Online Retreat for the Solemnity of Saint John Bosco |
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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
“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 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
“Suffer the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
I want to begin today by recapping the
basic story of Saint John Bosco. He was born in
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 ‘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 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
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.” |