The Writings of St. Josemaría Escrivá

The Writings

True to his surname, which sounds like the Spanish word escribe that means to write, Josemaría was a prolific writer.  He published a number of books including the spiritual classic, The Way that has been translated into 43 different languages and has sold over 4.5 million copies.  In addition to El Camino, as it was called in Spanish, he wrote two other books of reflection: The Forge and Furrow. Like The Way, they too were organized into brief points of reflection.  Copies of some his select homilies have been published in three collections: Friends of God, Christ is Passing By and In Love with the Church.  Additionally, his reflections on The Rosary and The Way of the Cross have been published as books.   Finally, a collection of seven interviews conducted with the saint have been collected in a work entitled Conversations. 

Filial Love and Sanctity

Consistent throughout all of the works are two themes: we are all children of God and sanctity is achievable even in the ordinary circumstances of life. All of these are available for purchase at Scepter Publishers and can be read online at Escriva Works.

The Way

The Way was not intended to be a mystical or intellectual treatise on the interior life. Instead, it was meant to be practical guide to the interior life akin to taking a walk with a spiritual director. Escrivá illumines a path for the reader to climb the spiritual incline. He sets this tone as he explains in the preface:

Read these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate their meaning. They are things that I whisper in your ear — as a friend, as a brother, as a father. We shall speak intimately; and God will be listening to us. I am going to tell you nothing new. I shall only stir your memory so that some thought may arise and strike you: and so your life will improve and you will set out along the way of prayer and of Love. And in the end you will become a soul of worth. (The Way, Preface)

999 Points
The book is organized into topical chapters made up of 999 meditative points. These points are the catalyst for interior reflection. They read as if the saint is holding one’s hand in the dark and leading them up the path to our Lord. St. Josemaría demystifies the mystical life by demonstrating the interior life is accessible to everyone and therefore everyone, even the ordinary Joe Catholic is called to holiness. Tomorrow we will discuss The Way in greater detail.

Saint Talk: St. Josemaria Escriva

Taken February 10, 1975 (via flickr)

Patron of Diabetics

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei and patron of diabetics. Those of you who have followed Joe Catholic for a while know that I am a cooperator of Opus Dei. Last year, I shared the unique way in which the Lord introduced me to St. Josemaría and the Work. Today, I a begin a three part series on the saint, his writings and his contributions to Catholic spirituality.

Saint of the Ordinary

Saint Josemaría Escrivá, who Pope John Paul II called the saint of the ordinary, published his most noted book, The Way in 1939. Some have called it a modern spiritual classic, comparing it to Imitation of Christ. The Way is a small book, often published in pocket size, yet it delivers a significant message – holiness is meant for everyone. This message may seem mundane in a post-Vatican II world, but it was revolutionary when presented in the climate of the late 1930’s. His teachings were so innovative that Josemaria Escrivá was even accused of heresy. This was humorously portrayed in the movie There Be Dragons in a scene in which a local bishop says that what St. Josemaría is proposing “sounds Protestant.” Nevertheless, St. Josemaría’s major contribution to spiritual theology is this message that the interior life is accessible to the everyday layperson; that one need not be a cloistered monk or nun to ascend the spiritual plane. His teachings provide a practical guide for obtaining an authentic relationship with Christ through filial love and the sanctification of one’s state in life.

Family Life
Saint Josemaría Escrivá was born in Barbastro, Spain on January 9, 1902. He had five siblings: one older sister named Carmen, three younger sisters who all died very young and a younger brother, Santiago. His parents, Jose and Dolores Escrivá raised their family in devoutly Catholic faith and home.

Footprints in the Snow

In 1915, Jose Escrivá’s textile business failed and he relocated the family to the town of Longroño. Here, Josemaría had his first inkling that God was calling him to do something special with his life. One evening when he was sixteen, he was walking home, and he saw the footprints of a discalced Carmelite friar in the snow. This experience moved him to feel God’s call to serve Him. Though he was not yet completely certain of God’s will, Josemaría discerned that the message would be more clear if he joined the priesthood.

