St. Josemaria Escriva

[DannyBoy]

OK Opus Deians...or those faithful to the teachings of St. Josemaria Escriva...this is the place to speak of him, ask of him...and learn from him. Let us embark... Edited July 21, 2005 by DannyBoy

[philothea]

I carry a copy of [i]The Way[/i] in my purse at all times.

St. Escriva has saved my hiney on many occasions.

(Can we say "hiney" on phatmass?)

[Guest Eremite]

I haven't gotten around to St. Escriva yet, although I probably should, seeing as I'm a layman. Anyone know if he talks about the celibate lay vocation?

[the_rev]

Thy Kingdom Come!

Eremite, I believe Opus Dei is only for lay chaste people, though I could be wrong. My pastor tried explaining it to me one day how it was meant for laity and it is not an order of prieshood but yet there are opus dei priests, which I don't understand, if you know please elaborate and inform me.

However I admire the works of St. Escriva, and hope to learn more about him as I continue on in my priestly journey.

Yours in Christ,

Eddie Lee

[jp2_rules]

[quote name='philothea' date='Jul 20 2005, 09:35 PM']I carry a copy of [i]The Way[/i] in my purse at all times.

St. Escriva has saved my hiney on many occasions.

(Can we say "hiney" on phatmass?)
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hahaha, you said hiney!

honestly, though, [i]the way [/i]is awesome. and are the other books he wrote...i haven't picked one up in a while..perhaps i should!

[MilesChristi]

I just found out last week that there is an Opus Dei center near the college I'll be attending in the fall. I definitely plan to check them out.

[i]The Way[/i] is an awesome little book. I read from it almost every day. St. Josemaria's words are right to the point. This saint doesn't put up with foolishness or excuses. I look to him to give me a spiritual smack on the head when I get off track.

[DannyBoy]

[quote name='the_rev' date='Jul 21 2005, 12:09 AM']Thy Kingdom Come!

Eremite, I believe Opus Dei is only for lay chaste people, though I could be wrong.  My pastor tried explaining it to me one day how it was meant for laity and it is not an order of prieshood but yet there are opus dei priests, which I don't understand, if you know please elaborate and inform me.

However I admire the works of St. Escriva, and hope to learn more about him as I continue on in my priestly journey.

Yours in Christ,

Eddie Lee
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[/quote]


For more info on "the work" I suggest www.opusdei.org

Opus Dei or "The Work of God" is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church instituted primarily as a venue for lay ministry. It is the exemplification of its founding father, St. Josemaria Escriva. Members of the Prelature include numerary members who take a personal (not required) vow of chastity and celebacy; Supernumerary members of Opus Dei are single or married. My words perhaps are an injustice...check things out for yourselves...

Other great sites:

[url="http://www.josemariaescriva.info/"]http://www.josemariaescriva.info/[/url]
[url="http://www.escrivaworks.org/"]http://www.escrivaworks.org/[/url]

[MilesChristi]

Are you a member of Opus Dei, DannyBoy?

[DannyBoy]

[quote name='MilesChristi' date='Jul 21 2005, 08:21 PM']Are you a member of Opus Dei, DannyBoy?
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No, At this point I am discerning membership. I am connected to some great people (numerarys) in Pittsburgh, PA who have been greatly helpful during this process. I attended a silent men's retreat sponsored by Opus Dei and was completely ennamoured with what I experienced. Not for the charismatic...a very personal, intimate undertaking, but with great charitable aspects and much self-giving to the community of believers. I am also a disciple of St. Josemaria Escriva who preaches on a man and woman finding sanctity in their daily lives (their work)...Pray for me in my journey as I will for you.

[DannyBoy]

Come on people...do your homework!!! Lets talk about this guy...

[DannyBoy]

Come on people...do your homework!!! Lets talk about this guy...

[Cam42]

Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, composed of both laity and priests, whose purpose is to fulfill a specific pastoral mission under the jurisdiction of its own prelate, who may or may not be a bishop. He is Bishop Javier Echevarría. Personal prelatures are sort of like dioceses, but they consist of people rather than territory. Opus Dei may operate in dioceses around the world, but only with the express permission of the diocesan bishop. Opus Dei reports directly to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.

Personal prelatures were foreseen by Vatican II, largely through the efforts of St. Josemaría, who wanted a juridical structure in the Church which he believed suited Opus Dei better than the old structure of a secular institute. Currently Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in the Church. It was given this status by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will make use of this relatively new and flexible organizational structure in the church and inspire the church to create other personal prelatures to address the various needs of the apostolate.

