Sometimes most of our meetings and so called 'animation' programmes are nothing but mere inputs and discussions which ultimately repeat what is already written in the Constitutions. While I do agree that we need input sessions to widen our horizon, we cannot always limit our animation sessions to those... The animation sessions are a wonderful opportunity to evaluate, explore available possibilities, share experience and learn from one another's success' and failures...
E.s. If one is in responsibility, he should surely join the Brothers or the youngsters for a cup of tea outside the house, once in a way!! That's NOT living by objectives but learning from missed opportunities!!
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
From Don Bosco, on sanctity
As I was editing the Salesian Ordo, I came across this message on sanctity. It is from the life of Don Bosco and Dominic Savio. It is said that when Dominic Savio approached Don Bosco with the request to make of him a saint, this is the action plan that Don Bosco drew up for him:
1. Cheerfulness: Whatever disturbs you and takes away your peace cannot come from God.
2. Do you duty in the study hall and in the Church. Application to study and to work and to prayer out of love for God.
3. Do as much good as you can to others. Help your companions always, even when it costs you sacrifice.
1. Cheerfulness: Whatever disturbs you and takes away your peace cannot come from God.
2. Do you duty in the study hall and in the Church. Application to study and to work and to prayer out of love for God.
3. Do as much good as you can to others. Help your companions always, even when it costs you sacrifice.
Sunday, 26 October 2008
REFLECTION ON LIFE IN THE SPIRIT AS A SALESIAN
Oftentimes, I flash into myself, reflecting on the journey and call to Christian life as a Salesian; in the style of Don Bosco and the spirit of St. Francis de Sales. I always challenge myself on how I interpret the works of the Holy Spirit in my story of life with the world around me, more so among the deprived. We experience the Holy Spirit when we are open to the world and the events of the human story. The Holy Spirit exposes a new relationship of the beatitudes that goes beyond nationality, race, culture, religion. “Am I witnessing to the word of God which is imprinted in our hearts?” one would ask. The 1994 Synod document ‘Vita Consecrata’ presents the fact that the religious are charismatic, consecrated and moved by the Holy Spirit in the apostolate as they imitate Christ. The Spirit of unity is manifested in love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness.
The Holy Spirit operates like an internal drive that moves in form of: a messianic liberation; prophetic enlightenment of the word; and the religious experience of prayer. The spirit of a Salesian is a reflection of the compassion of Jesus who suffered for our salvation. Don Bosco emphasizes the spirituality of Da mihi animas to humanity, but more so with the needy youth. It marks the end of whatever we do, as well as the beginning of our everyday ministry; an anticipation. We adore in Spirit and truth the experience of finding Christ in secret love for all creation. We have a glimpse of God by our inner experiences of the mind and heart in relation to our society. We are instruments , that take and walk with the young to promote humanity, authenticity of life lived together in the one Spirit of God. Our mission starts and progresses with the energy of the Holy Spirit, which is a true gift of the resurrection. The Spirit of the word is that of our mission. The works of the Holy Spirit culminates in Jesus. For Don Bosco, God is near, present here and now – in the lives and situations of the youth.
In a nut-shell, the spirit of sanctity of Don Bosco is expressed in the virtues of St. Francis de Sales who shares the elements of: Devotion – gratitude, liberation and love; Sweetness/ gentleness – humility of heart as well as heart to heart colloquy; and Everydayness of doing simple things in an extraordinary way. We wear the heart of Don Bosco and live the preventive system among the abandoned youth, but with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the perfect model and the one through whom we receive the Holy Spirit. We are living testimonies of the Holy Spirit of God in the unity of the Holy Trinity.
Wanjala Moses.
12 novembre, 2007.
