Thoughts for the Day

* Picture of John Bosco with modern tablet added!

Jeremiah's Call and Commision

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,

‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.’

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,

‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

We have recently been reminded that Jesus taught us to listen to His words and then to take them to others, that is to act as a light to the world. Many of us may feel this is beyond us, so today and tomorrow we shall look at two people born into poor families who made a difference to their world.

'John Bosco (also known as Dom Bosco) was born in 1815 to a peasant family. He spent most of his life in the Turin area of Italy. He had a particular call to help young men and pioneered new educational methods, for example, in rejecting corporal punishment. His work with homeless youth received the admiration even of anti-clerical politicians and his promotion of vocational training, including evening classes and industrial schools, became a pattern for others to follow. To extend the work, in 1859, he founded a religious community, the Pious Society of St Francis de Sales, usually known as the Silesians. It grew rapidly and was well-established in several countries by the time of his death in 1898.' (Exciting Holiness).

The work of this extraordinary man has spread around the world over the last 200 years, with nearly 30,000 Priests, Brothers, Sisters and novices serving in the spirit of their founder, Don Bosco, an Italian Catholic priest who devoted his life to fulfilling the needs of orphans and vulnerable children. The Order of Silesians has become the second largest order in the Catholic Church.

Collect for a Pastor

Eternal God,
You called John Bosco to proclaim Your glory
in a life of prayer and pastoral zeal:
keep the leaders of Your Church faithful
and bless Your people through their ministry,
that the Church may grow into the full stature
of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.