Yesterday, was the feast day of Saint John Bosco. Of course that was on my mind as I was looking through our reading for today. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities of a prophetic vision that he had compared to our Gospel reading.
First of all, anytime we hear a reference to a boat in the Gospel, we should first think of the Catholic Church, which the early Church Fathers often referred to as the Barque (or boat) of Saint Peter.
In the Gospel, we have the boat of Peter on a very turbulent sea. So turbulent, in fact, that the boat is on the verge of being destroyed. The Gospel mentions other boats on the sea as well. This is our setting for the vision of Saint John Bosco.
In the vision, there is a large boat. Think of some of the great battleships from the colonial age..a massive battle frigate, with three large masts and multiple levels of sails to propel it. The great frigate is on the verge of being succumbed by the sea.
There are also a number of smaller boats. Given the context of the time Saint John Bosco lived, these were likely battle ships that were called “sloop-of-war”. They were intended to take orders from and work in submission to the frigate leading the battle.
I believe the smaller ships are intended to represent each of the individual dioceses, in communion with Rome. Rome, of course, represented by the largest ship.
This is ultimately a battle with the sea itself. The massive waves increasingly threaten to compromise the hull of the ships and submerge them into the sea. Each wave a surge of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Peaking over the horizon are two mighty columns of great height. On the top of one, there is the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with the inscription: Auxilium Christianorum—“Help of Christians”.
On the other, stands the Eucharist, a Host of great size proportionate to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: Salus Credentium—Salvation of the Faithful.
In the vein of George Washington crossing the Delaware, in the vision we see the Pope in command at the front of the great frigate, using all of his energy to lead the holy fleet to the two columns.
Meanwhile, some of the smaller ships dissent. These smaller rebellion ships try to damage the hull of the great frigate as well as those of the of the loyal ships in any way possible. They will not rest until the frigate has been sunk.
Ultimately, the Pope guides the remnants of the holy fleet to the columns, routing the enemy ships, navigating the turbulent waves, and overcoming every obstacle.
Once the fleet is safely anchored to the columns, the enemy ships flee. Some collide with each other…many sink under their own weight. Only those ships loyal to the Pope find themselves safely bound to the columns. There they remain safe, together with the frigate, on which is the Pope. And a great calm reigns over the sea.
We are not bound to believe private revelations such as this one, but I find this particular vision quite compelling and very comforting.
Let’s face it, we live in a very turbulent sea. The waves of secular humanism and moral relativism are abundantly high and fierce. We see the Church attacked and the Pope rejected from every side. Many elements in our world lead people away from the full revelation of Jesus Christ, which can only be found in the Catholic Church.
This vision is a reminder of the grace and power of the Holy Eucharist! This vision is a reminder of the role of Mary as our Queen, our primary intercessor with the King, seated at His right hand, similar to Bathsheba in the days of Solomon. This vision is a reminder of the leadership of the Pope, the prime minister of the Kingdom of God, similar to Eliakim in the days of Hezekiah.
In the Gospel, Jesus asks “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” We see from the vision of Saint John Bosco, the ships that did not have true faith, the ships that were not in union with the frigate (meaning not in communion with Rome), did not survive.
We need the Eucharist, the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, our King. We need the intercession of our Queen, the Immaculate Virgin. We need the leadership of our Prime Minister, the Pontiff of Rome.
If we are safely in the Barque of Saint Peter, we have nothing to fear. We will survive the storms and attacks of this age. We will be guided safely to salvation and eternal life.
So, brothers and sisters, let us be filled with great awe as we ready ourselves to receive the great calm, the great calm that can only be received from the grace of the Eucharist.
Thanks be to God!
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