31. From afar he sees what others are doing 1861.
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On February 4, 1861, Don Bosco left for the Seminary of Bergamo to preach.
The next day he wrote to the Prefect of discipline of his Oratory in Turin: "I saw last night from here that the devil did evil among the boys there yesterday. And I fear that tomorrow he will do it again".
Bonetti and Father Ruffini exclaimed: "Now we are convinced that Don Bosco sees things from far away".
The following evening at supper he told the superiors and seminarians of Bergamo: "Today I saw from here that two of my students were writing me a little letter and sending it to me".
And how do you know this? - those friends asked him.
- Well, tomorrow you will see that it was so.
And the next day while they were having lunch, the doorman arrived with the mail. They were two little letters that his two pupils had written to him.
That same night Fr. Alassonati read to the students in Turin what Don Bosco had seen in a dream that had happened there at the Oratory. The culprits were terrified to see that everything had been known from so far away.
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32. The magic lantern 1861 (MB. 6,679).
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Don Bosco had this dream on May 1, 1861. He says it lasted about six hours.
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As soon as he woke up, he got up and wrote down the most important things he had seen or heard during the dream. Then on the evening of May 2 he spent 45 minutes narrating it to the entire assembled student body. He said: It seemed to me that I was leaving my little house in Ibechi and going for a walk in the countryside. On the way I met a personage who was waiting for someone, who invited me to accompany him on that road. Then he asked me: - Do you want to see something extraordinary? - Yes, of course I do - Well, I am going to show you what your disciples are now and what they will be in the future.
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And he took out a projector machine, which had a lens of one meter in diameter and whose title was: "The eyes that see the occult, in the heavens and on earth".
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The personage turned the handle of the machine or magic lantern and said to me: "Look through the lens". I looked, and oh admirable spectacle: there on the screen I saw all the disciples I have now.
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He turned the crank again and my disciples appeared divided into two groups: on one side the good ones, full of happiness and joy. And on the other side, the bad ones, who were not many, but who looked pitiful. Some of them had their tongues pierced, others had their eyes gone astray, some were sick in the head and others had their hearts gnawed by worms.
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I felt very sad to see them like that, and I asked the personage what it all meant.
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He answered: "Those with pierced tongues are the ones who say bad things. Those who have their eyes are those who put malice in what they hear, see or say. The sick head means that they do not heed the good advice given to them. The heart gnawed by worms means that they allow themselves to be overcome by sensual passions.
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He ordered me to give the crank a third turn. I did so and four young men tied with thick chains appeared in the lens. He told me: "Those who do not stop their bad behavior will end up very badly, perhaps in jail.
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He told me to turn the crank again, and seven sullen and unpleasant-looking young men appeared on the screen, with a padlock closing their lips and three of them covering their ears with their hands. The personage said to me: - "They are those who do not confess their sins. And those who cover their ears are those who do not want to hear or accept the good advice given to them to correct themselves. And if they hear good advice, they do not want to put it into practice. Tell them to let go of all the pride they have in their hearts.
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At that time I made this resolution to myself. Every second time I speak in public, once I will recommend people to confess their sins well. For many are condemned for not confessing, but many are lost because they confess badly, without examination, without pain, without repentance, without purpose [of not sinning again and without good resolutions to avoid sin in the future], or without telling all their sins to the confessor.
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The mysterious character made me go around the wheel again and I saw three young men, each with a huge orangutan on his back. And the strange thing is that these animals had horns. The monkeys squeezed the throats of their victims so violently that their faces turned red and their eyes filled with blood and looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. With their hind legs the animals would suffocate their hearts, and with their huge tails they would entangle their legs so that they could not walk.
