Day of Retreat

Sunday night I flew down to Los Angeles to be at Bishop Mora Salesian High School, where I was the first principal fifty years ago. I was invited to give a day of retreat for the incoming freshman students, all boys, and found it a wonderful exercise of priestly, Salesian ministry. I gave three talks: 1) the story of the school's founding; 2) who is Don Bosco? 3) a homily at Mass , and heard some confessions and got back to Richmond about 24 hours later--this Monday night, in fact.

The mentoring done by some senior students was a powerful example of the strong leading the weak and before the day was over the freshmen had learned to cheer with vim and vigor, to sing the hymns at Mass including the song to St. John Bosco, and to pray with attentive devotion. Don Bosco would be proud of these young men of East Los Angeles. I sure was.

I took to heart these words of Pope Benedict recently spoken to a group of young people at the Vatican:

"Do not cease to cultivate your own personal encounter with Christ, to keep him ever at the centre of your heart, since in this way your life will be converted into a mission; you will let Christ who lives in you shine forth.

"As young people, you are on the verge of deciding on your future. Are you doing so in the light of Christ, asking him, "What do you want of me?" Are you following the path he points out to you with generosity and confidence, knowing that as baptized people we are all, without exception, called to holiness and to be living members of the Church on whatever path we take in life?"