56. The offerings of the Virgin and their significance 1865.
--
On May 30, 1865, Don Bosco recounted the following dream: "I beheld a large altar dedicated to the Virgin and very beautifully adorned. I saw all my disciples advancing in procession towards it. They were singing a song to the Virgin, but not all of them in the same way. Some sang with exactness and in tune and with a beautiful voice.
Others sang in a hoarse voice, out of tune and out of time. There were some who were silent without singing. And several left the procession and went to other places, and several yawned, bored and without fervor. There was no lack of those who tripped the others and laughed mockingly.
All carried gifts to offer to the Blessed Virgin. Each one had in his hands a bouquet of flowers, some larger, others smaller. Some carried roses, others carnations, others violets.
But some carried very strange gifts: for example, one carried a pig's head. Another carried a cat. Someone carried a plate full of toads, another a rabbit, and some carried a little lamb.
Next to the altar of the Virgin there was a beautiful young man with wings, probably the angel who protects our work, and this young man was receiving the offering that each one brought.
To those who presented beautiful bouquets of flowers, he gladly received their offering and placed it at the feet of Our Lady. To others, when he noticed that some of the flowers in their bouquet were already wilted, he untied the bouquet and took out the wilted ones and threw them in the trash, and the rest he placed them next to the altar.
To some he did not receive the flowers they presented because they were flowers without perfume, and Our Lady wants realities and not only appearances. The bouquets of flowers of some had thorns and nails between the flowers. The angel removed the thorns and nails before placing the flowers next to the Queen of Heaven.
--
When the one carrying the pig arrived, the angel said to him, "How dare you present such a gift! Don't you know that the pig represents the sins of impurity, and that Mary is the purest of all creatures? Go away and do not present this gift.
Then came those who were carrying a cat, and the angel said to them, "Withdraw! Don't you know that the cat represents those who steal? That means that they steal things, money, books, food, etc., and that they waste the money that their parents pay for them, because they do not study, and they tear their clothes without caring how much they cost. And he made them stand aside.
Then came those who were carrying plates with toads, and the angel answered them: "The toads represent those who give scandals and bad examples to others. The Blessed Virgin does not receive such offerings, and they withdrew in shame.
Then some advanced with a dagger stuck in their hearts. They mean those who receive the sacraments while in mortal sin. And the angel said to them, "Do you not realize that you have death in your souls? ("You have the name of living, but you are dead," says the Book of Revelation.) Please take this knife out of your heart! And these were also placed apart and away from the group.
--
Immediately the others arrived with rabbits, lambs, fish, grapes and nuts. The angel received everything and placed it by the altar, and after separating the good from the bad, he made all those whose offerings had been accepted line up before the altar. And with sadness of soul I noticed that the number of those who had not been accepted was more numerous than I had imagined.—
And there appeared on either side of the altar two angels each bringing a basket full of beautiful crowns of roses, but they were roses from Heaven that do not wither and that signify immortality. And to each of those whose offerings had been accepted, one of these crowns was placed on his head. The crowns were supremely beautiful and I saw that there were parading there to be crowned not only the disciples that I now have but the disciples that will have our works in future times.
And immediately something impressive happened: There were young men with faces that were not at all nice and who were neither pleasant nor attractive in their external presentation, and to these corresponded the richest and most beautiful crowns, because they were able to preserve better their purity or chastity. Others also had this virtue but to a lesser degree. Many others received crowns for their obedience, for their humility, or for their love of God. Each one received a crown proportionate to the efforts he had made to behave well.
The angel said to them, "You have received these crowns as a reward for your good behavior. Each of you should strive to prevent the enemies of your soul from stealing your crown. There are three ways to keep them:--
1. To be humble.
2. To be obedient.
3. To strive to preserve the virtue of purity.
These three virtues: humility, obedience and purity will make you pleasing to the Virgin Mary and will obtain for you an infinite crown of rewards in Heaven.
The young men who had not been crowned disappeared and those who received their crowns began to sing a hymn to Our Lady with such a loud voice that... I woke up.
I remember very well who were crowned and in what virtue they excelled, and who were rejected and why. You can come in these days and I will tell each one in what state I saw his soul in the dream, and what he must do so that the Blessed Virgin will accept his offerings.