The Holy Spirit operates like an internal drive that moves in form of: a messianic liberation; prophetic enlightenment of the word; and the religious experience of prayer. The spirit of a Salesian is a reflection of the compassion of Jesus who suffered for our salvation. Don Bosco emphasizes the spirituality of Da mihi animas to humanity, but more so with the needy youth. It marks the end of whatever we do, as well as the beginning of our everyday ministry; an anticipation. We adore in Spirit and truth the experience of finding Christ in secret love for all creation. We have a glimpse of God by our inner experiences of the mind and heart in relation to our society. We are instruments , that take and walk with the young to promote humanity, authenticity of life lived together in the one Spirit of God. Our mission starts and progresses with the energy of the Holy Spirit, which is a true gift of the resurrection. The Spirit of the word is that of our mission. The works of the Holy Spirit culminates in Jesus. For Don Bosco, God is near, present here and now – in the lives and situations of the youth.
In a nut-shell, the spirit of sanctity of Don Bosco is expressed in the virtues of St. Francis de Sales who shares the elements of: Devotion – gratitude, liberation and love; Sweetness/ gentleness – humility of heart as well as heart to heart colloquy; and Everydayness of doing simple things in an extraordinary way. We wear the heart of Don Bosco and live the preventive system among the abandoned youth, but with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the perfect model and the one through whom we receive the Holy Spirit. We are living testimonies of the Holy Spirit of God in the unity of the Holy Trinity.
Wanjala Moses.
12 novembre, 2007.
REFLECTION ON LIFE IN THE SPIRIT AS A SALESIAN
Oftentimes, I flash into myself, reflecting on the journey and call to Christian life as a Salesian; in the style of Don Bosco and the spirit of St. Francis de Sales. I always challenge myself on how I interpret the works of the Holy Spirit in my story of life with the world around me, more so among the deprived. We experience the Holy Spirit when we are open to the world and the events of the human story. The Holy Spirit exposes a new relationship of the beatitudes that goes beyond nationality, race, culture, religion. “Am I witnessing to the word of God which is imprinted in our hearts?” one would ask. The 1994 Synod document ‘Vita Consecrata’ presents the fact that the religious are charismatic, consecrated and moved by the Holy Spirit in the apostolate as they imitate Christ. The Spirit of unity is manifested in love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness.
The Holy Spirit operates like an internal drive that moves in form of: a messianic liberation; prophetic enlightenment of the word; and the religious experience of prayer. The spirit of a Salesian is a reflection of the compassion of Jesus who suffered for our salvation. Don Bosco emphasizes the spirituality of Da mihi animas to humanity, but more so with the needy youth. It marks the end of whatever we do, as well as the beginning of our everyday ministry; an anticipation. We adore in Spirit and truth the experience of finding Christ in secret love for all creation. We have a glimpse of God by our inner experiences of the mind and heart in relation to our society. We are instruments , that take and walk with the young to promote humanity, authenticity of life lived together in the one Spirit of God. Our mission starts and progresses with the energy of the Holy Spirit, which is a true gift of the resurrection. The Spirit of the word is that of our mission. The works of the Holy Spirit culminates in Jesus. For Don Bosco, God is near, present here and now – in the lives and situations of the youth.
In a nut-shell, the spirit of sanctity of Don Bosco is expressed in the virtues of St. Francis de Sales who shares the elements of: Devotion – gratitude, liberation and love; Sweetness/ gentleness – humility of heart as well as heart to heart colloquy; and Everydayness of doing simple things in an extraordinary way. We wear the heart of Don Bosco and live the preventive system among the abandoned youth, but with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the perfect model and the one through whom we receive the Holy Spirit. We are living testimonies of the Holy Spirit of God in the unity of the Holy Trinity.
Wanjala Moses.
12 novembre, 2007.
