52. The Eagle's Dream, 1865
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On February 1, 1865, Don Bosco announced to the youths the imminent death of one of them, narrating to him this dream he had had.
"It seemed to me while I was sleeping that I was in the courtyard surrounded by my students and that suddenly a marvelous eagle appeared in the air, with beautiful wings, which, tracing circles in the air, was descending little by little towards the youths And a mysterious personage said to me: - That eagle wants to snatch one of your students.
- Which one? - I asked excitedly.
- The one on which she places herself.
I watched carefully and saw that the eagle, after circling a few more times, was hovering over the head of one of the youths of our house. I paid close attention to him so as not to forget his name. And then I asked: - And when will this death be? - That young man will not make the monthly retreat twice - the voice answered me. And immediately I woke up.
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Explanation: On March 3 the Saint said to the boys: - Some believe that the one who is going to die soon is the pupil with the last name Savio who is seriously ill. But it is not him.
The important thing is that each one should fulfill what Our Lord recommended: "Be ready, for at the hour you least expect the Son of Man will come".
The next day some students asked him to give them some sign about the one who was going to die soon, and he told them: "His last name begins with F".
But in the Oratory there were more than 30 students whose last name began with F.
Nurse Bisio dared to beg Don Bosco to tell him the name of the next deceased and he secretly told him.
- It is Antonio Ferraris. But I am calm because he is a very virtuous boy and is very well prepared to die. You will be very attentive and when Ferraris goes to the infirmary and is serious, you will call me immediately to go to assist him and help him to die well.
And in those days Ferraris got a very bad cold that turned into pneumonia. The doctor was called and said that the illness was very serious and could be fatal.
His dear mother came to visit him and asked the nurse Bisio: "Will I be able to go back home or should I stay with my son? - What state of mind are you in? - asked the nurse.
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- I am the mother and as such I am very sorry that my son is going to die. But nevertheless I accept whatever Our Lord allows to happen.
- And if God allows your son to die soon? - Well, patience! What are we going to do? - and she began to cry.
- Look: Don Bosco says that Antonio is a very good boy and that he is very well prepared to go to Heaven.
- Well then, I will stay, and may God do His Holy Will. Said the mother, wiping away her tears.
The day of the second monthly retreat was about to arrive, and Don Bosco had announced that the one who was going to die would not make it to the second retreat. That is why the nurse Bisio asked the boy's mother not to stay away.
Antonio Ferraris died on March 16 in a saintly manner, assisted by Don Bosco.
The Saint announced this death to the students in this way: "I see that many young people are eager to know how were the last moments of companion Ferraris, and I will gladly tell you the details. In his last illness he suffered a lot but he did not lose his patience.
When he arrived as a student here at the Oratory he told me: "Don Bosco, I am ready to obey everything you advise me to become better. When I fail in something, I ask you to correct me and I will gladly heed your advice.
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I promised him that I would do what he asked me to do, and every time he made a mistake or failed in something, I warned him and he listened to me very obediently. One could say that he had learned to heed everything good that was advised to him. And his teachers say that he was one of the best students in his class. When he fell ill I went to visit him and asked him if he wanted me to bring him the Holy Communion and he said yes. Then I asked him if he had any worries, doubts or anxieties in his conscience and he said he had none, that his conscience was at peace. Then I asked him if he was happy to go to paradise soon, and he answered: "Yes, I am happy to go to paradise, because I hope that there I will see the good God, of whom I have heard very good things here on earth.
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- And what do you want me to do for you? - I want you to help me save my soul and to continue helping all my companions so that each one of them may achieve eternal salvation.
As I imagined that he was still a few hours away from death, I decided to go to my room to write for a while, but he, with much eagerness and emotion, and almost suffocated by pneumonia, cried out to me not to leave him alone in his last moments. Later I wanted to go away again for a few minutes but he again cried out to me not to leave him alone, that he wanted me to be with him at the hour of death. I took his pulse and noticed that he was almost pulseless. The pneumonia was getting worse and the end was near. Then he breathed his last serenely, without a moan or a complaint. His conscience was clear and at peace. How beautiful that each one of us can die as peacefully with God as Ferraris died. I believe he went straight to paradise and I would gladly exchange my place for the one he now has in eternity.
Some say that I scare them by announcing when someone is going to die. But Ferraris was helped by the announcement to prepare himself better. Anyway, to avoid scares I will not announce any more the deaths that are going to happen.
The students shouted: "Yes, Father, always announce, that does us a lot of good.
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53. The flowers and the cat
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I dreamed that I was in the courtyard surrounded by my pupils and that each one had a flower in his hand. Some had a rose, others a lily; some had a violet, and many had a rose and a lily together. Suddenly there appeared a big horned cat, as big as a dog, with eyes as bright as flame, whose nails were as thick as great nails, and its belly was gigantically bulging.
The horrible beast came treacherously close to the young men and circling around them went from one to the other, clawing at the flower that each one had and throwing it to the ground. I felt great fear before such a beast, and I was struck by the fact that the young people whose flowers it stole and threw to the ground remained undeterred and unmoved.
When I realized that the cat was heading towards me to steal my flowers too, I wanted to run away but a voice told me: - Don't run away. Tell the boys to raise their hand and arm and then the cat won't manage to snatch their flowers.
I stopped and raised my arm. The cat was making immense efforts to snatch the flowers I had in my hand, but because he was so heavy and pot-bellied, he fell awkwardly to the ground.
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And I was told that the lily that we carry in our hand is the holy virtue of purity or chastity, which the devil continually wars against. That those who raise their hands are those who pray, go to confession, attend mass and receive communion. And that those who do not raise their hands and allow themselves to be robbed of their flowers are those who eat and drink gluttonously and spend time doing nothing, without devoting themselves seriously to study and to the work they have to do. Those who devote themselves to bad conversations or to reading bad books or impure magazines, and those who do not make mortifications or sacrifices, and do not avoid the occasions of sinning, are those who remain without raising their hand and are robbed by the devil.
Jesus said: "Certain evil spirits are not driven away except by prayer and sacrifice".
I recommend everyone to raise his arm by praying devoutly every morning and evening; by going to confession frequently and taking Communion fervently, by making a daily visit to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in the Temple, by praying the Holy Rosary and by devoting themselves with care to study and to doing each one what he has to do. This will ensure that the holy virtue of chastity and purity will be preserved, no matter what attacks the devil may launch against it.