In the meantime I give you these explanations: They all brought flowers to Our Lady, but I noticed that almost all had thorns among their flowers. And I was told that these thorns represent disobedience: not doing what one is obliged to do, and devoting oneself to doing what is forbidden, arriving late and not fulfilling one's duties. ("Have you seen anyone who fulfills his daily duties well? He will not be among the last. He will be among the first. But the disobedient shall not be crowned," says the Book of Proverbs).
--
Others carried a nail among their flowers. And Jesus Christ was crucified with nails. St. Paul says that he who sins crucifies Jesus Christ anew. Nails are the sins that are committed and not fought. One begins with small faults and goes on to commit serious sins. He who is unfaithful in little, will also be unfaithful in great things, said Our Lord.
Many carried flowers without perfume. They are the good works that are done without wanting to turn away from sin or that are done to be seen and to be congratulated and not to please God. (Psalm 49 says: "The Lord God says to the obstinate sinner, 'Why do you go about saying that you love me, you who despise my commands and do not want to fulfill them? I will accuse you of this and hold it against you").
But the angel allowed those who wished to go and arrange their bouquets and remove the thorns and nails and unscented flowers and return, and then their offering was accepted. So everyone could set out to make amends for their mistakes and bad behavior and then their offerings would be accepted.
---
57. THE FLOOD
--
Don Bosco, then, before all his youths, spoke thus on Monday evening, the first day of the year 1866:
It seemed to me that I was at a short distance from a village that looked like Castelnuovo d'Asti, but was not. The youths of the Oratory were happily playing in an immense meadow, when suddenly, behold, the waters suddenly appeared from the ends of that field, and we were soon blocked by the flood, which was growing as it advanced towards us. The river Po had gone out of its banks, and immense and unbridled torrents were flowing from its banks.
--
We, filled with terror, began to run towards the back of an isolated mill, distant from other dwellings and with walls as thick as those of a fortress. I stopped in its courtyard, in the midst of my dear youths, who were terrified. But the waters began to invade that surface, forcing us first to enter the house and then to go up to the upper rooms. From the windows we could see the magnitude of the disaster. From the hills of Superga to the Alps, instead of meadows, cultivated fields, woods, farmhouses, villages and towns, there was only the surface of an immense lake. As the water rose, we climbed from one floor to another. Having lost all human hope of salvation, I began to encourage my dear youths, advising them to place themselves confidently in the hands of God and in the arms of our dear Mother, Mary. But the water had already reached almost to the level of the top floor. Then, the horror was general, seeing no other means of salvation than to occupy a very large raft, in the shape of a ship, which appeared at that very moment and floated close to us. Each one of us, with a faltering breathing because of emotion, wanted to be the first to jump into it; but none of us dared, because we could not get it near the house, due to a wall that was rising a little above the water level, and only one means could facilitate our access, namely, a tree trunk, long and narrow; but the thing was somewhat difficult, because one end of the tree was leaning on the raft, which did not stop moving at the impulse of the waves.
--
Arming myself with courage I passed first, and, in order to facilitate the transfer of the youths and to encourage them, I asked some clergymen and priests to support those who were leaving from the mill and, to hold out their hands to those who were arriving to the boat. But how singular! After having been engaged in that work for a little while, the clerics and priests were so tired that some of them, on one side, others on the other, fell exhausted of strength; and those who replaced them suffered the same fate. Marveling at what was happening to those my sons, I also wanted to try and I felt so exhausted that I hardly could keep on standing up.
--
In the meantime, many young people, being overcome by impatience, either for fear of dying, or to show courage, having found a piece of beam long enough and wide enough, established a second bridge, and without waiting for the help of the clergy and priests, they hurriedly set out to cross it without listening to my cries: -Stop, stop, stop, you will fall!", I said to them. And it happened that many, pushed by others or losing their balance before reaching the raft, fell and were swallowed by those putrid and turbulent waters without ever being seen again. The fragile bridge also sank with all those who were on it. So great was the number of victims that a quarter of our youths succumbed to their own whims. I, who until then had been holding on to the end of the tree trunk while the youths were passing over it, when I realized that the flood had surpassed the height of the wall, I industriously pushed the raft towards the mill. There was Don Juan Cagliero, who, with one foot at the window and the other on the edge of the boat, made the youths who had remained in the rooms jump into it, helping them with his hand and thus putting them in safety.
