| I hope you are well. As you’ve probably noticed, I like sharing short stories of exemplary lives in these emails I send out to our users. This week it is John Bosco, an Italian, ordained minister who lived in Turin, Italy in the 1800`s. John dedicated himself to the youth, challenging them to become better people and to always give their best.
His life is a beautiful testimony of wonderful deeds and works that show his love for Christ and for others. All the stories taken together fill volumes and have influenced how we educate young people in a very concrete way even today. For now, I’d like to share just one of these stories. In John’s day, many of the inhabitants of northern Italy were poor and many children were homeless, living on the streets. The extreme poverty and lack of security drove these young people to steal and cheat in order to survive, their desperation compounded by the fact that they didn`t have the skills to earn a living and support themselves. John was moved by their situation and with compassion he cared for at least some of the boys from his area together with his mother. He taught them how to work and found jobs and apprenticeships for them, but even more important, he taught them to become good and conscientious persons, always giving their best while remaining cheerful. This was indeed John`s mission: to constantly remind the children that in life, there are always sacrifices to be made, and there are certain sacrifices that are well worth making. He would say that it is easy to turn a blind eye to the shadows of character flaws in the dusty corners of our lives, but ignoring these flaws works towards a person`s downfall. The children found this philosophy exciting and it touched a nerve…”like a drink of water that quenches our instinctive thirst to excel or improve. Whatever the sacrifice,” said Don Bosco, “the struggle to keep your balance is priceless.” These lessons are applicable today. Could such a philosophy be a tonic for the “Snowflake” Generation of today? You know, the Millennials, a generation said to be easily offended, attention-seeking and lacking resilience. Indeed, they could benefit from this philosophy of constant improvement! Why do we now know about John Bosco, some two hundred years after his death? Again, because someone like you bothered to write his story down many years ago. Because of this, his story continues to inspire lives to this day. Do you know of an inspiring life of someone who’s passed worth sharing with others? Of course you do. Consider writing the story down, on https://www.ChristianMemorials.com or https://www.TheEternalPortal.com and allow that person to minister to others for years to come! Link to John Bosco’s memorial on ChristianMemorials.com: https://christianmemorials.com/tributes/john-m-bosco With my wish to you of health and hope for us all, John Moetteli |
A Memorial to John Bosco
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