Hajja Salesjana October - December 2018

8 Don Bosco during his life as a priest sought to imitate Christ as the good shepherd (Cf. Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7; Jn 10:1-8). One particular aspect which struck Don Bosco most was the high esteem Jesus had of children. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 18:3). Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (Mt 19:14).   Here, Jesus demonstrates his love for children, but he presents them not only as “humble” and the “recipients of the reign of God” but also as “models for entering the kingdom of God.” [Luigi Borriello, “Anche i Bambini Possono Essere Santi,” in Rivista di Vita Spirituale 56 : (2002) 443-468.] Adults are called to become like little children. Marcia Bunge asserts that: At a time when children occupied a low position in society, and abandonment was not a crime, the Gospels portray Jesus as blessing children, welcoming them, embracing them, touching them, healing them, laying his hands on them, and praying for them. He also rebukes those who turn them away and even lifts children up as models of faith and paradigms of the reign of God. [Marcia Bunge, “The Dignity and Complexity of Children,” in Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality, (Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Pub, 2006), 57.] These assertions suggest that the possibility of sanctity and openness to the divine life is not exclusive to adults. Children too can become Saints. This concept can be initially identified in Don Bosco’s first dream. Jesus orders Don Bosco not only to take charge of a group of challenging children but he asks him to: win over the hearts of the children through gentleness and love. Start right away to teach them the ugliness of sin and the value of virtue. [John Bosco, Memoirs of the Oratory, 18-20]. Don Bosco’s future mission statement is expressed here with great clarity by Jesus himself. The command to love those children also suggests believing in their ability to spiritually mature towards a life of virtue. The tangible possibility of this spiritual growth is metaphorically presented in the dream with the transformation of the wild animals into gentle lambs. This confidence in the ability of each child to achieve holiness was very much an integral part of Don Bosco’s spiritual direction practice. At this point two questions arise: Was this credence in the ability for sainthood in children normal within the context of the Catholic Church? To what extent was Don Bosco original and influential in the on-going evolution of the Catholic view of the child? Don Bosco’s belief that Children can achieve Holiness By Rev. Dr. Louis Grech sdb PhD in Spiritual Companionship with the Young