Saint Josemaría Escrivá

Today (26 June) the Church celebrates the memory of one of my favorite saints - Saint Josemaría Escrivá. St. Josemaria is the founder of Opus Dei, a lay movement through which Catholics are encouraged to sanctify themselves through their (secular) work.

As a priest in the late 1920's, Fr. Escriva would talk about a universal call to holiness. While this is one thing the Church has always encouraged, it wasn't always put in those terms. Now one can often hear this term expressed.

I think one of the things that initially drew me to him was his outlook on the spirituality of work. He spoke and wrote about sanctifying work - working with the spirit of Jesus Christ, doing work well and ethically with the aim of loving God and serving others. In doing so, one sanctifies the world from within, making the Gospel present in all activities whether they be outstanding or humble and hidden. In the eyes of God, St. Josemaria would encourage, what matters is the love that is put into work, not its human success.

The spirit of Opus Dei focuses on the themes of Divine filiation (referring to the Christian being a child of God by virtue of baptism), ordinary life ("It is in the midst of the most material things of the earth," said St. Josemaria, "that we must sanctify ourselves, serving God and all mankind."), sanctifying work, prayer and sacrifice, unity of life (as St. Josemaría explained: Christians should not live "a kind of double life. On the one hand, an interior life, a life of union with God; and on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life. . . . There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God."), freedom (acting with freedom and personal responsibility, respecting the freedom and the opinions of others), and charity.

Many years ago I used to participate in the monthly Opus Dei prayer meetings at St. Sebastian Church in Providence (there is another term for the gathering, but it escapes me at this time). It was a good time, prayerful and reflective. The men in the group were a great group, who collectively had their priorities straight. Unfortunately, I had to pull back from this because I was somewhat overcommitted, but I do appreciate being part of the group for the period of time I was there.

For move information about St. Josemaria, visit:

Saint Josemaria Escriva

For move information about Opus Dei, visit:

Opus Dei