--
But not all the boys were yet safe. A number of them had climbed up to the attics and from these [some youths managed to put the little children on to the roofs], where they were grouped together, staying close to each other, while the flood continued to rise steadily, covering the eaves and part of the edges of the roof itself with water [and they were afraid of getting into the raft]. At the same time as the waters, the raft had also risen, and I, seeing those poor little ones in such a terrible situation, shouted to them to pray with all their heart [to Virgin Mary]; to keep silent, to go down united, with their arms intertwined with each other so as not to roll. They obeyed me, and as the side of the ship was attached to the overhang, with the help of their companions, they too went on board. On the raft there was also a good quantity of loaves of bread placed in numerous baskets.
--
When they were all in the boat, still unsure if they could get out of that danger, I took command of the boat and said to the youths: "Mary is the Star of the sea. She does not abandon those who trust in Her protection; ((277)) let us all place ourselves under Her mantle: the Virgin will deliver us from danger and guide us to a safe harbor.
--
Then, we abandoned the ship to the waves; the raft floated and moved serenely away from that place. (Facta est quasi navis institoris, de longe portans panem suum.) (It is like a merchant's ship that from afar brings its supply. Pr. 31, 13.)
--
The impetus of the waters, agitated by the wind, propelled it at such a speed that we, embracing one another, formed a whole so as not to fall and after covering a great distance in a very short time, the boat suddenly stopped and began to spin around itself with extraordinary speed, so that it seemed as if it was going to sink. But a violent wind pulled it out of the maelstrom. Then the boat began to row in a regular way, with an occasional whirl from time to time, until, at the breath of the saving wind, it came to a stop on a dry, beautiful and wide beach, which seemed to emerge like a hill with beautiful skirts in the middle of the sea. Many youths were as if delighted and said that the Lord had put man on the land, not on the waters; and without asking anyone's permission, they jumped jubilantly out of the raft and, inviting others to do the same, they went up to that emerged land. Their joy was short-lived, for when the waters became turbulent again because of the sudden storm that broke out, they invaded the skirts of that beautiful hillside, and in a short time, uttering cries of despair, those wretches were submerged up to their waists, and, after being overthrown by the waves, they disappeared. I then exclaimed: -How true it is that he who follows his whim pays dearly! The boat, in the meantime, at the mercy of that turmoil, threatened to sink again. Then I saw the faces of my youths covered with mortal paleness: "Courage," I cried to them, "Mary will not abandon us. And we all prayed with one heartfelt prayer. We made acts of faith, hope, charity, contrition; some Our Fathers, Hail Marys and the Hail Holy Queen; then, on our knees, holding hands, we continued to say our particular prayers. But some foolish ones, indifferent to that danger, as if nothing were happening, stood up, moved continuously, went from one part to another, laughing and making fun of the supplicant attitude of their companions. And behold, the ship stopped suddenly, turned with great rapidity on itself, and an impetuous wind threw those unfortunates into the water. There were thirty of them; and as the water was very deep and dense, as soon as they fell into it they were never seen again. We sang the Hail Holy Queen and more than ever we invoked with all our hearts the protection of the Star of the Sea.
--
Calm ensued. And the ship, like a gigantic fish, continued to advance without knowing where it would lead us. On board, a continuous and multiple salvage work was going on. Everything possible was being done to prevent the young people from falling into the water, and every effort was being made to save those who fell in. For there were those who, by leaning unwisely over the low edges of the boat, would plunge into the lake ((278)), while some brazen and cruel boys, inviting their companions to lean over the side, would push them overboard and plunge them into the water. For this reason, some priests prepared very long rods, thick longlines and hooks of various kinds. Others tied the hooks to the rods and handed them to ones and others, while some were already at their posts with their rods up, their eyes fixed on the water and attentive to calls for help. As soon as a young man fell, the rods were lowered and the castaway grabbed the longline or was caught on the hook by the waist, or by the clothes and thus was brought to safety. But also among those engaged in fishing there were those who hindered the work of others and impeded the work of those who prepared and distributed the hooks. The clergymen kept watch so that the youths, still very numerous, did not approach the gunwale of the boat.
