Don Bosco Offers His Life to Our Lady | Ep. 85

Don Bosco had prayed to the Lord that if the disease should strike any of his boys, he would offer himself as a victim on their behalf. His Mother Margaret told Don Bonetti that one evening, in that week in which cholera began to wreak havoc, after a day of great strain, Don Bosco went to bed and fell asleep. Soon he awoke feeling weak and cold and cramps in his feet and legs. His head was spinning, and he suffered nausea; he felt all the symptoms of cholera.


He was afraid of frightening the boys if he asked for help. He began to pray to the Blessed Virgin, resigning his fate to God’s will. He gave himself the standard treatment for cholera. After which, holding the blanket and the sheets with both hands, he started to rub one with the other and wiggling his feet and legs with such force that his whole body was bathed in sweat after fifteen minutes. Don Bosco fell asleep in that state, waking up in the morning without any pain.


This was the only case of cholera at the Oratory. It must have been caused by charity toward his boys and an even more sublime motive, inspiring him to live the faith for the triumph of the Church and Our Lady. From his words and writings, we have well-founded reasons to be convinced that Don Bosco had made God a generous offering of his life to obtain the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin that year. It is also certain that he spoke with much praise of people who had taken such a vow in 1854. We believe that his suffering was proof that Our Lord had accepted his sacrifice, and his recovery was an effect of the goodness of Mary Most Holy.


Become a Promoter of Saint John Bosco: https://saintjohnbosco.net/promoter-o...


New episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 AM EST. #donboscostories


Attribution for CC photos used:
“Francesco Podesti, Proclamazione del dogma dell'immacolata concezione, 1859-61 -FG.jpg”
By Fabrizio Garrisi
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Colorgraded, vignette added, edge feathered.
CC BY- SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

“Sorrowful Mother Shrine Chapel (Bellevue, Ohio) - stained glass, Gregor. Te Deum.jpg”
By Nheyob
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Feathered, colorgraded, vignette added.
CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)