To my dearest Family
My dearest sons and daughters,
The dream that makes you dream. This is the entire legacy I leave you: a dream. That dream that guided my life. Now it is your dream. I am giving you the most precious things that I have. It came from above, and like everything that is born of God it cannot die. It was my vocation and my mission.
If you are here today, it is because you were chosen for a mission. This is your vocation: you are called to continue what I began. To bring to fulfilment, today, all God’s dreams that are also mine. And to fulfil them together, as a family.
So I ask you to get on the move and go. Get on the move, once again. Get on the move, relentlessly, without ceasing.
Like Abraham, like Joseph and Mary, like Levi, Simon, Andrew, and all the others. Like I did.
Go, God says. I’ll tell you where to go. Do not tire of it. Never stop.
I have often told you: we will rest in Heaven. Let this be your direction. Go to Heaven and take as many boys, girls and young people with you as possible.
Believe in the highest and most beautiful truths. Trust in God the Creator, in the Holy Spirit who moves everything towards good, in the embrace of Christ present in every person and who awaits everyone at the end of their life; believe, He awaits you, in the family.
Trust the Teacher, let her take your hand. She will never abandon you.
A mother always keeps the fire burning and the door open.
Wherever you are, build! On your feet, always. If you are lying down, get up! The world needs you!
Our flock is threatened, wolves are lurking: their fangs are called physical violence, affective-sexual violence, economic violence, cyber-violence and terrible social exclusion.
Love people. Love each one individually. Respect everyone’s path, be it a straight line or curved, because every person is sacred.
Cry with those who cry, but work so that there are no more tears in this world. “Do not weep” Jesus told the widow of Nain. Give back living children to the mothers of this world.
Your way of loving is a transformative power that leads to happiness. Have pure love, sow joy and be a blessing wherever you go. Don’t waste your life. Infect the world with your joy.
Save yourself from indifference. Enjoy the miracle of light, living water and shared bread. Remember that faith makes people human. Always. Watch, learn, and be patient, and let God dictate the timing of Providence.
Leave no room for bitter, dark thoughts. This world is the first miracle that God has done, and God has placed in your hands the grace of new miracles. Always expect a miracle in everyday life.
Synchronize the beating of your heart with the tears of so many impoverished young people. And the anger of those who have only encountered injustice and abuse. Keep the doors open at all times. Be responsible for this world and the life of every young person. Consider that every injustice against a poor person is an open wound in the heart of God.
Make peace among human beings, and do not listen to the voice of those who spread hatred and divisions. May there be peace and forgiveness in your homes and houses. Together you form a real family, a solid city, an inclusive space. An Oratory. Be an Oratory.
May every young man and young woman you meet grow in wisdom, in age, in grace before God and before others and become the protagonist of a new humanity.
Every day ask God for the gift of courage. Always remember that Jesus overcame fear for us. You will conquer the world with Mary’s weapon – tenderness. As Pope Francis recommended: Jesus has given us a light that shines in the darkness: defend it, protect it. That special light is the greatest wealth entrusted to your life.
And above all, dream! Don’t be afraid to dream. Dream! You dream of a world that is not yet seen, but that will certainly come.
Organize hope. Take care of creation. Hope leads us to believe in the existence of a creation that extends until its definitive fulfilment, when God will be all in all.
Our dream is like life: it’s all we have.
Don’t let it die.
So let’s go, let’s change the world. Together.
Don Bosco
