“This realization led him, the distinguished intellectual, to recognize that his deepest encounter with himself and with the Lord came not from his reading or reflection, but from his prayerful dialogue, heart to heart, with Christ, alive and present” the Pope goes on to say. “It was in the Eucharist that Newman encountered the living heart of Jesus, capable of setting us free, giving meaning to each moment of our lives, and bestowing true peace.”
In the Basilica on Castro Praetorium in Rome, an international Church for devotion to the Sacred Heart, Don Bosco built several side altars donated by wealthy families from France and Italy. The only altar he bought is the central one dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The choice was not accidental, but indicates the centrality of the Eucharist in his preventive system.
Don Bosco, like Card. Newman, accepted that the heart of Jesus is the Eucharist and only a personal relationship with the living Christ allows every young person to grow as a fulfilled adult. The history of the central altar is not well known: it is the altar involved in the famous Eucharistic miracle in Siena.
On 14 August 1730, on the eve of the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, unknown sacrilegious thieves stole the silver pyx from the church of St Francis, containing 351 consecrated hosts. The number was in view of the upcoming holiday. After three days of searching, on 17 August the stolen hosts were found intact in the church of Santa Maria di Provenzano, in a poor box, and were returned the following day, with a solemn procession, to St Francis Church, where they are still found today, intact as at the time of discovery.
At the time of the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart, the Romanesque Church of St Francis in Siena, later transformed with Baroque additions, was returning to its original architectural style, so the Baroque altars were abandoned.
When Don Bosco learned that the altar where the parts of the Eucharistic miracle had been preserved had to be replaced, he took the opportunity and bought that altar to place it in the centre of the Basilica dedicated to the Heart of Jesus. The message is clear: the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Eucharist and only by offering Him your heart and receiving His is it possible to become capable of loving like Him. It is truly a heart transplant operation. The phrase chosen by Don Bosco in the Church is taken from the book of Proverbs: "Praebe, fili mi, cor tuum mihi" (Offer me your heart, my son).
A beautiful image to rediscover the centrality of Jesus Christ in Salesian life, as the theme of GC29 recalls.
