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In this Don Bosco story, we’ll hear how the Blessed Virgin Mary herself gave advice to each Oratory Boy. The Cleric Dominic Ruffino and Father John Bonetti recorded what happened on January 1, 1862:

“Finally, after the prayers, the young people waited in silence for Don Bosco to mount the podium. The saint began: 'The strenna I am giving you is not mine. What would you say if Our Lady came in person to each of you to say a word? If She had prepared for each of you her note to indicate to him what he most needs or what She wants from him? Well, the thing is precisely like that. Our Lady gives each one a strenna!'"

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An incident in St. John Bosco’s life that, as he says, taught him to be humble and also brought about a miracle of Divine Providence.

“After this warning, I made a firm resolution henceforth to prepare my sermons for the greater glory of God rather than appear learned and literate.” – St. John Bosco

The story also confirms what is found in Psalm 40:1 -- “Blessed is he who has concern for the wretched and poor, as the Lord will deliver him on an evil day. The Lord will preserve him, give him life, make him blessed above the earth, and not deliver him to his enemies. The Lord will assist him on his sickbed and remove his sickness from head to foot.”

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Attribution for music used: The Snow Queen Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/tkocz1Ew37k

This is the final part of St. John Bosco’s Bosco’s vision of Hell. In order to merit from the graces God is giving us in hearing about this dream, I ask that before the video, everyone pray a Hail Mary to Our Lady Help of Christians, who Don Bosco loved so much.

In reflecting on this Dream, one should remember that the true Catholic can be serene, joyous, even lively, he can be whatever is permissible by the Commandments, but must have a permanent foundation of seriousness. Look at Saint John Bosco’s picture. We see charity, tranquility and serenity, but above all; we see a profound seriousness. Why such a seriousness? Because everything in life is serious, and we are dealing with the gravest and most serious thing that exists: Our eternal destiny.

Above all, for the Catholic there is a celestial medicine for carrying the cross of seriousness, expressed in the ineffable words, “Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve!” (Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope!) Pray to Our Lady. She will smile. And one smile from Her gives us the strength for a hundred years of seriousness.

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This video is part three of our four-part series recounting Don Bosco’s mystical vision of Hell. We’ll now hear how Don Bosco entered the gates of Hell under the protection of his supernatural guide.

Here's an excerpt from the dream:

A new group of boys came hurtling down, and the portals momentarily opened. The guide said to me:

“Come inside with me!”

I pulled back in horror. I could not wait to rush back to the Oratory to warn the boys lest others might be lost. But my guide insisted:

“Come and you will learn a lot. But first, tell me: Do you want to go alone or with me?” He asked this to make me realize that I lacked strength and thus needed his friendly assistance. I replied:

“Alone into that horrible place? How could I ever find my way out without your help?”

A thought then dawned on me that aroused my courage: One must be judged before he is condemned to hell, and I haven’t been judged yet! So, I resolutely exclaimed: “Let’s go!”

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This is part two of St. John Bosco's Vision of Hell. Please come back Friday for part three.

Many people think: “I am young. God forgives all sins, besides, I have so much time yet to live.”

But who says you have so much time? Look at Don Bosco’s Oratory boys. They were students of one of the greatest saints of all time. I mean, he raised them and told them his mystical dreams. Nevertheless, some of them still sinned and went to Hell as we shall hear in this next episode, which is part two of his dream on Hell. The snares we are all subject to are described in detail in order to help us not fall, and if we do, how to remedy our plight.

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In Saint Theresa of Avila’s Poem, No Me Mueves, (I am not moved) she proclaims:

“I am not moved, my God, to love Thee by the Heaven Thou hast promised me; nor am I moved by fear of Hell to cease for that reason to offend Thee.

Thou art what moves me, Lord; it moves me to see Thee nailed to a cross and scorned…”

Saint Theresa of Avila’s words were the highest expression of a disinterested love, for she loved Our Lord ardently without any motivation by personal benefit. However, until we achieve that degree of sanctity, we need to be reminded of the pains of Hell to move us along the path of holiness.

This is why hearing about all the horrors in Saint John Bosco’s mystical dream of Hell is a gift from God that we should appreciate and take advantage of. He didn’t have to give us a glimpse of the afterlife but revealed it to Don Bosco because he loves us. Listening to this entire dream should be done calmly and with complete confidence in God, but not forgetting that God is letting you hear this story so you can repent and suffer for your sins in this life rather than burn in the next.

And so, we begin our four-part series on Don Bosco’s vision of Hell.

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This is the final part of Don Bosco’s “Mysterious vine” dream in which Don Bosco’s heavenly guide informs us of the two main sins which lead souls to hell.

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St. John Bosco’s, “Mysterious Vine” dream was a message sent from God which revealed the state of his Oratory boy’s souls. We’ll hear how his heavenly guide explain how they could overcome their vices in this episode

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This is part one of our three part series of St. John Bosco's mystical vision: "The Mysterious Vine."

“I saw in my bedroom a most loathsome toad, as big as an ox, that squatted at the foot of my bed. I stared breathlessly. It was green and its legs, body, and head swelled and grew more and more repugnant. His fiery eyes, red-lined mouth and throat presented a terrifying sight. His bones were made of fire and his bony ears were very small. I kept staring and muttering: “But a toad has no ears!” I also noticed two horns jutting from its snout and two greenish wings sprouting from its sides. Its legs looked like those of a lion, and its long tail ended in a forked tip.”

