Theological contributions of St. Josemaría Escrivá dicussed in Rome




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 KOCH
President, Pontifical Council for Christian Unity
“St. Josemaría Escrivá worked so that all baptized people become aware that they are called to holiness. That they should live out that vocation in their everyday lives and in their jobs. To overcome the division in a Christian existence between work and spiritual life, something he called a 'double life.'”

In his lifetime, St. Josemaría never wrote a book on theology. But his concept of a universal call to holiness was completely new within theology, at the time.

MSGR. FERNANDO OCÁRIZ
Vicar General of Opus Dei
“It's not just a call 'to everyone,' that we are all called to do. It's not just a subjective question, it's also objective. It means that the world, work, the family, they are all means and opportunities to find Christ, to reach holiness. This extends through the sanctification of work, which is a very important topic, the roles of laypeople in the Church, etc...”

Even Pope Francis sent a message to participants, and said that St. Josemaría Escrivá was a “precursor to the Second Vatican Council,” because he “stressed the universal call to holiness.”
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