Today’s First Reading encourages us that “[s]ince we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us . . .”
As Catholics, we believe in the power of those witnesses, the Saints, not just to intercede for us but to model for us how to follow Christ in our daily lives. It’s great to have a Saint who is a special intercessor for you, but it’s also wonderful to have Saints who are special friends, whose stories you may relate to, who can inspire you in living a Christian life. Today we remember St. John Bosco, patron of (among others) editors, schoolchildren, juvenile delinquents, and magicians!
I first encountered St. John Bosco as a second or third grader, in one of the old Catholic readers that even then were going out of fashion. We read that he used juggling and acrobatic feats as a way to attract the attention of street children so that he could share Jesus with them. I was intrigued by the story of a Saint who knew how to have fun, and who made evangelization fun! But that is really all I knew about him up until 2019, if I thought of him at all.
But in 2019, I picked him (or he picked me!) to be my Saint of the Year. I don’t know if you are familiar with the custom of picking a Saint at the beginning of each year to inspire and guide you, but I have been doing it since 2018. You can pray and discern, or you can use a random generator, which is what I do. I was excited to learn more about St. John Bosco, and particularly to read some of his own words.
Because he worked with children, many of his quotations concern them. “It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved,” is my favorite, because it has long been part of my own parenting philosophy. After all, what use is it to feel love and not show it? Discipline and education are important, but will those lessons stick if imparted without love? What is love if not accompanied by action?
And I also think this quotation fits well with today’s Gospel, in which we see two people who are very confident in Jesus’ active love for them – the hemorrhaging woman who knows that just touching Jesus will heal her, and Jairus, whose faith led to the resurrection of his daughter.
I love the tenderness of the second miracle, the way Jesus reassures the bereaved parents despite the jeers of those assembled, shoos all but the parents away, and calls to the little girl, “Talitha koum!” Notice also the homey, relatable detail that he requests she be given something to eat.
Jesus lived a life of service to his people, showing up for them every day and demonstrating his love and care for them not by words alone but by feeding, healing, and comforting. Let’s follow His example, and that of St. John Bosco and others in the cloud of witnesses, today and every day.
La Primera Lectura de hoy nos alienta: “rodeados, como estamos, por la multitud de antepasados nuestros, que dieron prueba de su fe, dejemos todo lo que nos estorba; librémonos del pecado que nos ata, para correr con perseverancia la carrera que tenemos por delante…”
Como católicos, creemos en el poder de esos testigos, los santos, no solo para interceder por nosotros sino para modelarnos cómo seguir a Cristo en nuestra vida diaria. Es grandioso tener un santo que sea un intercesor especial para ti, pero también es maravilloso tener santos que sean amigos especiales, con cuyas historias puedas relacionarte, que puedan inspirarte a vivir una vida cristiana. Hoy recordamos a San Juan Bosco, patrón de (entre otros) editores, escolares, delincuentes juveniles y magos.
Conocí a San Juan Bosco por primera vez en segundo o tercer grado, en uno de los lectores católicos antiguos que en ese entonces ya estaban pasando de moda. Leemos que utilizó malabarismos y proezas acrobáticas como una forma de atraer la atención de los niños de la calle para poder compartir a Jesús con ellos. Me intrigaba la historia de un santo que sabía divertirse y que hacía divertida la evangelización. Pero eso es realmente todo lo que sabía sobre él hasta el 2019.
Pero en el 2019, lo elegí a él (¡o él me eligió a mí!) para ser mi santo del año. No sé si conoces la costumbre de elegir un santo al comienzo de cada año para inspirarte y guiarte, pero yo lo hago desde 2018. Puedes orar y discernir, o puedes usar un generador aleatorio, que es lo que hago. Estaba emocionada de aprender más sobre San Juan Bosco, y particularmente de leer algunas de sus propias palabras.
Debido a que trabajaba con niños, muchas de sus citas se refieren a ellos. “No basta amar a los jóvenes; deben saber que son amados”, es mi favorito, porque ha sido durante mucho tiempo parte de mi propia filosofía de crianza. Después de todo, ¿de qué sirve sentir amor y no demostrarlo? La disciplina y la educación son importantes, pero ¿se mantendrán esas lecciones si se imparten sin amor? ¿Qué es el amor si no va acompañado de acción?
Y también creo que esta cita encaja bien con el Evangelio de hoy, en el que vemos a dos personas que tienen mucha confianza en el amor activo de Jesús por ellos: la mujer con hemorragia que sabe que solo tocar a Jesús la sanará, y Jairo, cuya fe la llevó a la resurrección de su hija.
Me encanta la ternura del segundo milagro, la forma en que Jesús tranquiliza a los padres afligidos a pesar de las burlas de los reunidos, saca a todos menos a los padres y llama a la niña: “¡Talitha koum!”. Fíjate también en el detalle hogareño e identificable de que él pide que le den algo de comer.
Jesús vivió una vida de servicio a su pueblo, apareciendo para ellos todos los días y demostrando su amor y cuidado por ellos no solo con palabras sino con alimentación, curación y consuelo. Sigamos su ejemplo, y el de San Juan Bosco y otros en la multitud de testigos, hoy y todos los días.
Leslie Sholly is a Catholic, Southern wife and mother of five, living in her hometown, Knoxville, Tennessee. She graduated from Georgetown University with an English major and Theology minor. She blogs at Life in Every Limb, where for 11 years she has covered all kinds of topics, more recently focusing on the intersection of faith, politics, and social justice.
Feature Image Credit: jotallorente del Río, cathopic.com/photo/8720-don-bosco
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother. She is blessed to be able to homeschool, bake bread and fold endless piles of laundry. When not planning a school day, writing a blog post or cooking pasta, Kate can be found curled up with a book or working with some kind of fiber craft. Kate blogs at 
Arthur Richardson is married to his wonderful wife, Gabby Richardson. Most of his work experience is in ministry. He was a retreat missionary in Wisconsin for two years and a youth minister for three years. He is now the Web Project Manager here at Diocesan, and loves it!
Dakota lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Ralph, and their two sons, Alfie & Theophilus. She is the Dean of Enrollment Management for Bishop Machebeuf High School where her husband also teaches. You can find Dakota at the zoo or a brewery with her family or with her nose in a book at home. For more of Dakota’s writing check out 
Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 50 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002. He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in Nashville, Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University, and is the editor of the anthology 
Emily Jaminet is a Catholic author, speaker, radio personality, wife, and mother of seven children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the co-founder of 
Allison Gingras ( 
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 19 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Thirteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the executive editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program—an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students. You can reach her at 
1-800-994-9817