Saint Josemaría Escrivá

Saint Josemaría Escrivá, was born in 1902 in Spain and was ordained a priest in 1925.   He experienced a vision in 1928 which spurred him to found Opus Dei, an institution primarily of married lay men and women, while some members are unmarried and consecrated celibates. A few members are priests.

In a homily from 1967, Josemaria stated his spirituality in clear terms: “…God is calling you to serve Him ‘in and from’ the ordinary, material, and secular activities of human life. He waits for us every day in the laboratory, in the operating room, in the army barracks, in the university, in the factory, in the workshop, in the fields, in the home and in the immense panorama of work. Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it.”

In other words, there is no need for a serious lay Catholic to abandon his work and routine, his family life, or his everyday relationships to fulfill God’s will. God is found in and through ordinary life.

Saint Josemaria’s writings, preaching, lectures, and talks were so rich, so chock-full of practical purpose and high meaning, that a great international family gathered around him, harvesting from his sustained example and insights an abundant banquet for their spiritual table.

Daily life is not a distraction from God’s will for us. Daily life is God’s will for us. When we get to work we get to God.