2023-06-26 07:01:00
June 26, 2023 / 12:01 a.m.
Every June 26, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, a Spanish priest and founder of Opus Dei. Today marks 48 years since he left to meet God.
“God does not tear you out of your environment, he does not remove you from the world, nor from your state, nor from your noble human ambitions, nor from your professional work… but, there, he wants you holy!”. These words of Saint Josemaría sum up very well a good part of the inspiration that he received from God to move the hearts of many, and summon them to sanctify the world today.
That is why there are not a few who call him “the saint of the ordinary”, and they do it not in a pejorative way, but quite the opposite; They point this out because Saint Josemaría perfectly understood what Christian life is all about today: you have to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary.
In the footsteps of Christ
Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer was born in Barbastro, Huesca (Spain) in 1902, into a deeply Christian family. From a young age, he had to know what suffering is: his three younger sisters died when they were still small, his father’s business went bankrupt and the family had to leave their land to move to Logroño.
One day, Josemaría saw barefoot prints in the snow. Just thinking about who might have left them, he froze to the core. However, when he found out that they were the footprints of a religious man, his appreciation of the fact changed completely.
Those footprints, he thought, have been left by someone extraordinary, who does equally extraordinary things. What he saw on the ground transported him to a different level: he sensed that perhaps God was sending him a message, that perhaps he wanted something from him.
Little by little, his mind became clearer, until he thought that Christ was asking him to follow in his footsteps closely, as a priest.
A good boy, like many others
Josemaría was characterized by his generous and cheerful character, while his simplicity and serenity made him very popular among his peers. He showed great care in piety, discipline and study; and he became a good reference for those around him. Then would come the days of seminary formation.
Priestly Ordination came to him on March 28, 1925. Years later, with the permission of his bishop, he would move to Madrid to obtain a doctorate in Law. Unleashed by the Spanish Civil War, he was forced to interrupt his studies, which he could only conclude after the conflict. Having completed Law, he added another in Theology to that doctorate, this time outside of Spain, at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
Definition of own path
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On October 2, 1928, according to his own words, God made him “see” what he wanted from him: to take the message of the universal call to holiness throughout the world. What the Spirit of God had stirred up in his heart moved him to form a community, a family within the Church: Opus Dei; whose purpose is to promote sanctification among its members in the midst of ordinary life, particularly through work. Saint Josemaría defines with these words what Opus Dei should be: “A mobilization of Christians who knew how to willingly sacrifice themselves for others, who would make the human paths of the earth divine, all of them, sanctifying any noble work, any clean work.”
Christ has to return to the university cloisters
In 1933 the saint conceived the idea of creating a university academy with Catholic roots. Josemaría understands that this is imperative, since the world of culture and science are decisive spheres for the evangelization of every society. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936 unleashed a religious persecution that forced him to take refuge in various parts of Spain, until he was able to settle in Burgos.
After the war ended in 1939, Saint Josemaría returned to Madrid to finish his doctoral studies in Civil Law at the Central University. His fame as a spiritual man led him to direct spiritual exercises at the request of bishops and religious superiors. In 1946, he moved to Rome and obtained final approval from the Holy See for his most important initiative, Opus Dei.
At the pace of the renewal of the Church
In the sixties he closely followed the Second Vatican Council, establishing apostolic ties with many council fathers and opening new doors to make Opus Dei grow and spread its message. The growth of the spiritual family obliges him to dedicate all his efforts to it. He travels to various countries in Europe and America with the aim of promoting and consolidating the apostolic work of “the Work”.
“Where your human brothers are, where your aspirations, your work, your loves are, there is the place of your daily encounter with Christ,” St. Josemaría said with unending spirit.
The “everyday saint” left for the Father’s House on June 26, 1975 as a result of cardiac arrest. He died assisted by due graces and at the feet of a painting of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. He was canonized by Saint John Paul II in the year 2002.
More information about Saint Josemaría Escrivá here:
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