Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Bosco, the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco who are dedicated to educating the youth. It is currently one of the largest orders in the Catholic Church with more than 15,270 members. We continue praying for more vocations to the Salesians and for their ministry in the Church.
In our gospel today, we hear the disciples ask Jesus about who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. He answers that “unless you turn” and adopt the attitudes of a child, you cannot be great in the Kingdom of God. The attitudes of heart the Lord wants everyone to learn from children include a sense of wonder, humility, dependence, trust, and forgiveness. When children are hurt, they forgive, forget and move on; when going on a journey – even when they don’t know the direction or don’t have the money, they trust their parents know the way and their parents will pay for the bus or the air-ticket. They trust all will be taken care of even when they cannot explain how it will happen.
There is however one small yet important expression the Lord uses that is worth reflecting on today. He says “unless you turn” you can’t be great in the Kingdom of God. “Turning” refers to changing direction or orientation. In this case we are referring to the spiritual direction or the spiritual orientation we have adopted. One way to tell whether one is in the direction of the Kingdom of Heaven is through looking at the biggest goals or passions in their lives. If one’s main pursuits in life are power, prestige, personal ambitions, and creating a personal name for themselves, then they may not be facing the direction of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is those kinds of people the Lord tells that “unless you turn” you will never be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. You need to change direction; you need to change your interior disposition or orientation!
Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are the kind that are intentional about spending their lives or part of it for the good of others. Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are the kind that are committed to putting others ahead of themselves; they are the kind whose main aim in life is service to others – service to their families, their communities, or people on the margins. If anyone considers their personal life as the most important thing in life, then their back might be turned to the Kingdom of Heaven!
Many saints and people in secular society whose lives we celebrate, are the kind that put others ahead of themselves. Today we celebrate one such saint, Saint John Bosco. He committed himself to serving the poor youth. He educated them so that they could live with purpose, meaning, and learn a trade that would help them earn a living and live in dignity.
Today we can ask ourselves: How better can I make my service to others? What small and big acts of charity and service can I add to what I am already doing?
May the Lord through this Mass stir our hearts to act out of love for our family members and our neighbors. May He continue prompting our hearts to be driven by a spirit of service just as Saint John Bosco did.