Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of “In Love with the Church”
“Love the holy, roman, apostolic Church. One!”
St. Josemaria Escriva
In 1986, a collection of St. Josemaria Escriva’s homilies was published posthumously in Spain. In Love with the Church brought together four powerful homilies preached by St. Josemaria between 1972 and 1973:
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- Loyalty to the Church
- The Supernatural Aim of the Church
- A Priest Forever
- Passionately Loving the World
Written during a period of uncertainty and confusion in the life of the Church, this collection of timeless homilies reveal St. Josemaria’s profound love for the Spouse of Christ and his unwavering trust in the Church’s divine mission. With clarity, passion, and conviction, he preached about love for the Pope, the vocation of the laity, the beauty of the priesthood, and the call of every Christian to build up the Church for the salvation of souls.
St. Josemaria taught that the salvation of souls is not the apostolic mission and work reserved for a few—all the baptized are all called “to serve the Church as she wants to be served, within our specific divine vocation.” Therefore, more than a collection of homilies, In Love with the Church is an invitation to renew our love for the Church and embrace our unique role in her mission.
Since it’s first publication, In Love with the Church has been translated into nine languages—including English, French, Italian, and Chinese— demonstrating how St. Josemaria’s message continues to resonate among the faithful around the world.
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of In Love with the Church by exploring the book—for the first time or once again—to rekindle and enrich your love for Christ’s Church, and it’s meaning and ministry in the world.
For anyone seeking to strengthen their love and commitment to the Church, or better understand the Christian vocation in the world, In Love with the Church remains an inspiring and indispensable guide.
At the St. Josemaria Institute, we want to know how the writings of St. Josemaria are helping to guide and enrich your life of faith and prayer. Share your questions, comments, and favorite quotes with us to help you go deeper into his life and teachings. Contact us at info@stjosemaria.org.
Highlights from In Love with the Church:
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- “Some say that few men are left in the Church. I would say that if all of us loyally safeguarded Christ’s doctrine, our numbers would grow considerably, since God wants his house to be filled. In the Church we discover Christ, who is the Love of our loves.”
- “A passive Christian has failed to understand what Christ wants from all of us. A Christian who goes his own way, unconcerned about the salvation of others, does not love with the heart of Jesus. Apostolate is not a mission reserved for the hierarchy, priests and religious. The Lord calls all of us to be, with our example and word, instruments of the stream of grace which springs up to eternal life.”
- “We are contemplating the mystery of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. It is time to ask ourselves: Do I share with Christ his zeal for souls? Do I pray for the Church of which I form part, in which I must carry out a specific mission which no one else can do for me? To be in the Church is already much, but it is not enough. We must be the Church, because our Mother must never be a stranger to us, something external, foreign to our deepest thoughts.”
- “The term democracy is meaningless in the Church which, let me insist, is hierarchical by divine will. But hierarchy means holy government and sacred order. In no way does it imply a merely human arbitrary order or a subhuman despotism. Our Lord established in the Church a hierarchical order which should not degenerate into tyranny, because authority is as much a call to serve as is obedience.”
- “Holiness does not depend on your state in life (married or single, widowed or ordained) but on the way you personally respond to the grace you receive. This grace teaches us to put away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light: which is serenity, peace and joyful service, full of sacrifice to all mankind.”
- “What is the identity of the priest? That of Christ. All of us Christians can and should be not just other Christs, alter Christus, but Christ himself: ipse Christus! But in the priest this happens in a direct way, by virtue of the sacrament.”
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How has In Love with the Church influenced your faith?
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St. Josemaria Institute
The St. Josemaria Institute was founded in 2006 to promote the life, teachings, and devotion to St. Josemaria Escriva among all men and women who desire to find meaning and happiness in their daily lives by growing closer to God. The St. Josemaria Institute produces and distributes digital and print media as a means to spread Christian values around the world and to help people navigate and live well in the digital age.