The Holy Spirit operates like an internal drive that moves in form of: a messianic liberation; prophetic enlightenment of the word; and the religious experience of prayer. The spirit of a Salesian is a reflection of the compassion of Jesus who suffered for our salvation. Don Bosco emphasizes the spirituality of Da mihi animas to humanity, but more so with the needy youth. It marks the end of whatever we do, as well as the beginning of our everyday ministry; an anticipation. We adore in Spirit and truth the experience of finding Christ in secret love for all creation. We have a glimpse of God by our inner experiences of the mind and heart in relation to our society. We are instruments , that take and walk with the young to promote humanity, authenticity of life lived together in the one Spirit of God. Our mission starts and progresses with the energy of the Holy Spirit, which is a true gift of the resurrection. The Spirit of the word is that of our mission. The works of the Holy Spirit culminates in Jesus. For Don Bosco, God is near, present here and now – in the lives and situations of the youth.
In a nut-shell, the spirit of sanctity of Don Bosco is expressed in the virtues of St. Francis de Sales who shares the elements of: Devotion – gratitude, liberation and love; Sweetness/ gentleness – humility of heart as well as heart to heart colloquy; and Everydayness of doing simple things in an extraordinary way. We wear the heart of Don Bosco and live the preventive system among the abandoned youth, but with our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the perfect model and the one through whom we receive the Holy Spirit. We are living testimonies of the Holy Spirit of God in the unity of the Holy Trinity.
Wanjala Moses.
12 novembre, 2007.
THE PASTORAL CHARITY
We already learnt of how Don Bosco harmonized the truly human element with that of total openness to God that led him to a project of life with and for the service of the youth. This is substantiated in SDB Const. 21, “He took no step, he said no word, he took up no task that was not directed to the saving of the young…Truly the only concern of his heart was for souls.” Don Bosco’s had a heart, an element to give sense and originality. His life was all united and through his dedication to the youth, he communicated and led them towards a personal experience of God.
Don Bosco’s pastoral activity was not only that of generosity but of Love. This is the central synthesis of the Salesian Spirit. We thus need to enter into the soul of Don Bosco and discover what explains his style.
LOVE
St. Francis de Sales talks of, “The person and the perfection of the universe; Love and the perfection of the person; Charity and the perfection of the Love.” There is a universal vision expressed in form of: to be; to be a person; Love as a superior form as in the conscience and human relationship; Charity as an expression of maximum love. Love represents the optimum point of the person’s maturity, be it Christian or not.
Psychologists, and not only Jesus, say that a happy and complete person has a generous capacity and an inclination towards being loved. Don Bosco would say that the youngster should not only be loved but he himself should know that he is loved.
In every spirituality, love is the guiding principle, not only as a basic commandment, but as an energy to progress in life. The burning charity in us is a mystery and a grace, not from the human initiative but rather it is a participation in the divine life with the presence of the Spirit in us.
We cannot love God if he did not love us first. We have to listen to him and respond to him. We need a personal experience of this love of God, through a collaboration with his Spirit.
The parable of the good Samaritan dramatizes the religious-charity. St. John 4, 7-8 expresses that we should love each other since love is of God; he who does not love does not know God because God is Love. To know – have an experience of God. Charity enables us to know. To love him not only with a single isolated aspect of our life but rather with all that which constitutes the person.
St. Paul says that even if we speak the language of angels, have a gift of prophesy….but I do not have love, then we are nothing at all. This applies not only to our life but to our own story. That, which is of love, remains and makes up our personality, our community and our society.
For the Church, for Don Bosco and even other Saints, charity is the heart and the basic guide in their lives.
For Don Bosco, charity comes in as the base of the community, good education, a source of piety, fraternal sharing and personal happiness, practice of specific virtues, that of friendship.
SDB Const. 196 reminds us that following Jesus Christ in the person of Don Bosco, who left for us a legacy of the constitution, is a way that leads to love.
THE PASTORAL CHARITY
Charity is seen as maternal love, conjugal love, compassion, and charitable work. In the story of sanctity, this comprises all aspects of human life. SDB’s and FMA’s speak of this pastoral charity.