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And I was told that they represent those who continue to commit frequent sins against purity, and even after Spiritual Retreats they are still victims of their impure bad habits. That the squeezing of their throats means that they do not dare to go to confession, and that the reddening of their faces means that they are ashamed to consult a priest, and that the bulging of their eyes is a sign that their passions do not allow them to see the bad consequences of their impurities, nor the spiritual remedies to free themselves from their bad passions, nor the importance of the sacraments to cure them of the evils of the soul. And that entangling their legs so that they cannot walk, means that they are convinced that they are no longer capable of leaving their bad habits and bad habits and they believe that their amendment is impossible and they do not try to take even one step to amend themselves and free themselves from the slavery of their passions.
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I felt great sadness when I saw some of my disciples in such a cruel situation, and I asked the personage what advice I should give them to get rid of those monsters that are their bad habits. And he told me: Labor, sweat, fervor.
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LABOR: that is, to dedicate oneself to work hard and to fulfill one's daily duties very well.
To be always busy. SWEAT: to do penances and small sacrifices (great penance is obedience. Very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfill very well the duty of each moment). FERVOR: to pray a lot and with devotion (little prayers, but repeated many times). Jesus said: "There are evil spirits that are not removed except by prayer and sacrifice". And the guide added: "There are people who, no matter how much advice they are given, do not convert, because they do not want to shake off the yoke with which Satan has enslaved them".
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I felt very sad and I began to say: - But is it possible that this is so? After so much advice given to them? After so many sermons? After having given them Spiritual Retreats? After having warned them so many times? I had never imagined that I was going to have such a great disappointment.
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Then the guide reprimanded me saying: - Look at the proud one. Who are you to pretend that with your works souls will be converted! Because you love the youth so much, do you imagine that your disciples are going to correspond and pay attention to all the good things you recommend to them? Do you love souls more than our Divine Savior loved them? Or is it that you have suffered for them more than Jesus Christ suffered? Or is it that you have a more effective word than our Redeemer had? Or is it that you preach better than He did? Or is it that you have had more solicitude for the young than Jesus used to form the Apostles? You know that they lived with Him continually. How much Jesus did to sanctify Judas and to make him a Saint! And yet Judas betrayed Him and ended up committing suicide. Among the twelve, there was one who failed. And you, among five hundred, do you marvel that there is a small number of disciples who do not correspond to your care? Do you pretend that among so many there is not one bad one, not even a perverted one? Look how proud this one has become! Hearing this, I kept silent, but I felt a great sadness in my soul.
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The guide, seeing me so saddened, said to me: "To console yourself, turn the wheel again and you will see what awaits you in the future, and admire the generosity of God and notice the great number of souls that God wants to give you.
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I went around the wheel again and looked through the huge lens. There I saw an immense number of young people that I did not know. And the guide added: "Look, for each one of these who did not want to correspond to your care, God will give you one hundred more disciples".
I felt enormously happy to see such an immense amount of youth that God has destined for the future, and the personage said to me: "Do you want to contemplate something even more beautiful? Then turn the wheel again".
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I turned the wheel and saw my disciples working in a large field. Some were working in an orchard cultivating vegetables, using hoes, shovels and spades.
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They were divided into teams with their respective leaders. They were given their tools and encouraged to work with enthusiasm. In the distance there were some watering seeds in the field.
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A second group was harvesting a huge crop of wheat. Some were cutting ears of wheat. Others were carrying them in carts, some were sharpening the sickles for cutting, and others were distributing tools among the workers. Some played the guitar and sang to liven up the workers' work. It was such a beautiful spectacle full of amazing variety.
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Underneath some stout trees there were pastries with lunch prepared for all the workers.
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The guide explained to me that those who work in the orchard are those who dedicate themselves to serving God in the midst of the world, the laity. On the other hand, those who gathered the wheat harvest are those who will dedicate themselves to serve God in the priesthood or in a religious community. I saw these so clearly that I will be able to tell many if God has destined them for the priesthood or not.
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I saw Father Provera distributing sickles or tools to those who reaped the wheat and I think this means that he is going to become a rector of some seminary. Some were engaged in fixing sickles: they are the ones whose job it will be to prepare future priests.
