The salt of mortification

St Josemaria recommended something he practiced himself: to include “a cross in every dish”. In other words, offering a small mortification at every meal, for example, drinking water a little less often, and not commenting about the food. He would take a little less of [...]
Tags: Mortification, Ordinary life, temperance

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Why fast?

Christian traditions In his Message for Lent three years ago, the Pope discussed the meaning of one of the traditional practices for Lent. “We might wonder what value and meaning there is for us Christians in depriving ourselves of something that in itself is good and [...]
Tags: Mortification, temperance, Lent

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The Passion of Our Lord

An illustrated passage from St Josemaria’s homily “Christ’s death is the Christian’s life”
Tags: Contemplation, Cross, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Mortification

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Lent: a new conversion

- "The conversion of the Children of God", a homily first given on March 2, 1952, First Sunday of Lent. Download TEXT (PDF) Lent should suggest to us these basic questions: Am I advancing in my faithfulness to Christ, in my desire for holiness, in a [...]
Tags: Repentance, Contrition, Conversion, Mortification, Lent

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His death on the Cross

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate [...]
Tags: Contemplation, Contrition, Cross, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Mortification

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How the founder of Opus Dei practised the spirit of mortification

In his book Christ is Passing By, n. 97, Saint Josemaría wrote: “In thinking about Christ's death, we find ourselves invited to take a good hard look at our everyday activities and to be serious about the faith we profess. Holy Week cannot be a [...]
Tags: Love of God, Contrition, Little things, Cross, Mortification