--
I was at the foot of a tall topsail planted in the center, surrounded by too many boys, priests and clergymen who carried out my orders. As long as they were docile and obedient to my words, everything went well; we were calm, happy, safe. But not a few began to find life on that raft uncomfortable; to be afraid of such a long voyage, to complain of the discomforts and dangers of the voyage, to argue about the place where we should dock, to think of the way to find another refuge, to delude themselves with the hope of finding land at a short distance and in it a safe shelter, to lament that, soon, we would lack provisions, to argue among themselves, to deny me their obedience. In vain did I try to persuade them with reasons.
--
And lo and behold, there appeared before our sight other rafts, which, as they approached, seemed to follow a different route from ours; then those imprudent ones determined to second their whims, moving away from me and acting according to their own opinion. They threw into the water some planks that were in our boat, and, discovering other rather long ones floating not far off, jumped upon them and sailed away in the company with the other rafts that had appeared near ours. It was an indescribable and painful scene to me to see those wretches going in search of their ruin. The wind was blowing; the waves began to curl; and lo and behold, some were submerged beneath them; others were caught in the whirlpools of the maelstrom and swept into the abysses; others crashed against objects in the water and disappeared; some succeeded in getting into other boats, but these also sunk soon. The night became black and dark; in the distance could be heard the piercing cries of the shipwrecked. All perished. In mare mundi submergentur omnes illi quos non súscipit navis ista, i.e., the ship of Mary Most Holy. (In the sea of the world will sink all those who do not take refuge in this ship).
--
The number of my dear children had diminished notably; in spite of this, with confidence in the Virgin, after a dark night, the ship finally entered, as if through a sort of very narrow passage, between two beaches covered with silt, bushes, big splinters, shards, sticks, branches, destroyed shafts [note: spindles, stems, etc.], antennas, oars. ((279)) Around the boat swarmed tarantulas, toads, snakes, dragons, crocodiles, sharks, vipers and a thousand other repulsive animals. On some weeping willows, whose branches fell over our boat, there were some singularly shaped cats that tore pieces of human limbs; and many large monkeys, which, swinging from the same branches, tried to touch and scratch the youths; but the latter, frightened, crouched down to save themselves from those threats. It was there, in that sandy area, that we saw again with great surprise and horror the poor fellows we had lost or who had deserted from our ranks. After the shipwreck, they were tossed by the waves on that beach. The limbs of some of them were shattered as a result of the violent collision against the rocks. Others had been buried in the swamp and only their hair and half of an arm were visible. Here a torso was sticking out of the mud, and beyond it a head; in another part a corpse floated, in full view of all. Suddenly the voice of a young man in the boat was heard shouting, "Here is a monster that is devouring the flesh of so-and-so and so-and-so. And he repeated the names of the unfortunates, pointing them out to his companions who watched the scene with horror. But another spectacle no less horrible presented itself to our eyes. At a short distance there was a gigantic furnace in which a devouring fire was burning. In it we saw human forms, feet, arms, legs, hands, heads, rising and falling in the flames confusedly, like vegetables in the pot when it boils. We looked carefully and saw many of our youths there, and when we recognized them we were terrified. Over that fire there was like a lid*, above which were written in thick characters these words: "THE SIXTH AND THE SEVENTH LEAD HERE". Near by was a high and broad prominence of land or promontory with numerous wild trees disorderly arranged, among which waved a great number of our youth of those who had fallen into the waters or those who had wandered away from us during the voyage. I went ashore, without caring of the danger to which I was exposing myself, approached them and saw that their eyes, ears, hair and even their hearts were full of insects and disgusting worms that gnawed at their organs, causing them atrocious pains. One of them suffered more than the others; I wanted to approach him, but he ran away from me hiding himself behind the trees. I saw others who, opening their clothes in pain, showed their bodies girded with snakes; others were carrying vipers in their breasts. I pointed out to all of them a fountain that spouted fresh, ferruginous water in great quantity; everyone who went to wash in it was instantly cured and could return to the boat. The greater part of those wretches obeyed my commands; but some refused. Then I resolutely turned to those who had been healed, who, at my urging, ((280)) followed me without hesitation as the monsters disappeared. As soon as we were in the boat, it, driven by the wind, crossed that strait, exiting on the opposite side to the one it had entered, launching itself again into a boundless sea. We, pitying the pitiful end and the sad fate of our companions abandoned in that place, began to sing: "Praise Mary!” in thanksgiving to the heavenly Mother for having protected us until then; and at once, as if obeying a command of the Virgin, the fury of the wind ceased and the ship began to glide rapidly over the placid waves, with a smoothness impossible to describe.... . It seemed to move forward at the mere impulse given by the youths as they played by throwing the water backwards with the palm of the hand.
