“Ever since I began to preach, I have warned people against a certain mistaken sense of holiness. Don’t be afraid to know your real self. That’s right, you are made of clay. Don’t be worried. For you and I are sons of God — and that is the right way of being made divine. We […]
“Let us also contemplate his blessed Mother, who is our Mother too. We find her on Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, praying. This is nothing new for Mary. She has always acted like this, as she fulfilled her duties and looked after her home. As she went about the things of this earth […]
“What must the cheerful way that Jesus looked upon people have been like? It must have been the same which shone from the eyes of his Mother who could not contain her joy — Magnificat anima mea Dominum! — and her soul glorified the Lord while she carried Him within her and by her side. […]
The Blessed Trinity’s love for man is made permanent in a sublime way through the Eucharist. Many years ago, we all learned from our catechism that the Eucharist can be considered as a sacrifice and as a sacrament; and that the sacrament is present to us both in communion and as a treasure on the […]
Don’t just talk to the Paraclete. Listen to him! When you pray, consider how the life of childhood, which enabled you to realize deeply that you are a son of God, filled you with a filial love for the Father. Think how, before that, you have gone through Mary to Jesus, whom you adore as […]
In 1933, Saint Josemaria Escriva inscribed a now famous dedication in a book that many people have come to know and love, and to adapt as their own prayer: “May you seek Christ. May you find Christ. May you love Christ.” More than 80 years ago, Madrid was for St. Josemaria the place of a […]
Faith, hope, love: these are the supports of Joseph’s life and of all Christian lives. Joseph’s self-giving is an interweaving of faithful love, loving faith and confident hope. His feast is thus a good opportunity for us to renew our commitment to the Christian calling God has given each of us. When you sincerely desire […]
Let us consider for a moment the texts of today’s Mass, Tuesday in Passion Week, for they will help us to distinguish ‘true godliness’ from ‘false godliness’. We shall be speaking about humility, for this is the virtue which helps us to recognise, at one and the same time, both our wretchedness and our greatness. […]
Let us now consider the Master and his disciples gathered together in the intimacy of the Upper Room. The time of his Passion is drawing close and he is surrounded by those he loves. The fire in the Heart of Christ bursts into flame in a way no words can express and he confides in […]
Now that we are at the beginning of Holy Week, and so very close to the moment when the Redemption of the whole human race was accomplished on Calvary, it seems to be an especially appropriate time for you and me to reflect on how Our Lord Jesus Christ saved us, and to contemplate this […]
Whenever we feel in our hearts a desire to improve, a desire to respond more generously to Our Lord, and we look for something to guide us, a north star to guide our lives as Christians, the Holy Spirit will remind us of the words of the Gospel that we ‘ought to pray continually and […]
Many people begin, but few finish. And we, who are trying to behave as God’s children, have to be among those few. Remember that only work that is well done and lovingly completed deserves the praise of the Lord which is to be found in Holy Scripture: ‘better is the end of a task than […]
By Martin Mazloom The theme of thanksgiving is inextricably woven into St. Josemaría’s life and books. In his collection of spiritual meditations The Way, he emphasizes the Christian’s duty to constantly thank Our Father: “Make it a habit to raise your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because He gives […]
All the feasts of Our Lady are great events, because they are opportunities that the Church gives us to show with deeds that we love Mary. But if I had to choose one among all her feasts, I would choose today’s, the feast of the divine Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin.
In the seventh chapter of his gospel, St Luke writes: ‘One of the Pharisees invited him to a meal; so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.’ At this point a woman, who is known publicly in the city as a sinner, arrives and comes up to wash the […]
According to St. Josemaria Escriva, what are the signs of a lack of humility?
The St. Josemaria Institute is pleased to share the 2013 edition of “Saint Josemaria Today” published by the Office for the Causes of Saints of the Prelature of Opus Dei (New York). The new bulletin highlights a selection of texts from St. Josemaria’s preaching and writings on love for the Church, and some recollections from […]
“A mature and profound Christian life cannot be improvised, because it is the result of the growth of God’s grace in us. In the Acts of the Apostles we find the early Christian community described in a single sentence, brief but full of meaning: ‘and they continued steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles and […]
In the fall of 2012, a group of pilgrims travelled to France and Spain on a special pilgrimage—“Saint Josemaria, Our Lady, and the Streets of Madrid” organized by Mater Dei Tours and St. Mary of the Angels Church, Chicago. The pilgrimage included visits to the Shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes, France, and to the […]
“A truly prudent person is ever attentive to God’s promptings and, through this vigilant listening, he receives in his soul the promise and reality of salvation: ‘I glorify thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for having hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to little ones’” (Friends of God, 87). […]
