In 1885, Saint John Bosco had a dream that left a deep impression on him.
What he saw appeared to be a terrifying scene...
He found himself in a vast hall where a multitude of demons were holding a congress.
The objective?
To find a way to destroy the Salesian Congregation.
And so, they began to propose their strategies...
FIRST PROPOSAL: GLUTTONY
One demon proposed using gluttony to incite:
Lethargy in doing good
Corruption of morals
Scandal
A lack of the spirit of sacrifice
Neglect of the youth
But another demon replied that such a strategy would not be enough.
SECOND PROPOSAL: THE LOVE OF RICHES
The demon explained that if the love of money took hold, the following would also enter in:
A desire for creature comforts
A breakdown of charity
Neglect of the poor
A preoccupation with living a more comfortable life
But this, too, failed to convince everyone.
THIRD PROPOSAL: MISUNDERSTOOD FREEDOM
The strategy would be to get the Salesians to start:
Disregarding the rules
Shunning difficult tasks
Creating divisions among superiors
Seeking excuses to abandon their obligations
But then, another demon appeared...
And he presented what he considered the most dangerous weapon of all.
FOURTH PROPOSAL: TURNING KNOWLEDGE INTO AN END IN ITSELF
The idea was to make the Salesians study solely to gain fame and recognition.
Much knowledge...
But little service.
The goal was to make them look down on the poor and the uneducated, and to cast aside the very things for which they had been called:
Catechism for children.
Education of the poor.
The confessional.
Service to souls.
And something more: that the priests would devote less and less attention to their sacred ministry.
No more festive oratories.
No more catechism for children. No more classes to instruct the poor and abandoned.
No more long hours in the confessional.
Instead, they would devote themselves only to occasional and fruitless preaching, seeking not the salvation of souls, but the praise of men.
This proposal was met with applause by the demons.
Don Bosco then understood the danger:
Knowledge can turn into pride when it ceases to be at the service of God and one's neighbor.
And then...
One of the demons discovered that Don Bosco was there, watching everything.
He shouted and pointed at the Saint.
All the demons rushed toward him!
Don Bosco cried out:
"Leave me alone! Help!"
Finally, he woke up, exhausted from all the shouting.
The next day, he understood the message he had received:
The danger does not always lie in suddenly abandoning what is good.
Sometimes it begins when the means become the ends.
Knowledge ceases to serve one's neighbor and begins to serve pride.
Material goods cease to be a means and become an objective.
Freedom ceases to seek the good and turns into rebellion.
And rules cease to be an aid to the spiritual life.
This dream of Don Bosco remains a powerful warning:
It is not enough to know a great deal.
It is not enough to have resources.
It is not enough to be free.
Everything must be directed toward God and the service of others.
Dream 131 — Year 1885
Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco, Volume XVII, pp. 385-387.
Saint John Bosco, pray for us.
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