Reflection on the Dream at Nine of Don Bosco

“At this point, the wild animals had turned into lambs, gently gamboling lambs, bleating a welcome for that man and lady”

Last June 20, 2009 Saturday, I asked my classmates whether our professor in principles of teaching gave us any assignments since I was absent during that day. They told me that we have two reflection papers to make: first, the Dream at Nine of Don Bosco and second, the Preventive System. Upon hearing the first task which is to make a reflection paper about the dream of Don Bosco when he was still nine years old, I asked myself why our professor included this kind of topic, what is the relationship of this one to our education subject we took up? What kind of value that he wants us to know while reading the dream of Don Bosco?

I have already heard about his dream at nine and I never expected to encounter it in our education subject. But then after few minutes of thinking, I finally got the answer maybe it is because there are many values that we can grab from it and use it in our future ministry as educators. As what I have understood from the story, the Lord and our Blessed Mother showed little John his future works as a priest and for me they were also giving him a sign to be a priest.

After reading the dream at nine, I am amaze at the message of his dream. Don Bosco really understood the meaning of his dream and following it by doing an apostolate for the young even if he was then still young. Truly, I was correct in saying that I might be able to get something from his dream and use it in my future ministry. I get a phrase from his dream and it says, “You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness”. If I will be an educator someday, I will remember this phrase in order to remind me that I will not harass my students and I will treat them as my friends so that they will love and enjoy education and this will also help them in learning.

As you have noticed, the introduction of this reflection paper was started by a phrase. I choose this phrase because it has touched my heart and I just realize that being an educator is a tough job. You are not just doing teaching works but also guiding your students in the right way. Going back to the phrase that I wrote in the beginning of this paper, at the point that the wild animals had turned into lambs it was the time that gentleness and care were shown to the young people. The young people were described as the wild animals and in order for them to become a good and loyal sheep you need to catch their hearts by showing love, care and concern to them.

Seeing myself in the future makes me think that I need to learn a lot from all kinds of matter from physical, emotional, spiritual aspects in life in order to be well prepared in my future ministry as an educator.