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.

Cooperators of Opus Dei

From Opus Dei

St. Josemaria
You've probably noticed that I quote the writings of St. Josemaria quite often. This should have been a hint that I have some how been introduced to Opus Dei. For more on my encounter with St. Josemaria, I recommend reading my post entitled, My Life with the Saints. I hope to write a more detailed account on the feast day of St. Josemaria, June 26th.

Cooperators of Opus Dei
Despite those who say that Opus Dei is a secret society, the personal prelature has been very transparent in its use of social media. The main Opus Dei website already offers a great deal of resources about the role of the laity and answering the universal call to holiness. Recently, they added a new section devoted to Cooperators of Opus Dei. These are people, like me, who are not members of Opus Dei, but who participate in their formation activities (Evenings of Recollections, spiritual direction and retreats). We "cooperate" in the sense that we pray daily for the members of Opus Dei and we sometimes assist in various projects. For example, I have helped with a college prep program for high school boys. The new page contains a link to a new brochure explaining in greater detail who cooperators are and what they do. You can download the new brochure HERE.

What is Opus Dei?

My Favorite Sacramentals

Sacred Signs
I wear three sacramental medals in addition to my Brown Scapular. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that sacramentals are instituted by the Church.

These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy (CCC, 1667).

Three Medals – Holy Men of God
The three medals I wear on a simple leather cord include a papal medal of Pope John Paul II, a St. Josemaria Escriva medal and  St. Joseph the Worker. Each of these medals has particular significance to me and play a part in my morning prayers.

Pope John Paul II
The JP2 medal is a papal medal obtained in Rome and blessed by Pope John Paul II. The medal was given to me by one of my CRHP Brothers while we were going through formation. These last two years that I have been working no my IPT studies, I have often asked for Blessed John Paul II's intercession when I have been reading or writing on the documents of Vatican II.

St. Josemaria
This medal commemorates the canonization of St. Josemaria and to my knowledge is no longer available. I got mine years ago when I first began spiritual direction with a priest of Opus Dei. If you have read Joe Catholic for any length of time you know I have a great devotion to this saint of the ordinary. I ask him daily to pray for me to answer God's call to holiness in the ordinary circumstances of my life.

St. Joseph the Worker
This small medal is a reminder of this just and righteous man who protected and provided for the Christ child and Blessed Mother Mary. I turn to him daily to be my model and intercessor that I might be a better husband and father.

Not Good Luck Charms
These medals are not to be treated like some lucky coin or rabbit's foot; they are not good luck charms. In and of themselves, the sacramental objects possess no power. The significance of these items is drawn from the blessing, prayer and how they are utilized to draw us closer to God. Sacramentals should be used as daily reminders to live a life of virtue - answering the call to universal holiness, even in our own ordinary lives. I hope I have demonstrated this in how I use my medals in daily prayer. These sacramentals should draw us deeper into prayer and a life more reflective of Christ and His saints.

What are your favorite sacramentals? Why?

Jesus Found in the Temple

Jesus Found in the Temple,  James Tissot

One of the secondary goals of the Joe Catholic apostolate is to groom men to be able to engage in catechetical teaching and writing. Today, we share a guest post from my younger brother Matt. 

-By Matthew Gonzales-

While reading my daily meditation from Opus Dei, I experienced an "aha" moment. It felt like the fog had been lifted and I could see and understand the writer more clearly. How appropriate being that where I live, there was some pretty heavy fog this morning. The title and heading of the daily message was: Mary Looks for the Son Who was Lost. "Mary spent three days and three nights looking for the son who was lost. May you and I also be able to say that our willingness to find Jesus knows no rest" (Furrow, 794). St Josemaria Escriva was explaining the pain and anxiety Mary and Joseph must have felt when they thought they "lost" Jesus (See Luke 2:42-51). Then they"found" him instructing the teachers of Israel and Jesus essentially scolds them for not knowing where He would be – "in my Father's house."