The specific pastoral mission of Opus Dei is to spread knowledge of the universal call to holiness and to offer its members and others who wish to take part in its activities the assistance they need to become saints in the middle of the world according to Opus Dei's spirit and practice.

One of the specific characteristics of Opus Dei is its emphasis on one's work, whatever it is, as a means of sanctification. We are encouraged to see all the circumstances and events of our lives as opportunities to grow in love for the Lord and to serve the Church.

Opus Dei teaches that holiness is not only for priests and nuns. It is the obligation of all Christians to seek holiness. And for lay Christians, we have to seek it right where we are, in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We don't seek holines despite the activities of our ordinary life as lay people, but precisely through those activities. The "stuff" that goes into being a lay person is the very "stuff" that can make us holy.

Opus Dei emphasizes that members are ordinary Catholics. In terms of Canon Law this is true. Nevertheless, members of Opus Dei do have a contractual bond with the prelature that other Catholics don't have, which obliges them to perform certain duties and give obedience to the prelature in all that relates to the prelature's aims.

We follow a "plan of life" for daily prayer. It is simple really. Make a morning offering, go to daily Mass, pray the rosary, enter into mental prayer (conversations with God, like the books), pray the Angelus or Regina Coeli, make a daily particular examen (examination of conscience), engage spiritual reading (I usually only have time for 10 minutes or so), read the NT (separate from spiritual reading), make a quick stop to the Blessed Sacrament, pray the preces (I will explain that next), and weekly confession. Most of this stuff outside the preces, is the same as what most spiritual directors will prescribe.

The preces.... The Latin word "preces" means "prayers". The Preces is a set of prayers members of Opus Dei say every day. It takes about 5 minutes to say them and they are prayed in Latin.

The prayers start with invocations to the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the Guardian Angels, and St. Josemaría. They're followed by prayers for the Holy Father, the bishop of the diocese, unity among all those working to spread the Gospel, the prelate of Opus Dei, and the other members of the Work, both living and dead. The next section is a prayer asking for forgiveness for their sins, for the Holy Spirit to reign in their hearts, and that all their efforts both begin and end in God, followed by prayers for joy, peace, greater sorrow for their sins, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverence in their vocation. The Preces end with invocations to Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Peter, Paul, and John (the patrons of Opus Dei) and finally, with a greeting of peace to the other members present.


I happen to be a supernumerary. It is a beautiful way to be Catholic. It is also a beautiful way to promote the Work.

Everyone, as I said, is called to holiness, Opus Dei brings this out.

Here is a thought by the Founder:
[quote name='Conversations #58']Opus Dei has played a leading role in the modern development of the laity. We would therefore like to ask you first of all: what, in your opinion, are the main characteristics of this development?

I have always thought that the basic characteristic of the development of the laity is a new awareness of the dignity of the Christian vocation. God's call, the character conferred by Baptism, and grace mean that every single Christian can and should be a living expression of the faith. Every Christian should be 'another Christ, Christ himself', present among men. The Holy Father has put it in a way which leaves no room for doubt: 'It is necessary to restore to Holy Baptism its full significance. By means of this sacrament we are incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church... To be a Christian, to have received Baptism, should not be looked upon as something indifferent or of little importance. It should be imprinted deeply and joyously on the conscience of every baptised person' (Ecclesiam Suam, part 1).[/quote]

[DannyBoy]

[quote name='Cam42' date='Jul 22 2005, 12:11 PM']Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, composed of both laity and priests, whose purpose is to fulfill a specific pastoral mission under the jurisdiction of its own prelate, who may or may not be a bishop. He is Bishop Javier Echevarría. Personal prelatures are sort of like dioceses, but they consist of people rather than territory. Opus Dei may operate in dioceses around the world, but only with the express permission of the diocesan bishop. Opus Dei reports directly to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.

Personal prelatures were foreseen by Vatican II, largely through the efforts of St. Josemaría, who wanted a juridical structure in the Church which he believed suited Opus Dei better than the old structure of a secular institute. Currently Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in the Church. It was given this status by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will make use of this relatively new and flexible organizational structure in the church and inspire the church to create other personal prelatures to address the various needs of the apostolate.

