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