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I also saw that many of them did not receive the sickle from the hands of a Salesian but from others who are not of our Congregation and with this I was informed that many of my disciples will be priests, but not Salesians. I can clearly distinguish them after this dream. The sickle that was given to each one is a sign of the Word of God that they will have to spread in their preaching.
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Some asked for the sickle, but they were required to go first to get a little more piety and knowledge. Another before giving him the sickle (the power to preach) was asked to get the flower of gentleness and prudence.
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In the dream I saw receiving the sickle of the Word of God to many of my disciples who are going to dedicate themselves to preaching and I know several of them very well with names and surnames.
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I saw some who worked very violently and I was told that nothing that is done with violence has good effect and long duration. Many of those who were engaged in cutting wheat had the sickle so blunt that it was more of what they smashed and spoiled than what they harvested. And I was told that they were those who lacked mercy.
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I saw that some had a sickle without a point, and I was told that this means that they do apostolate without humility, and with the desire to appear more than others.
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When the harvest was harvested, the wheat was thrown into carts pulled by oxen and Father Miguel Rúa went ahead leading the whole group to the granary, which means that Father Rúa will lead our disciples.
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I saw with sadness that some of them, instead of harvesting the crops, were wasting their time. Many, instead of going to gather the wheat, went to look for wild grapes; and they are the ones who instead of dedicating themselves to their task of saving souls, dedicate themselves to other tasks that are not so proper to an apostle.
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Some of them, while trying to cut the wheat, dropped the handle of the sickle, and I was told that they are those who work without right intention, that is, not to please God, but to get a good name and fame.
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To one that I saw he was asking for the sickle, they replied: as long as he does not get the two flowers that are: charity and humility, we cannot give him the power to preach. And although he was displeased, they did not give him the sickle as long as he did not go to get the two flowers.
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Ten more years: The guide told me: "Now you will turn the wheel ten more times to see what will happen in ten years.
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I gave it the twelve turns and my disciples appeared in the lens, but totally changed: those who are now children, appeared as gentlemen. And those who are now in the age of vigor, appeared as elders. Many of those who are now students appeared as priests or teachers.
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The guide told me: "You have to turn the wheel ten more times to find out what will happen ten years after that, that is, in 1881".
I turned the wheel, but only half of the present disciples appeared, and many of them were already gray-haired, and some of them were very bent.
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The guide ordered me to make another ten turns of the wheel to see the state of our works in 30 years, in 1891.
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I made the ten turns and then I saw in the lens only a quarter of my present disciples, but all of them with white hair. I felt sadness when I noticed that so many of them were already gone, but at the same time I had a great joy when I saw an immense number of new disciples in many parts of the world.
And I was presented an exciting scene: I saw Salesians from many countries surrounded by young people of different races and colors.
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I went around the wheel another ten times and our work was presented to me in 1901. And Father Rua was so old and aged that it was difficult to recognize him. So much had changed! (It is curious to see that Don Bosco is announced in this dream that in 40 years, Father Rua will still be alive here on earth. And so it happened).
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By order of the guide, I made another ten turns of the wheel and our community appeared in 1911. There were very few of the present ones left. But there I saw one who is here now, I saw him very old and full of gray hair surrounded by young people, showing them a photograph of Don Bosco and telling them how our Oratory began.
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Note: It will be Father Francesia, who will last for many years and who will have a very dear work for him, to remind the new generations what happened when Don Bosco started his work.
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I turned the wheel a few more times and then only a plain without inhabitants appeared. And he said to me: "It is that already at that time, in 50 years, the students who are now in the Oratory, had already passed into eternity".
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The guide added: "Do you want to see another, more surprising scene? Well, give the wheel another 50 turns".
I gave the wheel those turns and an immense number of young people, unknown to me, of all races, peoples and nations; of the most diverse languages and of the most varied physiognomy, appeared in the great lens. They were joyfully surrounding their Salesian teachers.
