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ST

JOSEMARA ESCRIV de
BALAGUER
Report by Isabelle Masbate

YR 11 Religion 2A/B, Ms Kania

TABLE OF CONTENTS


WHO WAS ST. JOSEMARA?
Pg. 3

EARLY YEARS
Pg. 3

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Pg. 4

WAR AND TRIALS
Pg. 4

CARVING THE WAY
Pg. 5

LAST YEARS
Pg. 5

SAINTS OF ORDINARY LIFE
Pg. 6

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pg. 7


WHO WAS ST. JOSEMARA?
Provide a summary of your person, and the purpose God intended for him.


St Josemara Escriv was known as the saint of ordinary life. He is the founder of
Opus Dei, Latin for: The Work of God. This apostolate is based on the principle
that God can be found in peoples everyday lives. Josemara had a powerful
vision that deep spirituality could infuse every aspect of peoples lives: from
daily work and trials, to the most ordinary of everyday tasks. People can love and
serve God through everyday work their families and friends.

Escriv spent his life teaching ordinary people that living for God is not just for
priests and nuns, but for anyone and everyone. People of every nation, culture
and social standing could live the Christian calling in a new way, striving to be
holy in the most ordinary circumstances of life.

Be holy, as my heavenly Father is holy. And he says this not just to those
of us who wear these [white collars], but to everyone, everyone! To
husbands, to wives, to single people, to workers, to intellectuals, to
peasants, to all!
(Fr. Josemara Escriv, at one of his catechetical talks)1


EARLY YEARS
What was his childhood like? Was his family religious? Did he receive any inspirations or
visions from God?


St Josemara was born on January 9th 1902, in Barbastro, Spain. His family was
devoutly Catholic, and Josemara would recite throughout his life the simple
prayers his parents taught him. Despite living a happy childhood, his family
suffered many hardships when he was a child: his three younger sisters died, his
fathers business collapsed and from that they had to move to another city,
where they struggled to make ends meet. From these hardships, the Escrivs
drew from it a deepening of their Christian faith and strengthening of their
mutual love.

When Josemara was fifteen, he began to sense that God had a special mission for
him. After witnessing the bare footprints of a Carmelite monk in the snow, a
question mark had been put over his life. Was God telling him to become a
priest? Not long ago, the idea would have made him laugh. Josemara began

1 All indented quotations are extracted from YouTube, Who was Josemaria Escriv, viewed 8 March 2014.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2HdieBhQQk>

praying fervently: Domine ut videam! Ut sit! Lord that I may see! Lord, may
that thing be done, that thing I dont know what it is you want me to do
(Gondrand 1989, p. 39)

Josemara gave up his plans of becoming an architect, and in 1925 he was
ordained a priest, to be ready for whatever Gods will. Three years later, during a
retreat in Madrid, on 2nd of October 1928 the feast day of the Guardian Angels -
God revealed to him what God wanted. It was the formation of Opus Dei.


HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Describe the start of his purpose God intended for him.


There could not have been more challenging circumstances. Escriv was an
unknown priest with no funds, helpers or patrons. Spain in the early 1930s was
driven by anti-clericalism: priests were under attack and churches and convents
were burned. Nonetheless, with the power of prayer, Escriv set out in search for
people who could understand his message and dedicate their lives to the work.
Fr. Josemara had some difficulty in finding men who could leave everything to
follow Christ, just like the rich man in the Gospel. Souls slipped through his
fingers like eels in water. (Godrand 1989, p. 70)

During this period, he attended to the needs of the poor, sick and dying people in
Madrid. He often had to walk long distances during the day to visit and assist
needy people across the city. He walked so much that his shoes quickly became
dilapidated: with holes in the soles and the leather lining peeling off.
Nevertheless, he carried his work with great sacrifice, charity and humility.

Even though he was surrounded by the violence of the political turmoil, Fr.
Josemara refused to take sides and taught his followers to understand pluralism,
and to value freedom. Growth was slow, and within eight years twenty people
had joined Opus Dei. In 1936, war broke out.


WAR AND TRIALS
While aspiring his purpose in life, were there any difficulties that arose? If so, provide examples.


The Spanish Civil War brought fiercer aggression and persecution to the Church.
Priests and nuns were murdered, so Fr. Josemara was forced to abandon his
clerical dress and wear normal clothing. He went into hiding in Madrid, and
frequently changed his locations to avoid persecution and death. At one point, he
hid in an asylum, pretending to be mentally ill.

This was a time of great danger for all priests, but Fr. Josemara felt he
could not simply sit out the war in hiding, unable to carry out his priestly
activities or work at the development of Opus Dei. So he decided to try to
escape to the Nationalist zone, where religious activities were permitted.
(John Coverdale, Escriv Biographer)

In Fall 1937, Fr. Josemara and a few Opus Dei members travelled to Barcelona,
where they met their guide for their expedition over the Pyrenees to Andorra.
During their night marches over the mountains, they slept in caves or abandoned
farmhouses and Mass was said with improvised altars made of stones. The group
heard some gunshots as they were crossing the border, but they arrived safely.
For the remainder of the war, Fr. Josemara tried to re-establish contact with the
members and friends of Opus Dei.

During the WWII, Fr. Josemara resumed his activities in Madrid, hosting retreats
in a number of Spanish dioceses. At the same time, Opus Dei began to grow
rapidly, spreading to other Spanish cities. Opus Dei saw its first priests as three
lay members, all engineers, were ordained in 1944.


CARVING THE WAY
What did he do to manifest Gods purpose for him?


Josemara saw that Opus Dei could be for all people, for all time. In 1946, he
travelled to Rome seeking Vatican approval, to enable international growth and
expansion of Opus Dei. By the 1960s Opus Dei began its apostolate in several
countries, including the US, Kenya, Japan, Portugal, France, England, Ireland and
Italy. Opus Dei had spread across six continents, in thirty countries.

Fr. Josemara wanted to personally teach members from the new countries, so a
large complex was constructed in Rome to be the headquarters of Opus Dei.
There, young members could study the Christian doctrine and return to their
countries to teach it to others, along with the message of Opus Dei.

He spent hours and hours talking with his sons and daughters, and the
optimism and confidence with which he did it was truly inspiring. (John
Coverdale)


LAST YEARS
Describe the last years of his life.

From 1970, Fr. Josemara went on long catechetical trips all over the world,
meeting with large groups of Opus Dei members and friends to help strengthen
them in their faith.

Its the sanctification of work. It is to say to every Christian, whatever
their job or position in life that there, wherever they are, they can and
should be good children of God. (St Josemaria, at one of his catechetical
talks)

On June 26th 1975, Fr Josemara gave up his soul, while gazing at a picture of Our
Lady of Guadeloupe as he walked into his office where he usually worked. He
passed away with the same simplicity that characterized his whole life. He was
buried in the crypt of the church of Our Lady of Peace, in Rome. Monsignor
Alvaro del Portillo succeeded him as the Prelate of Opus Dei.


SAINTS OF ORDINARY LIFE
Provide any other significant information about your person.

On October 6 2002, at the Solemn Mass of Canonisation, Pope John Paul II


reminded the world that St Josemara never ceased to insist that interior life,
that is, the life of relationship with God, and family, professional and social life,
made up of small worldly realities should not be separated, but that they should
constitute one sole existence, that is 'holy and full of God'. These words
effectively summarise St Josemaras message, at the same time summarising his
character, because his priestly work and human person were fused into one.
At the time of St Josemaras death, Opus Dei had more than 60,000 members
from 80 different nationalities. Since then, Opus Dei has grown, affiliating its
apostolate with schools, colleges and universities. Talks, retreats and workshops
held by numeraries are a part of Opus Deis mission to spread the message that
anyone can be a saint of ordinary life and live for God.
St Josemara Escriv was truly a manifestation of holiness in everyday
circumstances. His dubbed title, the saint of ordinary life, could not be more
suitable.











BIBLIOGRAPHY

Escriv, J. 2011, The Way, Sinag-Tala Publishers, Inc., Manila, Philippines.

Gondrand, F. 1989, At Gods Pace, Scepter (U.K.) Ltd., Hounslow, England

Illanes, J. L., A brief biography of St. Josemara Escriv de Balaguer, viewed 17
March 2014.
< http://www.stjosemaria.org/dragons/pdf/BioStJosemariafromISJE.pdf>

YouTube, Who was Josemaria Escriv, viewed 8 March 2014.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2HdieBhQQk>




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