Feast of Saint John Bosco

Good morning.  We live in a world that tends to be very skeptical when it comes to such things as Satan or evil, in fact the mere mention of the devil in most circles and folks cast us off as being deranged or at the very least “out there.”  If that is indeed the case, if believing in the existence of Satan make us deranged or “out there” then we are indeed in good company for Jesus spoke of it frequently, in fact it is spoken of in today’s Gospel (Mk 5:1-20).  Our Saint whom we commemorate today, Saint John Bosco, who was known for his spiritual and preventive approach in the education of youth offers us some understanding in this area as well.  “Fly from bad companions as from the bite of a poisonous snake. If you keep good companions, I can assure you that you will one day rejoice with the blessed in Heaven; whereas if you keep with those who are bad, you will become bad yourself, and you will be in danger of losing your soul.”  Saint John Bosco knew what all the Saints have known and instructed, and what we are reminded of in a recent article by Peter Kreeft that we are at war with evil  and it is all around us and that our best weapon is, in the words of Saint John Bosco, the Blessed Sacrament.  The greatest weapon the devil has in his arsenal is our tendency to let down our guard against his insidious ways.  Saint John Bosco reminds us that as parents we need to be vigilant regarding the company our children keep, this goes beyond the obvious area of their companions to include their television viewing and their internet involvement.  This can be quite difficult these days when commercials discussing the perils of “E D” assault us during the course of watching the evening news.  One way is to monitor our children’s television and internet usage, this means limiting television and internet usage to common areas of the home.  One sure fire way to make sure that our children are keeping good company is to be preemptive in our approach by making sure that they have the companionship of the Faith. Perhaps offer them the gift of a prayer:

Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,

by the Divine Power of God,

cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits

who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Today we recall the good life, gifts and works of Saint John Bosco.

Make a great day!