don bosco's madonna logs and specks mumbai … · more issues are added along the way. no...

2 3November 2019 Don Bosco’s Madonna Don Bosco’s MadonnaNovember 2019Fr. Ian Doulton sdb

From The Editor's Desk:Logs and Specks...................3

Love “Bears All Things”- Gianpaolo Dianin................4

The Family Clock’s Hands...Solid - Maria Chiara Bregolin..........6

Youth on the Move: Death is not Just a Flash of Fear - Enzo Risatti..........................8

Salesian Saint: Artimide Zatti (1880 -1951)........................10

Witnesses In And For Our Times:St. Elizabeth of Hungary.......12

Lectio Divina: Where Do We GoFrom Here? - Ian Pinto sdb 16

Quietspaces: Lukewarm Thinking- Pope Francis.....................18

The Mystery of Love- Pierluigi Menato (TA/ID).....20

Don Bosco and His People:Fioretti of Don Bosco - 10- Michele Molineris...............25

Reflecting on Mary: 4-The Magnificat Don Giorgio Chatrian............28

NewsBits....................................30

One of Those Days Fintan M. Tallon...................32

In a Cheerful Mood.....................15The Devotion of

the Three Hail Marys.............33They Are Grateful to

Our Lady & Don Bosco..........34Thanks to Dear

St. Dominic Savio...................35

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

DON BOSCO'S MADONNA Mumbai NOVEMBER 2019 vol.21 No. 7

LOGS AND SPECKS

From the Common of the Blessed Virgin

Each of us grows up with unresolved issues from our childhood.More issues are added along the way. No family, no parent or

spouse, can give us all the love we need. An integral part of life’sjourney is coming to see our own wounds and allowing God to healthose wounds. Otherwise, we carry around anger toward other hu-mans for not being able to give us what we need.

We are all created with a need to be loved. Only God can fullymeet that need. As we mature in healthy ways, as we let God intoour hearts more completely, our resentment toward humanity soft-ens. We also come to see God as the healing force which can makesus whole. If we don’t recognize our issues, life is always a grim battlewith a succession of disappointing encounters.

In Matthew, Jesus deals with logs and specks: “Why do you seethe speck that is in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log inyour own eye?” “First take the log out of your own eye, and thenyou will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.”My own issues are the ones that merit my attention.

Jesus says it clearly: when there’s something wrong between meand my neighbour, I am the one with the biggest issue (log), not myneighbour (speck).

If both of us are mired in conflict, only able to see wrongs commit-ted by the other, there simply is no resolution. If just one of us willrecognize and tend to our own issues, then the other usually comesaround. If both of us can focus on our own issues and allow the otherto do that in their life, then resolution comes more quickly. The con-flict is transformed into a life-giving event. But as long as we areassuming the other person has a bigger problem than we do, we areendlessly paralyzed.

Facing our unresolved issues is pretty painful. The work can bediscouraging. Admitting the truth about what we have not receivedand how we have allowed that to become an excuse for ourbehaviours and attitudes isn’t easy. As I admit my own issues, whichare always based on a sense of unrealized love, I can let go of theresentment that has built up in my life. I can turn to the one Godwho can fulfill my needs. I can then receive the love I so desperatelyneed. The log in my eye dissolves and the created order looks a lotdifferent.

The issues we have in life, though difficult and painful, are ourpaths to wholeness and salvation. By embracing them, we come to aplace of resolution and to a place of gratitude. The logs we havetried to deny become the things which point us to the loving Godwhose nature is to heal. Get out of your own way and get out of theway of others. Let them deal with their issues. Then you’re surely onthe path to salvation.

Blessed are you,O Virgin Mary,

by the Lord GodMost High,

above all womenon the earth;

for God has so exaltedyour name,

that your praise shall beundying on our lips.

4 5November 2019 Don Bosco’s Madonna Don Bosco’s MadonnaNovember 2019

and harmony. Only the goodnessof the other is seen, the less beau-tiful remains in the shadows be-cause the brilliance of goodnessand beauty blinds judgment alittle. Everything in the otherseems lovable and those difficul-ties are considered small andeasy to overcome. Falling in loveis precisely a little blind becausethere is an unconscious mecha-nism that tends to idealize theother. The beloved is not who s/he is but who I want to see; andwho I want to see is my dream ofthe long-pampered man orwoman I have in mind. Herelove truly believes all things, all

is excused. All is hoped for andborne even if there seems to

be almost nothing to bear.Time offers a bit of con-

creteness, showing theother up more and morefor who he is and show-ing myself up for who Iam. Love is substancemore than appearance,history more than thepresence, truth rather

Commenting on the hymn tolove of St. Paul (1 Cor. 13, 7),

the Pope writes that, “love bearsevery trial with a positive atti-tude. It stands firm in hostile sur-roundings” (AL 118). But itwould not be love if bearing wascharacterised by being burden-some, because at some point an-ger would burst out becoming anindictment of one’s partner. En-durance is a characteristic oflove when there is “a constantreadiness to confront any chal-lenge.”

We have reached thelast assertion of St. Paulwhich closes the list ofthe qualities of love,and after comment-ing on love that be-lieves, hopes, andforgives all thingswe have come tothis strange affir-mation that helpsmake conjugal loveeven more real.

In the beginningall love stories are anoasis of happiness

LOVE ‘BEARS ALL THINGS”LOVE ‘BEARS ALL THINGS”LOVE ‘BEARS ALL THINGS”LOVE ‘BEARS ALL THINGS”LOVE ‘BEARS ALL THINGS”That verb “to bear” seems very far from being sentimental or

emotional, terms which are so dear to our culture. It stands as anexpression of a mature, brave and tenacious ability…

than illusion, reality rather thanfantasy and gift rather than de-mands and needs; conflict andreconciliation rather than pas-sive acceptance of everything.

Love is not blind but cultivatesa lucid gaze. If, in the beginningthe story of our love seemed tobe an oasis of happiness and har-mony, it has certainly not be-come a Gethsemane today, but areal garden where only the grassgrows spontaneously whilepretty flowers must be plantedand cared for. But while oases ofhappiness are for the movies, agarden of love is a reality andreality is not fiction: it is tough,but magnificent because it is thefruit of our daily effort.

I would put the “endurance”St. Paul speaks of here among thecharacteristics of love. We cantalk about endurance because weare different, because we aremale and female with differentsensibilities and ways of seeingreality, because all of us have ourlimitations, beginning from thenatural ones to those that arepsychological and others relatedto our past, because we eachhave our good and bad days,days when we are grumpy andunapproachable. We inevitablybring home things beautiful butalso ugly things from outside andso conflict is part and parcel ofevery couple’s and real family’slife.

To bear means “to carry aweight,” small or sometimesgreat struggles which may belimited if not eliminated at leastwhile we’re on this earth. PopeFrancis suggests a Christian wayof bearing, which renders this

verb a real characteristic of love.It’s a matter of “being steady,”of “bringing to it a positive atti-tude,” of cultivating a “pressurethat is dynamic and constant.”The goal is not eternal endurancebut one that passes with time.How beautiful it is when thecouple can say to each other:“Thank you, because you and Istay close to each other evenwhen I’m unbearable; I knowmyself and I know that some-times I am.”

When speaking about endur-ance Pope Francis quotes twoexamples: Martin Luther King(1929-1968) and some separatedspouses. The former knew how tolook for the good even in thosewho hated him. If we can see thisgood, recognize the image of Godeven in the enemy, we can defeatthe enemy; “Hate for hate onlyintensifies the existence of hateand evil in the universe [...] thestrong person is the person whocan cut off the chain of hate.” Onthe other hand there are peoplewho have had to stay separatefrom their spouses because ofunbearable violence and abuseand yet they have managed tohave compassion, to pray andeven to forgive.

Endurance is not a stand thatis generic, firm and resistant, butcan become a creative and gen-erative love. Love always gener-ates something in me and in theother. And so that verb ‘to bear,’which seems so far from senti-mental and emotional love, sodear to our culture, stands as anexpression of a mature, genuine,courageous, tenacious andstrong love against evil.

REFLECTIONS ON AMORIS LAETITIAREFLECTIONS ON AMORIS LAETITIAREFLECTIONS ON AMORIS LAETITIAREFLECTIONS ON AMORIS LAETITIAREFLECTIONS ON AMORIS LAETITIA


STSTSTSTSTAAAAAYING YING YING YING YING TTTTTOGETHEROGETHEROGETHEROGETHEROGETHER

No marriage is perfect, let’saccept that. There are times

and sometimes they are longerperiods perhaps, when you’vegot to draw on every resource toovercome issues. There may alsobe certain things that the otherdoes or certain attitudes (whichbecome habits!)...and then…ohgosh!

There are no plates or knivesand cutlery that fly in our homes,but there are silences andscowls but more thanthat, there are wordsthat are sharper than anyceramics or blades.

In the car this morningmy husband and I won-dered if we were to meeteach other for the firsttime today, would westill fall in love. Fortu-nately (or by grace) for both ofus the answer was “Yes, ofcourse!” But only if we met in our“good” moments!

Andrew, my husband arguedthat if he met me today in mydarkest moments, he wouldn’tfeel very attracted to the idea ofeven getting to know me betterand, to be honest, I would feel thesame way if I met him when hewas angry or stressed.

We wouldn’t have had thestrength to hold one another upif we were like that at the begin-ning of our relationship. Indeed,while falling in love, lovers don’texpress themselves immediatelyand completely, nor are they will-

THE FAMILY CLOCK’S HANDS...SOLIDTHE FAMILY CLOCK’S HANDS...SOLIDTHE FAMILY CLOCK’S HANDS...SOLIDTHE FAMILY CLOCK’S HANDS...SOLIDTHE FAMILY CLOCK’S HANDS...SOLIDby Maria Chiara Bregolin

ing to see the flaws and limita-tions in each other.

