Raised from the Dead by Saint John Bosco

"The usual snare with which the devil catches the young is to fill them with shame when they are about to confess their sins. When he pushes them to commit sins, he removes all shame, as if there were nothing wrong with it, but when they are going to confession, he returns that shame magnified and tries to convince them that the priest will be shocked by their sins and will no longer think well of them. Thus the devil tries to drive souls to the brink of eternal damnation. Oh, how many lads does Satan steal from God." Saint John Bosco

If you prosper while in a state of mortal sin you are not blessed by God, You have separated yourself from God. As God the Father revealed to Saint Catherine of Siena, if a person in a state of mortal sin prospers materially on earth from their effort He will allow it because He is just. And Satan will leave the soul in relative peace fearing that if he disturbs the spiritual slumber of the person they might repent and turn to God. The Evil One sits back and waits for the death of the person then claims his prize, their soul. God is merciful, when we repent.

'We should all realize that no matter where or how a man dies, if he is in the state of mortal sin and does not repent, when he could have done so and did not, the Devil tears his soul from his body with such anguish and distress that only a person who has experienced it can appreciate it." St. Francis of Assisi

Raised from the Dead by Saint John Bosco

Once during Saint John Bosco's lifetime, a fifteen year old boy, Charles, who lived in Turin was about to die. He requested to see Saint John Bosco, so as to hear his confession, but the saint could not make it in time. So another priest heard the boy's confession and the boy died.

When John Bosco returned to Turin, he set out at once to see the boy. He was told that the boy was dead, but he insisted that it was "just a misunderstanding." When he got to the boy's house, and after a moment of prayer in his room, John Bosco suddenly cried out: "Charles! Rise!" To the utter amazement of all present, the boy stirred, opened his eyes, and sat up. Seeing John Bosco, his eyes lit up.

"Father, I should now be in Hell!" gasped the boy. "Two weeks ago I was with a bad companion who led me into sin and at my last confession, I was afraid to tell everything. Oh, I've just come out of a horrible dream! I dreamt I was standing on the edge of a huge furnace surrounded by a horde of devils. They were about to throw me into the flames when a beautiful Lady appeared and stopped them. 'There's still hope for you, Charles,' she told me. 'You have not yet been judged!' At that moment I heard you calling me. Oh, John Bosco! What a joy to see you again! Will you please hear my confession?"

After hearing the boy's confession, John Bosco said to the boy, "Charles, now that the gates of Heaven lie wide open for you, would you rather go there or stay here with us?" The boy looked away for a moment and his eyes grew moist with tears. An expectant hush fell over the room. "John Bosco", he said at last, "I'd rather go to Heaven." The mourners watched in amazement as Charles leaned back on the pillows, closed his eyes, and settled once more into the stillness of death.