The figure of Jesus the good pastor. The typical element of pastoral charity is that of proclaiming the Gospel, educating to faith, and the formation of Christian communities. We fully give ourselves and are available to the salvation of humanity. With a strong conviction, Don Bosco expressed this charity as Da mihi animas, coetera tolle, which summaries our Salesian Spirituality.
Don Bosco transformed this expression of the Da mihi animas right from his lips up to his daily way of life. The young Dominic Savio was able to notice that Don Bosco does not only offer instructions and a house to live in but overall, the opportunity to grow spiritually. Don Bosco, talking of anima, refers to the spiritual element of the person, center of his freedom and reason, his dignity, space for his openness towards God.
Pastoral charity considers the interests of the person, development of his resources which leads to the growth of the conscience and the proper dignity. Charity looks at the person and guides him to a vision of life.The pedagogy of Don Bosco is that of the Soul, the supernatural.
Don Bosco talks of the Coetella tolle, means leaving everything else, which does not aim at saving souls.
In our apostolate, we ought to cultivate and have one soul: charity, which offers liberation, faithfulness, and joy in our daily lives. For the Salesian, charity is realized in the community in spite of the tension that arises between activity and prayer, community life and our mission, education and pastoral, profession and apostolate. All our efforts in our spiritual life consists of purification, growth and sanctification of our life.
Moses Wanjala
Don Bosco’s pastoral activity was not only that of generosity but of Love. This is the central synthesis of the Salesian Spirit. We thus need to enter into the soul of Don Bosco and discover what explains his style.
LOVE
St. Francis de Sales talks of, “The person and the perfection of the universe; Love and the perfection of the person; Charity and the perfection of the Love.” There is a universal vision expressed in form of: to be; to be a person; Love as a superior form as in the conscience and human relationship; Charity as an expression of maximum love. Love represents the optimum point of the person’s maturity, be it Christian or not.
Psychologists, and not only Jesus, say that a happy and complete person has a generous capacity and an inclination towards being loved. Don Bosco would say that the youngster should not only be loved but he himself should know that he is loved.
In every spirituality, love is the guiding principle, not only as a basic commandment, but as an energy to progress in life. The burning charity in us is a mystery and a grace, not from the human initiative but rather it is a participation in the divine life with the presence of the Spirit in us.
We cannot love God if he did not love us first. We have to listen to him and respond to him. We need a personal experience of this love of God, through a collaboration with his Spirit.
The parable of the good Samaritan dramatizes the religious-charity. St. John 4, 7-8 expresses that we should love each other since love is of God; he who does not love does not know God because God is Love. To know – have an experience of God. Charity enables us to know. To love him not only with a single isolated aspect of our life but rather with all that which constitutes the person.
St. Paul says that even if we speak the language of angels, have a gift of prophesy….but I do not have love, then we are nothing at all. This applies not only to our life but to our own story. That, which is of love, remains and makes up our personality, our community and our society.
For the Church, for Don Bosco and even other Saints, charity is the heart and the basic guide in their lives.
For Don Bosco, charity comes in as the base of the community, good education, a source of piety, fraternal sharing and personal happiness, practice of specific virtues, that of friendship.
SDB Const. 196 reminds us that following Jesus Christ in the person of Don Bosco, who left for us a legacy of the constitution, is a way that leads to love.
THE PASTORAL CHARITY
Charity is seen as maternal love, conjugal love, compassion, and charitable work. In the story of sanctity, this comprises all aspects of human life. SDB’s and FMA’s speak of this pastoral charity.
The figure of Jesus the good pastor. The typical element of pastoral charity is that of proclaiming the Gospel, educating to faith, and the formation of Christian communities. We fully give ourselves and are available to the salvation of humanity. With a strong conviction, Don Bosco expressed this charity as Da mihi animas, coetera tolle, which summaries our Salesian Spirituality.
