In the following ten questions, St. Josemaria Escriva provides answers and guidance about love, engagement, marriage, fidelity, raising children, keeping a family united, and more: 1. What are the most important values in Christian marriage? “The majority of the members of Opus Dei are married people, so in this field I can speak from the […]
“Please,” “Thank you,” “I’m sorry.” Pope Francis teaches that although these words are easier to say than to mean, they are absolutely necessary. They are part of good manners, meaning respect and the desire for the good of the other, not hypocrisy or pretense. “If a marriage is to preserve its initial charm and beauty, […]
Did St Josemaria ever get tired of serving God? How did he react to his failures? And to difficulties?
For the past several years, Jackie Alcantara has been in touch with the St. Josemaria Institute informing us about the efforts to celebrate and promote St. Josemaria’s Feast Day (June 26th) in Dubai, UAE. This year, Jackie sent us an update that we are happy to share with you: Thank you so much for posting […]
When the Church sets before us the example of a Saint to admire and imitate, we can become easily discouraged by trying to imitate the wrong things. We can certainly admire a Saint for his heroic virtues, charismatic gifts, and extraordinary mystical experiences. But the first thing we have to reckon with is a soul […]
Love the Third Person of the most Blessed Trinity. Listen in the intimacy of your being to the divine motions of encouragement or reproach you receive from him. Walk through the earth in the light that is poured out in your soul. And the God of hope will fill us with all peace, so that […]
Until now you had known that the Holy Spirit was dwelling in your soul, to sanctify it… But you hadn’t really grasped this truth about his presence. Now you feel his Love within you, and you want to talk to him, to be his friend, to confide in him… The Forge, no. 430 The New […]
Since 2014 the St. Josemaria Institute has been a proud supporter of the global campaign for Saxum in the Holy Land. St Josemaria Escriva longed to visit the Holy Land during his lifetime, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. According to his successor, Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, “he had a great desire to […]
If you live in the presence of God, high above the deafening storm, the sun will always be shining on you; and deep below the roaring and destructive waves, peace and calm will reign in your soul. ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA The Forge, no. 343 “They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the […]
God has a special right over us, his children: it is the right to our response to his love, in spite of our failings. This inescapable truth puts us under an obligation which we cannot shirk. But it also gives us complete confidence: we are instruments in the hands of God, instruments that he relies […]
Today we see the full conclusion of the Emmaus story (Luke 24:35-48). As the two disciples recount what had just happened to them on their journey, and in the breaking of the bread, the same risen Jesus stands in their midst and imparts His “Peace” to the gathered disciples. What is the meaning of this […]
Christian life on earth is often called a journey, a pilgrimage. Even on our best days in this world, we never feel entirely at home here, entirely comfortable or at rest. We’re not supposed to.
One of the hardest tasks we face is the conversion of our ways. Wouldn’t we all like to walk out of church on a Sunday morning feeling compelled to change our lives for the better? To feel so inspired that we are willing to give up anything and do anything for the Lord? It always […]
Where does prayer come from? Especially prayer of the deepest kind with “sighs too deep for words” (Rm 8:26)? Is there a bedrock from which prayer rises utterly pure, sincere, and true? What Scripture calls “the depths” we could call the ‘ground zero’ of our prayer life—a place which few have explored and mapped as […]
God is very close to us right now. Isn’t that the promise of Christmas, God-with-us? What is the right response to that closeness? God has chosen to create a closeness between Himself and ourselves. He has taken our body on Himself. It’s His doing, His “project,” from start to finish. What should be the result […]
Images of rest and peace are woven throughout today’s readings. [1] The Lord reminds David of the “rest” He has given the king from his “enemies on every side,” and how He intends to plant Israel in a secure dwelling place, free from “further disturbance.” Zechariah’s canticle ends with a light dawning from on high […]
“Who of us can live with the consuming fire?” asks the prophet Isaiah, a question that should resonate with anyone who not only tries to serve God but to grow very close to Him (Is 33:14). Something about closeness to God makes us feel the heat of a consuming fire. The canonization of Elizabeth of […]
“If you’re not struggling, it’s no use telling me that you are really trying to become more closely identified with Christ, to know him and love him. When we set out seriously along the royal highway, that of following Christ and behaving as children of God, we soon realize what awaits us: the Holy Cross. […]
“I will tell you which are man’s treasures on earth so that you will appreciate them: hunger, thirst, heat, cold, pain, dishonor, poverty, loneliness, betrayal, slander, prison…” St. Josemaria Escriva The Way, no. 194 CARRIER OF GOD’S TENDER AND MERCIFUL LOVE “The canonization of Mother Teresa invites us to look to her as a Christian […]
St Josemaria Escriva had a strong desire to help all married couples, and those preparing for marriage, to find meaning and encouragement in their vocation through a commitment to daily prayer and friendship with God. Friends of the St. Josemaria Institute, Dan and Annie Anderson, were recently married, and shared with us that in preparation […]
