feast day: June 26
patronage: Opus Dei
about:
- Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer; also known as José María or Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás, born José María Mariano Escriba Albás
- born: 9 January 1902, Barbastro, Aragon, Spain
- died: 26 June 1975 (age 73), Rome, Italy
- attributes: Celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar
- founder of Opus Dei (meaning: Work of God) - an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. He was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, who declared Saint Josemaría should be "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."
- "The magnetic force of Opus Dei probably comes from its profoundly lay spirituality. At the very beginning, in 1928, Msgr. Escrivá anticipated the return to the Patrimony of the Church brought by the Second Vatican Council ... [H]e was able to anticipate the great themes of the Church's pastoral action in the dawn of the third millennium of her history."
- The "absolutely central" point in Escrivá's teaching, says American theologian William May, is that "sanctification is possible only because of the grace of God, freely given to his children through his only-begotten Son, and it consists essentially in an intimate, loving union with Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior."
- Escrivá's books, including Furrow, The Way, Christ is Passing By, and The Forge, continue to be read widely, and emphasize the laity's calling to daily sanctification (a message also to be found in the documents of Vatican II). Pope John Paul II made the following observation in his homily at the beatification of Escrivá:
With supernatural intuition, Blessed Josemaría untiringly preached the universal call to holiness and apostolate. Christ calls everyone to become holy in the realities of everyday life. Hence work too is a means of personal holiness and apostolate, when it is done in union with Jesus Christ.
- John Paul II's decree Christifideles omnes states: "By inviting Christians to seek union with God through their daily work — which confers dignity on human beings and is their lot as long as they exist on earth — his message is destined to endure as an inexhaustible source of spiritual light regardless of changing epochs and situations".
BOOKS:
- The Way - first published in 1934 under the title "Consideraciones espirituales" and later (in 1939) received its definitive title; it is based on real, living experience, being the fruit of the author's work as a priest which began in 1925
- Holy Rosary - first published in 1934; contains a series of short commentaries on the 15 mysteries of the rosary (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). It tries to help the reader enter more deeply into these scenes from the life of our Lord and his Blessed Mother. There is also a brief commentary on the Litany of the Blessed Virgin at the end.
- Christ is passing by - first edition was published in 1973; collects 18 homilies given by St. Josemaria between 1951 and 1971, on the occasion of various liturgical feast days. The guiding thread is divine filiation, and the universal call to holiness entailed by this reality. Other important themes are the sanctification of ordinary work, contemplation in the midst of the world, and unity of life
- Friends of God - first published in 1977, this is the first posthumous work of St. Josemaria. Collecting in one volume 18 homilies given between 1941-68, the book seeks to lead the reader to a deeper friendship with the "God who is close to us."
- Furrow - first published in 1986; is the fruit of St. Josemaria's interior life and experience with souls. It presents an attractive Christian vision of the human virtues
- The Forge - first published in 1987; As the author tells us in his brief preface: "How can I fail to take up
your soul-pure gold-and place it in 'the forge,' and fashion it with
fire and hammer, until that gold nugget is turned into a splendid jewel
to be offered to my God, to your God?"; contains 1055 points for meditation, arranged in thirteen chapters. Many
of these points, written down for the most part in the 1930's by the
founder of Opus Dei, refer to events in the author's own life, although
they are usually related in the third person.
- In love with Church - published in 1986; presents four homilies of Josemaria Escriva; The first three had been previously published only in booklet form and separately. The fourth, Passionately loving the World, appeared in Conversations with Monsignor Escriva; it is included here since it provides a magnificent reflection on how ordinary lay men and women can serve the Church. As St. Josemaria tirelessly taught: "The only ambition, the only desire of Opus Dei and of each of its daughters and sons is to serve the Church as she wants to be served, within our specific divine vocation."
- The Way of the Cross - first edition appeared in 1981; published after St. Josemaria's death, contains brief commentaries on the 14 stations, fruit of the founder of Opus Dei's personal prayer life; this work seeks to help people to pray and, with God's grace, to grow in a spirit of reparation-of love-sorrow-and of gratitude to our Lord, who has rescued us at the cost of his Blood
QUOTES:
"Sanctity is made up of heroic acts. Therefore, in our work we are asked for the heroism of finishing properly the tasks committed to us, day after day, even though they are the same tasks.” - Saint Josemaría
"God calls us through what happens during our day: through the suffering and happiness of the people we live with, through the human interests of our colleagues and the things that make up our family life.” - Saint Josemaría
"The holiness that Our Lord demands of you is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work and your daily duties, and these will almost always consist of small realities.” - Saint Josemaría
links/ sources:
- "Josemaría Escrivá" (Wikipedia):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josemar%C3%ADa_Escriv%C3%A1
- "St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer" (Catholic Online):
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5603
- "St. Josemaria Escriva" (EWTN):
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/J/stjosemariaescriva.asp
- "St. Josemaría Escrivá" (EWTN):
https://www.ewtn.com/_saints/escriva/
- "St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer" (American Catholic):
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1908&calendar=1
- Opus Dei official website:
http://www.opusdei.org/en-us/