Description
Friends of God was the first posthumously published work by St. Josemaria Escriva.
This collection, published in 1977, includes 18 homilies preached by St. Josemaria between 1941 and 1968. The homilies deal with the great subjects of Christian spirituality: the greatness of ordinary life, the gift of freedom, the importance of natural virtues, humility, detachment, chastity, prayer, faith, hope, charity, and apostolate.
St. Josemaria’s clear, concise, gracious language speaks to every Christian in every circumstance of life. And precisely to them he offers the high goal of contemplation and of striving for holiness:
“In recommending this unbroken union with God am I not presenting an ideal so sublime that it is unattainable by the majority of Christians? Certainly the goal is high but it is not unattainable.”
“The path that leads to holiness is the path of prayer: and prayer takes root and grows in the soul little by little, like the tiny seed which later develops into a tree with many branches… First one brief aspiration, then another, and another… till our fervor seems insufficient, because words are too poor… then this gives way to intimacy with God, looking at God without needing rest or feeling tired. We begin to live as captives, as prisoners. And while we carry out as perfectly as we can (with all our mistakes and limitations) the tasks allotted to us by our situation and duties, our soul longs to escape. It is drawn towards God like iron drawn by a magnet. One begins to love Jesus, in a more effective way, with the sweet and gentle surprise of his encounter.”
INCLUDED IN THIS COLLECTION:
- The Richness of Ordinary Life
- Freedom, A Gift from God
- Human Virtues
- Getting to Know God
- The Strength of Love
- A Life of Prayer
- Mother of God and Our Mother
- Towards Holiness
