In this day and age where many are falling away from the Faith at an alarming pace… particularly our young people, it would be a wise idea for us to read up on this holy saint, Saint John Bosco. He devoted his life to serving the Lord. Even back in his day he realized that many of the young boys were falling out of good grace with the Lord and that many of them were going to suffer the fires of hell if they did not amend their ways. He had many dreams in which God allowed him to be shown the future and what would be the fate of these boys if they did not amend their sinful ways.

As I was reading through the daily readings in The Magnificat, I came across the daily meditation which was written by Saint John Bosco. I thought it would be a good idea to print it here. We are living in a day and age where so many people have different ideas of what it means to be a good Christian. So much so, that the Truth often gets lost in the shuffle. Saint John Bosco was a priest who took it as his duty to teach the Faith to everyone. His primary goal in doing so was to save souls for the Lord. Please read the following excerpt, allowing yourself to meditate on the words of this holy saint. When you’re done, ask yourself…are you a good Christian? Do you think Saint John Bosco’s message is still relevant to us today? Let me know what you think. God bless.

The true Christian obeys his parents, his masters, and his superiors, because he recognizes in them if not God Himself, then those who take His place. The true Christian, whether eating or drinking, will imitate Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee and at Bethany. He will be sober and moderate, aware of other people’s needs, and more concerned with spiritual nourishment than with the material sustenance of his body.

The good Christian must deal with his friends as Jesus Christ dealt with Saint John and Lazarus. Let him love them in the Lord and for the Lord’s sake; let him confide to them the secrets of his heart, and, if they stray from the path of virtue, let him try his utmost to return them to the grace of God.

The true Christian must suffer privations and poverty with resignation, like Jesus Christ who did not even have a place to rest His head. He must learn how to endure adversity and calumnies, as Jesus endured the scribes and the Pharisees, leaving vindication to God. He must learn how to bear insults and abuse, as Jesus Christ did when his face was spat upon, slapped, and reviled in a thousand ways at the praetorium.

The true Christian must be ready to accept spiritual anguish, as Jesus did when betrayed by one of his disciples, denied by another, and abandoned by all.

The good Christian must be willing to accept patiently every persecution, sickness, and death itself, like Jesus Christ who- with a crown of thorns, lacerated by flogging, pierced by nails- gave up His soul serenely into the hands of His Heavenly Father. – Saint John Bosco