--
Then a rainbow appeared in the sky, more marvelous and splendid than an aurora borealis, as we passed under it, we read written in thick characters of light, the word MEDOUM, without understanding its meaning. It seemed to me that each letter was the initial of these words: Maria, Mater Et Dómina Omnis Universi. (Mary is the Mother and Lady of the entire universe.) After a long journey, land appeared on the horizon; as we approached it, we felt an unspeakable joy slowly reborn in our hearts. That most pleasant land, covered with forests of all kinds of trees, offered the most enchanting panorama imaginable, illuminated by the light of the rising sun behind the hills that formed it. It was a light that shone with ineffable softness, similar to that of a splendid summer sunset, instilling in the spirit a sense of tranquility and peace. Finally, hitting the sands of the beach and sliding over it, the raft stopped in a dry place at the foot of a beautiful vineyard. It could well be said of this vessel: Eam tu, Deus, pontem fecisti, quo a mundi flúctibus trajicientes ad tranquillum portum tuum deveniamus. (Thou, O God, hast made her a bridge, by which across the waters of the world we come to Thy peaceful harbor). The boys were eager to enter the vineyard, and some, more curious than others, jumped down onto the beach. But, as soon as they advanced a few steps, remembering the unfortunate fate of those who were fascinated by the islet that stood up in the middle of the stormy sea, they hurried back to the raft. Everyone's eyes had turned to me, and on the foreheads of each one was this question: "Don Bosco, is it time for us to get off and stop? First I reflected a little and then I said to them: -Let's go down! The time has come: now we are safe. There was a general shout of joy; the boys, rubbing their hands together in jubilation, entered the vineyard, where the most perfect order reigned. Clusters of grapes hung from the vines resembling those of the promised land, and on the trees were all kinds of fruit that could be desired in the beautiful season, and all of unknown flavor (-). In the midst of that very extensive vineyard a great castle stood up, surrounded by a delightful and regal garden and enclosed by strong walls. We went to that building to visit it and were allowed to enter.
--
245 VOLUME VIII Page: 246. We were tired and hungry, and in a large room adorned all in gold, there was prepared for us a large table supplied with the most exquisite delicacies, of which each one could help himself at his pleasure.
--
While we were ending relishing it (--), a young nobleman entered the room, richly dressed and of singular beauty, who, with affectionate and familiar courtesy, greeted us, calling each of us by our name. Seeing us stupefied and amazed at his beauty and the things we had beheld, he said to us, "This is nothing; come and see.
--
We followed him, and from the balconies of the galleries he made us contemplate the gardens, telling us that we were masters of them all, that we could use them for our recreation. He then took us from room to room; each one surpassed the previous one for the richness of its architecture, for its columns and decorations of all kinds. He then opened a door that led to a chapel, and invited us to enter. From the outside it seemed small, but as soon as we crossed the threshold we saw that it was so wide that from one end to the other we could hardly see each other. The pavement, the walls, the vaults were covered with artistically worked marble, silver, gold and precious stones; so that I, deeply amazed, exclaimed: -This is a beauty of heaven! I'm signing up to stay here forever.
--
In the middle of that great temple, a large and magnificent statue of Mary Helper stood on a rich base. I called many of the young people who had scattered from one side to the other to contemplate the beauty of that sacred building, and they all gathered before the statue of Our Lady to thank Her for the many favors She had granted us.
