St. John Bosco had worked at the Moglia farm for two years now. Early on, John Bosco had wanted to study to be a priest, but because his brother Antonio violently disagreed, he had to leave home to work with the Moglia’s. John Bosco was treated well, but when told uncle his frustrations at not being able to study for the priesthood, the uncle had him leave the Moglia’s and return home. John Bosco’s mother Margherita was initially unhappy, but she came to understand that it was God’s will he become a priest. The uncle eventually found an elderly priest whose homilies the boy liked listening to. The priest was curious about the boy, so he told him, “If you can retell four sentences from any of my homilies, I will give you four copper coins.” John Bosco promptly recited the entire homily, shocking the priest with his memory and fervour. After some questioning, he understood the boy’s intentions for entering the priesthood—people were not intrinsically bad, but if no-one took care of them, they would turn bad; John Bosco wanted to be the one to teach them. The priest became John Bosco’s benefactor, and gave him the early education he needed to become a priest.
Spiritual Talk – Fr Ho talks about St. John Bosco (15)