But in the course of time theyremain together and each ofthem have a way of truly beingthemselves. They “survive” theengagement and reach marriageand with it the wonderful real-ity that turns into a family.

“The family” (it seems beginswith Don Vito Corleone in the

film The Godfather) isthe reality where every-thing goes wrong. It isthat time of life inwhich one is constantlylate, one forgets impor-tant things, fights aboutthe silliest things but itis a place where onelaughs heartily withoutgood reason and youcan hug yourself out of

sheer joy. You feel deeply happyand no longer alone.

If you can’t have a bad daywith your family then where canyou have one? If you can’t cryand complain in the family, ifyou are not free to fight and thenmake peace, if you can’t find awarm but chaotic nest when youare a child or a firm but disorga-nized pad during adolescence,then where?

Family time is a time for pa-tience and selflessness. For us it’sthe time to restart: we have justto think of the many pitfalls,scraps, misunderstandings; andalso how many times we’ve ex-perienced the joy of starting

again from where we left off anddiscovering the other as a newperson.

And this is also the time for ourchildren to be able to experiencethe power of relationships: be-cause in a world where you’reworth as much as “you are,”where the self is constantly quan-tified – weighed, heart rate, likes,followers – but even where every-thing is disconnected, delinked,fluid, family time is where tran-scendence, emotion and narration

are found.It is in this spirit that we read

St. Paul’s exhortation on Char-ity that bears all things: becausebeyond the limits of our love,God continues to fill our heartswith his grace, to broaden, renewand enliven our horizons.

So, my dear, today I know thatthere is a “past” for the two ofus and I would re-marry you toexperience what we will have in“the future.”

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. Wewere driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped

out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammedon his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! Thedriver of the other car whipped his head around and started yellingat us!My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, reallyfriendly. So I asked, “Why did you just dothat? This guy almost ruined your car and sentus to the hospital!” This is when my taxidriver taught me what I now call, “The Lawof the Garbage Truck.”He explained that many people are like gar-bage trucks. They run around full of garbage(frustration, anger, and disappointment, etc.).As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and some-times they’ll dump it on you.Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and moveon. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work,at home, or on the streets.The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage truckstake over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning withregrets, so ...love the people who treat you right and pray for theones who don’t. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninetypercent how you take it!Have a blessed, garbage-free day.

St. Martin Magazine, Ireland

THE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCKTHE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCKTHE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCKTHE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCKTHE LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK


DEATH IS NOT JUST A FLASH OF FEARDEATH IS NOT JUST A FLASH OF FEARDEATH IS NOT JUST A FLASH OF FEARDEATH IS NOT JUST A FLASH OF FEARDEATH IS NOT JUST A FLASH OF FEAREnzo Risatti

Of all the months, Novemberis for many the most gray

and melancholic of the year. Itwill return every year at thistime, a time when the days areshorter and the fog and the coldbecome more oppressive. Oragain, it is so perhaps because ofthe occasion of November 2,when cemeteries get filled withpeople visiting their deceasedloved ones and rememberingthat man, born from the earth, isdestined to return to the earth…

A reality that concerns everyperson

Of all the millions of subjectswe discuss and ponder over,only death has this special fea-ture which makes it unique to it.It concerns and involves every-one because it is the only certaineventuality that happens to ev-eryone, since the only certaintyis the certainty of having to die.

Although it has never beenranked as among the most cheer-ful of topics, since man hasgradually estranged himselffrom nature and the simplicity ofpeasant life to approach the cold,

And what if the fear of the end of life were largelythe result of a clever lie?

aseptic and highly organized lifeof the city, death has taken on theform of a frightening monster. Itis not frightening for those whoare “sensible,” who for example,do not drive around recklessly.They don’t break highway codes;don’t risk harming themselvesand others. They are those whosay ‘no’ to smoking and excessivealcohol in order to take care oftheir health. But it is frighteningfor the “sick,” who live a para-lyzed existence which preventsthem from growing and flourish-ing.

It is a fear, as Paul of Tarsuswrote in a letter to the Christiansof Philippi in which he says: “Forme to live is Christ and to die isgain…In fact I am in a dilemma: onthe one hand is my desire to be freedfrom this body to be with Christ,which would be much better; on theother hand, it is more necessary foryou that I remain in the flesh” (Phil1, 21-24).

Such is the clarity of St. Paul’swords that one cannot fail topause at least for a moment andsuspect that perhaps the fear ofdeath could be the fruit of a great

lie and that, seen through theeyes of faith, death may even re-veal itself as a desirable and/ordesired reality. Of course, we arereferring to death itself, not thephysical suffering that some-times accompanies it and whichis neither beautiful nor pleasant.

Unmasking the greatest lieEvery lie – as we know – al-

ways conceals at least one liar.One need not possess the acumenof a Columbus or have watchedall the episodes of AgathaChristie’s: “Murder She Wrote” toguess who’s behind the increas-ingly widespread fear of death. Itis the “Prince” of lies. It was hewho, at the beginning, deceivedAdam and Eve into choosing be-tween good and evil and thuscatapulting humanity into therealm of suffering and death.

The motive is clear: since themoment of death representsman’s return to the House of theFather, the birth of real life andthe beginning of the good and thebeautiful for all eternity and be-lieving that obviously means the

end of everything the beginning ofthe catastrophe of the origin ofevil. To delude man by telling himthat with death all is lost is theultimate insult to all humankind.The only remedy to check thisshabby plot is to entrust oneselfunreservedly to the Father and tobelieve what Jesus revealed to usabout himself and the destiny thatawaits us. It is a destiny that SaintPaul, in his first letter addressedto the Christians of the commu-nity of Corinth summarizes thus:“We are buried mortals, we riseagain, immortal. We are buried mis-erable, we rise again, glorious. Weare buried weak and we rise, full ofstrength. The material body is bur-ied but what is raised is a body ani-mated by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 15, 42-44).

Because the Prince of Liesknew that the worst thing (ac-cording to him) that could pos-sibly happen to man at the mo-ment of death would be to meetthe God who created him and,who beyond everything and ev-eryone else, loves him with alove without limits.


SALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSAINTSSAINTSSAINTSSAINTSSAINTS

ARTIMIDEARTIMIDEARTIMIDEARTIMIDEARTIMIDEZATTIZATTIZATTIZATTIZATTI

(1880 - 1951)(1880 - 1951)(1880 - 1951)(1880 - 1951)(1880 - 1951)Salesian Lay Brother,

Blessed

Artimide Zatti was born inBoretto (Reggio Emilia) on

October 12, 1880. Already at thetender age of nine he began toexperience the hardship of sac-rifice as he began earning wagesas a day-labourer. Forced by pov-erty, the Zatti family migrated toArgentina at the beginning of1897 and settled in Bahìa Blanca.The young Artimide began at-tending the parish school run bythe Salesians where he met Fa-ther Carlo Cavalli a pious andextraordinarily kind man whomhe took as his spiritual director.It was Father Cavalli who di-rected him to the Salesian way oflife and so at the age of 20 he en-tered the Aspirantate at Bernal.

While assisting a young priestsuffering from tuberculosis, hecontracted the disease. FatherCavalli’s paternal concern –which was following him fromafar – made it possible for him tomove to the Salesian house atViedma where the climate wasmore suitable and more espe-cially because there at the mis-sionary hospital he would meeta good Salesian infirmarian whopractically served as a “doctor,”Father Evasio Garrone. He in-vited Artimide to pray to MaryHelp of Christians for a cure,suggesting that he make a prom-ise: “If you heal me, I will dedi-

cate my entire life to servingthese sick people.” Artimidemade that promise and he mys-teriously recovered. He wouldthen say: “I believed, I promised,I recovered.” He saw his pathclearly marked out for him andhe took it up enthusiastically. Heaccepted with humility and do-cility the small suffering of hav-ing to renounce the priesthood,making his first profession as aSalesian Lay Brother on January11, 1908 and his perpetual pro-fession on February 18, 1911.Faithful to the promise he madeto the Madonna he dedicatedhimself immediately and totallyto the hospital, initially lookingafter the pharmacy. But whenFather Garrone died in 1913 theresponsibility of the entire hos-pital fell on his shoulders: in fact,he became the assistant director,administrator and an expertnurse who was esteemed by all

the patients and the doctors toogave him much more freedom toact. It came to be accepted thathis main remedy was himself: hisattitude, his jokes, joy and affec-tion. He not only wanted to ad-minister medicine but also tohelp his patients see their situa-tion as a sign of God’s will, espe-cially when death was near. Hewas not only a nurse but also aneducator in the faith to everyperson in their moments of trialand illness; a “good Samaritan”in the style of Don Bosco, “a signand bearer of God’s love.”

His service was not limited tothe hospital but it extended to thewhole city, indeed to the two cit-ies on the banks of the river Ne-gro: Viedma and Patagones.Whenever he was needed, day ornight, in whatever kind ofweather, he reached even theslums in the suburbs offering hisservices for free. While he rodehis trusty bicycle he prayed andoccupied himself with readingascetical works. He rested in theremaining few hours. Even whenhe went to bed he remained con-stantly on call, always available.The fame of this holy infirmarianspread throughout the Southand the sick travelled to see himfrom all over Patagonia. It wasnot uncommon for the patientsto prefer to see the saintlyinfirmarian than the doctors.

