Saint John Bosco

Dreams

Dream: 1

Many were the dreams of Don Bosco, more than 150: reproduce only some exemplary and summarized.

In an early childhood dreams, the Virgin called the apostolate with young people, with these words. "Not racing, but with gentleness and charity have to win these friends Start then, immediately to instruct them on ugliness of sin and the beauty of virtue".

Dream: 2

Mission confirmed when he was 19, and on many other occasions. He seemed to see a mysterious figure dressed in white light radiantly splendid in attitude to lead an innumerable crowd of young people. She turned to him, saying, "Get ahead of these guys and guide them yourself".

Dream: 3

... She turned to Don Bosco and said: These young people are yours. And by what authority you give me these young?. They are neither yours nor mine: they belong to the Lord. The Lady said: These are my children and I give them to you, under your custody. But how shall I do to lead so many young people. Look, said the Lady..

Don Bosco turned and saw a multitude advance with very many other young people about whom she took a great veil that covered them: then unveiled and behold, those young people were transformed into so many priests and clerics. Don Bosco asked: These clerics and priests are mine ?. They will be yours if you know how to train them.

Dream: 4

The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him in a dream and she criticized him for not having published a booklet to teach the rich how to invest their wealth.
The doctrine of Don Bosco, in this issue, was taken as very rigorous and the Saint had prudently been silent: but then he was forced to speak against the misuse of wealth. So he published a booklet entitled "Paradise open to the rich through alms".

Dream: 5

Don Bosco was deeply sad because of the death of Domingo Savio, his spiritual son and wanted to know what had happened to him in the afterlife.
About a month after his death, says the Holy: "I saw open the roof of the room where I slept, and behold, in the midst of a great light, Domingo appeared radiant and happy face with a majestic appearance and imposing and he said, I am truly in Paradise".

Dream: 6

It seems to be in a wilderness land. I saw there a crowd that ran: they were nearly naked and looked fierce. Long coats of animal skin covered their backs. They were armed with a sort of long spear and sling. They fought among themselves and with soldiers dressed in European style: the ground was full of corpses, and behold I check on one side of the plain, many characters, who, by the way they dress, belonged to various religious orders. They were coming to preach, but the barbarians, just saw them with diabolical fury and infernal joy, murdered and dismembered them...

I see in the distance a group of other missionaries who came to the wild with joyful face, preceded by a crowd of young people. I looked carefully and recognize them as our Salesians. I suspected that awaited the same fate as the old missionaries, but the barbarians lowered their weapons, deposed his ferocity and listened to our missionaries with special courtesy. Our missionaries instructed them and they listened with pleasure: taught and understood them. They prayed the rosary and answered prayer. After a short time, the Salesians were to get in the middle of that crowd around them and knelt. Wild laid down their arms at the feet of the Missionaries...

Dream: 7

An innumerable crowd, armed with guns and weapons of all kinds, advance against a ship, much bigger and higher, escorted by several smaller ships. At sea a statue of the Virgin with the inscription "Help of Christians", on the other, much higher rises, is a Consecrated Host of extraordinary greatness and in the column, a sign which said "Health of believers".

The fight was tremendous. All enemy ships tried to storm the largest ship: Pedro mystical ship to sink; but they did not dare to attack it and proceeded immediately step a blow by the columns ...
Continued the fierce battle, the Pope, the driver of the ship, severely beaten, fall, then rose; but he was injured for a second time, he fall back and died. Another Pope took his place: and, overcoming every obstacle, guided the ship between the two columns, tied to it with two chains, and instantly, the enemy army escaped and disappeared: a great victory.

Dream: 8

Don Bosco was meditating on how to do good to the youth, when the Queen of Heaven appeared to him: "He led me to a charming garden, where a rustic, very beautiful and vast porch ... This porch put in sight a charming pergola flanked and covered with marvelous roses in full bloom.
The Virgin told me: take off your shoes and move toward that porch. There is the way you should go. I started walking but the roses had spines and made my feet bleed. Taken some steps, I was forced to stop and then go back. I need shoes I told my guide. Certainly, she replied. I put on my shoes and went on the road with a number of companions, who had appeared at the time asking me to walk.

They followed me, but moving that way, they experienced pain in the feet; I touched the roses and felt even more sharp spines, which were hidden under the roses. Although I continued on. My legs tangled in the branches and the roses hanging from the top hiding a lot of spines that pierced my head. Still, I was encouraged by the Blessed Virgin, I went on the road. Meanwhile, those who watching me walk, and were many, they said: Everything is going well, but they did not see the spines that lacerated my poor members.

