31 Jan – Memorial for St. John Bosco, priest
St. John Bosco (1815-1888) was the son of Venerable Margaret Bosco. His father died when he was just two years old, and as soon as he was old enough to do odd jobs, he did so for extra money for his family. Bosco would go to circuses, fairs, and carnivals, practise the tricks he saw the magicians perform, and then present one-boy shows. After his performance, while he still had an audience of boys, he would repeat the homily he had heard earlier in church.
He worked as a tailor, baker, shoemaker, and carpenter while attending college and the seminary. He was ordained in 1841. He was a teacher, and he worked with youth, finding places where they could meet, play and pray. He taught catechism to orphans and apprentices, and was chaplain in a hospice for girls.
He wrote short treatises aimed at explaining the faith to children, and then taught children how to print them. He was a friend of St. Joseph Cafasson, whose biography he wrote. He was confessor to Blessed Joseph Allamano. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in 1859, a community of priests who work with and educate boys, under the protection of Our Lady, Help of Christians, and St. Francis de Sales. He founded the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, in 1872, and the Union of Cooperator Salesians in 1875.
- Patron Saint Index
Phi 4:4-9
Mt 18:1-5
…fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise.
We have all done things that we regret. There is no shortage of scandals in the news. Be it extramarital affairs, drug consumption or fraud, where many such cases are being reported.
Perhaps, this can be attributed to the connected and digitalised world that we live in — it is simply harder to not leave a trail. Or it could be that people have become bolder, believing that they can behave as such and not get caught.
Yet getting caught, and the associated shame of having to deal with the public fallout is painful, not just for us, but for our families. So why do people still succumb to their emotions and to temptation?
I believe that it is because they haven’t fully embraced their Christian identity. Only if you let Christian attitudes influence every aspect of your life will you be able to instinctively make Christian decisions. We are not actors who can switch roles easily, depending on circumstances.
Imagine being a devoted and Christian family man. But once you get into your car, or ride your bike alone, you become just an average person who is rushing for time. Because the ‘Christian-ness’ is absent from your driving persona, you engage in risky and dangerous antics.
As I reflect on all the missteps in my life, I realise that many of them were attributed to different versions of myself that existed at the same time. I’m trying to be consistent in my values. No more ‘cheat days’ or letting my hair down. Just steady, plodding progress. May we all be Christians in every aspect of our lives — at work, at home, on the roads, at play… and at church.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Gregory Mathew)
Prayer: We ask you Lord, to help us to always live in the light.
Thanksgiving: We are grateful for the times that you have kept us out of trouble in spite of our bad decisions. May we never take your mercy for granted.
OXYGEN 
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