And the voice said to me: "These will be the disciples of your disciples. Listen to what they are telling them: they speak of you, and of the first Salesians, who have already died, and they remind them of the teachings that Don Bosco left them".
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At that moment the wheel began to turn by itself at such a great speed and with such a loud noise that I woke up.
And he went on to say: Some will say: "Is Don Bosco an extraordinary man, or a character, or a Saint? What I am telling you is that God uses the garbage of the world to carry out his great enterprises, and what is not good, to guide what is good, just as in the time of Moses he used Balaam's donkey to communicate very important messages to the people. So do not look at the behavior of Don Bosco to know how you are going to behave, but rather look at these messages that Heaven sends us, to pay attention to them and obey them. No one is going to say: "Don Bosco did this, and therefore it is very good". Observe my actions first: if you see that they are good, imitate them, but if you see me doing something that is not good, do not ever imitate me in that, but rather reject it as something wrong."
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Explanations: Father Ballesio who was present at the Oratory in those days says: "Don Bosco narrated this dream to us with impressive grace and emotion. He seemed like a general seeing his troops triumphing in the future, but above all he seemed like a prophet announcing what was going to happen later on. During that week, all the hundreds of his disciples who listened to him narrate the dream were parading in his room to ask him to tell us where in the harvest and in what way he had seen us, and we were amazed to see with what admirable precision he had known in the dream in what state our soul was, and what were our defects and our aspirations. There were more than 400 of us, and he told each and every one of us in what state he had seen us. And the older students exclaimed: "Surely Don Bosco has received extraordinary gifts from Heaven". And among the numerous students of the Oratory of Turin, the effect of this dream of the magic lantern or of the wheel was better than that which would have been produced by a series of Spiritual Retreats or the preaching of a mission. In everyone there was a great desire to be more faithful in fulfilling what God desires of each one of us.
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Monsignor Cagliero said: "I was present when Don Bosco narrated this dream. He told us all this because his confessor, Father Giuseppe Cafasso, had told him: "Tell your dreams to the students, because it does them a lot of good".
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Don Bosco, taking advantage of his prodigious memory, was telling us all, one by one, how he had seen us in the dream.
And we were convinced that God had informed him about the future of his disciples and his Congregation for 50 years and more. In that year of 1861, our community was very small (it was only two years old) and was much fought against by those who did not understand it. And God wanted to inform us that the future that awaited us was immense and very consoling.
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The young Fagnano approached Don Bosco and said: "How did you see me in your dream? He answered: "I saw you far, far away from here, surrounded by almost naked men". Fagnano believed that this would not happen, but twenty years later, celebrating the feast of Mary Help of Christians at the South Pole, in Patagonia, as a missionary, surrounded by almost naked indigenous people, he wrote to Don Bosco: "Today what you saw about me in your dream in 1861 has come true".
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Someone asked him: "Why did you see some young men with an orangutan around their necks? And he answered him, "It is the sin of impurity, which does not present itself before the eyes as something bad and shameful, but treacherously attacks by making the one who commits it believe that this will not bring him so many bad things and that it is not so degrading and unworthy as it really is."
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Another asked him: "In the future of your community did you see only good news?". Don Bosco replied, "I also saw many difficulties and enormous problems that are going to come our way, and that frightened me a lot. I can assure you that if, when it occurred to me to found this Congregation, I had known the problems and difficulties that were going to come my way, I would never have dared to try to found it". But God has repeated in the Holy Book: "I will never abandon you" (Hebr. 12).
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Father Rufino says in his chronicle of that year: "Don Bosco told us that among those who gathered the wheat harvest he saw two of his students who would become bishops. But he did not want to tell us who they were. We said they were probably the young Cagliero and Albera. But 25 years later it was Cagliero and Costamagna who became bishops. Of this second boy nobody imagined then that he would reach that high position.