Two weeks ago, while attending the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, NC I met a high school student whose family went out for dinner and was interviewed by a local news network. The newscaster invited their reactions regarding the dramatic story of a dad who wore short shorts publically to shake some sense into his daughter’s immodest dressing habits. The couple that was interviewed commended the dad on his wit because it made a loud statement to his daughter. As the adage goes, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Shaking people up can help people to live life well. John Bosco resorted to such tactics for the well-being of youth. He recognized that young people living in Turin, Italy developed bad habits as a consequence of changes during a pre-industrial era. They gambled on the streets because they were unemployed and bored with life. One day John worked his way into a gambling operation, he grabbed the gambling money that had been laid on a cloth, and led a chase through the town causing public havoc. He staged the whole affair in order to wear his assailants down and lead them back to the oratory, a boarding school that created a home-like environment for disadvantaged youth. Once Bosco had the gamblers in the oratory setting, he gave them back money by performing magic tricks on them. This fascinated the gamblers and changed their attitude. Then Bosco invited them to join the productive games, receive on-the-job training in order to make something of substance out of their lives. In essence, John Bosco, as a father-figure, shook up the lives of these boys so that they would live as good Christians and honorable citizens.
Where do we need to shake up life so that people live "The Year of Faith" to the fullest? Pope Francis speaks about opening the doors of Christ and that young people need to go out and shake up their communities so that Christ’s presence may abound. By shaking up life with the gospel as the motive, we promote the life of Christ and enable people to take stock of what they need to do with their lives.