St jose maria escriva biography of abraham

Josemaria moved to Madrid to study for a graduate degree in law. He was accompanied by his mother, sister, and brother, as his father had died in and he was now head of the family. They were not well-off, and he had to tutor law students to support them. At the same time he carried out a demanding pastoral work, especially among the poor and sick in Madrid, and with young children.

He also undertook an apostolate with manual workers, professional people and university students who, by coming into contact with the poor and sick to whom Fr. Josemaria was ministering, learned the practical meaning of charity and their Christian responsibility to help out in the betterment of society. On October 2,while making a retreat in Madrid, God showed him his specific mission: he was to found Opus Dei, an institution within the Catholic Church dedicated to helping people in all walks of life to follow Christ, to seek holiness in their daily life and grow in love for God and their fellow men and women.

From that moment on, he dedicated all his strength to fulfilling this mission, certain that God had raised up Opus Dei to serve the Church. Inresponding to a new illumination from God, he started Opus Dei's apostolic work with women, making clear that they had the same responsibility as men to serve society and the Church. The first edition of The Way, his most widely read work, was published in under the title Spiritual Considerations.

St jose maria escriva biography of abraham: Most of the time our

Expanded and revised, it has gone through many editions since then; more than four million copies in many different languages are now in print. The development of Opus Dei began among the young people with whom Fr. Josemaria had already been in contact before Its growth, however, was seriously impeded by the religious persecution inflicted on the Catholic Church during the Spanish Civil War The founder himself suffered severe hardships under this persecution but, unlike many other priests, he came out of the war alive.

After the war, he traveled throughout the country giving retreats to hundreds of priests at the request of their bishops. This growth was not without pain; though the Work always had the approval of the local bishops, its then-unfamiliar message of sanctity in the world met with some misunderstandings and suspicions-which the founder bore with great patience and charity.

Josemaria had a rich personality that combined seeming opposites. He could demonstrate manly strength without harshness and motherly gentleness without effeminacy.

St jose maria escriva biography of abraham: Saint Josemaria was dedicated to

He could be sincerely friendly and bluntly honest. He could show deep sorrow and weep, although most if the time he was bubbling over with cheer. He could inspire with great ideas and then joke around and have fun. The way Josemaria related to others was also very attractive. He had impressive natural gifts. He had special graces God gave him as a founder.

He was also always generous in responded to what God wanted.

St jose maria escriva biography of abraham: From Abraham to the Apostles

At the same time, the people he dealt with were younger, less experienced, less intelligent, not as well educated, less close to God, and even less virtuous. Nevertheless, Josemaria lavishly affirmed and encouraged his spiritual children. He entrusted important tasks to them well beyond what they thought they could do. Then, in attempting to carry out those initiatives, they would develop their own powers so they could do more than they had ever dreamed.

Escriva was never a controlling person. Instead, he prepared others to carry on without him. Josemaria possessed the virtue of availability. The available person is one who is superior to you but who cares about you, listens to you, and acts for your true good. He makes you feel truly valued, like he is lucky to serve you. This was St.

He forgot about himself and gave himself generously. He was the opposite of the self-centered egoist. He was also the opposite of the con man who warmly feigns interest to manipulate you. These qualities—and others—made St. Josemaria truly charismatic. He transformed lives. He could meet a youth and in a few minutes create the basis for a life-long, faithful vocation.

It makes sense that God would give this gift to a founder. It even sheds some light on how Jesus Christ, the perfect man, could so quickly call disciples who would followed him for the rest of their lives. It might seem shocking to say this, but had Josemaria used his gifts for selfish purposes he could probably have become one of the great villains of the twentieth century.

Josemaria is also a lesson in how those enormously talented tyrants could, instead, have done so much good if they had made better use of their freedom. Josemaria died in Rome on June 26, Today, Opus Dei is established in sixty- six countries with 95, lay members and priests. Your email address will not be published. Brief Biography of St. The struggle begins From a purely human point of view, it was not a good time to start something new.

A man in full What was it like to be with St. Posted June 26, Mortification [ edit ]. Towards the Virgin Mary [ edit ]. Towards people [ edit ]. Towards his family [ edit ]. Towards his country [ edit ]. Awards and honors [ edit ]. Controversies [ edit ]. Alleged defence of Hitler [ edit ]. Alleged support for right-wing leaders [ edit ].

Title of nobility [ edit ]. Relations with other Catholic leaders [ edit ]. Beatification and canonization [ edit ]. Criticism of the process [ edit ]. Reports of discord among judges [ edit ]. Teachings and legacy [ edit ]. Writings [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Opus Dei. Retrieved 20 January Tales of God, Blood, Money and Faith".

The Times. Archived from the original on 10 March Retrieved 10 February Zenit News Agency. Archived from the original on 30 September Retrieved 20 June Opus Dei Official Site. Retrieved 27 November Archived from the original on 18 April Retrieved 20 March Retrieved 20 November Retrieved 4 December The Pope's War. The relevant passage is available in Spanish here.

Conocer el Opus Dei. ABC Madrid. Retrieved 14 July But if patriotism becomes nationalism, which leads you to look at other people, at other countries, with indifference, with scorn, without Christian charity and justice, then it is a sin. And at the same time, to hold as your own the noble aspirations of other lands. And in the same way, much that makes Germans proud, and the peoples of Italy and of England Catholic: big heart, broad mind.

Regnery Publishing. ISBN Available in Spanish here. Archived from the original on 10 December Retrieved 28 January BBC News. The text of the vote is available here. Prelatures, Ordinariates, and other personal circumpscriptions. On October 2,by divine inspiration, he founded Opus Dei—a Personal Prelature of the Catholic Church that fosters among Christians the search for holiness in the world, especially in the ordinary circumstances of life and the sanctification of work.

On June 26,he died suddenly in Rome after a final affectionate glance at a picture of Our Lady in the room where he worked. Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Josemaria in Rome on October 6,