In water up to the neck

Andrés Vázquez de Prada

Sensing collapse, Saint Josemaria sent out an SOS, in hopes that the Lord would put an end to a difficult moment. He had decided to consecrate Opus Dei to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To the members in Mexico he wrote: “Soon I will do the consecration to the Sacred Heart. Help me prepare for it” He added as a postscript: “SOS: We are still in water up to the neck. And also with the same trust in God our Father.” Tags: Suffering, Opus Dei, Poverty, Opus Dei members, Consecrations of Opus Dei

To fight for love

Msgr Jaime Fuentes

Bishop Jaime Fuentes, who lived in the same house as St Josemaria Escriva, has written a book about his memories of St Josemaria: in the life of someone who aspires to holiness, the tiniest fact can indeed be sacred. That conviction led him to publish Luchar por amor (“To Fight for Love”), a short book of memoirs: “I lived and worked with the founder of Opus Dei for ten years, from 1964 to 1974 (...). Time has gone by, and very minor memories have become a real treasure.” Tags: Love of God, Ascetical struggle, Holiness, Josemaria Escriva

Magnanimity, faith, and “madness”

For nine centuries Torreciudad has been a meeting-point for devotion to the Virgin Mary. St. Josemaria joined in with this story: his love for our Blessed Lady led him to initiate the building of a shrine. At the time, carrying out this project seemed like madness. Tags: Opus Dei, Our Lady, Torreciudad, Josemaria Escriva

For a “today” that builds tomorrow

We soon found out that the best option was to start with a secretarial school, so I went to speak with the principal of the best secretarial school in Nairobi (for Europeans). When she learned that we were thinking of admitting African girls she couldn´t believe it. “What?” she exclaimed,“they don´t know English! I went away feeling a bit deflated, but knowing that we would go ahead... Tags: Kenya

Locution of Saint Josemaria, August 23 1971

Andrés Vázquez de Prada

"Adeamus cum fiducia ad thronum gloriae, ut misericordiam consequamur” (Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy). [There is one change in words: he heard "gloriae" for "gratiae") The following is his commentary: “I am going to tell [...] Tags: locution

A real passion for making Jesus Christ known

St Josemaria recalled that God’s children have to have a “priestly soul”, meaning we have to try and grow our friendship with Jesus Christ and follow his example. We have, he said, to aim to bring other people to God, and turn the whole of our lives into an opportunity to love him. The Mass is where all of that is done most fully and perfectly, which is why St Josemaria used to call it the “centre and root of the interior life”. Tags: Apostolate, Madrid, Priesthood, Priestly soul, Pictures and statues of St Josemaria Escriva

God is my Father!

This tour of some streets in Madrid highlights some events in St Josemaria’s life. A notable aspect was his experience of divine sonship – the fact of having God for his Father – expressed in trust in God’s providence, simplicity in talking to God, a deep sense of human dignity and of fraternity, real Christian love for the world and everything created by God, serenity, and optimism. Tags: Abandonment to God, Divine sonship, Madrid, sick

Opus Dei’s First Steps in Madrid

On finishing the spiritual retreat during which he had received the light to found Opus Dei, St Josemaria returned to his activities in Madrid. At the same time, he started to look for people with whom he could begin the new apostolate that God had entrusted to him. This new foundation took first place in his heart, head and actions. Tags: Founding of Opus Dei, History, Madrid

St Josemaria Escriva in Madrid: the founding of Opus Dei

Fr Josemaria Escriva moved to Madrid in April 1927. He once said, “It was in Madrid that I received my mission, and for that and other reasons I feel that I have full right to call myself ‘a person of Madrid’.” Tags: Founding of Opus Dei, Madrid

Homily given by the Prelate of Opus Dei for the feast-day of St Josemaria Escriva, 2011

Bishop Javier Echevarria, Prelate of Opus Dei

The Opening Prayer of the Mass of St Josemaria summarize the basic points of the spirit of Opus Dei: “proclaiming the universal call to holiness and apostolate” as children of God in the middle of ordinary work and in the situations of daily life, in order to “serve the work of Redemption with burning love” through a personal apostolate of friendship and trust. Today I would like to dwell on that last aspect Tags: Apostolate, Faith, June 26