Today is the feast of one of my very favorite saints, Father Josemaría Escrivà.
Father Josemaría is my steadfast, straightforward friend in heaven. He is never afraid to speak the truth, and his honesty is often exactly what a person prone to equivocation (read: me) needs.
If I find that I’m losing sight of my goals and consequently, losing hope, I need only pick up one of his books and begin reading.
From The Way I might find:
Get rid of those scruples that deprive you of peace. — What takes away your peace of soul cannot come from God.
When God comes to you, you will feel the truth of those greetings: My peace I give to you…, peace I leave you…, peace be with you…, and you will feel it even in the midst of troubles (258).
From Furrow:
How are you going to get out of that state of lukewarmness and lamentable languor if you do not make use of the means? You struggle very little, and when you make an effort, you do so as if annoyed and uneasy. You even hope that your feeble efforts will produce no results, so that you can then justify yourself and you will not have to make demands on yourself and others will not ask any more of you.
It is your own will you are following, not God’s. If you don’t change in earnest you will neither be happy nor be able to obtain the peace you now lack (146).
And from The Forge:
I am moved that the Apostle should call Christian marriage sacramentum magnum — a great sacrament. From this, too, I deduce the enormous importance of the task of parents.
You share in the creative power of God: that is why human love is holy, good and noble. It is a gladness of heart which God — in his loving providence — wants others freely to give up.
Each child that God grants you is a wonderful blessing from him: don’t be afraid of children! (691).
Look at that beautiful face of his! My heart swells to think that there are people like him interceding for me, and that one day—please, God—we may well converse in heaven.
You can read any of these books on-line here. However, if you absolutely have to have his words “in hand”, this book is an absolute gem.
He is great!
Thank you for this post and photo!
i love all his writings & books..thanks for the post..
God bless
He is Awesome! And I just started reading Scott Hahn’s book about Opus Dei yesterday!
He does look sweet.
Looking forward to reading him!
How beautiful! You’ve started my day off perfectly.
Thanks for letting us know of his great feast day! My calendar must not be a good one, he is not listed on today!!
I have to share my favorite quote from him, I often read it! He has become a favorite saint thanks to a special friend (wink:)!
I tend to complain outloud to myself (I don’t know why I do this, just selfish I guess and full of pride)so this is perfect for me:
From Furrow
“You are not happy because you make everything revolve around yourself as if you were always the center: you have a stomach-ache, or you are tired, or they have said this or that…
Have you ever tried thinking about him, and through him, about others?”
Thanks Margaret and God Bless you!
Thanks for the link to his writings!
He is my dear friend too! How much he speaks to me daily. I have the In Conversation with God books and love them so. I had no idea you could read the books online!!!!!! Oh, boy!!!
Beautiful quotes, Margaret. He IS wonderful! Thank you for inspiring me to pick him up again!