Tomorrow 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.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
*This is a rerun of a post originally published last year. Forgive me. I am very busy these days but I still love love love Fr. Escrivà.
Because of you, he is one of my favorites too.
His face is beautiful, wouldn’t it have been wonderful to meet him and talk with him? He looks like he’d have a great sense of humor and keep the conversation going with his deep thoughts. I’d imagine us (people) just sitting glued to him and every word he would have said!
Hope your last day of VBS is wonderful! Blessings! Yay, you are done until next year!!!!
He is my best friend too! God bless you!
Oh I just love him. I stumbled upon The Way about a year ago and it literally changed my life. I am a better wife, mother, and woman today! I went on an Opus Dei retreat in April and went for confession with one of the priests who was from Spain and completely embodied, in my opinion, what St. Josemaria Escriva was all about. It made me wish that I could have met him! I keep his holy card by my sink and I’m always thinking of him telling me, “Are you doing what you ought?” 🙂
Hi! Thanks for this post! I will read your blog from here on.
Another admirer of St. Josemaria Escriva from the Philippines