Don Bosco transformed this expression of the Da mihi animas right from his lips up to his daily way of life. The young Dominic Savio was able to notice that Don Bosco does not only offer instructions and a house to live in but overall, the opportunity to grow spiritually. Don Bosco, talking of anima, refers to the spiritual element of the person, center of his freedom and reason, his dignity, space for his openness towards God.
Pastoral charity considers the interests of the person, development of his resources which leads to the growth of the conscience and the proper dignity. Charity looks at the person and guides him to a vision of life.The pedagogy of Don Bosco is that of the Soul, the supernatural.
Don Bosco talks of the Coetella tolle, means leaving everything else, which does not aim at saving souls.
In our apostolate, we ought to cultivate and have one soul: charity, which offers liberation, faithfulness, and joy in our daily lives. For the Salesian, charity is realized in the community in spite of the tension that arises between activity and prayer, community life and our mission, education and pastoral, profession and apostolate. All our efforts in our spiritual life consists of purification, growth and sanctification of our life.
Moses Wanjala
CONSECRATION
The Lord consecrates us with the gift of his Spirit.
The Spirit moves the human story towards a relationship with God through a dialogue with man’s heart. Abraham and the Prophets, with their exemplary lives, listened to the Spirit within them that guided them into a total submission of faith in God, hence enabling them to pass over a message of hope, light and love for all mankind. Consequently, God’s intervention came to be realized and fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Currently, the Spirit, which operates through each person and the community is experienced through; the Church, charismatic saints, religious thinkers and pastors etc. As consecrated persons whom God takes initiative, we are animated by the Spirit of God in our lives. The consecrated person socially ought to be a special sacred person who works hand in hand with the Church’s actual vision of salvation.
Vita Consecrata expresses the fact that we do not consecrate ourselves but rather, as religious, we are consecrated by God. Consecration as a grace, is a gift of God and not from our merit. Our expectation is to relive God’s gift of hope as a testimony through a radical choice of our total donation in following Christ. Nevertheless, Consecration is not just an element of Salesian life or taking vows, but rather, it accommodates all aspects of the entire personality that begin and end in God who has chosen us to follow him. Our call to Salesian life is not a one day answer but rather a daily response towards living and actively cooperating with Christ in our everyday mission towards the youth.
I am impressed by the fact that Don Bosco lived with a conviction that he was chosen by God for a mission as even expressed right from his dream of 9 years. He spontaneously worked among the poor youth in their social ambient but with an aim of winning their souls for God. SDB Constitutions 3, reminds us that God consecrates Salesians as a gift of his Spirit, inviting us to be apostles of the young. Besides, the FMA Constitutions 5, points out on how God consecrates us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and invites us to live our baptismal experiences. We are encouraged to leave our pre occupations and compromises and follow the Spirit and the will of God in faith. In Christian Spirituality, the fundamental way is that of charity. Our consecration is expressed in Love for creation and for the Creator. We ought to live a life of gratitude for all the good which we receive from God and which eventually returns to him, in glory.
The Synod reflections on Vita Consecrata, in emphasizing the primacy of God, affirmed that religious life is not only an educative, organizational, ritual or social work, but an integration and involvement of God through God and for God in whatever we do and whatever we are. God is our protagonist. God sanctifies and accomplishes our work. It is the Spirit in a consecrated person that drives a religious in discerning and responding to God’s call to faith and love in a manner that brings hope to oneself and to others.
Consecrated life is a link between faith and our daily mission to the youth. It is an agreement and a manner in which God communicates to his people. As Salesians, we assume a concrete project of bearing witness to God through the community, journeying and developing together in our deeper understanding of Christ as we share and become the light to the world, that is exposed to lots of hopeless situations that have been brought about by some unhealthy ideologies of selfish nature. SDB C25 affirms that the action of the Spirit is for a professed member a lasting source of grace and a support for his daily efforts to grow towards the perfect love of God and men. The witness of the Spirit of the beatitudes as we imitate Christ, is the most precious gift we can always and everywhere offer to the young as consecrated Salesians.
