Hajja Salesjana

and the original sign which belonged to our holy father Don Bosco was gone!” This story offers two precious reflections. First, don’t assume anything about anyone by the way they are dressed. The wolf may be dressed in sheep’s clothing. And someone whose attire looks suspicious may in fact be trustworthy. Secondly, as Don Bosco taught Dominic, if you want to live well and grow in holiness, “do your ordinary duties well”. This includes prioritizing the many tasks that fill our “to do” lists, which, left unmanaged, have the power to rob us of our peace. Many things are important; not everything is urgent. To be fair, the custodian meant well when he slipped out from where he was supposed to be, to take the altar linens to be washed. But his timing was off. When we try to do too many things at once, even good things, the one thing that really matters may be lost. Ironically, this unfortunate turn of events provides a concrete and all too literal interpretation of the second half of the salesian motto, “take away the rest”. But on further reflection, maybe that is the most important lesson of all. Even if Don Bosco’s original sign is gone, his passionate “give me souls” continues to inspire. The most ordinary duty each of us needs to take responsibility for is the wellbeing of our soul. What can I do today to make sure my soul is in a good place, safe from whatever or whomever may snatch it away from me? As Don Bosco tells us, “don’t put off until tomorrow the good you can do today”. offered by the custodian on whose turn the sign disappeared: “On Monday Nov. 2, 1970, All Souls’ Day, a young man entered Don Bosco’s room around 7:30 a.m. He was tall, thin, dressed all in black, carrying a large black bag. The custodian assumed that he was a seminarian or a priest. He was looking all around until 9:45 at which point the custodian put a little note on the bedroom entrance which read, “I’ll be back soon”. He left in a hurry to take the used altar clothes to the Sisters of Mary Help of Christians to be laundered. Upon his return, he found a small nail on the floor, looked around, and realized that both the young man Explanation of the theft of the original sign, handwritten on the back of the reproduction DMACT sign, MCDB, antechamber to DB's bedroom, above the orignal floor tiles 23 April-Ġunju 2024 hajja