Catholic Fire

St. Josemaria Escriva Related Posts: St. Josemaria Escriva  (brief biography, quotes, and video) St. Josémaria Escriva and the Miraculous Medal St. Josemaria Escriva on Love for Our Lady St. Josemaria Escriva on Fortitude St. Josemaria Escriva on Heaven St. Josemaria Escriva on Truth Chastity Quote of the Day: St. Josemaria Escriva Image Source: Pinterest

By Jean M. Heimann Today is the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei and the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. St. Josemaria Escriva was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902. One of six children born to Jose and Dolores Escriva; three of his siblings died in infancy. His father was a small businessman, and when his business failed in 1915, the family moved to Logroño, Spain. When Josemaria was fifteen, he saw the bare footprints left in the snow by a monk and was moved by this. He believed that God was calling him in some way and he was encouraged to become a priest. He studied for the priesthood in Logroño and Zaragoza, Spain. In 1924, his father died, leaving him as head of the family; consequently, Josemaria had to simultaneously support the family while studying for the priesthood. After his ordination in 1925, he was assigned to a rural parish, and later to Zaragoza. In 1927, he began studying law in Madrid.  In 1928, during a spiritual...

1830. The political panorama in France, and above all people’s attitudes, had changed a lot since the French Revolution of 1789. Still the atmosphere in the country was more and more tense. Amidst all the upheavals, our Lady made her voice heard: “Come to the foot of this altar. Here graces will be poured out on everyone.” Our Lady appeared to Catherine Labouré on that far-off day of July 19, 1830: a young woman of 24 who had just begun her novitiate in the Daughters of Charity. Our Mother’s urgent invitation on her first appearance at the Rue du Bac has since been accepted by millions of people from all sorts of different cultures and backgrounds who have come to kneel at the feet of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in a chapel in the heart of Paris, France. So who was the person our Lady appeared to, and why, on that far-off day of July 19, 1830? St Catherine Labouré was then a young woman of 24 who had just begun her novitiate in the Daughters of Charity, a religious order...

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." ...

"In order to love and serve God, it is not necessary to do extraordinary things. Christ asks all men without exception to be perfect as His heavenly Father is perfect (cf. Mt 5: 48). For the great majority of men, to be holy consists of sanctifying their work, to sanctify themselves in their work, to sanctify others with work, and also to find God on the road of their life." ~ St. Josemaria - Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei