08 - Life of St. Dominic Savio by John Bosco

Delve into the extraordinary life of St. Dominic Savio, as detailed by his mentor, St. John Bosco. This authentic biography, recounted by someone who knew him intimately, offers a profound exploration of Savios spiritual journey. (Summary by Mozartjr)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section eight of the Life of Saint Dominic Savio by
Saint John Bosco. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain,
Chapter thirteen. His frequentation and devout reception of the sacraments.
The confirmed experience of those who have assisted in the
spiritual training or the general education of the young is

(00:21):
that the sacraments of confession and Holy communion are the
best safeguards and the strongest supports for that critical period
of their life. If you can show me a boy
who frequently receives the holy sacraments, it will be enough
to convince me that he will pass through the years
of youth, reach the age of manhood and maturity, and,
if God so disposes, arrive at a venerable old age,

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and all during that time will be an example to
those who know him. This should be impressed upon the young,
so that they may form this excellent habit. It should
be seriously considered and grasped by all who share in
the education of the young, so that they may assist
them to put it into practice. Apart from certain establish
bish few in number, it was not usual in the

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time we are treating of for children or adults to
go frequently to the sacraments, and so Dominic Savio had
only been accustomed to go once a month to confession
and communion before he came to the oratory, but from
that time he began to go more often. In fact,
it had been stated in the pulpit of the oratory
chapel that if the boys were really desirous of walking
in the paths of virtue and persevering in it, they

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should practice three things. To go regularly to the sacrament
of penance, to approach the Holy table very frequently, to
open their heart freely to their confessor. Dominic had noted
down these councils, for in such things he had a
special knowledge of what was important. He chose his confessor
and only had the one during his stay at the oratory.

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In order to make quite sure that everything was correct
and to form a right estimation of his conscience, he
made a general confession. Then he began to go every fortnight,
and then weekly. His habit of monthly communion was soon
altered to a weekly one, and then to several times
a way, and then to a daily one. At one
time he seemed to become scrupulous and wished to confess oftener,

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but his confessor forbade him to go more than once
a week, and he adhered to this direction. But in
this confessor he had the utmost confidence and opened his
whole soul to him. Even out of confession, he often
consulted him about the affairs of his soul, and in
regard to a change of confessor, he very acutely said,
the confessor is the soul's physician. You do not change

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your doctor unless he proves unworthy of your confidence or
unable to deal with your complaint. Neither of these cases
applies to me. I have entire confidence in my confessor,
and I do not know of any diseases of the
soul that he cannot cure. However, this confessor directed him
to go to another priest from time to time, especially
at the monthly exercises for a good death, and this

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the boy did. In these matters. Indeed, he had special gifts.
He used to say that he could not possibly be
in need of spiritual comfort or strength, for he got
all the guidance he required from his confessor, and all
the desires of his soul were satisfied in the delights
of holy communion. Nothing could be added to his happiness
until it was time for him to be admitted to
the unveiled presence of our Lord, whom he now beheld

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on the altar with the eyes of faith. It was
this frame of mind that conduced to Dominic's perpetual calm
and cheerfulness, and the special joy that seemed to accompany
his daily life. However, it must not be imagined for
a moment that he was not observant in the extreme
lest anything should prevent his being prepared to go daily
to the Holy Sacrament. On the contrary, his conduct was

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on all occasions singularly without blemish. I have questioned those
who are with him during his three years amongst us,
and who lived the same student's life with him, and
not one of them could, after due reflection, bring forward
any defect or negligence, or suggest any virtue in which
he was lacking. And yet boys have a high standard
when judging of such things and their companions. In regard

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to his actual reception of Holy Communion, he used to
say a special prayer of preparation the night before. In
the morning, he prepared with the other during Mass, and
with his own particular devotion. But his thanksgiving cannot be
said to have ever terminated. It was quite an ordinary
occurrence that, if not specially called or aroused, he would
not remember breakfast time or even school time, remaining in prayer,

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or rather in a sort of contemplation and adoration of
the goodness of our Divine Lord, who communicates with souls
in his own ineffable manner. If he could spend an
hour during the day in the presence of the blessed Sacrament,
it was his utmost delight. But he always found time
for a visit every day, and got some one to
go with him if possible. His favorite prayers were a
series of acts in reparation to the sacred Heart of Jesus.

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They were a well known devotional practice and to be
found in most prayer books. In order that his communions
might be more fruitful and meritorious, and that there might
be a motive of renewed fervor every day, he always
had a definite intention in view. His intentions were thus
distributed over the week Sunday in honor of the Blessed Trinity,
Monday for the welfare of spiritual and temporal benefactors, Toonesday

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in honor of my patron Saint, Saint Dominic and of
my guardian Angel. Wednesday in honor of our Lady, seven
dolores for the conversion of sinners, Thursday for the souls
in purgatory, Friday in honor of the sacred Passion of Christ,
Saturday in honor of our Lady, to obtain her protection
in life and death. Whatever devotions were practiced in honor

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of the Blessed Sacrament, he took part in them with
eager joy and delight, and would accompany the priest when
taking holy viaticum, if he were allowed. One day, a
priest was passing across a muddy street with the Blessed
Sacrament when Dominic was near. There had been a great
deal of rain, and it was muddy all round. But
the boy took no heed of that. He knelt in
the mud and made his act of adoration. A companion

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remonstrated that he need not have knelt in the mud,
that God did not command it and did not wish
him to dirty his clothes in that way. But that
was not at all Dominic's view of such things. He
replied that trousers as well as nees, belonged to God,
and should therefore be employed in his honor. Whenever I
approached the sacramental presence, he said, I would not only
throw myself in the mud, but even into a fiery furnace,

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For thus I should be consumed with that fire of
infinite charity which moved our Lord to institute the most
holy Sacrament. On another occasion, he noticed that a soldier
was standing well the blessed Sacrament was being carried by.
Dominic did not like to invite the soldier to kneel down,
so he took out his handkerchief, spread it on the ground,
and made a sign that he might kneel on it.
The soldier was a little confused at this hidden rebuke,

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but he left the handkerchief alone and now done where
he was in the middle of the street. One of
Dominic's delights was to be dressed as a clerk for
the great procession of the Blessed Sacrament on the feast
of Corpus Christi. His whole bearing revealed the depth of
his faith and the excess of his love. End of
Chapter thirteen, Chapter fourteen, his Mortifications. It will be rightly

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conjectured that many reasons forbade that Dominic should undertake any
extraordinary penance There was his age, he was only fourteen
or fifteen. There was his delicate health. There was the
innocence of his life. But he knew that it is
difficult to maintain fervor and purity of soul without some austerity,
and this consideration made him ready for penances and mortification.
And by mortifications, I did not here allude to the

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insuls and unpleasantness that he had to bear, or to
his continual restraint over his senses, whether in class, study
or recreation. This form of penance was a habit with him.
I refer now to actual penances painful to the body.
In his fervor and his devotion to the Mother of God,
he had resolved to fast on bread and water every Saturday,
but his confessor forbade it. He wished to fast during Lent,

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but after a week it came to the knowledge of
the director of the house, and that too was forbidden.
He wished at least to do without breakfast, but consideration
for his health made it prudent to forbid that. Also,
what then was he to do to satisfy his desire
for some bodily mortifications, as he was forbidden to do
anything that affected his food he began to afflict his
body in other ways. He put some sharp objects into

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his bed so that he might not be able to
repose in comfort. He wanted a kind of hair shirt,
but all these things were soon prohibited. He thought of
something else. During the autumn and winter he managed to
escape having extra blankets for his bed, so that during
the cold of January he had only the summer coverings
on his bed. That was discovered because one morning he

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was unwell and had to remain in bed, And when
the director came to see him, he saw at once
that he had insufficient covering for that severe cold. Why
did you do this, the director asked, did you want
to die of cold? Oh? I shall not die of cold,
he answered, when in the stable at Bethlehem, or hanging
on the cross, our Lord had less to cover him
than I have now. He was then forbidding to undertake

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any penance at all without express permission, and this command,
though difficult, was obeyed. Later on I saw that he
was in some difficulty. He said, he could not reconcile
the command of the Gospel to do penance with the
prohibition he had received the penance God wishes from you,
I said, is simply obedience. If you obey, that will
suffice for everything. He do not allow me to do

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some other penance. The only penance you are to do
is to bear patiently all that God sends you in
this life. But those things must be put up with
by necessity. Very well, I replied, whatever you have to
suffer by necessity, offer it to God, and it will
become a virtue and meritorious in the sight of God.
This council comforted his misgivings, and he was never disturbed

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in that way again. End of chapter fourteen.