Artimide Zatti loved his pa-tients in a truly moving way. Hesaw in them Jesus himself somuch so that when he asked thesisters for some clothes for anewly arrived boy, he said: “Sis-ter do you have some clothes fora twelve-year-old Jesus?” He ex-pressed his attention towardsthem with such sensitive nu-

ances. There are those who re-member seeing him carryingaway on his shoulders the bodyof an inmate who had died dur-ing the night so as to hide it fromthe view of the other sick patientsand he did so while recitingPsalm 130 (Out of the depths…).Faithful to the Salesian spirit andto the motto he inherited fromDon Bosco to his sons – “workand temperance” – he workedprodigiously with habitualpromptness, with a heroic spirit ofsacrifice and an absolute detach-ment from every personal satis-faction. He took no holidays orrest. Some said that the only fivedays of rest he had were those hespent – in prison! Yes, he also knewwhat it was to be in prison be-cause the police attributed the es-cape of a hospitalized prisoner tohim but he was acquitted andreturned him in triumph.

He was someone easy to relatewith, very sympathetic andhappy in the company of simpleand humble people. But above all,he was a man of God who radi-ated the light of his presence. Arather skeptical doctor from thehospital would say: “When I sawBrother Zatti my skepticism fal-tered.” And another said: “SinceI saw Brother Zatti I began tobelieve in God.”

In 1950 the indefatigableinfirmarian fell from a ladderand it was then that symptomsof cancer were detected which heserenely accepted. However, hecontinued to attend to his dutiesfor another year until after ac-cepting heroically his sufferinghe died, on March 15, 1951, fullyconscious and surrounded by theaffection and gratitude of an en-tire population.


PROFILES

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY(1207-1231)(NOVEMBER 17)

W e are in a courtroom. Acourtier arrives walking

very slowly and solemnly. Thepresident reads the sentencerather distractedly, in a very de-tached manner in slightly bureau-cratic tone of voice: “We condemnthe accused present to one year inprison, to be served in the prisonof St Victor for having stolen fromthe church of St. Augustine.” Sud-denly a voice is heard: “Just amoment, there’s a mistake. It wasnot from the church of St. Augus-tine but from the church of St.Francis that I stole.” The presi-dent replied: “It’s the same, onesaint is as good as another.” Theaccused added: “But if one saintis as good as another, then whysend me to St. Victor, why not toSan Remo?” Obviously, that’s ajoke!

But is it really true that the sanc-tity of one saint is synonymouswith that of another?

Is it true that if you know a saintyou know them all?

I really don’t think so. Goddoesn’t mass-produce; God is In-finite Creativity.

And just as “every star differs

from every other,” so it is in thefirmament of saints in theChurch.

But if it is true that there are as

many kinds of sanctity as there aresaints, it is also equally importantto remember that the source of alltheir inspiration is only the Gos-pel of Jesus Christ.

This also applies to Elizabeth ofHungary. She lived the Gospel ofChrist in her state as a princess, abride, the mother and then ayoung widow.

Elizabeth was born in Hungaryin 1207 to King Andrew II andGertrude. He died in Germanyat the age of 24 in 1231. Fouryears later he was declared asaint by Gregory IX. As was ob-vious due to the bureaucracy ofthe time the processes weremore rapid but no less efficientand rigorous.

As a very young bride she waspromised in marriage to a youngGerman prince who was edu-cated in Eisenach and Wartburgin Thuringia (that was why someGerman authors would speak ofher as Elizabeth of Thuringia).

In 1221 she married Louis IV (orLudovik). Scholars say it was ahappy marriage gladded by thebirth of three children, Herman,Sophie and Gertrude. Eventhough she lived at court, PrincessElizabeth never felt attracted bythe luxury and splendour aroundher. “Elizabeth was enamouredby a particular interest in the newreligious ideals preached by tworecently founded mendicant or-ders (the Franciscans and Domini-cans). Her life was marked bycharity and renunciation whichwas in stark contrast to the lavishatmosphere of the Wartburgcourt… It appears that Louis IVapproved his wife’s new lifestylesince he himself decided to par-ticipate in the sixth crusade.” (G.Klaniczay).

A very young widowIn fact, Elizabeth’s husband

took up the cross (of the Cru-sade) in June 1224 but beforeleaving for the crusade he en-trusted his wife’s spiritualwellbeing to the care of a famouspreacher and an important per-son at that time: Conrad ofMarburg (who would later be-come her principal biographerand the advocate of her canoni-zation). Three years later in 1227Louis IV left with Frederick II buthis crusading adventure wasbrief. He died at Otranto becauseof an epidemic leaving behindhis young wife and three childrenin Germany. Elizabeth did notlose heart but as her spiritualFather Conrad wrote, “ad sum-mum tendens perfectionem”(tended to the highest perfec-tion). She continued to pursueher ideal of living a life of pov-erty and renunciation, dedicat-ing herself completely to caringfor her children and helping thepoor. Elizabeth refused to cave into the pressure of her parentsand relatives to abandon her lifeof voluntary poverty and returnto Hungary to the comfort andassistance of the court. In factshe generously offered her owndowry for the construction of ahospital named after St. Francis.

Her biographer Conrad ofMarburg extensively describedElizabeth’s commitment to char-ity towards the poor and the sick.He called her “Pauperumconsolatrix” (Comforter of thepoor) .

Not content with helping thepoor and beggars, she became abeggar herself and experiencedtheir condition of poverty andhumiliation all for the sake of the


poor Christ. Then of her ownwill, one Good Friday she re-nounced all her wealth and all thecomforts of this world to followher Master even in this.

Interestingly, this spirituality,consisting of a great and preemi-nent love of poverty and the re-nunciation of all comforts, waswhat she took on herself despitethe advice of her confessor andspiritual father Conrad (who be-longed to the Norbertine Order).

The first and decisive influenceon her spiritual journey camefrom the Franciscans. In fact, herfirst confessor belonged to the re-cently founded Franciscan order.The sanctity of Francis, his spiri-tuality and charism lived outthrough his sons crossed the Alpsand bore the fruits of sanctitywhich were seen in Elizabeth ofHungary.

“Conferences of St. Elizabeth”Elizabeth died when she was

just 24 years old on November 17in 1231 but her fame and her cultspread rapidly because of the nu-merous miracles attributed to herintercession. Her tomb became aplace of pilgrimage and healings.Conrad of Marburg propagatedher fame exalting her as the prin-cess who lived in poverty andcharity and a model of a newspirituality that could be emu-lated by other members of the no-bility.

Her process of canonizationpromoted by Conrad went aheadquickly. Miracles attributed to herwere not lacking. There weremany who bore sworn testimonyto Elizabeth’s sanctity. Accordingto scholars her writings are per-haps some of the richest in medi-eval Europe and they are a study

on Elizabeth’s personality, spiri-tuality and sanctity. She was en-rolled among the saints in Perugiaby Pope Gregory IX on the occa-sion of the feast of Pentecost in theyear 1235.

Devotion to this new saintspread rapidly and her tomb con-tinued to be a place of pilgrim-age. Many of the then religiouscongregations of women espe-cially the Tertiaries of St. Franciswere also inspired by Elizabethof Hungary. Although, somescholars attest that St. Elizabeth,despite having great devotion toSt. Francis did not join any of thereligious families that followedthe charism of the saint of Assisi.

In the following century, invarious cities in Germany suchas Trier, Augsburg and Munich,there rose so-called “Confer-ences of St. Elizabeth” whichsoon spread to many other citiesin Europe. And here is a signifi-cant detail: Women who conse-crated themselves to the care ofthe sick were called: “Elizabeth-inerinnen” that is ‘Elizabethan.”

Another significant detail thatshould not be forgotten duringthese years as the EuropeanUnion is being consolidated: St.Boniface was declared the offi-cial “Apostle of Germany” be-cause he was the principal evan-gelizer of its people. But he camefrom Southern England. St.Elizabeth, a Hungarian by birthwas not only called “the saint ofCharity” but also “Gloria Teu-toniae.” It is as if there are notjust leaders, artists and scholarswho go to make a nation great,there are also holy men andwomen like the Hungarian prin-cess Elizabeth also called “theGlory of Germany.”

IN A CHEERFUL MOODLiterary EconomicsA journalist was told never touse two words where one woulddo, and he carried out this advicein his report of a fatal accidentin the following manner:“John Jones struck a match to see ifthere was any gasoline in his tank.There was. Age 65.”

Light MatterAstronomy isn’t an easy subjectto teach as the teacher was find-ing, but he was keen on it.“Just fancy, boys,” he exclaimedpresently, “the light that comesto us from the sun travels thou-sands of miles per second! Isn’tthat wonderful?”“Not very,” said one bored lad.“It’s downhill all the way!”

Infamous Safety“Madam,” said thesalesman,”this fire extinguisherwill last you fifty years.”‘But, I’ll be gone before then.”“Well, in that case, you can takeit with you!”

Fatal CertificationThe doctor’s small son was enter-taining a friend in his father’ssurgery, and they were lookingwith awed admiration at the ar-ticulated skeleton in the cup-board.”“Where did he get it?” asked theguest in a whisper.“Oh, he’s had it for a long time. Iguess, maybe, that’s his first pa-tient.”

Parental ParenthesisThe parson was having a seriouschat with one of his parishioners.

“Yes,” he said, “education is avery important thing. We par-ents must sacrifice our pleasuresfor our children’s benefit. Do youknow, I had to pinch like fury tosend my boys to the university?”Looking startled the parishioneranswered, “Oh, but my husbandis too afraid of the law to do any-thing like that!”