Wanjala Moses
The Spirit moves the human story towards a relationship with God through a dialogue with man’s heart. Abraham and the Prophets, with their exemplary lives, listened to the Spirit within them that guided them into a total submission of faith in God, hence enabling them to pass over a message of hope, light and love for all mankind. Consequently, God’s intervention came to be realized and fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Currently, the Spirit, which operates through each person and the community is experienced through; the Church, charismatic saints, religious thinkers and pastors etc. As consecrated persons whom God takes initiative, we are animated by the Spirit of God in our lives. The consecrated person socially ought to be a special sacred person who works hand in hand with the Church’s actual vision of salvation.
Vita Consecrata expresses the fact that we do not consecrate ourselves but rather, as religious, we are consecrated by God. Consecration as a grace, is a gift of God and not from our merit. Our expectation is to relive God’s gift of hope as a testimony through a radical choice of our total donation in following Christ. Nevertheless, Consecration is not just an element of Salesian life or taking vows, but rather, it accommodates all aspects of the entire personality that begin and end in God who has chosen us to follow him. Our call to Salesian life is not a one day answer but rather a daily response towards living and actively cooperating with Christ in our everyday mission towards the youth.
I am impressed by the fact that Don Bosco lived with a conviction that he was chosen by God for a mission as even expressed right from his dream of 9 years. He spontaneously worked among the poor youth in their social ambient but with an aim of winning their souls for God. SDB Constitutions 3, reminds us that God consecrates Salesians as a gift of his Spirit, inviting us to be apostles of the young. Besides, the FMA Constitutions 5, points out on how God consecrates us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and invites us to live our baptismal experiences. We are encouraged to leave our pre occupations and compromises and follow the Spirit and the will of God in faith. In Christian Spirituality, the fundamental way is that of charity. Our consecration is expressed in Love for creation and for the Creator. We ought to live a life of gratitude for all the good which we receive from God and which eventually returns to him, in glory.
The Synod reflections on Vita Consecrata, in emphasizing the primacy of God, affirmed that religious life is not only an educative, organizational, ritual or social work, but an integration and involvement of God through God and for God in whatever we do and whatever we are. God is our protagonist. God sanctifies and accomplishes our work. It is the Spirit in a consecrated person that drives a religious in discerning and responding to God’s call to faith and love in a manner that brings hope to oneself and to others.
Consecrated life is a link between faith and our daily mission to the youth. It is an agreement and a manner in which God communicates to his people. As Salesians, we assume a concrete project of bearing witness to God through the community, journeying and developing together in our deeper understanding of Christ as we share and become the light to the world, that is exposed to lots of hopeless situations that have been brought about by some unhealthy ideologies of selfish nature. SDB C25 affirms that the action of the Spirit is for a professed member a lasting source of grace and a support for his daily efforts to grow towards the perfect love of God and men. The witness of the Spirit of the beatitudes as we imitate Christ, is the most precious gift we can always and everywhere offer to the young as consecrated Salesians.
Wanjala Moses
DON BOSCO: MODEL OF OUR SPIRITUALITY
Having acknowledged the works of the Holy Spirit, one finds it necessary to interpret and appropriate, the signs of the diverse situations in which humanity finds itself. Throughout history, some people have listened intently to the internal voice of God and then intervened in the story of saving humanity. Consequently, the Spirit consecrates Salesians who are reincarnated historically in the person of Don Bosco, whose spirituality was drawn from St. Francis de Sales, with a goal of salvation.
