SF 400 (1616-2016)
The celebrations of 200th Birthday of Don Bosco are still going on in some provinces, countries or communities, but through the Provincial Circular of the China province we get know about another 'unofficial anniversary that brings to the spotlight the Spirituality of St. Francis de Sales with his
'TREATISE ON THE LOVE OF GOD' published 400 years ago in 1616.
The SF400 Circular is published monthly in Chinese and English
(September 2015-June 2016) for all in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan:
FS400 Provincial Letter 1 to Youth & Salesian Family for Sep. 2015.pdf
FS400 Provincial Letter 2 to Youth & Salesian Family for Oct. 2015.pdf
by CIN provincial Fr. Lanfranco Fedrigotti,SDB
Salesian (慈幼)
Dear Young People, Dear Mission Partners, Dear Brothers - Sisters of the Salesian Family,
The peace of the Lord be with you always! Happy conclusion of DB200 and happy beginning of FS400! As announced at the end of my last letter for DB200, with this letter I begin to share with you my reflections regarding the 400th Anniversary of the publication by Francis de Sales (FS!) of his masterpiece “The Treatise on the Love of God” (1616-2016, 400!). Please, do not be scared… FS400 will not be the same as DB200. While DB200 was a public world-wide anniversary declared by the Rector Major, this FS400 is a private initiative of mine, limited to encouraging our personal reflection and to continue our common appreciation of our Salesian heritage. Unlike the reflection format of DB200 that had a “charismatic double word”, this year each month I will reflect on just one “charismatic single word”.
To begin with, for September we shall reflect on the word “Salesian” (慈幼). “Salesian” is an adjective derived from the French noun “Sales”, the name of the birth place of our Patron Saint. So, every time we mention the adjective “Salesian” we are making a direct reference to the person and work of St. Francis de Sales. This direct reference was the purpose intended by St. John Bosco and his first mission partners when, in the meeting of 26 January 1854, they decided to call themselves “Salesians”. Don Rua writes in the minutes of that memorable meeting: “Don Bosco suggested that, with the help of the Lord and St. Francis de Sales, we should first test ourselves by performing deeds of charity toward our neighbor, then bind ourselves by a promise, and later, if possible and desirable, make a formal vow to God. From that evening on, those who agreed – or would later agree – to this were called ‘Salesians’.” (MB V,9; BM V,8).
Today “Sales” is also translated as “Sha Lei Shi”). However, the Chinese translation “慈幼” (derived fromChunqiu Chapter Wuba Paragraph. 3, quoted in Works of Mencius, Book VI Kaou Tsze, Part II, Chapter 7, Paragraph 3) perfectly represents the spirit of St. Francis de Sales, which, like the spirit of Jesus, is a spirit of pure love for the little ones. This spirit is also perfectly represented in the motto Give me souls! Take the rest! which, by the way, before being Don Bosco’s motto, was the motto of St. Francis de Sales! In the next two months we shall reflect again on this Salesian-Bosconian motto, dividing it into its two parts: Give me souls! (October) and Take the rest! (November).
When did St. John Bosco first approach St. Francis de Sales? Perhaps already in his seminary days (MB I,406; BM I,302), certainly during the 1841 Spiritual Exercises he made in the Church of the Vincentian Mission in Turin before his priestly ordination and his first Mass. In this Church, on the left and on the right of the main altar, the statue of St. Francis de Sales stands in pendant with that of St. Vincent de Paul.
At the end of these Spiritual Exercises, Don Bosco wrote in his notebook: “Souvenir of the spiritual retreat prior to the celebration of my first Mass. […] I pledge myself to keep the following resolutions (9 in all, the first 4 are): 1. Never to go for a stroll unless for grave reasons like visiting the sick, etc. 2. To be very rigorous in the use of my time. 3. To suffer, work, humble myself in all things whenever it is a question of saving souls. 4. The charity and gentleness of St. Francis de Sales are to be my guide.” The charity and gentleness of St. Francis de Sales: this is the spirit of St. Francis in a nutshell! This is the spirit every “Salesian” should have! Wishing you a joyful beginning of the new school year.
The full digital version of the St Francis de Sales book is available on the BOSCOLINK:
http://www.bosco.link/index.php?mid=resource&document_srl=6382