The specific pastoral mission of Opus Dei is to spread knowledge of the universal call to holiness and to offer its members and others who wish to take part in its activities the assistance they need to become saints in the middle of the world according to Opus Dei's spirit and practice.

One of the specific characteristics of Opus Dei is its emphasis on one's work, whatever it is, as a means of sanctification. We are encouraged to see all the circumstances and events of our lives as opportunities to grow in love for the Lord and to serve the Church.

Opus Dei teaches that holiness is not only for priests and nuns. It is the obligation of all Christians to seek holiness. And for lay Christians, we have to seek it right where we are, in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We don't seek holines despite the activities of our ordinary life as lay people, but precisely through those activities. The "stuff" that goes into being a lay person is the very "stuff" that can make us holy.

Opus Dei emphasizes that members are ordinary Catholics. In terms of Canon Law this is true. Nevertheless, members of Opus Dei do have a contractual bond with the prelature that other Catholics don't have, which obliges them to perform certain duties and give obedience to the prelature in all that relates to the prelature's aims.

We follow a "plan of life" for daily prayer.  It is simple really.  Make a morning offering, go to daily Mass, pray the rosary, enter into mental prayer (conversations with God, like the books), pray the Angelus or Regina Coeli, make a daily particular examen (examination of conscience), engage spiritual reading (I usually only have time for 10 minutes or so), read the NT (separate from spiritual reading), make a quick stop to the Blessed Sacrament, pray the preces (I will explain that next), and weekly confession.  Most of this stuff outside the preces, is the same as what most spiritual directors will prescribe.

The preces.... The Latin word "preces" means "prayers". The Preces is a set of prayers members of Opus Dei say every day. It takes about 5 minutes to say them and they are prayed in Latin.

The prayers start with invocations to the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the Guardian Angels, and St. Josemaría. They're followed by prayers for the Holy Father, the bishop of the diocese, unity among all those working to spread the Gospel, the prelate of Opus Dei, and the other members of the Work, both living and dead. The next section is a prayer asking for forgiveness for their sins, for the Holy Spirit to reign in their hearts, and that all their efforts both begin and end in God, followed by prayers for joy, peace, greater sorrow for their sins, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverence in their vocation. The Preces end with invocations to Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Peter, Paul, and John (the patrons of Opus Dei) and finally, with a greeting of peace to the other members present.
I happen to be a supernumerary.  It is a beautiful way to be Catholic.  It is also a beautiful way to promote the Work.

Everyone, as I said, is called to holiness, Opus Dei brings this out.

Here is a thought by the Founder:
[quote name='Conversations #58']Opus Dei has played a leading role in the modern development of the laity. We would therefore like to ask you first of all: what, in your opinion, are the main characteristics of this development?

I have always thought that the basic characteristic of the development of the laity is a new awareness of the dignity of the Christian vocation. God's call, the character conferred by Baptism, and grace mean that every single Christian can and should be a living expression of the faith. Every Christian should be 'another Christ, Christ himself', present among men. The Holy Father has put it in a way which leaves no room for doubt: 'It is necessary to restore to Holy Baptism its full significance. By means of this sacrament we are incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church... To be a Christian, to have received Baptism, should not be looked upon as something indifferent or of little importance. It should be imprinted deeply and joyously on the conscience of every baptised person' (Ecclesiam Suam, part 1).[/quote]
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[/quote]

Thank you so much for your response. I have enjoyed your thoughts this day. Pray for my vocation?...ipse christus :

[little_angel202]

[quote name='the_rev' date='Jul 20 2005, 10:09 PM']Thy Kingdom Come!

Eremite, I believe Opus Dei is only for lay chaste people, though I could be wrong.  My pastor tried explaining it to me one day how it was meant for laity and it is not an order of prieshood but yet there are opus dei priests, which I don't understand, if you know please elaborate and inform me.

However I admire the works of St. Escriva, and hope to learn more about him as I continue on in my priestly journey.

Yours in Christ,

Eddie Lee
[right][snapback]651915[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

Opus Dei is for anyone,lay or priest, married or unmarried, those who feel they may be called to apostolic celibacy. The only people who are really outsied memebrship of Opus Dei would be a member of a Religious Order,because their spirit is not the lay and secular spirit of Opus Dei. Co-operators are "friends" of Opus Dei of varying closeness to the organisation.Some will attend formational events,some will make a contribution of time, some will gaive a more distant support.

