PathToHoliness

It was on a Sunday, October 6, 2002 that Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Josemaría Escrivá. I was blessed to attend the ceremony and will never forget it. The crowd was so big it was difficult to get any photos (over 500,000 people). This one is while I was waiting in front of the Basilica of St. Peter for St. Pope John Paul II to arrive. It is hard to believe that it has been 22 years ago.

If you are not familiar with St. Josemaría Escrivá, here is a biography which includes the founding of Opus Dei. This is a great a quote of his: “How I wish your bearing and conversation were such that, on seeing or hearing you, people would say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.” – The Way #2

Today is the Feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. You can find a lot of good information from the St. Josemaria Institute here.

One of the ways this to celebrate this feast day is with a Mass locator on the Institute website. If you can’t attend a feast day Mass then just saying a prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria Escriva is another good option.

An important part of the mission of the St. Josemaria Institute is to support and encourage the celebration of his feast day around the world, especially through the Mass, which is the “principal sacramental celebration of the Church.” The Feast Day and Mass are a great opportunity to invite friends, family, and parish communities to get to know the spirit and life of St. Josemaria Escriva.

Here’s a concept many, many of us don’t really think about and may have never heard of. However, it is one that I first found in the writings of St. Josemar�a in “The Way.” In writing about our sanctity he says, “If you have holy shamelessness, you won’t be bothered by the thought of what people have said or what they will say. (The Way: 391)” We should laugh at scorn and ridicule. Do you make a sign of the Cross when you say the blessing before a meal in public? I know I used to think other people would laugh at me so I convinced myself that just saying a silent blessing was enough. But why, when I don’t mind making a sign of the Cross at home or alone? Really, why should I care what others think when I believe that what God thinks is most important?

Anyway, this is just a concept that has really stuck with me because you can apply it to many things. Another personal example is when in a group conversation people start using profanity or making jokes about very inappropriate things> What do you do? Laugh along? I don’t anymore. I have asked people to not use the Lord’s name in vain when talking with me. That was very hard to do but I found out I didn’t get the kind of negative response I thought I would get. There are many more ways to look at this concept and how it can apply in anyone’s life.

I’ve been meaning to point out the St. Josemaria Institute Podcast. I get an email notification about it and received one this weekend for the latest episode which is a meditation on the Feast of St. Mark. If you would like to know about the life of St. Mark then listen in.

On April 25th we celebrate the Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. St. Mark wrote one of the Gospel accounts and was a companion of St. Paul on his first missionary journey. However, in the Acts of the Apostles, we discover that St. Mark abandoned St. Paul, and that St. Paul would not allow St. Mark to accompany him on his second journey.

In this meditation, Fr. Javier del Castillo explores the interesting dynamic between St. Paul and St. Mark, and what we can learn for our own life.

Here’s a video showing St. Josemaria with some young people who brought him a figure of the Christ Child. He talks to them and blesses them with it. One of the things I’ve always loved about St. Josemaria is how he likes to put himself in the scenes from the gospels. Are we putting ourselves in the scene with the manger and the newborn child today?

From Christ is Passing By, 36:

��a child is born in Bethlehem.�
When the fullness of time comes, no philosophical genius, no Plato or Socrates appears to fulfill the mission of redemption. Nor does a powerful conqueror, another Alexander, take over the earth.

St. Josemaria Escriva

Another point from The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva is this one in the first chapter.

One of the points that struck me when I first read this was “bearing and conversation.” This said to me that living out my faith does not mean putting on a robe and sandals or having a large cross hanging from my neck. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that. However, most of us living in the world and not in an order don’t need to dress out of the ordinary. Some people need to wear a uniform for work for example. By ordinary I do not mean like a lot of the inappropriate clothing that is so common today.

No, we need to wear our faith by our actions, by the words we use. Can you imagine if no one used profanity, shared pornographic images or jokes or talked bad about someone else? What if everyone did their job without complaining? What if we helped each other instead of thinking only of ourselves and ignoring those around us in need? It would be a very different world.

We’re called to this and even if no one else lives their faith, we should. People will notice. They may make fun of us. But we’ll make them think and we’ll be an example for them.

I admit it’s not always easy. A very simple but tough thing for me was getting in the habit of making a sign of the cross and saying a blessing at a public meal, either by myself in an airport or at a convention banquet. I have had strangers come up to me and thank me for doing it though. Talk about some positive affirmation. Let’s all give it a try.

I’ve been trying for years to figure out what my “voice” is on Path to Holiness. My first reason for creating it was to help promote the spirituality of Opus Dei which has had such a profound impact on my life. I still want to do that but I also want to do more than that. So here’s my first shot at a way I might use this mechanism to accomplish what I feel called to do.