Many parents, clergy and laity, invited by me, kept me cheerful animated by the beauty of the flowers; but when they learned they had to walk among spines than sink everywhere, they began to shout: "Everything is good for him" What was my pain when I saw that some of them had disappeared, and some I had already turned his back and walked away. I came to call them, but they would not listen. Then I began to cry, saying: "Is it possible that I should just walk this difficult path?"

I was soon consoled. I looked forward to me a large crowd of parents, clergy and laity. Preceding them, I started to walk and many followed me to reach me, the goal. I was in another beautiful garden, where I was surrounded by my few friends, all thin, disheveled and bleeding. A cool breeze healed them all up then. Another wind blew, as if by magic, I found myself surrounded by an immense number of young people, clergy and laity, and even parents, who went to work with me, guiding youth ...

Next to a high place of the garden I saw before me a surprising by magnificence and art, and crossed the threshold, monumental building entered a big room so rich that no palace can match. It was all decorated and ornamented with the freshest roses and without spines, from which emanated a very sweet fragrance.

Then the Blessed Virgin who had been my guide, asked me: Do you know what means what you see and what you saw before?. No, I said, I beg you explain it to me. She said: The way you travel between roses and spines means that you must be careful with youth: you must walk with the shoes of mortification. The spines on the ground represent sensitive affections, the sympathies or antipathies which distract the human true educator of the true target; they hurt, stop him in his mission, impede to pick up the crown for eternal life, the roses symbolize eternity. The roses means the ardent charity that must distinguish you and your collaborators. The other spines signify obstacles, sufferings and disappointments which will play to you, but do not lose courage.

With charity and mortification you will get over it and you will reach all roses without spines".

Dream: 9

Three laces to lead to perdition
On the evening of April 4, 1869 Don Bosco told his young people a dream that impressed them deeply. "Dreamt said to find me in church, in the midst of a multitude of young people preparing for confession. A large number crowded my confessional under the pulpit.
I began to confess, but soon seeing so many young people, I got up and went to the sacristy looking for some priest to help me. Passing I saw, with enormous surprise, young men who had a rope around their necks, that held their throats.
Why do you keep that rope around your neck? I asked. Remove it!
And they didn't answer me, but they stared at me.
I told one who was close to me, take off that rope!
I can't lift it; there is one behind that holds it.

Then I looked more carefully and it seemed to me that two very long horns appeared behind the backs of many boys. I approached to see better and, behind the shoulders of the nearest boy, I saw an ugly beast with a horrible face, looking like a big cat, with long horns, clutching that lace.
I wanted to ask that monster who he was and what he was doing, but it lowered its snout trying to hide it between its legs, curling up so as not to be seen. I therefore ask a young man to run to the sacristy to get the bucket of holy water. Meanwhile, I realize that every young man has such a pretty little animal behind him. I take the sprinkler and ask one of those big cats:
Who are you?
The animal looks at me threateningly, opens its mouth, grinds its teeth and makes the act of venturing against it.
Tell me immediately what you do here, you ugly beast. You do not scare me. You see? With this water I wash you well, if you don't answer.
The monster looked at me shivering. He twisted in a frightening way and I discovered he was holding three laces.

What do they mean?
You do not know? Being here, with these three laces, I hold the young people to confess badly.
And how? In what way?
I don't want to tell you; you reveal it to young people.
I want to know what these three laces are. Speak, or I’ll throw the holy water on you.
For pity’s sake, send me to hell, but don’t throw that water on me
. In the name of Jesus Christ, speak then!
The monster, groaning fearfully, answered:
The first way I tie this tie is to silence the young and not confess their sins.
And the second one?
The second is to push them to confess without pain.
The third?
I don’t want to tell you the third.
Come? Non me lo vuoi dire? Adesso ti getto addosso quest'acqua benedetta.
No, no! I won’t talk, he started screaming, I already said too much.
And I want you to tell me.
And repeating the threat, I raised my arm. Then flames came out of his eyes, and then again drops of blood. Finally said:
The third is not to make suggestions and not to follow the warnings of the confessor. Observe the profit that young people derive from confessions; if you want to know if I keep young people tied up, see if they amend.

Why do you hide behind young people’s backs when you’re shoving your shoelaces?
That they may not see me, and that I may more easily drag them into my kingdom.

I lifted the sprinkler and threw the blessed water from all sides. So all those monsters rushed off, who on one side and who on the other. At that noise I woke up".