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St. John Bosco grew up and was formed in the Piedmont region of Italy, whose capital is Turin,which was permeated with the influence and spirituality of St. Francis De Sales.
Spirituality is an aspect and part of every human being. Some have a heightened spirituality, others hardly any, and the majority of us fall somewhere in-between. Simply put, spirituality is the way we contact the Divine and recognize the Divine in the unfolding of our lives. We then respond to the Divine is a variety of ways. There are many "ways" we can do this and we follow in the Catholic-Christian tradition.
Here is a listing of only four of the main ones followed by a fifth-the "Salesian Spirituality." Can you recognize yourself in any of these?
First is the "Path of Intellect" or Thomistic Prayer. About 12% of Catholics follow this method. It uses the syllogistic method of St. Thomas Aquinas known as Scholastic prayer. The main emphasis is on the orderly progression of thought from cause to effect.
People of this prayer type prefer neat, orderly forms of the spiritual life, as opposed to the free-spirit, impulsive attitude of the Franciscan approach. Their spirituality is centered on the earnest pursuit of all the transcendental values: goodness, beauty, unity, love, life and spirit. St. Teresa of Avila is an example of this spirituality.
Those who follow this style of prayer seek total truth and authenticity in their lives and work hard to reach the whole truth about themselves, about God, and about sanctity. In this type of prayer, one takes a virtue or fault or theological truth and studies it from every possible angle.
Change of behavior is an essential part of this prayer--it doesn't stay at the intellectual level. There is generally a bias against this type of prayer today because it was so much in vogue before Vatican II.
The second "way" is the "Path of Devotion" or Augustinian prayer. The majority of saints are of this spiritual temperament, as are 12% of the population [but 50% of those who go on retreats or belong to small faith groups].
We must have the attitude of Jesus Christ. Man, did he have an attitude! |
This method uses creative imagination to transpose the world of scripture to our situation today--as if the scripture passage is a personal letter from God addressed to each one of us. The essential element of this spirituality, going back to New testament times, is experiencing a personal relationship with God. Because they read between the lines and catch what is inexpressible and spiritual, those who follow the path of devotion best understand symbols and their use in the liturgy.
This path concentrates on meditations that loosen the feelings and expand the ability to relate to and love others. The stress is on the love of self, others, and God.
Those on this path can follow the four steps of the Lectio divina: listen to what God says in scripture; reflect prayerfully and apply it to today; respond to God's word with personal feelings; remain quiet and stay open to new insights.
The third "way" is the "Path of Service" or Franciscan Prayer. About 38% of the population are this spiritual type-but far fewer of this type come to church regularly.
Like St. Francis of Assisi, those who follow the path must be free, unconfined, and able to do whatever their inner spirit moves them to do. They don't like to be tied down by rules. St. Peter jumping into the water to go to Jesus exemplifies this type.
Franciscan spirituality leads to acts of loving service, which can be a most effective form of prayer. Franciscan prayer is flexible and free-flowing, making full use of the five senses, and it is spirit-filled prayer. Those on this path can make a meditation on the beauty of a waterfall, flower, meadow, mountain, or ocean-all of God's creation.
There is more stress in prayer on the events of Jesus' life than on his teaching.
The fourth "way" is the "Path of Asceticism" or Ignatian Prayer. More than half of churchgoers practice this type of prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It involves imagining oneself as part of a scene in order to draw some practical fruit from it for today.
This spirituality goes back to the Israelite way of praying in 1000 BC, to remember and immerse oneself in an event, thus reliving and participating in the event in a symbolic way.
St. Ignatius' preoccupation with order was aimed at overcoming "disorderly affections, so that the retreatant may make a decision that is in keeping with God's will."
The foregoing summaries in no way exhaust nor completely explain the "ways." Still, one gets the idea and whatever appeals is the way to go. In fact, most readers can identify with one or the other or know others who follow the different ways.
All the above focus in on prayer. They also inspire various approaches to Christian action. The "Salesian" way uses any method of prayer but does not belabor it. It can take distractions and use them to re-focus the heart on God. It also goes beyond prayer itself as an activity or exercise. Rather, it becomes more of an "attitude" in relation to God, self and the world.
Nowadays we have all heard expressions like: "What an attitude!"; "He/she's got an attitude;" "cop an attitude;" and so on. Sometimes it is helpful to adapt street parlance to the spiritual life as well. The above examples usually have a negative connotation, but we can also have a "good attitude."
We must have the "attitude" of Jesus Christ. Man, did he have an attitude! Salesian spirituality teaches that the imitation of Christ, central to the entire history of Christian spirituality, does not require withdrawal or flight from the world or human society. The leitmotif found throughout the writings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, co-founders of the women's order, the Visitation of Holy Mary, is "Live Jesus!"
"Live Jesus" is not the same as "Long Live Jesus," or "Hooray for Jesus," or "Three Cheers for Jesus!" It is the verbal imperative-"[You] Live Jesus!" in the sense of "Be Jesus" or "let Jesus be you." It is the imitation of Christ with an attitude-the attitude that everything one does, everything one thinks and believes, everything one says is Christ alive. We have an agenda of incarnating once again Jesus in our families, our workplaces, our school, our playgrounds, driving the freeway, playing golf, watching TV or going to church.
Our world is searching for love and affection, sometimes in the weirdest places. We are looking for heart. Salesian spirituality is permeated with references to the human heart or the heart of God or of Jesus. Francis says that to "live Jesus" is to have Jesus' name engraved on our heart, viz., in the very core of our being. Affective and endearing language is also characteristic. Francis emphasized LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE as fruits of the Holy Spirit [Gal. 5:22-23]. From a masculine or feminine viewpoint we are all looking for that which touches our inner self in an affectionate, endearing, accepting, unconditional way. Salesian spirituality offers us that.
The cold shower of reality is that human nature is wounded by sin and much discipline and serious formation are required to recover the ability to love purely. To love purely means to model our love on the unconditional love of God for humankind. We have all too often experienced or witnessed the opposite. Love that is selfish, self-serving and self-destructive is really the antithesis of "pure love."
Another characteristic of Salesian spirituality is that our hearts, in the holistic biblical sense, are to be surrendered to the living presence of Christ. Humility is synonymous with truth. We have to recognize God as Creator and ourselves as 'not the creator' but a creature made in God's image and likeness, and endowed with an innate divine dignity and with the capacity for union with God. Thus Salesian spirituality is very much charismatic, finding its source and guidance in the Holy Spirit.
Thus every human being is invited by God to divine union. This invitation is for everyone--layperson or cleric, man or woman, celibate or married, young or old. St. Mary Mazzarello, with St. John Bosco, co-Foundress of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Salesian Sisters, was an example of living, breathing, praying and writing "Live Jesus!"
Don Bosco spoke about joy, doing one's duties well. To Saint Dominic Savio, one of his students [1857], he directed him to turn his fellow students around-peer ministry. Savio is quoted as saying to a newly arrived boarder, "Here we make holiness consist in being always cheerful."
There is more, but let this suffice for now. The Salesian spirituality lived in authentic fashion becomes a great attraction for others. St. John Bosco so embodied this spiritual way that he was an almost irresistible draw for youngsters of all ages and all walks of life. This spirituality is easy for young people [and old people!] because it does not require long prayers or devotional practices. For youth it is enough to eat well, sleep well, play well, study well, pray well and well, well, well-one gets the idea.
The bottom line is that this spirituality in the Salesian tradition is for all without reservation. Sanctity is for all. One can be holy by living one's life to the fullest in the love of Jesus and doing one's job to the best of one's ability for the love of others. Only one thing remains to be said: "Live Jesus!"