Ordination and Opus Dei

He was ordained in Zaragoza on March 28, 1925. He was first assigned to a rural parish and in 1927 moved to Madrid to study law. On October 2, 1928, God showed him what he wanted him to do – establish Opus Dei (the Work of God) and help ordinary Christians seek sanctity through and in their daily ordinary lives. God called him to be an “apostle of apostles,” to help lead the mission of the laity to pursue universal holiness (Christ is Passing By, 147). This was nearly forty years before Vatican II promulgated this message. From that point forward, Josemaría dedicated his entire life to the foundation of the Work.

Death and Canonization

Opus Dei received the recognition of the Holy See in 1950. Josemaría travelled throughout Europe and Latin America to nurture the growth of Opus Dei until his sudden death in Rome on June 26, 1975. His cause for canonization was opened in 1981 and Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1992. Ten years later he was canonized on October 6, 2002 by Pope John Paul II who said, “Following in his footsteps, spread in society the awareness that we are called to holiness, without distinction of race, class, culture or age.”

How I Met St. Josemaría Escrivá

Saint of the Ordinary
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei and patron of those who suffer with diabetes. Pope John Paul II referred to St. Josemaría during his canonization mass as the "saint of the ordinary life." St. Josemaría's primary message was twofold: 1) we are all God's children and 2) that all are called to be holy, not just priests, nuns and other religious orders. This may seem common to us who have grown up in the post Vatican II era, but it was a radical departure from the clericalism that dominated Catholicism in Europe in the late 1920's. In addition to his work with Opus Dei, St. Josemaría,  whose last name sounds like the Spanish word "to write," was an prolific writer. His most popular works include The Way, The Forge and The Furrow. All of these, in addition to copies of many of his homilies, can be found online at Escriva Works or can be purchased at Scepter Publishers.

The Way
Ten years ago, I just attended a CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) retreat weekend and I was now in the post-retreat formation process. I had discerned a call to be the Lay Director for the team although I was woefully unqualified. God DOES have a sense of humor. In order to prepare for all the formation meetings, which I had to facilitate, I began doing a great amount of research on the spiritual topics. During this process, I kept coming across the writings of St. Josemaría Escrivá. He was quoted in a number of Catholic websites and I even heard EWTN speakers refer to him. When I Googled his name, I discovered he was the founder of Opus Dei. The only thing I had heard about the group at that time had been the recent interest stimulated by the Dan Brown book in March of 2003.

I Want to See the Nuns
Nearly a year after CRHP, I was about to have another encounter with St. Josemaría that would convince me that I had to find out more about him. One night I fell asleep while watching EWTN and I had forgotten to set the TV timer to SLEEP mode. In the middle of the night, actually it was early in the morning – I remember it as 3AM – Stacey woke me up. At first I thought she was going to gripe at me for forgetting to set the timer. Instead, she had awakened to see the image of Our Lady of Angels’ Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Alabama. EWTN was advertising pilgrimage information to the Shrine. Making sure I was awake, Stacey said, “I want to go see the nuns.” Stacey had never seen nuns in person. I vaguely remember mumbling, “OK.” What man is going to deny his wife an opportunity to go on pilgrimage and to see nuns?

Go For Her

The Saturday we were in Alabama we had decided to sleep in and not go to daily Mass at EWTN's chapel because we were tired from Friday's visit to the Shrine.  Furthermore, neither of us could receive Communion because we were still in an irregular marriage. My plans to sleep in were thwarted because I was awakened from my sleep by the clear voice of a Spanish speaking man who said "Go for her." The TV was not on nor was the clock radio. If it was a dream, it was very vivid. Nevertheless, I got up out of the hotel bed and I drove to Irondale to attend Mass at the EWTN Chapel that gets broadcasted everyday. I discovered during the homily that it was the feast day of St. Josemaría. 

St. Josemaría Pray for Me
At the end of Mass, I stuck around in the chapel and prayed. Specifically, I asked St. Josemaría to pray for us, that our marriage be validated. Despite being told, it might take another year and half for the tribunal to make a decision, we received word shortly after our pilgrimage that we were free to have our marriage validated. The Monday after our convalidation ceremony, I contacted the Opus Dei center in Dallas. Not a day goes by that I don't ask St. Josemaría to pray for me and my family. I've learned much from him about answering the call to holiness and to the work of apostolate. More importantly, he has helped me begin to fully understand what it means to be a child of God.