Anthony Nguyen – “God as father and Don Bosco as father” in “Journal of Salesian Studies”

Don Bosco is a saint who is honored as the “father and teacher” of the youth. However, we may be curious to ask ourselves: In what sense do we understand the term “father” as it is attributed or applied to Don Bosco? Surely, it is not in “biological” sense of the word.

But it is not simply in spiritual sense because Don Bosco did not only provide spiritual nourishment (heaven) to the young, but also “work and bread” (something for bodily/biological needs). This article aims at presenting, in a concise manner, how Don Bosco had imitated and reflected the Fatherhood of God for the people of his time, especially his poor boys. We will do this by, first of all, trying to understand how the term “father” understood in the Old and New Testament as well as in representative theologians. We then apply what we have found to the image of Don Bosco as father.

Don Bosco è un santo onorato come “padre e maestro” dei giovani. Tuttavia, potremmo essere curiosi di chiederci: in che senso intendiamo il termine “padre” come viene attribuito o applicato a Don Bosco? Sicuramente non è nel senso “biologico” della parola. Ma non è solo in senso spirituale perché Don Bosco non solo ha fornito nutrimento spirituale (il cielo) ai giovani, ma anche “lavoro e pane” (qualcosa per i bisogni corporei/biologici). Questo articolo intende presentare, in maniera sintetica, come Don Bosco aveva imitato e rispecchiato la paternità di Dio per gli uomini del suo tempo, specialmente per i suoi ragazzi poveri. Lo faremo, innanzitutto, cercando di capire come il termine “padre” fosse inteso nell’Antico e nel Nuovo Testamento, oltre che nei teologi rappresentativi. Applichiamo poi quanto abbiamo trovato all’immagine di Don Bosco come padre.

Contents:

• Introduction
• 1. God as Father
  • 1.1. God as Father in the Old Testament
  • 1.2. God as Father in the New Testament
  • 1.3. God as Father in Theology
    • 1.3.1. St. Augustine
    • 1.3.2. St. Thomas Aquinas
    • 1.3.3. John Paul II
• 2. Don Bosco as Father
  • 2.1. The Fatherhood of Don Bosco
  • 2.2. Don Bosco’s Mission: To Be Sign of God’s Fatherly Love as Jesus Did
• Conclusion

Reference time period: 2020 – 2021

Reference institution:
Institute of Salesian Studies