When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.—Luke 4:29
When Don Bosco was a boy he was forced to go a neighboring city to continue his education. The little hamlet of Becchi, his home town, was simply too small to justify a public school. At first he walked the two plus miles every day to Castelnuovo di Asti to attend classes, and eventually found lodgings in the town itself. It was a difficult time, to say the least. He was separated from his family, and because he had never been to school before (he had only received private tutoring from a local priest) he took classes with student four or five years younger than he was. Being a poor farm boy, his cloths were ragged and this, combined with the fact that he was so much older than his classmates, made him the object of ridicule. His only saving grace was that his teacher, a local priest, treated him kindly. But when the priest was transferred to a nearby parish things changed. His replacement, Fr. Moglia, though John was a hick for whom formal education was a waste of time. Fr. Moglia was often heard to say “can anything good come from Becchi.”
In some ways John Bosco faced the opposite problem of our Lord in Sunday’s gospel. John was the outsider who was not respected because of his different background. In the case of Jesus, the people in the synagogue knew who He was, or at least thought they did; he was the carpenter’s son, no better than them. They were thinking, “how does he come here now to preach about how God’s salvation would be given to the gentiles instead of us?” In both cases the results were the same; people did not want to accept them or that God was working through them.
God does not always speak to us in the ways we expect. He uses people, events and circumstances to lead us along the path of life. It is the rare person who experiences some supernatural apparition or mystic experience. It is for us to be open to the possibilities of life, and read the will of God in what’s going on around us. This takes prayer, discernment and the help of a mature and trustworthy spiritual director or guide.
It also takes a sensitivity that allows the Word of God to truly touch our hearts. The words of Isaiah that Jesus quotes are ones of comfort and assurance, yet the people of Nazareth reacted negatively because our Lord was laying down a challenge. He was telling them to look beyond their narrow self interests to perceive the big picture; that God’s salvation is intended for all humanity, not just one race or nation. They were not ready to accept the Scripture as a two edged sword and be cut to the marrow by what it meant for them personally.
Don Bosco did complete his education, and was ordained a priest in 1841. But this would not be the end of his struggles. In founding the Salesians he would face innumerable trials and struggles, at times questioning where God was leading him. He would be abandoned by collaborators, misunderstood by brother priests and harassed by government officials. All the while he kept his eyes on the goal; the salvation of souls, especially of the young. May we take courage from Don Bosco’s example and not be afraid to follow God’s will, especially when it is difficult and trying.
When Don Bosco was a boy he was forced to go a neighboring city to continue his education. The little hamlet of Becchi, his home town, was simply too small to justify a public school. At first he walked the two plus miles every day to Castelnuovo di Asti to attend classes, and eventually found lodgings in the town itself. It was a difficult time, to say the least. He was separated from his family, and because he had never been to school before (he had only received private tutoring from a local priest) he took classes with student four or five years younger than he was. Being a poor farm boy, his cloths were ragged and this, combined with the fact that he was so much older than his classmates, made him the object of ridicule. His only saving grace was that his teacher, a local priest, treated him kindly. But when the priest was transferred to a nearby parish things changed. His replacement, Fr. Moglia, though John was a hick for whom formal education was a waste of time. Fr. Moglia was often heard to say “can anything good come from Becchi.”
In some ways John Bosco faced the opposite problem of our Lord in Sunday’s gospel. John was the outsider who was not respected because of his different background. In the case of Jesus, the people in the synagogue knew who He was, or at least thought they did; he was the carpenter’s son, no better than them. They were thinking, “how does he come here now to preach about how God’s salvation would be given to the gentiles instead of us?” In both cases the results were the same; people did not want to accept them or that God was working through them.
God does not always speak to us in the ways we expect. He uses people, events and circumstances to lead us along the path of life. It is the rare person who experiences some supernatural apparition or mystic experience. It is for us to be open to the possibilities of life, and read the will of God in what’s going on around us. This takes prayer, discernment and the help of a mature and trustworthy spiritual director or guide.
It also takes a sensitivity that allows the Word of God to truly touch our hearts. The words of Isaiah that Jesus quotes are ones of comfort and assurance, yet the people of Nazareth reacted negatively because our Lord was laying down a challenge. He was telling them to look beyond their narrow self interests to perceive the big picture; that God’s salvation is intended for all humanity, not just one race or nation. They were not ready to accept the Scripture as a two edged sword and be cut to the marrow by what it meant for them personally.
Don Bosco did complete his education, and was ordained a priest in 1841. But this would not be the end of his struggles. In founding the Salesians he would face innumerable trials and struggles, at times questioning where God was leading him. He would be abandoned by collaborators, misunderstood by brother priests and harassed by government officials. All the while he kept his eyes on the goal; the salvation of souls, especially of the young. May we take courage from Don Bosco’s example and not be afraid to follow God’s will, especially when it is difficult and trying.
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