I know personally, I have had thoughts and feelings that I had lost Jesus from my life. This couldn't be further than the truth, but how awesome it is to share these feelings of despair with our Holy Mother Mary and Joseph. I find it very reassuring to say the least. When Jesus got after his parents, it made me feel like a kid all over again. We can learn from our own children sometimes. Why would we not know where He is? Jesus is always with us and He never leaves us. It is us who allow ourselves to be distracted and then in turn think we have lost Him. He is always doing His Father's work. A perfect place to start and "find" Him again, would be Church. Jesus is definitely at Church, especially in the Eucharist  There is no need to stay in the anxiety and pain when Jesus is always waiting for us to find him.

St. Joseph, The Worker

St. Joseph's Workshop

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker.  Pope Pius XII instituted the feast day in 1955. Additionally, May 1st was chosen to coincide with Labor Day celebrations throughout the world, thus elevating and sanctifying the observance.

St. Josemaria wrote often that St. Joseph was a role model for working men:

You, who celebrate with me today this feast of St Joseph, are men who work in different human professions; you have your own homes, you belong to so many different countries and have different languages. You have been educated in lecture halls or in factories and offices. You have worked in your profession for years, established professional and personal friendships with your colleagues, helped to solve the problems of your companies and your communities. 

Well then: I remind you once again that all this is not foreign to God’s plan. Your human vocation is a part — and an important part — of your divine vocation. That is the reason why you must strive for holiness, giving a particular character to your human personality, a style to your life; contributing at the same time to the sanctification of others, your fellow men; sanctifying your work and your environment: the profession or job that fills your day, your home and family and the country where you were born and which you love. (Christ is passing by, 46)

The Church teaches that work is not a punishment, but instead can be a means of sanctification. Today, the Catechism of the Catholic Church continues to teach the efficacy of work:

2427 Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another. Hence work is a duty: "If any one will not work, let him not eat." Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.

The Second Vatican Council also explained that work is an integral part of a Christian's life. In their Pastoral Consitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes, they explained:

Christians should rather rejoice that, following the example of Christ Who worked as an artisan, they are free to give proper exercise to all their earthly activities and to their humane, domestic, professional, social and technical enterprises by gathering them into one vital synthesis with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's glory (GS, 43).

During these tough economic times, let us "go to Joseph" (Gen 41:55) in prayer and ask him to intercede for those who work and those in need of work.

Prayer to St. Joseph (from EWTN)

O blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of thy chaste spouse, the virgin Mother of God, I choose thee this day to be my special patron and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor thee all the days of my life. Therefore I humbly beseech thee to receive me as thy client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen

For Further Reading:
Joseph of Nazareth by Federico Suárez (Oct 1, 2004)
Go to Joseph by Richard Gilsdorf (Sep 5, 2009)
In St. Joseph's Workshop, St. Josemaria Escriva, (Mar 19, 1963)

Sweet, Baby Jesus

Baby Jesus in Manger, Gina Carter

A child is born!

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.

Instead a child is born in Bethlehem. He it is who is to redeem the world.
But before he speaks he loves with deeds. It is no magic formula he brings, because he knows that the salvation he offers must pass through human hearts.

What does he first do? He laughs and cries and sleeps defenseless, as a baby, though he is God incarnate. 

And he does this so that we may fall in love with him, so that we may learn to take him in our arms. (St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 36)

St. Josemaria was visiting with some of "his children" in Rome in 1972 when someone handed him a statue of Baby Jesus. Watch what follows.

How awesome is it that we live in a time and place where we can actually see and hear the words from the saints themselves?

Toolbox: Have You Read the Catechism?

Today we begin the Year of Faith. Today also marks the 20th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Blessed John Paul II called the CCC "a sure norm for teaching the faith" and he asserted that it would help "serve the renewal" of the Church. In this spirit of renewal, Pope Benedict XVI said in Porta Fidei that one of the things we the faithful can do during this year is to read the Catechism.

Do you own a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)? If you are serious about learning your Catholic faith, you MUST own a copy of the CCC and more importantly you have to read it.

How to Get a Copy of the Catechism
Daily Email, Flocknote
Free Online, USCCB
eBook & Paperback, USCCB

Additional Resources
FAQ about the CCC from USCCB
Porta Fidei
Opus Dei Prelate's October Letter

Be sure to check out That Catholic Show's funny and informative video "Night of the Living Catechism."

