23. The Fatal Giant 1859
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I saw in a dream a man of gigantic stature walking the streets of the city, and from time to time placing his hands on the heads of some persons. The person on whom the giant had placed his hands, turned black and fall dead: "It seemed to me that it was the announcement of a deadly epidemic".
Note: It is necessary to remember that in the city of Turin in a single year there were 3,500 cholera patients and 400 died. 700 of those victims died in the region where Don Bosco lived, near the Dora river.
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24. The Groundhog's Dream 1959
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"I saw in a dream that when the young people had to go to the church for confession, a man arrived in the courtyard carrying a small box. The man stood in the middle of the young people and opened the box and took out a marmot, a little rodent animal, with thick fur and a thick head that lives in the mountains but that allows itself to be domesticated and does many tricks that distract and make the young people laugh. The marmot began to dance and pirouette and the young people made a big circle to watch it. Then the man who was carrying the animal began to move away and away from the Church, and the boys with him, and so he managed to keep them from going to confession".
Note: Don Bosco, in narrating this dream, said in what state he saw the conscience of certain young people, without naming any of them, but the interested parties felt perfectly portrayed in that description. He then insisted to them that the enemy of the soul makes every possible effort to get people not to go to confession and not to receive communion.
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While he was narrating the dream, he began to describe the pirouettes that the groundhog was doing, and with this he made the boys laugh heartily, but in the meantime he made them think seriously about the state in which his soul was. Many young people went privately to ask him to tell him in what state he had seen his conscience and were astonished to hear from Don Bosco's lips faults that they imagined no one knew.
The chronicles of that time say that the narration of this dream led almost all the young people to go to confession more frequently, and that communions became more numerous in the Oratory or Educational Institute of Don Bosco in Turin.
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MIRACLES (III)
On December 13, 1885, Don Bosco held a conference with the fourth and fifth year students in which he spoke to them briefly about the choice of their future social situation. At the end he gave each one a handful of hazelnuts. Three weeks later, at the end of the conference, Don Bosco asked for the small bag of hazelnuts to be brought to him. Father Festa did so, and told him:
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"Be careful, don't give too many, because there won't be enough for everyone. " "Leave it to me!" -- replied Don Bosco.
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There were 64 students present. At first he gave them a handful each. The students watched with great surprise as the level of hazelnuts remained the same, not caring how many he gave each time. When the distribution was finished, everyone saw that the sack had the same amount as when he had started. The students asked Don Bosco how he had done it. "Oh, I don't know," he replied, smiling, "I don't know. But because you are my friends I will tell you what happened to me several years ago on the occasion of a solemn celebration at the Oratory. Don Bosco had to distribute Communion to 650 children. He began the Mass believing that there were enough Consecrated Hosts in the large cup in the sanctuary. But there were too few, and Father Buzzetti, who was in charge of the hosts, had forgotten to bring more and was now helping with the Mass. Don Bosco noticed when he took the cup. They were both confused, because they could only give Communion to a few. Don Bosco raised his eyes to Heaven and began to give Communion. And all the children received it, there were hosts for each one. The news of this miracle spread quickly, and was later confirmed by Don Bosco.
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One of the best accounts of the multiplication of loaves was written by Father Dalmazzo. One day in 1860, the Oratory was short of bread. The individual in charge went to Don Bosco to ask him to give the order. Don Bosco attended to the confessions, but finally told him not to worry. "Go and put in a basket what we have. I will go and distribute it personally." When he finished with the boy kneeling beside him, he went to the door where the loaves were to be distributed. Father Dalmazo writes: "I then, recalling the facts I had heard about Don Bosco and overcome by curiosity, went ahead of him to be able to observe better. On leaving, I found my mother who, having called him by letter to come promptly to Turin, had come to take me home."
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"Come, Francisco." She said to me
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I signaled him to wait a moment and added: "Mama, first I want to see something and then I'll come at once."
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And my mother withdrew to the porches. I received a loaf of bread and was the first to go, while I looked at the basket and saw that it contained 15 or 20 loaves of bread at most. Then I withdrew without being seen to a high place, just behind Don Bosco, on a step, with large eyes. Don Bosco, in the meantime, had begun to distribute the bread. The young people passed by one by one, happy to receive the bread from him, kissing his hand, while he said a word to each one and smiled.
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"All the students, about four hundred, received their bread. When this distribution was over, I wanted to examine the basket of bread again, and with great admiration I saw that the same amount had remained as before, without the bread having been brought or the basket having been changed. I was stunned and ran straight to my mother, who said to me: "Come!" And I said to her: "No, I don't want to leave, I'm not leaving; I'm staying here. Forgive me for having caused you this trouble by making you come to Turin." And I told her what I had seen with my own eyes, saying: "No, it is not possible for me to leave a house so blessed by the Lord and a Saint like Don Bosco. And this was the only reason that induced me to remain in the Oratory and immediately to be added among his sons" (Zarba D'Assoro, 1938, pp 318-319).