Following Art. 21 of the Salesian Constitutions, Salesians are reminded of the good example of Don Bosco as a father and teacher, whom we ought to study and imitate, more so, his splendid blending of nature and grace as a deeply human person. Like Don Bosco, I always reflect on how much I can cultivate a spontaneous and consistent relationship with God through nurturing my gifts and listening to myself, the youth and other situations which I encounter! How much do I integrate my theoretical thoughts so as to understand reality as?” One would ask! Incidentally, Salesians could find a response in following Don Bosco who was deeply a man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit; living and seeing him who is invisible. Don Bosco realized his vocation to the young with firmness, constancy and the sensitivity of a generous heart, amidst the difficulties and fatigue. His target was saving the young and winning souls for God. Salesians imitate Jesus but in the style of Don Bosco, who as well was always in Union with God as a good Shepherd.
In attempting to encounter and understand the Salesian Spirituality today, we have to trace the roots and context of Don Bosco. Its only then that we shall be able to appropriately locate Don Bosco in our current situation and culture, without losing sight of what Don Bosco intended. As we study him, we should remember that our every study is aiming at being and sharing the gift of love, just as Don Bosco said, ‘studia di farte amare,’ or even when he underlines to the young: “For you, I study, for you I live…” Yes, we study, imitate and admire Don Bosco as a friend of the youth, whom the Lord has given to us. Besides, Don Bosco reminds us that the youth should not only be loved but they should realize that they are loved, by our own approach and friendship towards them. Don Bosco’s project of life and service of the young was characterized by the Preventive System based on reason, religion and loving kindness. This ought to be expressed at any time and in any community, in which a Salesian finds himself.
As we return to Don Bosco, every moment we ought to be vigilant in interpreting Don Bosco’s Charism; live it in the context where we find ourselves, without losing sight of the Da mihi animas. Don Bosco himself lived totally through, with and in God. His spirit is evidenced in the current distribution of Salesians in the world. Salesians today are said to be guided by the spirit and figure of Don Bosco who served God in faith, hope and love. May Don Bosco’s spirit motivate us every moment in our mission to the young.
Wanjala Moses
Following Art. 21 of the Salesian Constitutions, Salesians are reminded of the good example of Don Bosco as a father and teacher, whom we ought to study and imitate, more so, his splendid blending of nature and grace as a deeply human person. Like Don Bosco, I always reflect on how much I can cultivate a spontaneous and consistent relationship with God through nurturing my gifts and listening to myself, the youth and other situations which I encounter! How much do I integrate my theoretical thoughts so as to understand reality as?” One would ask! Incidentally, Salesians could find a response in following Don Bosco who was deeply a man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit; living and seeing him who is invisible. Don Bosco realized his vocation to the young with firmness, constancy and the sensitivity of a generous heart, amidst the difficulties and fatigue. His target was saving the young and winning souls for God. Salesians imitate Jesus but in the style of Don Bosco, who as well was always in Union with God as a good Shepherd.
In attempting to encounter and understand the Salesian Spirituality today, we have to trace the roots and context of Don Bosco. Its only then that we shall be able to appropriately locate Don Bosco in our current situation and culture, without losing sight of what Don Bosco intended. As we study him, we should remember that our every study is aiming at being and sharing the gift of love, just as Don Bosco said, ‘studia di farte amare,’ or even when he underlines to the young: “For you, I study, for you I live…” Yes, we study, imitate and admire Don Bosco as a friend of the youth, whom the Lord has given to us. Besides, Don Bosco reminds us that the youth should not only be loved but they should realize that they are loved, by our own approach and friendship towards them. Don Bosco’s project of life and service of the young was characterized by the Preventive System based on reason, religion and loving kindness. This ought to be expressed at any time and in any community, in which a Salesian finds himself.
As we return to Don Bosco, every moment we ought to be vigilant in interpreting Don Bosco’s Charism; live it in the context where we find ourselves, without losing sight of the Da mihi animas. Don Bosco himself lived totally through, with and in God. His spirit is evidenced in the current distribution of Salesians in the world. Salesians today are said to be guided by the spirit and figure of Don Bosco who served God in faith, hope and love. May Don Bosco’s spirit motivate us every moment in our mission to the young.
Wanjala Moses
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