Hospitality IndustryThe hotel manager walked up tothe new guest and said: “Yourroom is now ready, but becauseof shortage of help you will haveto make your own bed.”“Oh, that’s nothing, I don’t mindmaking my own bed,” replied theguest.“That’s fine,” said the manager,“Here’s a hammer and a saw!”

Industrious SupervisionHe was certainly no model of in-dustry. Suddenly, digging hisclassmate in the ribs he re-marked: “See that fellow in theclass - in the third desk, Maurice?I’ve been watching that loafer forthe past two hours and he hasn’tdone a single stroke of work.”

Phonetically SpeakingIt was a reading lesson inJohnny’s class, and it was histurn to read. he went on all rightuntil he stumbled at the word“barque.”“Barque,” prompted the teacher.Johnny looked astonished, butremained silent.“Barque.” again prompted theteacher more emphatically.This time Johnny replied with:“Bow-wow-wow.”


WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?by Ian Pinto, sdb

LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTYOur lives are full of uncer-

tainty. No one knew where theywould be born, to which parents,in what kind of family, friends,the social situation, the economicstatus, the possible infections,physical or mental handicaps, cur-rent state of life, successes or fail-ures, the list is endless. All of thesethings mentioned above are alluncertain until they happen. Noone knows whether their businesswill succeed of fail, or whetherthey might meet with an accidentand tragically lose their life. Un-certainty is all around us. We can-not escape it. It is deeply embed-ded in our human nature. In fact,it is embedded into the very fab-ric of nature. Only God is abso-lutely certain about everything.That’s why we call Him, omni-scient. He is the only one who isnever surprised because Heknows everything even before ithappens.

While for God there is no un-certainty, there is plenty for us.The only thing perhaps that wecan be certain about is that one

day our life will end! The Psalmstells us: “Our days are gone in notime. Seventy years to our life oreighty is we are strong” (Ps 90: 9-10). Whether we like it or not, allour lives are going to come to anend one day. There is no doubtabout that; but how, when andwhere it will happen, remainsuncertain. We could spend ourtime brooding over impendingdeath and make our lives a longanxious numbering of days orinstead of worrying about it, wecould make concerted efforts tolive each moment well. There areso many people in the worldwho are so preoccupied with try-ing to delay death that they haveforgotten to live their lives. Thisis an absolute tragedy. Life is notmeant to be wasted away byworry and unnecessary anxiety.

Jesus issues a strong recom-mendation in this regard:“Therefore I tell you, do notworry about your life, what youwill eat or what you will drink,or about your body, what you willwear. [...] And can any of you byworrying add a single hour to

your span of life? ... Do not worry… your heavenly Father knowsthat you need all these things”(Mt 6:25-32).

DYING WITH CERTAINTYThere is no escape from death.

From the mightiest to the meek-est, death remains a common ex-perience. I recall the story of theancient Greek philosopher,Diogenes. One day, Alexander theGreat, the mighty conqueror,found the philosopher staring in-tently at piles of human bones.When asked what he was lookingfor, he explained, “I’m looking forthe bones of your father but can-not distinguish them from thoseof a slave.” This is a hard fact.

It doesn’t really matter howmuch wealth you’ve amassed inlife or how little, how many pos-sessions you have or how little,how happy you were or sad, howsuccessful you were or not, howpretty or handsome you looked ornot, death reduces all of that to thesame result. In death, all areequal. There is however, one cru-cial thing that makes a differencein death and that is the good thatone does in life. Death cannoterase the good or similarly the evilwe have done in our lives. Whilethe sinner and the saint are re-duced to the same fate, their livesare not. The sinner’s life ceases tobe an abomination and a negativeinfluence on others whereas thesaint’s life continues to live on inthe hearts and minds of all thepeople he/she has touched.

For this reason, we would all dowell to keep in mind that death iscertain but how we die, is not. Thesame goes for life; life is uncertain,but how we live it, is not. It is upto us how we want to live and

how we die. We could live withpositivity, faith and service of oth-ers or we could live with anxiety,selfishness and doubt. How welive, is how we’ll die. Our deathwill depend on our life. Mind you,I’m not talking about the kind ofdeath or anything of that sort; thatis all beyond human knowledge.I’m referring to the legacy of ourlives. We could choose a life thatends with death or one that liveson even after.

RISING WITH CERTAINTYOur faith teaches us that all

will rise on the last day (Jn 11:24).Whether you have lived a good orbad life, you will be resurrected.The catch however, lies in the na-ture of the resurrection. For thevirtuous, resurrection will be intothe presence of the Lord, in heav-enly glory with the angels andsaints but for the unrighteous, itwill be in hell, “where there willbe weeping and gnashing ofteeth” (Mt 13:42). The Churchteaches us about the last fourthings which are absolutely cer-tain in each of our lives. They are:Death, Judgment, Heaven andHell.

We are well aware by now thatdeath is certain but very often weforget that life doesn’t end withdeath. Death sends us to eternaljudgment where the Lord willjudge us on the quality of our lifeand offer us either heaven or hell.Advent is the season for takingstock of our lives and preparingfor the coming of the Lord, whichis another way of saying, Judg-ment Day. How are we living?What are we doing to meritheaven? Let’s not waste anothermoment: “The day of the Lord isnear” (Is 13:6)!


LUKEWARM THINKINGLUKEWARM THINKINGLUKEWARM THINKINGLUKEWARM THINKINGLUKEWARM THINKINGOn the morning of November 16, 2016, the Holy Father celebrated Mass at Casa Santa

Marthae. The following is the edited English text of the Pope’s homily which was delivered inItalian.

The confrontation with a “powerful” Lord, who scolds harshly,though always out of love, was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily

at the Mass he celebrated at Santa Marta on Tuesday morning, 15November. The liturgy proposed the image of Jesus “who stands be-fore us,” and does so in order to reprove us, because he loves us; eitherto invite us or to be invited.”

The reproach can be found in the book of Revelation (3:1-6,14-22)and in how the Lord addresses the Christians of the Church of Laodicea.The Pontiff explained that it consists of the “example of a Church”,but that it is found “everywhere.” It can indeed be applied to all “thoseChristians who are neither cold nor hot: they are lukewarm. They arealways as quiet waters.” The Lord rebukes them and they ask: “Whydo you rebuke me, Lord? I am not bad.”

“Perhaps,” the Pope said, “I was bad! But this is worse. You are dead.”In fact, the Lord uses powerful words: “Why are you as quiet water,which do not move, because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out ofmy mouth.” It is the situation you encounter, Francis noted, when“warmth enters the Church, into a community, into a Christian home,”and you hear people say: “No, no, all is calm, everything is alrighthere, we are believers, we do things well;” that is to say, when every-thing is “starched" and lacking “consistency” and “with the first rainit dissolves.” However, the Pope asked, “what does a lukewarm per-son think” that merits him such harshness? We read in the Scripturepassage: “think of being rich.” In fact it is certain: “I am rich and I donot need anything. I am calm.” He is a victim, therefore, of “the tran-quillity that deceives.” However, the Pontiff warned, “when the soulof a Church, a family, a community or a person, is always calm, God isnot there. Let us be careful not to walk in this manner in the Christianlife.” In fact, the Pope added, paraphrasing the passage from the Bookof Revelation: “You say: ‘I am rich,’” but “you do not know what itmeans to be wretched? Nor miserable, poor, blind and naked?” Thereare three “great slaps,” the Pope commented, “to awaken the tepidsoul, asleep in the warmth.” And to those who complain: “But I do nothurt anyone, I am calm,” they should remember: “Neither do you dogood!”

The Lord’s answer is tough, “it seems like an insult;” but he “does soout of love.” In fact, shortly after we read: “All those whom I love, Irebuke them and teach them.” He also adds a suggestion: that of “pur-chasing, from me, gold refined by fire in order to become rich.” Namely:to discover another richness, “one that I can give you. Not that wealthof the soul that you believe you have because you are good, because

you do things well, everything in a calm manner;” but precisely “an-other wealth, that which comes from God, which always brings a cross,always brings storm, always brings some unrest in the soul.”

The next counsel is that of “buying white clothes, to dress yourself,so that you do not appear in your shameful nakedness.” Other peoplewho are lukewarm, the Pope explained, “do not realize that they arenaked, like the tale of the naked king in which the child says: ‘The kingis naked!’” Even the Lord suggests buying eye drops in order to “anointyour eyes, recall the view and you can see:” those who are lukewarm,”Francis pointed out, “indeed lose the capacity for contemplation, theability to see the great and beautiful things of God.”

Therefore the Lord stands before those who are lukewarm and says:“Wake up, correct yourselves!” He does this “to help us convert.”However, the Pope continued, God is also present “in another way: hegoes to invite us.” We read again in Revelation: “Behold, I stand at thedoor and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I willcome to him, I will eat with him and he with me.” The Pope explainedthat “the ability to hear when the Lord knocks at our door” is veryimportant, “because he wants to give us something good, he wants tocome to us.” Unfortunately there are Christians “who are not awarewhen the Lord is knocking. Every noise is the same for them.” They donot realize that the Lord is knocking and saying: “It is I, have no fear.I want to enter, to be with you, to have dinner with you; in otherwords, to celebrate, and to console you. Not with the consolation ofwarmth, that which is not needed; but with the consolation of fruit-fulness, that which helps you to move forward, to give life to oth-ers.”

Finally, the Lord also wants to “be invited”. As we read in thescene with Zacchaeus from Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10): the tax collec-tor from Jericho “feels that curiosity, a curiosity that comes fromgrace,” which “was sown by the Holy Spirit” and brings Zacchaeusto say: “I want to see the Lord.” The initiative “comes from theSpirit,” the Holy Father said. Hence the Lord “looks up and says:‘Come down, invite me to your house!’”

