Run, Jump, Shout, but do not sin.

By Jess C. Gregorio, Bosconian.

Way back at a Salesian School, the Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC), Mandaluyong City, that quote rings loud everyday in our ears. And so we learned to play hard and pray hard. To give our all and not hold back on whatever situation at hand. Get out from our pretensions and be real. Depending on current activity at hand.

After so many years, when we aged and our hair turned gray, we understood its real value. To have fun without faking it out. To be what we are without mask. To be not afraid of what others may say as long as we don’t sin.

Many people nowadays are constrained by their own imagination of what people may say on the crazy occasion we blurted out our joy and happiness. To look like funny fools enjoying the moment to the fullest with our friends. And to be loud in expressing such joy around.

Same thing with sports and play, we are beyond what others may say that we are so fancy and rude in our moves and execution to the point of being so arrogant in games. But we are just enjoying every minute of it, giving it freedom from mundane expectation of how people around should behave. We are not rude but physical, not wanting to hurt but to win. And the only way to do that is to give whatever our mind and body can give to achieve victory. And so we play with such power and dexterity unmindful of what our opponent say. As long as it is not foul.

You should have seen us play before in our schoolyard bruising with Men of God, in our Salesian Priest themselves, jockeying for position in basketball and soccer, then confess later if we intentionally hurt someone.

Bosconians are taught by Don Bosco to live a life without inhibitions. Without fear. With Freedom to do whatever what one wanted to do. Not to conform to the world’s expectation of what should be and what ought to be.To walk without pretension and mask. To be real. They are noisy. Loud but makes more sense than those who are pretending to be silent and demure. Move a lot like the Flash. They’re every where, all at the same time, as if fueled by something out of this world. They are trained to run, jump, make noise, but not sin. Do all ordinary things extra-ordinarily.

They joked a lot like Don Bosco. Sometimes to the point of wondering if what they say is true or not. But in the end, you will realized that by principles in life, what they say is true and logical. Don Bosco loved to tell stories to his boys to amuse them no end. And the street urchins of Turin would laugh hard among themselves, real hard that I sometime imagine Satan is covering his ears listening to these heavenly noises. Bosconians will negate what you believe are hard things in life as if it can easily be solved, leaving you with words like, “Don’t be too serious, just pray to the Madonna, and before you know it, your prayer was already answered!” Then leaving you with a wink and a naughty smile as if saying, “Relax, the world won’t fall on you now!”

So if you see and hear someone described above, they are most likely Bosconians! They play hard. They pray hard. Don’t be annoyed. WYSIWYG. One advantage of having them around is the surety that they are real. They won’ pull your legs or blow your head. They will say everything under the sun and know it’s true. No they are not boastful or arrogant, they just know how to stretch life to extremes and enjoy His grace to the max.

They won’t be influenced or be changed, they are just naturally like that. And that is our way to Sainthood. Just in the like of St. John Bosco. “Run, Jump, Shout, But do not sin.”

Have you met one yet?