SAINT JOHN BOSCO WITNESSED A GATHERING OF DEMONS AND DISCOVERED SOMETHING TERRIFYING

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.

THERE CAN BE NO BETTER ADVICE

 

FOR PURITY

FOR PURITY

O Saint John Bosco, you prized the virtue of 

purity highly and strove with all your might to 

foster it in the hearts of young and old. Pray for us that, inspired by your example, we may nurture it in our hearts and minds and may act affectively to defend our young people against a culture pervaded by sex and violence. 

Through your intercession may God grant me the following grace … [pause] … so that together with others I may assist in bringing young people to the love of Christ.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father

January 31: Saint John Bosco

 

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

 

Saint John Bosco dixit

 

To keep in mind

 

St. John Bosco dixit

 

THE PURPOSE OF MAN by Saint John Bosco

 

LET’S ALWAYS REMEMBER DON BOSCO'S ADVICE, BRIEF BUT SOLID AND WISE!

To keep it in mind 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

HE THAT LIES DOWN WITH DOGS SHALL RISE UP WITH FLEAS

 

SAINT JOHN BOSCO DIXIT

 

WE MUST GIVE THANKS AFTER RECEIVING COMMUNION

THE FIRST PRECURSOR

 

BE HONEST AND ANSWER THE QUESTION OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

 

DON'T POSTPONE IT ANY LONGER

 

A TEACHING FROM SAINT JOHN BOSCO

 "Preach to all, young and old alike, that they must remember they are children of Mary Help of Christians. Tell them she wants to free them from the dangers of the world and lead them to Heaven. And to those who honor her with their prayers and with the fulfillment of their duty, she will grant infinite graces and favors.” 

Saint John Bosco

WITHOUT CONFESSION, FROM ABYSS TO ABYSS

 

"When a Catholic stops going to Confession and is abandoned to himself, he walks from abyss to abyss and as a weak plant without protection, exposed to the force of the winds, falls into the most terrible excesses." 

 Saint John Bosco 

SHOW ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE, AND I WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU ARE

“The friend of the virtuous man will be virtuous; the friend of the vicious will be perverted. Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake. If you keep good companions, I can assure you that you will one day rejoice with the blessed in Heaven; whereas if you keep with those who are bad, you will become bad yourself, and you will be in danger of losing your soul.”

St. John Bosco

SERMON ON THE VIRGIN MARY. Words of Saint John Bosco addressed to young people.

Mary loves youth, and therefore she loves and blesses those who dedicate themselves to doing good for young people.

Because She is a Mother, and mothers care more about younger children than adults, because little ones are more innocent; because young people are in greater danger of being deceived and led into vice.

In addition, the youngsters represent more vividly to her Jesus who spent his childhood and youth under his maternal eyes.

Knowing then that the Mother of God loves you so much, listen carefully to what I am going to tell you: If we want graces and favors, let us turn to Mary, let us pray to Mary; but in order for her to intercede for us, it is necessary to demonstrate our true devotion in three things: First, avoid all sin and try to keep it away from you always. There is nothing that can harm us more and displease Our Lady and her Blessed Son more than sin. Once there was a young man who offered Our Lady his prayers, good deeds and alms, and one night he saw in a dream that the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and presented him with a tray with the most beautiful and attractive fruits: apples, grapes, pears, etc.; but all covered with the dirty rag with which a sick person had cleaned his sores. Mary said: "receive these fruits and eat." But the young man replied: "My Lady, the fruits are very beautiful, but the cloth with which they are covered is so disgusting that I do not dare to receive these fruits because I would vomit." Then the Queen of Heaven replied: "This is what the offerings and prayers that you offer me are: very beautiful and attractive, but they all come covered with a horrible cloth: the sins that you continue to commit and that you refuse to stop committing." The next day the young man woke up very worried about this dream, and from that day he fleed from every occasion of sin and definitively stopped committing the sins that made his life so unpleasant before Our Lord.

The second condition for our devotion to Our Lady to be true is to imitate her in her virtues, especially in her great charity and in her great purity. A devotion to Mary that does not achieve an improvement in our life is not true devotion. If we pray to her and continue in our sins as before, it may be that our devotion is false. The true devotee of Our Lady imitates her in his love of neighbor. Mary, says the Bible, "ran to help Elizabeth". She ran because favors must be done soon and without waiting for people to ask us. Mary’s greatest devotees are always those who treat others with the most charity and generosity.

And there is a third condition for our devotion to the Heavenly Queen to be true: to show her with small, but frequent external actions, the great love we have for her. For example: always wear your medal and kiss the image of Our Lady when you get up or go to bed. Have her picture on the desk or work table to remember her and invoke her. Place a beautiful picture of the Mother of God in your room, decorate the images of Our Lady in the month of May. Offer for her some small mortification or some good deed or a little alms on Saturdays or Marian feasts. Tell others about the favors that Mary Help of Christians has obtained for her devotees. The genuine devotion to Our Lady is contagious. Those who love her pledge this devotion to others. Distribute images of Our Lady, etc. She tells us: "If you do something for me: I will do a lot for you."

Always remember: on every occasion, in all anguish, in every need we must turn to Mary. She can do the same as God can, although in a different way. When God wants something, He does it. And when Mary wants something, she asks her Son, who is God, and Jesus Christ, who is the best Son in the world, and who in Heaven still has the same qualities he had on earth, denies nothing to his Beloved Mother. So turning to Mary is a sure sign of obtaining (if it is really for our good) everything we need.

Be sure that all the graces that you ask of this Good Mother will be granted to you. But there are three graces that I recommend asking her every day, without ever getting tired of asking her because they are very important for your salvation: 1. To always avoid mortal sin and preserve the grace of God. 2. To always flee from all friendship harmful to the soul. 3. To always keep the beautiful virtue of chastity. To obtain these three graces, I have recommended a novena many times... Also show her your love by leading a holy life, an excellent conduct.

I will end with a tip that is a secret to success: Whenever you need any grace, say many times: "Mary Help of Christians, pray for us." Say it when you walk down the street, when you go up the stairs or when you are in the yard. Say it in class, in the bedroom, in the morning, at night, always. When they come to visit you, or when you write to your relatives, tell them: "Don Bosco assures you that if you need any grace, say many times: ‘Mary Help of Christians, pray for us’, and that you will be heard." And if someone says this prayer many times with faith and the Mighty Virgin does not help them, tell me, and I will immediately write to Saint Bernard in heaven to tell him that he made a huge mistake when he taught us that prayer that says: "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided”. Yes, I will write a letter to this Saint asking for explanations. But be assured that I will not need to write this letter. Jokes aside, fix in your memory this beautiful prayer: "Mary Help of Christians, pray for us." To repeat it in all temptations, in all dangers, in all need and always. Look, it’s been forty years since I started telling all people to invoke the Mother of God and that she will help them, and I always tell them that if anyone prays to her and she does not help them to come and tell me.

But so far not a single one has come to tell me that they wasted their time praying to Our Lady. The devil himself has had to withdraw, and has failed when people become devotees of our Heavenly Mother, becoming unable to make them commit mortal sin.

Just as the beating of the heart is a sign of life, so the frequent invocation of Our Most Holy Mother is a sure sign of salvation.

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