The Catholic Defender: St. Don Bosco Loves Our Lord and Our Lady

“Ask the Blessed Virgin for the grace to receive Communion frequently and worthily….Try to imagine that the Blessed Virgin Herself will give you the Sacred Host. No one would dare strike at the Heart of Jesus while He is in Mary’s hands.” Don Bosco

Consider what St. Don Bosco is quoted as saying here, try to imagine that the Blessed Virgin Herself will give you the Sacred Host? I am reminded of Ephesians 5:10, "Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord". I can't help thinking how much Our Lord is pleased with His Mother. Mary as the Mother of Jesus became the first Tabernacle which Our Lord's true presence was given to all who are called to serve Him.

Jesus and Mary are inseparable! When we proclaim God's word, we imitate Mother Mary as she is the Evangelist par Excellence, Mary didn't simply present Jesus to the world, she lived it 24/7 for 33 years. St. Don Bosco gives a very important reflection on our calling as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

Since 1985 I served as an Extraordinary Minister for over 30 years including taking the Eucharist to Soldiers in war and peace in the absence of a priest for the Archdiocese of the Military. I've also served in the Diocese of Owenboro KY, Nashville TN, Springfield Missouri, Austin TX, serving in the Republic of Korea, Germany, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Panama, the Mojave Desert, Fort Polk LA, Fort Campbell KY, Fort Stewart Georgia, Fort Hood Texas, what a great blessing this has been for me. I am currently preparing to train for this service in Kansas at my home parish.

I am reminded of the importance that the Extraordinary Ministers should live their lives with the utmost dignity and respect due to the Apostolate. Like Mother Mary, we should strive to be blameless in our lives inside and outside of church. Like Mother Mary, we should be mindful of the Lord that it is His work we are accomplishing. By the way we carry ourselves, inside and outside, our lives should imitate Our Lady. This is no small task that we are participating in.

With this in mind, we are called to renew the Covenant that Our Lord offers to us each and every Mass. Do we go to Mass? Do you believe? The evidence is in the action of our lives. Out of the heart the mouth speaks, do you really believe?

St. Don Bosco gives another word of knowledge:

“Do you want the Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him rarely. Do you want the devil to attack you? Visit Him never in the Blessed Sacrament. Do you want the devil to flee from you? Visit Jesus often. Do you want to conquer the devil? Take refuge often at the feet of Jesus. Do you want to be conquered by the devil? Forget about visiting Jesus. My dear ones, the visit to the Blessed Sacrament is an extremely necessary way to conquer the devil. Therefore, go often to visit Jesus and the devil will not come out victorious against you.” Saint Don Bosco

St. Don Bosco is really challenging us in the most unique way. Psalms 26:8 states, "O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, the tenting-place of your glory". The grace of God is stronger than our enemy. St. Peter exhorts, "Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same suffering".

No matter how the winds blow and the ship gets tossed by the roaring of the seas, the Church navigates through the darkness giving light to the wayward soul. What St. Don Bosco is doing, he is revealing the greatest weapons to fight the battle of life. The two Pillars, "one is surmounted by a statue of the Immaculate Virgin at whose feet a large inscription reads: Help of Christians; the other, far loftier and sturdier, supports a [Communion] Host of proportionate size and bears beneath it the inscription Salvation of believers."

Today, January 31, this is the feast day of St. Don Bosco, if we follow his example, we will greatly diminish the devil's hold on us. Go to Mass often, participate in Eucharistic Adoration often as you can.