austraLasia #3070
A
humble
offering for life
The evening when Don Bosco became a
religious
HONG
KONG:
14 May 2012 - One and a half years ago, on 8th
December 2009, we
celebrated the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the
Society of
St. Francis de Sales. Today, on 14th May, 2012, the formation
community
in Hong Kong, China Province, commemorated the 150th
anniversary of the
first profession of the first group Salesians.
On 14th May 1862, standing before Don Bosco, there were 22
young men
who had completed their novitiate year and were ready to offer
themselves to God. “There we
were,
squeezed into a small room, without even any benches to sit
on, most of
us in the prime of life: students of rhetoric, philosophy,
theology; a
few in sacred orders; the lay members who perhaps could have
looked
forward to a happy family life. A pleasurable future lay
before us all,
the world beckoning to us with its promises and allurements.
But in the
front of us stood a small table with two lighted candles and
a
crucifix, as if readied for the sacrifice of our hearts, or
our very
lives. Yes, Jesus was calling us to Himself with His
heavenly promises.
We were a small flock, nothing in the world’s eyes,
unnoticed even by
most of the people of the Oratory. Nevertheless these lowly
beginnings
did not dishearten us; rather, they buoyed us up… 22 of us,
besides Don
Bosco, who was kneeling by the table on which the crucifix
stood, took
vows as prescribed by our rules, repeating the formulary,
phrase by
phrase, as Fr. Rua read it.” (BMVII, p.102)
While the first group of Salesians was making the vows for
three years,
Don Bosco in his heart made them in perpetuity. “I offered myself in sacrifice
to the
Lord, ready to bear anything for His greater glory and the
welfare of
souls, particularly the souls of the young. May the Lord
help us to be
faithful to our vows… Let us take courage and work with all
our hearts.
God is a generous master and will amply reward us. Eternity
is long
enough for us to rest.” (BMVII, p.102-103)
Back to the
formation community in Hong Kong, during the morning Mass
today:
His Eminence Cardinal Zen, SDB, in his homily, encouraged his
fellow
confreres, especially those in initial formation, to live out,
as the
Rector Major proclaimed as the theme of GC27, our witness to
radical
Gospel values . It was something extraordinary in Don
Bosco’s
time to make a first profession due to the
hostile social atmosphere against the Church. Nowadays, our
resolution
to live poorly, obediently and chastely still seems ridiculous
to a
secular world; nevertheless, it is in our faithfulness to the
vows that
we bear witness to Christ.
The community renewed their profession before the Blessed
Sacrament
during Vespers. The renewal of profession came at an opportune
time, as
we are preparing for the bicentenary of the birth of Don
Bosco; it
allowed us to reflect how God has loved and blessed us and to
re-affirm
our commitment to God and the salvation of the young.