10th Anniversary of the Canonizationof St. Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei

Today mark's the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. St. Josemaria's primary message was 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. Josemaria, 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 some of his homilies, can be found in multiple languages at Escriva Works.

Favorite Christmas Song

Some rights reserved by pedrosimoes7

A few years ago, I began teaching a lesson with my high school debate students (around this time of the year) in which I asked them to name their favorite holiday song. Part of the lesson required that the students explain why they chose the song. The kids enjoy the lesson and they learn how to structure a simple argument.  In the process they also learn a little  about themselves.

A couple of years ago one of the students put me on the spot and asked me to name my favorite song. To the extreme pleasure of my students, I had been stumped. I didn't know. I gave it some thought and reviewed by my iTunes library, discovering I had a number of versions of the Little Drummer Boy.  Apparently the Little Drummer Boy was my favorite Christmas song.

As I listened through Joan Jett, Bing Crosby/David Bowie and Jose Feliciano, I determined that the reason I so enjoyed that song is that the little drummer boy gives the only gift he has, his one talent. For me, this embodies our response to universal call to holiness. Like the little drummer boy we can sanctify our daily ordinary lives by offering our Lord our work and our simple talents.

Anyway, I now make it a tradition to search out new versions of the song and I am now up to 27 on my special playlist.  This year I have added Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash.

What's your favorite Christmas song and why?

RCIA Talk Part 2: My Life with the Saints

I shared a few stories of saints who have helped me in my journey to answer God's call.  Here I will only mention three: St. Paul, St. Josemaria, and Blessed John XXIII.

St. Paul

My earliest recollection of admiring a saint involves St. Paul. When I was a freshman in high school ABC aired a two-part mini-series entitled Peter and Paul, starring Anthony Hopkins as St. Paul. Hopkins portrayed St. Paul as a remarkable preacher. This inspired me to read the epistles of St. Paul. 

Later I would volunteer to be a lector at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas. I would always try and get the second reading so I could read a letter from St. Paul. Now as an adult, I still find myself thinking of Anthony Hopkins' St. Paul when I read one of St. Paul's letters at mass.

St. Josemaria Escriva

About seven years ago I experienced a reconversion that led me through a significant formation process. I truly experienced the awareness, renewal and dialogue found in the teaching of Ecclesiam suam, Pope Paul VI's encyclical written during Vatican II. I had become conflicted about living my "Sunday life" separate from my every-other-day-life. I mistakenly thought I needed to leave my profession as a teacher to serve God in a greater capacity. I was also looking for a saint to help me find congruence in my work and spiritual life. 

The entire time I was searching for this saint, I kept stumbling upon the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. Ironically this coincided with the popularity of the Brown's DaVinci Code, which painted the Catholic Church and Opus Dei in a false negative light. Eventually I read The Way, St. Josemaria's most famous written work. In it, I found the precise message I was looking for: we are all God's children and we are ALL called to holiness, even in our ordinary work. I had found the saint I was looking for. Since then, I have become a Cooperator of Opus Dei and I begin each day of prayer reading a passage from St. Josemaria's writings.

Blessed John XXIII

For the last fifteen years, I have struggled with my weight. I went from being a fit cyclist to an obese couch potato (you are indeed what you eat).  Recently, I had a series of events which inspired me to take a more spiritual approach to my weight loss. Like my search for a saint of the ordinary, I was looking for a patron saint for obese people or weight loss. I could not find one recognized by Church tradition. Other suitable candidates like St. Maximillian Kolbe (because the Nazi's tried to starve him to death) and St. Thomas Aquinas (because he may have been a large man) came to mind. 

Instead, I decided Blessed John XXIII would be the patron I ask for intercessory help. I even took a picture of a statue of him we have in our sanctuary and use it as my iPhone wallpaper. I have lost over 50 pounds since I incorporated prayer into my weight loss plan (Weight Watchers has helped too). I must admit I have not read much about him, but what I do know, I have enjoyed. He was funny, friendly and, most importantly, he convoked the Council of Vatican II.

These are just a few of the saints who have helped me along the way. Some have inspired me by their writings. Others have been role models and still others I have asked for intercessory prayer.