God, therefore, “always acts with love: either to correct us, to inviteus to dinner, or to be invited.” He is going to tell us: ‘Wake up.’ He isgoing to tell us: ‘Open.’ He is going to tell us: ‘Come down.’ But it isalways him.” Hence the final invitation, that every Christian asks him-self: “Do I know in my heart how to distinguish when the Lord says‘wake up’? When he says ‘open’? And when he says me “comedown’?”


THE MYSTERY OF LOVETHE MYSTERY OF LOVETHE MYSTERY OF LOVETHE MYSTERY OF LOVETHE MYSTERY OF LOVEPierluigi Menato (TA/ID)

He slammed the door shut behind him; the thud made the

windows vibrate waking up thelittle child sleeping in the bassi-net. The child’s mother quietlygot up and tried to put the whim-pering child back to sleep but invain. It went on crying, so shepicked him up and rocked himtill he calmed down. Even in thedark his bright eyes glistenedthrough his tear-stained littleface. As she looked closely at hima smile broke upon his little lips,a smile of trust and joy.

Elise just couldn’t contain theconvulsive rush of tendernessthat welled up in her heart. Sheclutched that innocent little bodyas tight as she could; hoping shecould rid herself of the anguishthat her husband’s behavior wascausing.

She remembered how he re-acted to the announcement thatshe was to be a mother. He madeher even feel guilty. As if it wassomehow her fault. The injusticeof it all kindled a kind of rebel-lion within her and it seemed tohurt. She felt so alone, strugglingagainst the insurmountably highwall that he had thrown up be-tween them after the birth oflittle Andy.

With all her youthful energy,and her faith in the power oflove, she tried to break down thekind of barrier that she feltweighed down on her every daywithout knowing its origins.While she sensed his disappoint-ment she ignored its source.

And yet she was sure that heloved the child. She rememberedhow happy he was the year be-

fore the child was born; heseemed delirious with joy even ashe endured those first sleeplessmonths which are common withall little babies. The little childoften surprised him as he bentover ecstatically to study his fea-tures and in those moments shewas sure that he was so happy,happier than anyone on earth.

But for some time now thingshad changed in him; he startedcoming home later than usual;he was irritable and withdrawn.He could never speak kindly toher but with the child he was al-ways gentle but now he had evenstopped smiling.

The few words he spoke to hersounded increasingly like accu-sations; bland food, a crease onhis pants or dust stains on hisshirt. Sometimes his observa-tions became harsher if he no-ticed she was holding back tearsand he shook her violently, bang-ing his fist on the table regard-

less whether it frightened thechild or not.

She always remained silent; alittle because she loved him andsensed that he was in some kindof pain which he was unable tospeak about. She waited pa-tiently hoping that he would feelthe need to open up and share hisproblems, partly because she wasmild by nature and because herupbringing had taught her to re-main silent, to hide her tears andto smile easily, like a glimmer ofsunshine dispelling the darkclouds of a moment earlier.

She had been raised by a step-mother who had a heart of goldbut with a strong character. Sheknew how to impose herself withjust a look or a word. Her fatherwas a very outgoing person whospent very little time at home.He represented a famous com-pany in the market because ofwhich he was often away forlong periods of time.

Because his absences lastedlong he wanted his daughter tohave a second mother who, if nota substitute for his real affectionat least to meet the thousandcares that Elise at her age needed.When Jim entered her life andfilled her dreams with sweet-ness, she decided that shewanted to remain with him for-ever, to be his sweet, tender andunderstanding wife. She lovedhim so much!

Her wedding day was the mostbeautiful day of her life: the dayshe was to belong to the man Godhad sent to her and whom sheloved as she never thought shecould and perhaps much morethat she had loved her own fa-ther. She thought she was sohappy. It made her anxious

which is common for anyonewho had tasted just a little pieceof heaven. She had anxiouslyasked herself: ‘Will this last? Willit always be like this? Why am Iso happy?’ It seemed to soundlike an act of distrust. It was as ifshe doubted God… Thereaftershe settled into a kind of gentlejoy.

Little Andy’s birth had helpedto seal their union that was sopromising from the beginning.But now…what was happening?

She scrutinized herself veryseverely trying to see if there wassome fault on her part. Did shelack concern for him? She had toadmit that Jim was the same ashe was on the day they first met;she loved him intensely withouteven the slightest flaw. But didhe love her anymore…? Did allthe harshness come from thecoldness she might have felt to-wards him? She had read, shedidn’t remember where, thatsometimes without any reasonlove could end like this…with anirremediable rupture…

This thought brought her un-bearable anguish. She wanted todrive it away like a temptationbut despite herself it came backto haunt her like a nightmarewhich left her sleepless for sev-eral nights, sad and thoughtful.

When she was certain that shewas pregnant, she thought thiswould bring peace once more totheir home. Instead the news wasgreeted with anger, a kind of re-sentment for her. She thoughther announcement would beseen as a triumph. In her bewil-derment, she sought refuge andcomfort in little Andy whoseemed to sense her pain and sohe became even sweeter, much


dearer, wanting to say things inhis own way, trying to expresshis own sentiments, sentimentsthat his mother would want tohear.

In the evening when Jim camehome, darker and more with-drawn than when he had left inthe morning, Elise was in nodoubt about what she had sus-pected. For the first time, in theface of the pain that found to bestronger than herself she wishedto die, but then she repented atthe thought because it meant shewas a coward; renouncing thecross that God had assigned toeveryone. So she bowed her headsubmissively.

***The months rolled by one after

another. Jim always seemedhard, lost in his world. Some-times he caught a glimpse of thisas he watched her wanderthrough the house clumsy, bur-dened because of the situation,but maybe it was just his impres-sion, a shadow that vanished asquickly as it had come. Theylived together, but like twostrangers. The man’s face did notbrighten when he looked at littleAndrew everyday, the way heclung to his father; his tenacitywould have made any fatherproud. Even with his son, he hadtaken a strange attitude: he ca-ressed him, he could not help it,he had to do it, but he no longerheld him close to his heart like heused to. When he was just aboutto do it something prevented himand because of that he put thechild down with a brusque mo-tion and go back to reading hispaper or watching TV.

More often than not, he went

out and did not come back untilmuch later when both motherand baby were asleep.

The baby was born on awinter’s night. Having antici-pated its arrival the father hadto help assist in bringing the newcreature into the world. Al-though everything was painfuland at times the wait becameuncertain there was still a mys-terious poetry which makes ev-ery cynic ponder, makes everyfather feel humble; he even ad-mires the woman who appearstransfigured by the pain and alsoby something incomprehensiblethat sublimates it.

In the hospital Jim was tenderwith Elise, he whispered wordsof comfort, holding her hands fora long time to give her strengthand once more the woman de-luded herself. She was gratefulfor the pain that made her a mar-tyr for him and she could not re-strain a convulsive cry when heheld his child in her armswrapped in a pink shawl.

“Are you happy, Elise? Thebaby you wanted so much!”

“And you Jim?”“Me too, Elise, We have two

beautiful children.”The baby was a strange little

creature; she almost never criedand when she did she seemed toask forgiveness for having dis-turbed him, her wail was so sub-dued. But when she was threemonths just when she was begin-ning to smile at her mother andgiving the first signs of recogniz-ing, one night, very quietly, ithappened, she went back to beamong the angels.

During those months, a littlebecause her health was a bitshaken and a little because of all

the house work Elise didn’t havemuch time to think about Jim.She did not pay much attentionto his gloomy attitude. But whenshe discovered that his love andattachment for the child was in-tense; she didn’t want anythingelse. He didn’t care much abouther. At times it seemed like hedidn’t even see her; even hiswords and his attitudes were suchthat he always seemed angry.

She endured everything andsilently wondered what had dis-turbed Jim’s soul; but so long ashe loved the child nothing waslost. She spread herself thin try-ing to get the house running ashe would like it but when deathsubtly slipped in kidnapping herlittle angel, everything collapsedaround her.

She felt so lost and alone with-out any support. The strengththat pushed and encouraged herwas gone, it was all over. All shewanted to do was to lie down bythe grave of her little child andlisten to nothing more; to forgetthe fact that this life was astruggle all the time, nonstop.

Whenever Jim came home heoften found her bent over theempty cradle, her face frozen bya pain that rendered her tearlessand cold. Even little Andycouldn’t make her forget the littlechild she could no longer hold toher heart, whose closed eyeswould never look at her again.Sometimes when he shouted outgleefully because somethingamused or bothered him shewanted to shut him up.

Then she almost felt ashamedat that feeling; it seemed likesome unexpressed resentmenttowards Andy; the pain hadchanged her.

Perhaps if Jim were a bit moreunderstanding; if he took her bythe hand he would have helpedher through her suffering byspeaking to her from his broth-erly heart he could probablybring her back to the surfacefrom the abyss that was swallow-ing her up, then everythingwould be different. But Jimseemed unaware of his sur-roundings.

In his own way he was also suf-fering much because of the deathof his daughter, but he couldn’tunderstand her despair.

Comfort came to him fromother sources. His wife’s attitudeseemed absurd and inconceiv-able. He had coldly thought of asolution which at that momentseemed like a duty towardsAndy: separation. What could hedo with a woman who only livedfor the memory of her deadchild? He needed to rebuild hislife by doing something concrete.

One evening he told Elise aboutit. The woman listened silently asshe was now accustomed to do,nodding while he complainedabout little Andy’s irritants. Hewas convinced that things wereunderway and that Elise had re-signed herself to the separationthat was now inevitable. But hewas shocked when she askedhim: “Will the woman thatworks with you look after littleAndy?”