[jmjtina]

[quote name='Cam42' date='Jul 22 2005, 09:11 AM']Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Roman Catholic Church, composed of both laity and priests, whose purpose is to fulfill a specific pastoral mission under the jurisdiction of its own prelate, who may or may not be a bishop. He is Bishop Javier Echevarría. Personal prelatures are sort of like dioceses, but they consist of people rather than territory. Opus Dei may operate in dioceses around the world, but only with the express permission of the diocesan bishop. Opus Dei reports directly to the Vatican Congregation for Bishops.

Personal prelatures were foreseen by Vatican II, largely through the efforts of St. Josemaría, who wanted a juridical structure in the Church which he believed suited Opus Dei better than the old structure of a secular institute. Currently Opus Dei is the only personal prelature in the Church. It was given this status by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will make use of this relatively new and flexible organizational structure in the church and inspire the church to create other personal prelatures to address the various needs of the apostolate.

The specific pastoral mission of Opus Dei is to spread knowledge of the universal call to holiness and to offer its members and others who wish to take part in its activities the assistance they need to become saints in the middle of the world according to Opus Dei's spirit and practice.

One of the specific characteristics of Opus Dei is its emphasis on one's work, whatever it is, as a means of sanctification. We are encouraged to see all the circumstances and events of our lives as opportunities to grow in love for the Lord and to serve the Church.

Opus Dei teaches that holiness is not only for priests and nuns. It is the obligation of all Christians to seek holiness. And for lay Christians, we have to seek it right where we are, in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. We don't seek holines despite the activities of our ordinary life as lay people, but precisely through those activities. The "stuff" that goes into being a lay person is the very "stuff" that can make us holy.

Opus Dei emphasizes that members are ordinary Catholics. In terms of Canon Law this is true. Nevertheless, members of Opus Dei do have a contractual bond with the prelature that other Catholics don't have, which obliges them to perform certain duties and give obedience to the prelature in all that relates to the prelature's aims.

We follow a "plan of life" for daily prayer.  It is simple really.  Make a morning offering, go to daily Mass, pray the rosary, enter into mental prayer (conversations with God, like the books), pray the Angelus or Regina Coeli, make a daily particular examen (examination of conscience), engage spiritual reading (I usually only have time for 10 minutes or so), read the NT (separate from spiritual reading), make a quick stop to the Blessed Sacrament, pray the preces (I will explain that next), and weekly confession.  Most of this stuff outside the preces, is the same as what most spiritual directors will prescribe.

The preces.... The Latin word "preces" means "prayers". The Preces is a set of prayers members of Opus Dei say every day. It takes about 5 minutes to say them and they are prayed in Latin.

The prayers start with invocations to the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the Guardian Angels, and St. Josemaría. They're followed by prayers for the Holy Father, the bishop of the diocese, unity among all those working to spread the Gospel, the prelate of Opus Dei, and the other members of the Work, both living and dead. The next section is a prayer asking for forgiveness for their sins, for the Holy Spirit to reign in their hearts, and that all their efforts both begin and end in God, followed by prayers for joy, peace, greater sorrow for their sins, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and perseverence in their vocation. The Preces end with invocations to Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Peter, Paul, and John (the patrons of Opus Dei) and finally, with a greeting of peace to the other members present.
I happen to be a supernumerary.  It is a beautiful way to be Catholic.  It is also a beautiful way to promote the Work.

Everyone, as I said, is called to holiness, Opus Dei brings this out.

Here is a thought by the Founder:
[quote name='Conversations #58']Opus Dei has played a leading role in the modern development of the laity. We would therefore like to ask you first of all: what, in your opinion, are the main characteristics of this development?

I have always thought that the basic characteristic of the development of the laity is a new awareness of the dignity of the Christian vocation. God's call, the character conferred by Baptism, and grace mean that every single Christian can and should be a living expression of the faith. Every Christian should be 'another Christ, Christ himself', present among men. The Holy Father has put it in a way which leaves no room for doubt: 'It is necessary to restore to Holy Baptism its full significance. By means of this sacrament we are incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church... To be a Christian, to have received Baptism, should not be looked upon as something indifferent or of little importance. It should be imprinted deeply and joyously on the conscience of every baptised person' (Ecclesiam Suam, part 1).[/quote]
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that sounds amazing....I always loved The Way, but I never really looked into it.

wow.

[MilesChristi]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/mileschristi/Josemaria-Escriva.jpg[/img]

St. Josemaria, pray for us...