Abstract

Don Bosco has been classified as a modern saint, a model for a new type of priest-educator. His mission had an entirely social character, because he was a practical man, attentive to the needs of everyday life. Yet, his prodigious activity was coming out of the love of God, burning in him, and it was an effusion of spiritual light that he derived from God’s presence in his soul. That is why, Don Bosco never considered any activity as a threat to spiritual life: when one answers the call of the Lord with a total sacrifice of himself, everyday work becomes a prayer. Don Bosco’s industriousness originated in his perception of human history through the prism of the faith, in deep understanding of the mystery of the Redemption and in full awareness of the mission entrusted by God to priests. This perspective allowed him to maintain a balance between tireless apostolic activity and inner concentration. The love of God fuelled his pastoral zeal and gave him this particular gift of spiritual wisdom, that allowed him to educate the youth towards the life of grace and charity. He was able to inspire a desire for sanctity in the youth, to bring them into communion with the love of God and towards a high level of  virtuous perfec- tion. The mystic tension underlying his spirituality did not alienate him from the challenges of everyday life or relations with other people. Inspired by St. Francis de Sales, Don Bosco insisted on accurate and willing fulfillment of one’s duties according to one’s social role, on asceticism revealing itself in joyful adaptation to the reality of everyday life and on the understanding of the importance of the apostolate among one’s peers. At the same time, he taught the young a prayer of “simple union” and obedience to divine inspirations, showing them how to translate these into a life of virtue and good works.