This is a part of the first point in The Way, by St. Josemaria Escriva. You can find his and his books are not expensive .

When I first read The Way and especially this first point, I mediated on it and what it meant to me. I realized that it’s not enough to just say my prayers and go to Mass. I am called to do more. Not to do miraculous things, no. But to change my life so that just my example will have a positive impact on everyone I meet. I need to not just have my faith but I must live it and that means getting off my butt and doing something even if it’s just some little thing no one but God will know about.

I don’t know about you but I believe in the spiritual life. Our thoughts and actions have an impact on it. We can’t say that our actions don’t have an impact on others. Of course they do. A positive or negative thing I do impacts everyone.

So, here’s my start. I’ll write as often as I can and I welcome your feedback and comments.

Just in case you don’t have the St.

Josemaria App on your smart phone, here’s a chance to win a free one.

Thanks to EB Solutions, app developer, the St. Josemaria Institute is offering all of our subscribers the chance to win the highly-rated St. Josemaria App.

The deadline to enter to win is September 16, 2012. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. The winners will be announced on September 23, 2012.

This Tuesday is the feast day of St. Josemaria Escriva. I’m traveling that day and hoping to be able to attend one of the Masses being held in his honor.

But in case you are able to then check out the St. Josemaria Feast Day Mass Locator. I’m going to try to make the afternoon Mass in Minneapolis.

You can find the prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria Escriva here.

Here’s a Christmas greeting from the St. Josemaria Institute:

“God is here.”

Click here for the complete text of �Christ Triumphs through Humility�, a homily by St. Josemaria Escriva given on Christmas Eve, 1963.

The St. Josemaria Institute has Christmas cards available for order. They’ll send some Prayer for the Family cards along with your order and all proceeds benefit the Institute.

Inspired by St. Josemaria’s love for representations of the Child Jesus, Our Lady, and the Holy Family, we have selected a beautiful painting of the Madonna and Child for the cover that we hope will inspire the true Christmas message in everyone on your list.

10 cards and 10 envelopes per packet
5″x7″
Inside Greeting: May the light of the newborn Christ be with you and your family throughout the year.
Inside Cover: “This day shall a light shine upon us; for the Lord is born to us.” (cf. Is 9: 1,5; Lk 1: 33)

It’s hard to believe that it has been six years since the canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva. Here’s a two minute overview video that was just released. I was one of the tiny dots that represents the crowd at that outdoor service in St. Peter’s Square! Blessed Pope John Paul II called St Josemaria “the patron saint of ordinary life”.

The canonization ceremony took place on Sunday, October 6 at 10 o’clock in the morning. “For the honor of the Blessed Trinity … we declare and define that Blessed Josemar�a Escriv� de Balaguer is a Saint and we enroll him among the Saints, decreeing that he is to be venerated in the whole Church as one of the Saints,” Pope John Paul II solemnly proclaimed. The formula of canonization was closed by an “Amen” from the whole congregation, and enthusiastic applause broke out all the way down from Saint Peter’s Square to the Castel Sant’Angelo. After the Mass was over, the Pope wanted to greet all those present, and in the “Popemobile” he went around the Square and along the whole length of the Via della Conciliazione, accompanied by the Prelate of Opus Dei. Along the way, many babies and small children received a blessing and a kiss on the forehead from the Pope.

You might enjoy seeing some of these new video clips just released.

To celebrate the founding of Opus Dei on October 2, 1928, and the 5th anniversary of the release of Passionately Loving the World, the St. Josemaria Institute is releasing never before seen (unedited) clips from Passionately Loving the World.

In these exclusive clips, we share more of Fr. Dick�s story on meeting St. Josemaria Escriva in Rome for the first time; and, the meaning of holiness, of being a child of God, and being Christ to others.

Here’s one of the video clips you’ll find:

Fr. Dick Rieman is the first member of Opus Dei in the United States. In this clip from Passionately Loving the World, Fr. Dick explains how all Christians are called by God to holiness. Passionately Loving the World is a short documentary about ordinary Americans living the spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva in the middle of the world today. From farmers to fire-fighters, they work hard, love their families, celebrate successes and endure failures. Through it all they try to grow closer to God. Order the DVD: www.stjosemaria.org

You need to bookmark this and visit it often. It’s Instant Escriva. Every time you hit the refresh button you get a new quote from St. Josemaria Escriva!

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June 26th, the anniversary of Saint Josemar�a’s death in 1975, is now his feast day. Masses will be celebrated in many cities around the U.S. You can find a list of them here. Here’s the invite from St. Louis. Unfortunately I’ll be in Iowa and won’t be able to attend.