God's instrument for the Work

The life of the founder of Opus Dei was the most eloquent application of his message. The lesson of every saint becomes explicit in the coherence between his life, his preaching and his writings. Saint Josemaría spoke of "the mute eloquence" of works: "Love [...]
Tags: The Way, Citizenship, Contemplation, Faith, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Sacraments, Supernatural outlook, Vocation

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Saint Josemaría’s devotion to our Lady

“We have to love the Blessed Virgin Mary more. We will never love her enough. Love her a lot!” is Saint Josemaría’s advice at The Forge, n. 527. Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo recounts some of his memories of Saint Josemaría’s devotion to our Lady in [...]
Tags: Alvaro del Portillo, Prayer, Our Lady

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He asked me to let him stay there alone for a little while

The Augustinian Father José Llamas Simón met Saint Josemaría in 1944, when the founder of Opus Dei was preaching a spiritual retreat to the Community of the Royal Monastery of Saint Lawrence in El Escorial, Madrid. In the testimony he wrote for the Cause of [...]
Tags: Eucharist, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Retreat

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Is there a prayer for the intercession of Saint Josemaría, the founder of Opus Dei?

Yes. The text is as follows: O God, through the mediation of Mary our Mother, you granted your priest St. Josemaría countless graces, choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei, a way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of [...]
Tags: Prayer

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The canonical solution of Opus Dei

By the Apostolic Constitution Ut Sit, dated 28 November 1982, Pope John Paul II set up Opus Dei as a personal prelature. This meant that, in accordance with its foundational charisma, the Work was recognized by the Church”s Canon Law as a secular structure: personal, [...]
Tags: Church, Prayer, Opus Dei prelature

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Saint Josemaría Escrivá, teacher of prayer in ordinary life

Saint Josemaría Escrivá has a place among the masters of spirituality in the history of the Church, for several reasons. Above all, because he is a saint for our times (he was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002), who spread the universal call [...]
Tags: Contemplation, Javier Echevarria, Prayer, Ordinary life

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He put all his love into saying Holy Mass

Msgr Javier Echevarría saw from close at hand, from 1953 onwards, how St Josemaría prepared to celebrate Mass, how he said it, how he did his thanksgiving afterwards, and how he prolonged it throughout the day. The following is an extract from Msgr Echevarría’s book [...]
Tags: Gratitude, Eucharist, Faith, Javier Echevarria, Prayer, Piety, Priesthood

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Words from the New Testament, meditated on by the Founder of Opus Dei

The first issue of Studia et Documenta, the journal of the Istituto Storico San Josemaria Escriva in Rome, contains a study by Professor Francisco Varo of eight small pages written by St Josemaría, headed “Words from the New Testament meditated on frequently – June 1933”. This [...]
Tags: Gospel, Jesus Christ, Prayer

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Friends for 43 years

Msgr Pedro Altabella first met St Josemaria in Saragossa, Spain, in the early 1920s. In the following article he recalls some aspects of the enduring friendship between them. “I would like to be able to evoke at least some facet of the rich, priestly character [...]
Tags: Friendship, Prayer, Priesthood

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Friends of God

A canticle to ordinary life, addressed to ordinary Christians, about the extraordinary surprise God has in store for them. This compilation was the first posthumous work of Saint Josemaría. Issued in 1977, its 18 homilies preached between 1941 and 1968 touch on the great subjects [...]
Tags: Gospel, books, Prayer, Virtues