EAO Good Night Talk (38)
She has done everything.
Trust in Mary Help of Christians, and you’ll see what miracles are!
(Don Bosco)
FOR DOWNLOAD: EAO-GNT-2017 (38) May ENG.pdf
Dear friends and confreres,
Who is for you Mary, Help of Christians? The month of May is among the most wonderful times of the year from Japan to Samoa. The month of Mary was for Don Bosco a special time to growth in faith with his boys and Salesians. Let’s make this 2017 month of Mary more meaningful than ever. Mary is present amongst us, our Mother is walking in our playgrounds and classrooms like in the times of Don Bosco.
There is a shining experience all around the world: Where the devotion to Mary, Mother of Jesus, is very deeply rooted with many cultural expressions – there is also flourishing the faith of Jesus disciples! We feel how much our Mother sustains the faith of Her Son’s family. In Vietnam parishes all faithful come after the Eucharist in front of the statue of Mary and offer three Hail Mary and beautiful song every day before going back home. Yes, there are many beautiful expressions of deep popular devotion!
We experience many rich expression of our relationship to Mary: daily common prayer of the Holy Rosary with our students, 24th of each month with the Salesian Family Eucharist and the Blessing of Mary Help of Christians composed by Don Bosco. We invoke very often: ‘Mary, our Help, pray for us!’ or ‘Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!’ (= it depends on our multi-religion context. The ADMA (Association of Mary Help of Christians groups are growing even in Japan and Korea. Yes, we sing so many beautiful Marian songs, we offer flowers to our Mother and we build her statutes from Lahore to Mati. Our first missionaries in Paranaque, Port Moresby or in Darkhan (Mongolia) are building chapels or shrines especially in the frontline missions. We walk in magnificent processions like in Fatumaca, Timor Leste. Some of us use to throw Marian medals on the plot of land, we need for future apostolic work. We walk with our youth to Marian shrines for our renewal or begging some special needed grace. Entire countries like China or continent like Oceania venerate Help of Christians as their main Patroness. Not less than 4/11 provinces in our region are living under her protection: Myanmar, China, Australia – Pacific and Cebu-Philippines.
As Don Bosco sons and daughters we relate to Mary as one who ‘walks in our house’, ‘who leads each of our youth to the house of Don Bosco’ and makes real miracles we don’t’ even dare to ask for. Lets fall in love like the first Salesians with his same strong and affectionate love for our Heavenly Mother. Don Bosco is telling us that if we are to walk a sure path as Salesian educators, we cannot do so without helping the hearts of our boys and girls beat strongly for our Blessed Mother. Wish you a special month of our Mother!
Fr. Václav Klement, SDB EAO Regional councillor
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