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The young Domenico Battagliotti was a student of Saint John Bosco and narrates the following episode in his life: “I am a young man who was freed from very serious misfortune through the intercession of the august Queen of Heaven guided by Don Bosco.”

“Eager to have a good education, I sought the help and advice of my pastor, who found me a place at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. I was elated and could hardly wait to go there for a refresher course in August. However, a bad accident dashed all my hopes. One evening in May, while saying my prayers, I fell from a barn onto the hard pavement and remained unconscious for two days. Everyone thought I could die at any moment.

“My whole body felt broken, but thanks to the doctor and my relatives’ care, after two days, I regained consciousness and hope of recovery. However, when I tried to study and learn, I could not understand or remember what I read. Still, encouraged by my pastor, I decided to go to the Oratory and give it a try.

There, my desolation grew because I spent more time on books and paid the greatest attention, but I could neither understand nor learn anything. I spent days in sadness and tears seeing my colleagues progressing daily in their lessons while my mind remained blank. One morning I went into the sacristy and told Don Bosco in tears: ‘Don Bosco, please cure me of my headache.’

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Don Bosco was deeply affected by the pathetic scenes he saw in Turin of so many youths on the path of dishonor and perdition. They didn’t observe the divine law because they were unaware of it. They outraged their Creator without even knowing Him and Don Bosco felt motivated to take prompt and solicitous care of them.

His innocent heart was greatly embittered at the thought that most of those poor souls were miserably lost because they were not instructed in the truths of the faith. Groaning with the Prophet Isaiah, he exclaimed, “Oh! these people are ignorant of the things of salvation; hell has enlarged its bosom and opened its boundless chasms; there shall fall their champions, the people, the great and the mighty.” (Is 5:13-14).

Don Bosco had thought long and hard about when or even how to begin his Oratory for boys and was waiting for an opportunity to fulfill his design when an unexpected event opened the way. It occurred on December 8, 1841, the solemn feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, which was especially fitting because any family needs a loving mother to be well-ordered, educated and protected. Our Lady selected that special feastday to signify that she was to be the most pious Mother and powerful Protectress of the Oratory.

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Saint John Bosco’s life became largely influenced by the many dreams he had, starting in his youth, at the age of nine. One might object that we shouldn’t predicate our life based on dreams. However, Don Bosco’s dreams were not the ordinary kind: they were visions and he was humble and docile to the direction of the clergy on how to interpret them.

It was through the direction of the Catholic Church that we see Don Bosco take the direction Divine Providence had planned for him. In this episode, we hear the full story of his first prophetic dream.

Saint John Bosco’s dreams were a primary source for him to understand what Our Lady wanted from him. He understood this in part by the guidance given to him by the Catholic clergy and by analyzing what these dreams represented in light of logic, facts and his holy faith.

His behavior is a model for us today as we should direct our own lives in accordance with firm reason and faith and therefore act in a principled way in spite of the apparent obstacles we face.

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Anyone who’s read “The Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco,” is familiar with his phrase, “I stayed up late writing.” Well, what did he write? Hardly anyone has heard of the prodigious amounts of wonderful literature penned by him. For instance, did you know that he wrote about Islam (or Mohammedanism as they called it back then)? In his 1853 work, “The Catholic Instructed in His Religion,” he teaches doctrine through telling the story of a father having conversation with his son about a variety of Catholic topics. We’ll now hear how he sums up Islam in this episode.

Saint John Bosco had no illusions regarding the evil of false religions and the immense damage they do. He knew that there was no reconciliation between error and truth and taught that to his boys with affection and charity. Thus, he showed the contrast between truly Catholic behavior and the ramblings of a charlatan. #donboscostories

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Our Lady sent Don Bosco advice for the sanctification of his Oratory boys in the form of mystical dreams. These visions late at night were incredibly taxing and would often leave the saint more tired than when he went to bed. But lessons contained in these experiences were not just good for the Oratory boys to hear, they’re good for everyone. For you and me.

We will now recount the dream, “A Fiendish Elephant,” on this episode of “The Miracles and Prophecies of Saint John Bosco.”

Here's an excerpt from the story:

"My dear boys, I dreamed it was a feast day afternoon. You all were playing, and I was in my room with the literature professor, Thomas Vallauri, discussing literature and religion. Suddenly someone knocked at my door, and I rose and opened it quickly. My mother, who has been dead for six years now, stood there saying:

'Come and see! Come and see!'

'What’s happening?' I asked.

'Come,' she replied.

I ran to the balcony and saw a huge elephant surrounded by a crowd of boys in the playground.

'How did this happen? Let’s rush downstairs!'"

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St. John Bosco had a dream of building a church for his Oratory School dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians. He hired builders for this purpose, but was in desperate need for donations to keep the project afloat. The sails of his ship, so to speak, were at the mercy of the winds of Divine Providence and he therefore prayed to Our Lady Help of Christians for a miracle. But her assistance proved to be just in the nick of time, which made it all the more inspiring.

This episode in Saint John Bosco’s life clearly shows his ability to discern the intentions of souls and guide them to do the will of God, no matter how difficult that might be. It should

also give us a great confidence in his willingness to help us in our trials and his ability to obtain for us graces for our sanctification.

Become a Promoter of Saint John Bosco: https://saintjohnbosco.net/promoter-of-saint-john-bosco/