-- --
[enemies have erased the paragraph that says that many other groupings of people that did not were in the mentioned raft also arrived to the chapel.]
--
Then I realized the enormous capacity of that church, for all those thousands of young people seemed to form a small group that occupied the center of the church. As they gazed upon that statue, whose face was of a truly heavenly beauty, the image seemed to suddenly animate and to smile. And then a murmur arose among the boys, and an unspeakable emotion seized their hearts. -The Virgin moves Her eyes!, exclaimed some of them. And indeed, Mary Most Holy was looking at that group of children with Her maternal gaze. Then a new and general exclamation was heard: -Our Lady moves Her hands! And indeed, slowly opening Her arms, She raised Her mantle as if to welcome us all under it. Tears of emotion ran down our cheeks. Some said, -Our Lady is moving Her lips! There was a deep silence; the Virgin opened Her mouth and with an argentine and very soft voice, She said: -If you are for Me devout children, I will be for you a pious Mother.
Hearing these words, we all fell on our knees and sang the hymn: Praise Mary. ((282)) There was a harmony so strong and at the same time so soft, that pleasantly impressed I awoke, and thus ended the vision.
--
Don Bosco concluded with these words: "You see, my dear children? In this dream we can recognize the stormy sea of this world. If you are docile and obedient to my words and do not listen to those who advise you badly, after having tried to do good and to flee from evil; after having overcome all our bad tendencies, we will arrive happily at the end of our life, on a safe shore. Then he will come to meet us, sent by the Blessed Virgin, who, in the name of our good God, will introduce us, in order to restore us from our fatigues, in his royal garden, that is, in Paradise, where we will enjoy his most amiable divine presence. But if, on the contrary, you want to act, not according to what I tell you, but following your whim and disregarding my advice, then you will be miserably shipwrecked. Don Bosco gave, in different circumstances and privately, some detailed explanation of this dream, related not only to the Oratory, but also to the Pious Society, as it seems.
"The meadow is the world; the water that threatened to drown us, the dangers of the world. The flood so terribly widespread, the vices and irreligious maxims and persecutions against the good. The mill, that is, an isolated and quiet place, but also threatened, the house of bread, the Catholic Church. The baskets of bread, the Holy Eucharist that serves as viaticum to the sailors. The boat, the Oratory. The trunk of the tree that forms the bridge between the mill and the raft is the Cross, that is, the sacrifice of oneself to God, through Christian mortification. The log employed by the young men, as a lighter bridge to enter the boat, is the rule that has been broken. Many come for low and lowly purposes: to make a career; with desires for gain, for honors, for comforts, to change condition and status; these are the ones who do not pray and mock the piety of others. Priests and clergymen symbolize obedience and the portentous works of salvation that are achieved through it. The whirlpools, the various and tremendous persecutions that arose and will arise. The submerged island, the disobedient who do not want to remain in the boat ((283)) and return to the world despising their vocation. Let the same be said of those who took refuge in the other rafts. Many would fall into the water and reach out to those in the boat and with the help of their companions they would climb back into the boat. They were those endowed with good will who, having unfortunately fallen into sin, regained God's grace through penance. The strait, the cats, the monkeys and other monsters, are the revolutions, the occasions and incitements to guilt, and so on. Insects in the eyes, on the tongue, in the heart, are dangerous looks, obscene conversations, disordered affections. The fountain of ferruginous water, which had the virtue of killing all insects and of curing instantly, are the sacraments of Confession and Communion. The mire and the fire are the places of sin and damnation. However, it should be noted that this does not mean that those who fell into the mud and were never seen again and those who burned in the flames must irremissibly go to hell: no! God forbid that we should say such a thing. But it indicates that those who were in disgrace of God, if they had died then, would have been condemned forever.
The happy island, the temple, is the Salesian Society, consolidated and triumphant. The bizarre young man who welcomes the boys and accompanies them to visit the palace and the temple, seems to be a dead pupil in possession of Paradise, perhaps Dominic Savio."
-----
* the word would be more precisely: cover
(-) they ate of those fruits
(--) the original expression means: after enjoying and being invigorating by the food