Catholic Fire

Highlights Of His Life January 9, 1902. Born to José Escrivá and María Dolores Albás, in Barbastro, Spain, the second of six children. January 13, 1902. Josemaría was baptized. 1910-1913. His three younger sisters died, a year later his family suffered financial ruin, and in 1915 the Escrivás moved to Logroño, where their father found work. Winter 1917-18. After seeing footprints in the snow left by a discalced (shoeless) Carmelite, Josemaría decided to become a priest. 1924. His father died leaving him to support his family while studying. March 28, 1925. Ordained to the priesthood in Saragossa. April 1927. Moved to Madrid to study for his doctorate in civil law. October 2, 1928. On retreat in Madrid, he "saw" the mission entrusted to him—to open a new path to holiness through sanctification of work in the midst of the world. This was the beginning of Opus Dei. February 14, 1930. He opened Opus Dei to women. 1934. The first edition of The Way was published. 1936-39. He was ...

November 30, 2013. (Romereports.com) To become a saint a person doesn't need to be a theologian, although saints are the ones that know God best. Expanding on this topic, the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross organized a gathering to look into how saints have influenced theology. Specifically, it addressed the contributions of St. Josemaría Escrivá into this field.   MSGR. FERNANDO OCÁRIZ Vicar General of Opus Dei “Joseph Ratzinger had said it, and he repeated it as Benedict XVI. Even John Paul II had talked about it: the witness of saints is necessary in theology, because the saints are the ones who have known God best. And they shed new, original light into the field of theology.” Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch recalled that for Joseph Ratzinger, saints were the most credible witnesses of the Christian faith, the authentic reformers of the Church, and the first interpreters of the Holy Scripture. But he added that all baptized people are called to holiness. CARD. KURT ...

  St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (1902 - 1975)  St. Josemaría Escrivá was born in 1902 at Barbastro Spain. He was ordained in Saragossa in 1925 and by divine inspiration founded Opus Dei which opened a new way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world. He died on June 26, 1975 and was canonized a saint on October 6, 2002. You can read his complete biography here and a longer, more detailed biography here .   A Few of My Favorite Quotes "You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat." "We are children of God, bearers of the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls, of the only brightness which can never be darkened, dimmed or overshadowed. The Lord uses us as torches, to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life."  "No Christian married ...

 Lent should suggest to us these basic questions: Am I advancing in my faithfulness to Christ, in my desire for holiness, in a generous apostolate in my daily life, in my ordinary work among my colleagues? Each one of us, silently, should answer these questions , and he will see that he needs to change again if Christ is to live in him, if Jesus' image is to be reflected clearly in his behaviour. "If any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross daily and follow me." Christ is saying this again, to us, whispering it in our ears: the cross each day. As St Jerome puts it: "Not only in time of persecution or when we have the chance of martyrdom, but in all circumstances, in everything we do and think, in everything we say, let us deny what we used to be and let us confess what we now are, reborn as we have been in Christ." It's an echo of St Paul's words: "Once you were all darkness. Now, in the Lord, you are all ...

St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (1902 - 1975) You can read his biography here. A Few of My Favorite Quotes: "You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat." "We are children of God, bearers of the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls, of the only brightness which can never be darkened, dimmed or overshadowed. The Lord uses us as torches, to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life." "No Christian married couple can want to block the well-springs of life. For their love is based on the love of Christ, which entails dedication and sacrifice. . . Moreover, as Tobias reminded Sara, a husband and wife know that 'we are children of saints, and we cannot come together in the way of the gentiles, who do not know God.'" "...to live the virtue of chastity, one doesn´t have ...

The saint of the day for June 26th is St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (1902-1975), Spanish priest and founder of Opus Dei . You can read his biography HERE  and find his writings HERE . A Few of My Favorite Quotes: "You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat." "The world thrives on lies even twenty centuries after the Truth came among men.—We have to tell the truth! This is precisely what we have to do as children of God. When men get used to proclaiming and hearing the truth, there will be more understanding in this world of ours." "We are children of God, bearers of the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls, of the only brightness which can never be darkened, dimmed or overshadowed. The Lord uses us as torches, to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life." ...

