Don Bosco was born in 1815 to a peasant family in Piedmont, Italy. After being ordained he established several boys’ clubs and schools in Turin which very quickly flourished. He was also well known for his preaching and fund raising skills and he built several churches. In 1854 he founded what became the Salesian Congregation to educate and look after boys, and with St Mary Mazzarello he founded the Daughters of Our Lady Help of Christians in 1872 to educate and look after girls. He died in 1888.
Hebrews 10:19-25; Psalm 116; Mark 4:21-25
We are told in the first reading that now that our sins have been wiped away we can enter into the sanctuary ourselves. We do so through the door which is Christ himself. However, in order to be fit to enter, we are reminded that we must be pure and with a clear conscience. Our sins may have been washed away but we must still be on our guard and keep our souls spotless. Jesus tells his listeners in the Gospel that nobody lights a lamp and then hides it away: they light the lamp to give light to themselves and to others. The readings challenge us to realise that we too are like lamps – if we hide away our faith then the kingdom of God will not be seen. By letting others see that we are Christians we will be helping them to grow in the faith and we will also be making ourselves more worthy to enter the sanctuary.
We are told in the first reading that now that our sins have been wiped away we can enter into the sanctuary ourselves. We do so through the door which is Christ himself. However, in order to be fit to enter, we are reminded that we must be pure and with a clear conscience. Our sins may have been washed away but we must still be on our guard and keep our souls spotless. Jesus tells his listeners in the Gospel that nobody lights a lamp and then hides it away: they light the lamp to give light to themselves and to others. The readings challenge us to realise that we too are like lamps – if we hide away our faith then the kingdom of God will not be seen. By letting others see that we are Christians we will be helping them to grow in the faith and we will also be making ourselves more worthy to enter the sanctuary.