So, did he know what he wasgoing to do or what she was in-sinuating? The question wasasked in a voice that seemed in-different to the answer. Hedidn’t reply; he preferred to keepsilent. Elise didn’t say anythingfurther but in her heart she feltthat the wall that her husband


FIORETTIFIORETTIFIORETTIFIORETTIFIORETTIOF DON BOSCO -10OF DON BOSCO -10OF DON BOSCO -10OF DON BOSCO -10OF DON BOSCO -10

by Michele Molineris

had erected for months was nowcrumbling with Andy among theruins. He seemed to hear a soundin his tired brain. Jim was push-ing her aside and taking awaythe child. That was all that mat-tered. Of late she had proved tobe a bad mother, it was true, andshe admitted as much…

With his sick mind, he ravedday and night. Now God hadpunished her, she had forgottenthat she was a creature; she al-lowed herself to stand up like ajudge to blame God for his de-signs. What did she know abouthow good or bad she was? If herchild was dead she had the rightto cry but not to despair. Shecould no longer hold back thecourse of events. Jim had openedthe door of his house to a womanwho had seduced him and littleAndy would be a stranger, anintruder, while she, far awaycould do nothing anymore. Shehad lost everything, both of them.

***A plan gradually matured in

her mind and while Jim wasaway, she packed a suitcase witha few essentials, Andy’s clothes,took some money from thedresser draw that was set asidefor emergencies and her few jew-els. She dressed little Andy whowas excited with all these prepa-rations and couldn’t stop askingquestions.

If she left, she would spend theupcoming Christmas with herstepmother who, she was sure,would welcome her and showher how to proceed. But she mustnot let Andy see his home ruinedand the place that belonged toher alone, occupied by anotherwoman.

She consulted the timetableand saw that there was quite a bitof time to spare. Leaving her suit-case in the parlour, she took Andyby the hand and together theywent to the cemetery to bid fare-well for the last time to her littlechild. Tears she had not shedwhen the little child was takenfrom her now flowed copiously asshe thought this would be her lastvisit. She cried long and hard,while the little child tried to com-fort her with a thousand promisesthat he would be good.

That was how he found her inthe snow: leaning against thecross with one hand around itwhile the other was with thoseof Andy who was busy coveringthem with kisses.

Something had happenedwithin him. During one of thosemysterious forebodings, he sud-denly sensed that some misfor-tune was about to bring himdown. He was unable to resisther and so he came home earlierthan usual. The house was emptyand a suitcase was in the parlour.What was about to happen sud-denly dawned on him: thethought of losing his child andthe woman he thought did notlove him anymore shocked him;he anxiously ran to the cemetery.

“Elise!”But the woman was lost in a

sea of tears that would make herfeel better later but now theyoverwhelmed her.

He called her even louder andsince she did not hear him hecame up to her and drew her tohis sobbing chest, their tears min-gling. His were tears of repen-tance, remorse and hope; all thistime little Andy clung tightly totheir feet.

32. The Bells rang by themselves (1846)

The field where Don Bosco gath-ered his boys to play was with-drawn on April 5, (Palm Sunday).They would gather there for thelast time. Extremely saddened butstill trusting in God and in theBlessed Virgin, Don Bosco decidedto test the prayers of his boysmany of them were little angels.So on the morning of that Sunday,having gathered in the field andhearing their confessions for quitea while he brought them togetherand announced that they wouldgo to Mass at the church of theMadonna in the meadow, a mon-astery about two kilometres fromTurin; on a little pilgrimage.

They had all gathered and werereciting the Rosary and singinghymns when at the entrance of theavenue which led from the mainroad to the monastery, all thechurch bells began to ring. It wasthe first time such a thing hadhappened to them; they had neverreceived such a joyful welcome.For that, Don Bosco wanted tothank Fr. Fulgenzio, the prior ofthe monastery and then confessorof (King) Charles Albert. But theprior protested that neither he noranyone else in the convent hadgiven the order for bells to be rungto announce their arrival. The factwas that the bells rang and nomatter how much the prior triedto find out who rang the bells; thebells had rung by themselves(D’Espiney, Don Bosco, 138).

In the sermon Don Bosco com-pared his little army to birds that

had been thrown out of their nestand he urged them to pray to OurLady, to provide them with a morestable and secure place.

Towards evening they returnedmore numerous and while theircheerful cries deafened the air andeveryone ran about enjoyingthemselves, Don Bosco stoodaside watching the recreationsadly when he was surprised bythe arrival of a man who offeredhim a cottage and a nearby shedon rent. Don Bosco immediatelywent to see the place; he foundthat it suited his needs. Havingspoken to the owner and fixed theprice and the conditions; thrilledwith the outcome he went back tothe boys to tell them where theywould meet the following SundayApril 12. It was a moment of in-describable emotion and joy.

After having said a few wordson the happy outcome of the pil-grimage to the Madonna of themeadow, he asked everyone topray the Rosary. It was to be aprayer of gratitude to the heav-enly Mother who so quickly andlovingly responded to theirprayers (Francesia, Vita di DonBosco 113).

33. That’s not fair (1847)“In the first years of the

Oratory...says Fr. Turchi, a young-ster from Biella arrived in Turinand went to confession at thechurch of La Consolata and thenproceeded to the hostel of St.Francis where he was accepted asa student. The prefect welcomedhim kindly since it was the firsttime he had met him.

Don Bosco was talking to hisboys who had surrounded him tolook into their hearts and they re-called some surprising revela-


tions he made of certain secrets.He and his boys were talkingabout discernment of hearts, andthe lads were recalling instancesof Don Bosco’s surprising revela-tions. The newcomer listened to itall and then abruptly blurted out,“Father, I dare you to read mysins. You can tell them out loud ifyou wish.”

“Come closer,” Don Bosco re-plied.

He gazed at the boy’s foreheadand then whispered into his ear.The lad turned a deep red. DonBosco looked at him once moreand again whispered what per-haps were more details about theboy’s past life. At this he broke intotears, exclaiming, “It’s not fair!You’re the priest who heard myconfession at La Consolata thismorning!”

“He’s not!” his companions cho-rused. “Don Bosco has been hereall day. How could he know if youhad gone to confession? You areall wrong! You don’t know DonBosco yet. This happens all thetime.” At this the boy relaxed, andfrom then on had the greatesttrust in Don Bosco. I was presentat this scene so was Michael Rua[then a young cleric]. He can tes-tify to its truth. (EBM, VI, 260-261).

34. I’ve lost my sins! (1847)Who can forget the case of one

of them who, when he had madehis spiritual retreat at the Oratoryfor the first time had written hissins and lost the sheet? The poorfellow wandered among his com-panions asking them in half Ital-ian and half Lombard: “Whofound my sins?” Everyone lookedstrangely at him with a smile ofpity at the strange seeker whoseemed out of luck. They couldn’t

but admire his simplicity! But hemet Don Bosco who, in his fatherlyfashion encouraged him to comefor confession. How could herefuse?- But I don’t know anything!- I myself will tell you the sins,don’t be afraid.- But how’s that possible?- Come and try.

He went with him to thehumble little chapel where he feltfervent and happy, as if he werenear Mary Help of Christians andhe knelt nearby.

When he heard himself notsounding as confused as hethought he would be about theexact painful state of his con-science he felt he was beside him-self and said in his dialect: “A le’lù! A le’ lù!” it was almost as if hewere saying: “It’s you who foundmy sins.”

We used to try this God-givengift that was given to Don Boscoto read the souls of his boys andwe often said: Yes, Lord! He doesthe examination and the assess-ment leaving us completely se-rene (Francesia, Don Bosco amicodelle anime 184).

35. The Multiplication of the Hosts (1848)

The first multiplication (1848)It was one of the most solemn

celebrations at the Oratory. Sev-eral hundred boys were ready toreceive communion. Don Boscohad celebrated Mass and was con-vinced that there were six ciboriaof consecrated hosts in the taber-nacle. But at communion time, tohis utter surprise he realized thatthe sacristan had forgotten to fillthem. Unable to resign himself tosending the boys away withoutcommunion, he raised his eyes to

heaven and started distributingthe few hosts that he had. Andbehold, to the great astonishmentof the sacristan Buzzetti, who wasall confused with regret aboutwhat his forgetfulness would doto Don Bosco, the hosts multipliedin the hands of the saint who wasable to distribute communion to650 boys. When the service wasover, Buzzetti was beside himselfwith joy and surprise. He told ev-eryone what had happened and asevidence he showed them theciboria he had prepared lying inthe sacristy.

Fifteen years later, on October18, 1863, Don Bosco himself con-firmed the truth of this fact. Whenasked about the veracity ofBuzzetti’s story, he turned seriousand replied: “Yes there were a fewhosts in the ciborium, neverthe-less I was able to distribute com-munion to all those who ap-proached the sacred table; andthey were not a few. Through thismiracle, Our Lord Jesus Christwished to show how much he likeswell- prepared and frequent com-munions.

Those present plucked up cour-age and went further asking himwhat he felt in the face of thismiracle. Don Bosco serenely said:

“I was moved, but calm. Ithought: the miracle of consecra-tion is greater than the miracle ofthe multiplication. But God bepraised in everything!

The second multiplication(1854)

This miracle would have re-mained forgotten but a provi-dential conversation with hissons, one day in 1861 offered DonBosco the opportunity to speakabout it; and he did it with the

fascinating simplicity with whichhe always narrated the most ex-traordinary things. He was speak-ing about some boys of the housewho, because of their exceptionalgoodness were favoured by Godwith supernatural gifts. After thesaint had narrated some prodi-gious facts, one of those present,with childlike trust asked him ifthe Lord had granted him anyEucharistic vision.