  "When you decide to live a clean life, chastity will not be a burden on you: it will be a crown of triumph." ~ St. Jose Maria Escrivá

Optional Memorial of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer , priest (in some dioceses), Founder of Opus Dei ("the Work of God") Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 684 Pope Benedict II was consecrated as pope (d. 6 May 685). Birthdays: 1892 - Pearl S. Buck , American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1973) 1907 - Debs Garms , American baseball player (d. 1984) 1922 - Eleanor Parker , American actress, "Baroness Elsa Schraeder" in The Sound Of Music . 1936 - Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte , Archbishop of Montreal 1969 - Mike Myers , American baseball player

Here are a few of my favorites: Non-Fiction 1. The Miracle of Father Kaupan by Roy Wenzel and Travis Heying 2.  Rooted in Lov e by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle 3.   Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood by Pat Gohn 4. Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves by Jason Everet 5. Jacob's Ladder: Ten Steps to Truth by Peter Kreeft Fiction 1. Murder in the Vatican by Ann Margaret Lewis 2. The Watson Chronicles by Ann Margaret Lewis 3. In Name Only by Ellen Gable 4. A Subtle Grace by Ellen Gable 5. Theophilos by Michael D. O'Brien Classics  Non-Fiction 1. Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of S t. Therese of Lisieux 2.  The Life of St. Catherine of Siena: The Classic on Her Life and Accomplishments as Recorded by Her Spiritual Director  by Raymond of Capua 3. Two Sisters in the Spirit: Therese of Lisieux and Elizabeth of the Trinity  by Hans Urs von Balthasar 4. Th...

Angel of God Who Art My Guardian Feast of the Guardian Angels More information here. Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 1629 Pierre de Bérulle , French cardinal and statesman, died (b. 4 February 1575). 1928 Opus Dei , was founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá . Birthdays: 1538 - Saint Charles Borromeo , Italian cardinal (d. 1584) 1737 - Francis Hopkinson , signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (d. 1791) 1869 - Mahatma Gandhi , Indian politician and spiritual leader (Father of the India) . (d. 1948) 1890 - Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (d. 1977) 1895 - Bud Abbott , American comedian and actor (d. 1974) 1904 - Graham Greene , British novelist (d. 1991) 1911 - Jack Finney , American author (d. 1995) 1936 - Dick Barnett , American basketball player 1945 - Don McLean , American songwriter 1972 - Tara Dawn Holland , Miss America 1997, singer, youth advocate, National Sexual Abstinence and Pro-life Speaker

Wednesday Christmas Weekday Today's Mass Readings The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Adrian of Canterbury On This Day in Catholic History 1431 - Judges' investigations for the trial of St. Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government. 1554 - Pope Gregory XV was born (d. 8 July 1623). Birthdays 1773 - Cassandra Austen , English watercolorist and sister of Jane Austen (d. 1845) 1854 - Jennie Jerome, American society beauty and mother of Winston Churchill (d. 1921) 1892 - Monsignor Athol Murray , Canadian priest and high school president. (d. 1975) 1902 - Saint Josemaría Escrivá , Spanish Catholic priest and founder of Opus Dei (d. 1975) 1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994) 1934 - Bart Starr , American football player 1935 - Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver, an American comedic actor best known for his role as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island . (d. 1975) 1951 -...

Via Catholic Analysis : Labor Day messages from St. Josemaría Escrivá's book Furrow: For those who think their work is too humble and not prestigious enough: "Before God, no occupation is in itself great or small. Everything gains the value of the Love with which it is done" (Furrow, 487). For those working in the home: "You are writing to me in the kitchen, by the stove. . . . By your side, your younger sister--the last one to discover the divine folly of living her Christian vocation to the full--is peeling potatoes. To all appearances--you think--her work is the same as before. And yet, what a difference there is! It is true: before she only peeled potatoes, now, she is sanctifying herself peeling potatoes" (498; original italics). For those who need a push: "Obstacles? Sometimes they may be present, but at times you just invent them out of cowardice or love of comfort. How cleverly the devil makes those excuses for not working look plausible! He knows...

"Ejaculatory prayers do not hinder your work, just as the beating of your heart does not impede the movements of the body." ~ St. Josemaría Escrivá .

You can read his biography here. A Few of My Favorite Quotes: "You go to pray; to become a bonfire, a living flame, giving light and heat." "The world thrives on lies even twenty centuries after the Truth came among men.—We have to tell the truth! This is precisely what we have to do as children of God. When men get used to proclaiming and hearing the truth, there will be more understanding in this world of ours." "We are children of God, bearers of the only flame that can light up the paths of the earth for souls, of the only brightness which can never be darkened, dimmed or overshadowed. The Lord uses us as torches, to make that light shine out. Much depends on us; if we respond many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life." "No Christian married couple can want to block the well-springs of life. For their love is based on the love of Christ, which entails dedication an...