May 12, 2011 Thursday: 3rd Week of Easter (A)

St. Don Bosco on Eucharist

"[Don Bosco told his boys that he counseled detachment form the things of the earth:] By ‘detachment from the things of [the] earth,’ I mean detachment from unlawful pleasures, from too sentimental friendships, and from foods and beverage which can occasion gluttony. I mean even detachment from clothes lest they make you show off and look like vain, silly dandies. It would indeed hurt you to be attached to such things….I wish you would imitate fledgling birds as they prepare to leave the nest. They perch at its edge, flap their little wings, and try to rise. They test their own strength. Do the same; flap your wings and try to rise to heaven. Don’t try it from the top of a tree; you might plunge to the ground. No, start with little things, with those things that are necessary for your eternal salvation.

I want you to make use of two spiritual wings – devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to the Blessed Virgin. These two wings, these two devotions, you may be sure, will soon help you raise yourselves toward heaven. When birds take off, they go upward, not downward. Do the same. Beware of flying downward – that is, don’t practice these two devotions with worldly aims, such as to win your superiors’ esteem or fool your companions. How happy I would be if I could kindle in you a spark of this great love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."

-St. Don Bosco