- With regard to the Holy Host Iwas never favoured with extraor-dinary signs except however, themultiplication of the hosts. Thathappened in 1854 and was a re-ally beautiful and surprisingevent. One morning, being theonly priest in the house, as was thecustom of those times, I celebratedMass for the community. Afterhaving consumed the sacred spe-cies I began distributing commun-ion to the boys. I had a few hostsin the ciborium, may be ten ortwelve.

At first, having given commun-ion to a few I did not think ofbreaking the hosts. But having dis-tributed communion to the firstones, others came and still others,so that row upon row of boyscame as many as three or fourrows. There were at least fiftycommunions. I wanted to go backto the altar after the first few hadapproached the sacred species,but I seemed to see the same quan-tity in the ciborium and I contin-ued to give communion withoutrealizing that the particles werediminishing. When the last onecame to receive communion, tomy extreme surprise I found my-self with just one host in theciborium and I gave it to the boy.Without knowing how thosehosts multiplied.


4 - THE MAGNIFICAT4 - THE MAGNIFICAT4 - THE MAGNIFICAT4 - THE MAGNIFICAT4 - THE MAGNIFICATby Don Giorgio Chatrian

M ary said: “My soulmagnifies the Lord...as he

promised to our fathers, toAbraham and to his descendantsforever” (Lk. 1:46-55).

What’s our prayer like?Someone might say he is very

faithful to his morning andevening prayers. That may be agood habit breathed into him byhis family. Even putting on hisPJs and going to bed or havinghis breakfast with a milky coffeeare traditions...

Others will say they pray whenthey feel like it, at times usingwords that spring from theheart. Not always going “wherethe heart takes us”; often lifechoices require reason andwill…

We may also meet those whoonly pray occasionally and thencomplain that God doesn’t listento them. But God is no quick-fixsolution…or spare tire.

Here’s a small test to gaugeyour prayer with some questionsto answer sincerely.WHEN: The precise time when Ipray during the day.HOW LONG: Clock-in-hand, theamount of time devoted to

prayer.WHERE: The ambient in whichyou pray, the places and mo-ments chosen for prayer.HOW: What percentage of time,or more concretely the amountof time you dedicate to gratitude,to petition, to forgiveness orother requests.WITH WHO: Relationship be-tween my personal and commu-nity prayer.AND LIFE: How do you bringprayer into life so that it does notbecome dry or just an escape?

Now let us look at Mary who,in the Magnificat gives us aprayer, complete and of rarebeauty. It is a long list of ‘thanks’for all the gifts God has given hereven before she asked; alwaysremaining aware that she is poorand in need of forgiveness.

To pray then is to thank Godfor all he gives us every day andto ask for his forgiveness for nothaving recognized or thankedGod for this goodness. Only atthe end should we present ourrequests. If they coincide withthe things for which Mary givesthanks to God in the Magnificat,

we are playing it safe: then we’resure we will be heard.

And above all, we will succeedin taking prayer to life like Mary,who, after singing her thanks,remained three months to serveher cousin Elizabeth.

My heart sings to my God andcries out to everyone about thejoy I experience believing in him,because he loves me as I am:fragile and unsure.

Only for this very reason willthey remember me in the future.

God is so generous with me andpronounces my name with suchrespect, while the rich find them-selves empty-handed and theirlives cast aside for nothing.

Finally, God came to meet theChurch that is the communitygathered around himself, his Sonand the Spirit, thus rememberinghis immense capacity to love andforgive everyone and always, ashe promised from the beginning,

to Abraham and the Jewishpeople right up to the apostlesand the disciples at the time ofJesus.

So it is for me, for us and for allthose who come after us and for-ever!

As you will notice this is a “trans-lation” in current English. If youwant you can read the other edition:

1.God loves me and loves mystory: frail and without any se-curity...And truly: on his Word I lay thefoundations of all my futures.God was very generous with meand those who believe in Him!I will always praise his lovewhenever I pray.Magnificat!Magnificat! Magnificat!

2.In addition to being good, Godshows his power towards thesupposedly great.If you build your whole life onyourself and riches, you will findyourself empty handed or full ofhollow power.Hunger for bread and the mean-ing of life, these my God will sat-isfy. Magnificat! Magnificat!Magnificat!

3.God came to meet the Churchwith forgiveness and love in hishands:It was the promise he made tobelievers and to all who followChrist.I will sing to the Lord for thesegifts! Thanks to the Father for theSon: it is he who gives us the HolySpirit, the source of life for eter-nity.As in Mary, the joy of believing,loving and hoping, springs fromall hearts! Magnificat! Magnifi-cat! Magnificat!


NEWSBITS

VATICAN CITY"We waited and hoped for

unity for years. Now the eastwind has finally arrived, and youcan hear the footsteps of the ap-proaching spring. They usesimple and evocative images, theCatholics of Shizhuang, to tellwhat they saw happening be-tween them in this March 2019.First, the mass of reconciliationbetween the "official" and "un-derground" Catholic communi-ties, celebrated on March 3 byBishop Francis An Shuxin fol-lowing the path of unity andmutual forgiveness suggested byPope Francis. Then, the commun-ion lived and experienced in acommon enterprise, of greatsymbolic impact: the collectiveconstruction of a "temporary"church, inside an abandonedfactory.

Shizhuang is a village of 2000inhabitants, 80% of whom are

Catholics. Until recently, priestsand faithful of the so-called "un-derground" communities cel-ebrated their masses in privatehomes. After the reconciliationat the beginning of March, it wasimmediately understood thatthe premises used by the "offi-cial" community would not beable to fit all the baptized Catho-lics of the village, finally willingto share the Eucharistic liturgiesand to live and manifest their fullsacramental communion. At thefirst liturgical celebrations of thereconciled Catholic community,too many people were unable toenter the place and were left out-side, exposed to the spring rainsand the cold still chilling innorthern China. Thus, the Catho-lics of the village of the dioceseof Baoding began a fundraiser tobuild an adequate size church.And in the meantime they askedto be able to re-adapt the pre-mises of a factory, that had been

abandoned for 30 years, as a tem-porary space in which to gatherto pray and celebrate the Eucha-rist.

After obtaining the consent ofthe civil authorities, the priestsand laity spontaneously orga-nized into work teams to convertthe old factory into a place forprayer, liturgies and sacramentalcelebrations.

The story of this communityadventure, which reachedVatican Insider, describes withemotion the people of God who"began to build the house of God".Men and women are working forthe construction free of charge,sweating and getting their handsdirty together. The rest of thecommunity provides the "build-ers" with building materials,along with supplies and food toensure lunch and dinner for theworkers. They also work at night,and during the work sessions, theteams of builders live togethermoments of prayer and pay vis-its to the Blessed Sacrament.

The work, offered free ofcharge, visibly springs from theshared gratitude that the Catho-lics of Shizhuang experience as adistinctive feature of thisecclesial season. "If you ask themwhere they find the strength andenergy to work together," the re-port reads, "they simply answerthat they are happy, and for thatreason sometimes they don'teven notice the effort. Everyoneis tired, but on their faces you canfeel gratitude and thanksgiving toGod".

During the Cultural Revolu-tion (1966-1976), it was Chinesecathedrals and churches that

were transformed into factories,warehouses and stables. Alreadyin August 1966 Mao Zedong haddeclared that "religion no longerexists in China".

At the end of the 'seventies,when Deng Xiaoping broughtthe country out of those difficultyears, new wounds were openedin Chinese Catholicism aroundthe destiny of those ill-treatedand ill-mannered places of wor-ship: did it make sense to reopenthose houses of God, as the gov-ernment in fact asked, and to be-gin to celebrate baptisms, mar-riages, the daily Eucharistic sac-rifice and funerals? Or was itbetter to continue to celebratemasses in the discretion of one'sown home, sheltered from themonitoring of the power thathad persecuted the Church ofChrist?

Today, in the chiaroscurotime that the Catholic Church isgoing through in China, thereare still places of mistreatedworship for they don't "con-form" to the rules imposed by thelocal political apparatus. Butthere are also abandoned indus-trial spaces that are turned intoplaces in which to celebrate theEucharist, with the permissionof government officials. Screewalls and clean concrete floorsare the witnesses of the recon-ciliation of hearts betweenbrothers and sisters who havebeen divided for decades. Amiracle that can't be imposed bydecree by anyone, neither by thecanonical dispositions of theVatican, nor - much less - by thepressures of the civil powers. Gianni Valente, La Stampa Teams of "builders" who have transformed an abandoned factory into a church


THE DEVOTION OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS isa very simple yet most efficacious devotion.Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding theinvocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me frommortal sin." Many people recite the Three HailMarys as part of their morning and night prayers.To practise this devotion in time of danger, stress,special need or temptation, is a sure means toobtain Our Lady's help.

Grateful and humble thanksgiving for the numerousfavours received over many many years through the faithful recitationof the 3 Hail Marys. Our Lady has always been with us through it all;sheltering us with her heavenly protection and granting us all ourrequests. Thank you Mama Mary. Wilma Fernandes

It had been one of those dayswhen all of the people I was due

to meet were unable to keep theappointment for valid reasons.

In a downcast mood I left myhotel and began walking towardsFifth Avenue in New York. Quiteunplanned my journey took mepast St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Iwent to pay homage to God beforehis altar.

As I prayed somebody touchedmy shoulder and looking up myeyes met those of a middle agedlady in very obvious distress.

