The Personalism and Universalism of Josemaría Escrivá

Evgenii Pazukhin

January 8, 2002

Tags: Divine sonship “The Spirit, sent by the Father through the Son, called Josemaría Escrivá to the profound sense of divine sonship that distinguished not only his teaching, but his character and deeds as well. The perception of God as a loving and compassionate father precludes the possibility of making God into an instrument of human passions and ambitions. It reorients the teaching of the Church away from threats and towards the bright and joyful promise of the Father of Heaven. From this derives both the boundless optimism of Escrivá and the spirituality of Opus Dei. This explains the sincere charm of the man, his happiness (despite profound suffering), his constant good humor (‘true sanctity should be joyful’), and the unusual naturalness of his actions. From this derived his rejection of all hypocrisy and prudishness. It also explains how readers of his works are invariably touched by his happiness and freedom (…) The Founder of Opus Dei had the audacity to look at people with deep, divinely inspired love and compassion, and see them through the eyes of the Heavenly Father. He became the father of all who set out with Christ on the new trail to holiness he blazed on earth. It is fitting that the Founder’s spiritual children, by divine inspiration, inscribed his gravestone with a single word: Father.”