Part 3 of this series will include a discussion of Fun Facts about the saints.

Saint Talk: Anniversary of Canonization of St. Josemaria

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the canonization of St. Josemaria, founder of Opus Dei. Blessed Pope John Paul II called St. Josemaria the "saint of the ordinary life." On this anniversary of his canonization, let us ask St. Josemaria for his intercession as we make our way in our daily lives, seeking to answer God's call to holiness.

Father John McCloskey on Catholic Answers

Father John McCloskey, author of Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and The Crisis of Faith, will be taking calls during the second hour of Catholic Answers Live on Catholic Radio. Father McCloskey is the former director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. The National Catholic Register described McCloskey as "one of the Church's most accomplished 'fishers of men.'" In fact, his spiritual direction was instrumental in the conversions of Judge Robert Bork, Robert Novak and Bernard Nathanson, an atheist who oversaw over 70,000 abortions.

I mention his appearance on Catholic Answers because Bishop Vann recommended spiritual direction as an integral part of spiritual growth.  I anticipate, based on the title of the show - Spiritual Direction and You - that Father McCloskey will speak on that subject. He is a proponent of spiritual reading as evidenced by his Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.

Catholic Answers may be heard on your local Catholic radio station, streamed through their website,  through their mobile application and on their podcast.

Catholic e-Books

Photo by libraryman

Today’s Tuesday Tech Talk focuses on e-books, the fastest growing sector in the publishing industry. Last year, e-book sales increased by 177%.  Amazon recently reported that e-book sales on their website exceeded regular books. Only recently have Catholic publishers and authors entered the world of e-book publishing in earnest.  The purpose of this post is to highlight the Catholic publishers and authors who are taking advantage of this new medium.

Ave Maria Press publishes their e-books and e-textbooks through Amazon and uses the Kindle format. Ave Maria was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross and specializes in textbooks and books on prayer and spirituality.

Ignatius Press publishes their own e-books and offers over 300 titles, including those written by popular authors like Father Larry Richards and Pope Benedict XVI. They offer their books in both .prc (Kindle) format and the standard epub format. Although, Ignatius Press gives instructions on downloading each of their e-books, it appears their Kindle format may not be compatible with the Kindle app for iPads and other devices.

Our Sunday Visitor also publishes their e-books in the Kindle format through Amazon. While they currently do not boast a large e-book collection, they do have some of the best prices.  The collection includes books from Father Benedict Groeschel, Scott Hahn and Patrick Madrid.

Scepter Publishers are making their e-books available through both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This means the books are available in the Kindle format and the epub format used by the Nook. Scepter’s e-books include many of the books written by and about St. Josemaría Escrivá. The library also includes books by James Stenson and Jacques Philippe.

TAN Books currently has a small collection of e-books, which may be downloaded directly from their online store. TAN is best known for their books on the lives of the saints. TAN makes their e-books available in several formats.

As sales of e-books continue to outpace paper books, Catholic publishers are sure to continue to provide more titles. The trend seems to be to outsource e-books sales to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and even iBooks on iTunes. The most common price mark for an average sized book is $9.99. Some of the smaller works are available for less.

St. Josemaria Escriva: Saint of the Ordinary Life

Picture provided with permission from Opus Dei.

Life and Death
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, Josemaría’s father’s textile business failed and he relocated the family to the town of Longroño. Here Josemaria had his first inkling that God was calling him do something. One evening when he was fifteen, he was walking home, and he saw the bare footprints of a monk 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.

Universal Call to Holiness
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. In essence, God called him to lead others in the mission of the laity to pursue universal holiness nearly forty years before this concept was put forth by Vatican II. From that point forward, Josemaría dedicated his entire life to the foundation of the Work.

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 he was beatified in 1992 by Pope John Paul II. 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.”

Prolific Writer
True to his surname, which sounds like the Spanish word to write , Josemaría wrote a number of books including The Way, Furrow and The Forge. Other recommended reading: Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace, Scott Hahn.

September Saint Talk - St. Josemaria Escriva

St. Josemaria (founder of Opus Dei) is know as the saint of the ordinary life.

Saints SQPN