“I’m sorry to intrude” she saidhesitatingly “but I need to talk tosomebody. You see my husbandhas just been taken to hospitalwith a cardiac arrest and the doc-tors are uncertain as to his pros-pects. They suggested that I go fora walk and come back in about anhour when, perhaps, they mightbe able to be more definitive.”

I rose and taking her arm led herfrom the Cathedral. I suggestedwe go into a nearby restaurant fora tea or - coffee where we couldtalk more comfortably.

“Tell me what happened?” Iasked as we sat at a table.

“My name is Ruth Jones. We areboth from London” she re-sponded “and are here for a briefholiday. Just as we left our hotelthis morning Jack collapsed andwas taken by ambulance to thehospital. Fortunately I had ourtravel insurance in my bag andadmission proved no difficulty.However, we have no friends inNew York and the hospital saidthey needed at least an hour tomake a firm diagnosis.” I intro-duced myself and asked if her hus-

band had any previous attackssuch as this. She shook her head.

“No” she responded. “Jack re-tired over a week ago from his jobwith a London insurance group.Our two children are living inAustralia and we had arranged tomeet them in San Francisco in aweek’s time.”

“What prompted you to go intoSt. Patrick’s Cathedral?” I asked.“Are you Catholic?” She shook herhead and said that both she andher husband were Church of En-gland but when she saw the openchurch it seemed natural to go inand seek the Lord’s help.

1 poured her a cup of tea andshe began to sip from the cup.

“Are you a Catholic?” she askedand when I confirmed she added“I can’t place your accent are youEnglish?”

“No,” I responded “I’m Irish.But do remember that our mer-ciful Father hears our prayers ir-

respective of where we worshipHim.”

At the hospital“Would it help” 1 asked “if I

went to the hospital with you andwe can then find out Jack’s pre-cise position and the medicalprognosis?”

She assented eagerly to my sug-gestion.

At the hospital I asked to see thedoctor looking after Jack. Hisname was Liam McNally fromDublin and I knew his parentsvery well. When I introduced my-self he assured me that he was rea-sonably confident that Jack’s at-tack was fairly mild and he wouldrecover and told us that we couldvisit him after they had completedsome other tests.

Half an hour later we both wentto see Jack and he was amused asto how Ruth had ensnared astranger to come to her aid. I gotthe telephone number of their chil-dren from Jack and undertook tolet them know what had hap-

pened.I phoned them with the good

news about their father and theysaid they would fly to New Yorkwithin the following two days andI arranged to book them into thesame hotel as that of their parents.

When I reported to Jack and hiswife they were profuse in theirthanks.

By morning the news from thehospital was excellent and I wasable to leave the couple to awaitthe arrival of their children with-out carrying the fear of any sinis-ter development.

My schedule did not allow metime to meet the children but I re-ceived a lovely letter of thanksfrom both Jack and Ruth someweeks later and we agreed that wewould get together in London onmy next visit to that city.

As I returned home to Ireland Irealised that the Lord hadplanned that day for me andgiven me a task to perform in Hisname. (From the St. Martin’sMessenger, Ireland 2006)

ONE OF THOSE DAYSONE OF THOSE DAYSONE OF THOSE DAYSONE OF THOSE DAYSONE OF THOSE DAYSFintan M. Tallon


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYERNOVEMBER 2019

THEY ARE GRATEFUL TOOUR LADY AND DON BOSCO

Universal: That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and recon-ciliation emerge in the Near East, where diverse religiouscommunities share their lives together.

Thank you Jesus & Mary for the many miracles you have workedin my life. I am sorry for the long delay in expressing my gratitudefor the numerous favours received from Heaven. I pray that youcontinue to bless and protect me and my loved ones always.

Smita Rosario, MumbaiThank you Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and dearest Mother Maryfor the abundant blessings and favours received. Viola Rebello, MumbaiThank you Mother Mary, Don Bosco and St. Martin for lookingafter a member of my family, I am most grateful. A DevoteeWe thank Don Bosco for giving us two children in 2012 and 2014.Sorry for the delay. Our sincere thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christand St. Dominic Savio too. E. D’Souza, GoaThanks for all the blessings we received from Mary Help ofChristians, Don Bosco and Dominic Savio. Keep us always inyour care. Mrs. Matilda Carvalho, MumbaiOur sincere thanks to Jesus, Mother Mary and the saints for helpingour son in securing a good job and for the many favours received.

F. & C. Gomes, MumbaiOur heartfelt thanks to Our Lady for having blessed our daughter-

THANKS TO DEARST. DOMINIC SAVIO

My sincere thanks to Our Lord Jesus, dearMother Mary Help of Christians and St.Dominic Savio for blessing my daughter witha safe delivery and the gift of a normalhealthy baby girl after 8 years of marriage.

A DevoteeOur grateful thanks to Mary Help of Christiansand St. Dominic Savio for numerous favoursand blessings and especially for the safedelivery of both our daughters-in-law withloving, healthy and happy baby girl and boy.Thank you very much for giving us such

lovely grandchildren. Alban and Odette MendoncaThank you, dear Jesus, Mother Mary, St. Dominic Savio and DonBosco for all the favours received. A DevoteeMy grateful thanks to Mary Help of Christians and St. Dominic Saviofor the many favours received. Please continue to bless me and myfamily. E. BarrettoMy sincere thanks to Our Lord Jesus, Mother Mary, Don Bosco andDominic Savio for many favours received. Please do continue to blessmy family always. Patricia B.

(Continued from pg. 34)in-law Sindhu Pushpa with a baby boy. L. BeniltusDear Jesus, Mother Mary and Don Bosco thank you for blessingour family abundantly. Thank you for keeping my brother safe andhealthy. Thank you for keeping us all healthy and happy. F. D’SouzaMy sincere thanks to Jesus, Mother Mary and Don Bosco for thesuccessful graduation of my children from college and high school;for Maya’s college admission with a scholarship; for our citizenshipapproval; for keeping my mother mentally at peace and secure.Please continue to watch over her; for healing my Amini aunty,and uncle George and for their sound health; for peace in myhusband’s job were there were many enemies and for saving andrestoring me back to health. Mrs. P. Samagond, Australia

I sincere and profusely thank dearest Mother Mary, my ardent Mother,for granting me and my family, many, many favours through therecitation of the three Hail Marys. I am ever grateful to my mother.Dear Lord Jesus and Mother Mary, protect and bless my two darlingdaughters, 2 sons-in-law and my precious little grand daughter throughtheir lifetime. I am sure your merciful eyes always look upon themand your tender hands will bless them. An ardent devoteeThank you so very much for, through the recitation of teh 3 powerfulHail Marys my financial debt has been resolved to an extent andhelped me stay calm in days when the situations were very dreadfuland stressful. Candida Pereira, MumbaiMy daughter had cleared her IPCC (Inter CA exams) and was lookingforward to continuing her career in a suitable CA firm. At first herefforts through friends and acquaintances proved futile. Havingreceived the February issue of the Madonna, I was inspired to theDevotion of the three Hail Marys (adding the Memorare at the end).Within the first month she was given an online test by a fairly suitablefirm in which she didn’t fare well because the questions pertained to asyllabus that was different than what she was prepared for. Wecontinued to persevere in prayer for a suitable opening. Within thenext month she was called for an interview to teh same suitable firm.In continue to place my trust in Mother Mary and through the recitationof the Three Hail Marys, I am sure Mother Mary will aid my petition. T. Gonsalves, Mumbai

36November 2019 Don Bosco’s Madonna

Regd RNI no. 9360/57;Postal Regn. MH/MR/North East/089/2012-2014posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office

on 1st & 2nd of every monthSubs: (one copy Rs. 20/-); Inland Rs. 200p.a; Airmail: Rs 500 p.a.

MARY WAS THERE

Don Bosco's Madonna, has developed to its present form from a folder published in 1937,by late Fr Aurelius Maschio, on behalf of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Bombay.

The magazine is sent to all who ask for it, even though there is a fixed subscription(Rs 200/- India & Rs 400/- Airmail)). We trust in the generosity of our readers/benefactors.Whatever you send us will help cover the expenses of printing and mailing; the surplus ifany, is devoted to the support of orphans and poor boys in our schools and apostolic

centres.To help a poor lad to reach the priesthood, is a privilege

You can help by establishing a Perpetual Burse with:Rs 5000/-, 10,000/-, 15,000/- for a boy studying for the priesthood;But any amount, however small, will be gratefully received.

Send your offerings by Payee cheque or Draft on Mumbai banks;MO/PO/INTL MO/BPO/Bequests, Wills, Perpetual Burses, all favouring Don Bosco'sMadonna or Bombay Salesian Society or Rev. Fr. Edwin D'Souza, (Trustee).Please address all correspondence to:

Rev. Fr. Edwin D'Souza, sdb.,SHRINE OF DON BOSCO'S MADONNA,Matunga - MUMBAI - 400 019 - INDIA

Phone/Fax: 91-22- 2414 6320, email: [email protected]

On May 16th 2018, we were return-ing by car to Mumbai after a short tripto Kerala. My son was in the front seatwith me, our seat belts were on, whilehis wife was in the back seat. Aroundnoon, we met with an accident.Thecar turned turtle and were weretrapped inside. Bystanders immedi-ately rushed to our aid and freed usfrom the wreckage.My son and I wereuntouched but my daughter-in-lawsustained injuries. On reachingMumbai on the third day she was ad-mitted to Holy Family Hospitalwhere she was promptly attended toand discharged. Everyone was aston-ished at our miraculous escape. Ifirmly believe that our lives werespared from what could have been afatal accident only through the inter-cession of Mother Mary and theprayers of our loved ones.

Fred Fernandes, Mumbai

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