither rifles nor
pistols,” Margaret pointed out to her children, “yet we scared the life out of
the thief. He was afraid because he was doing wrong.”
John Bosco was very close
to his mother, who taught him many things about life, using the tools she had
around her. This day she taught her sons what Jesus taught his disciples “Do
not be afraid.” As long as we do His will in our lives, we have nothing to
fear. As long as we are doing good, there is no need for us to be afraid.
May these three days be
days of grace for those who discover God through the story and the life of our
own Don Bosco.
DAY TWO
Reading
“Suffer the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom
of God.”
—Mark 10:14
I want to begin today by recapping the
basic story of Saint John Bosco. He was born in Turin
in 1815. His early years were most difficult and so, once ordained to the
priesthood, he dedicated himself to the education of the young, founding
congregations, which would instruct youth both in the arts and in the
Christian life. He also composed pamphlets easily explaining our religion.
Popes since his death have referred to him in their writings; even today Pope
Benedict has referred to John Bosco in his first encyclical.
Meditation
This story is called Two
Different Boys. On his way back to preach another homily one afternoon,
Don Bosco ran into a group of boys sleeping in a corner of the church. He
shook one of them asked, ‘what is your name, son?’ “Buzzetti, Charlie Buzzetti
from Lombardy,”
he responded. ‘Have you been here long Charlie?’ He asked. ‘About two weeks, I
have friends and I work with my brothers bricklaying, “the boy responded.
‘Why are you sleeping in
the church, Charlie?’ asked Don Bosco. ‘Well, we were cold and
hungry, so we snuck in here to get some rest. After hearing the homily though,
we were bored to death and fell asleep!’
Don Bosco nodded in
understanding and said, why don’t you come with me and I will explain every
word the preacher said. Ok the boy answered as directed his friends to follow
him. The boys followed the priest into the dining room of the parish in which
he lived and gave them warm soup and bread. He then explained everything the
preacher said in his homily. Don Bosco then gave them each a medal of our Lady
asked them to pray to her the Hail Mary and told them to come to the Oratory
the following Sunday.
Charlie kept his promise.
He continued to come back and each time he came, he brought more and more of
his friends with him. Don Bosco preached every Sunday to them and performed
juggling tricks for them. Bosco was evidently a very good juggler!
Not all the children were
as cooperative as was Charlie. Some the Don had to work on day after day. He
realized that the different boys needed work and so he started getting poor
laborers involved in training these children in skills that would help them
get jobs.
To one very surly young
man named Giovanni, Don Bosco gave his weekly allowance so the boy could feed
his family. He was a bitter young man and angry. He could not let go of this
great burden no matter how hard Bosco tried. Giovanni never came back to the
Oratory except once to say thank you. These two different children teach us as
adults a good lesson. Not every child listens. Each young person is different
and should not be put into categories that are easy to understand. Every human
person is a singular gift from God. “Suffer the little children to
come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom
of God.”
—Mark 10:14
John Bosco had great
patience and teaches us today to go out of our way to sense the needs of young
people, to be patient with them, to understand their desire for direction and
guidance. He wants us to teach our children how to pray as we pray, to worship
God and to depend on Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Don Bosco wants to us
help our young people love God so much that they desire to share that love by
serving others in charity. Teach young people how to be humble and through
prayer to become dependent on God for grace and perseverance of faith.
Finally, we, as adults need to find ways of instilling trust in our children,
trust in parents, trust in legitimate authority, trust in God.
Suffer them to come to
you, pray for them every day, especially to our Lady of Perpetual Help.
DAY THREE
Reading
Da mihi animas;
tolle ceteras. “Give me souls; take away the rest.” —St.
John Bosco
The past two days we have
heard stories from the life of our patron, Don Bosco. How he was a poor child,
fatherless but with a devoted mother who taught him more by example the simple
truths of God’s love. Margaret Bosco guided John in humility, charity
and dependence on God and on His holy Mother of Perpetual Help. As a priest he
dedicated himself to the education of the young, founding congregations like
the Salesians, which would instruct youth both in the arts and in the
Christian life. He also composed pamphlets easily explaining our religion. He
met many challenges to this apostolate but persevered with patience and
fortitude, depending on God’s Will and love.
Meditation
Our last story is
called Fond Farewells and involves the death of Don Bosco. At the
beginning of 1888, John Bosco has a stroke, which paralyzed his right side. He
was not well. On January 28, he received Holy Communion, being unable to say
Mass for himself. “We have reached the end of our journey, he told his brother
Salesians who were attending him in his room.
Before he died, he told
his secretary to take out any money he had in his pockets and give it to
Father Rua, the treasurer of the Order and his friend. “I want to die so
poor,” he said, “They will say Don Bosco died without leaving a penny.”
He had only a penny in his pocket.
As he lay dying, people
heard about John Bosco’s condition and began asking to see him. Hundreds of
people started coming and then came the children from the schools, the
workhouses and the homes, all streaming through the house to see their patron
saint, kiss his hand, touch their rosaries to his. Father Rua took John
Bosco’s right hand and began helping Father Bosco bless the children as they
passed.
People who knew him say
his life seemed very ordinary, yet his life was filled with visions and
miracles. John Bosco encountered the great people of his day and was involved
in many extraordinary events, all of which became an ordinary part of his
life. Yet when he came to die, he did so simply, with humility and very much
poor.
“Save the young, Mary my
mother” were the words on his lips at the time of his death. “Tell my boys I
shall meet them in paradise,” he said. On January 31, at 4:45 in the evening,
John Bosco died, surrounded by his Salesian family. When
he died in 1888, over 400,000 people attended his funeral.
On Easter Sunday, April 1,
1934, he was declared a saint. He wrote once, “Let us try to make ourselves
loved. Try to instill into young people the high ideals of duty and the holy
fear of God, and we shall soon possess their hearts. They will then find it
easy to join us in praising the Lord, who is our model and exemplar in all
things, but especially in the education of the young.
My dear friends we are
still learning much from the man after whom our Church is solemnly dedicated.
We must continue his great work among the young, the confused, & the lost.
Placing out trust in His divine Will and with the help of Our Mother of
Perpetual Help, we commend each other to his intercession. As we prayed in the
Opening Collect, “Lord, like Saint John Bosco, may we give ourselves
completely to God’s service and to the salvation of all mankind.”
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