Saint Josemaria Escriva: The Saint of Ordinary Life, Highland Study Center, November 9, 2024

2 months ago3 min read

Fr. Roger J. Landry
Highland Study Center, Manhattan
November 9, 2024

To listen to an audio recording of tonight’s talk, please click below:

This is the outline of the talk:

November, the saints and the call to holiness
Josemaria Escriva and the universal call to holiness
Holiness in ordinary life. John Paul II’s characterization of St. Josemaria as the “saint of ordinary life.”
My own encounter with St. Josemaria and his call to holiness in college and beyond. “The world crises are crises of saints.” My 2002 homily on the scandals. The sanctification of temporalities in the priesthood.
John Paul II, the high standard of ordinary Christian living and training in holiness.
Systematic discussion of St. Josemaria and Holiness
- We are all called, and therefore can become, saints
- To become a saint, we must begin with a clear enough sense of what holiness is. St. Josemaria gives us, like the Church, several complementary answers.
- Josemaria stressed that the saints are not superheroes, but ordinary people who willed holiness.
- The pursuit of holiness begins with God’s work, not ours. We must trust in him, depend on him, respond to him.
- We need to desire sanctity
- That desire must become concrete. This is what has led to the elements of a Plan of Life, which could be called a path of sanctity.
  - Resolution to take holiness seriously.
  - Keep presence of God throughout the day.
  - Leads to unity of life.
  - Prayer
  - Eucharist
  - Gospel
  - Spiritual Reading
- Holiness for most is sought not by withdrawing from the world, but remaining in it without being of it. The setting is right in the middle of the world, in daily life.
- To stay in the world and become saints, we need to learn how to sanctify our work. This is one of the most practical insights of St. Josemaria and of Opus Dei.
- Holiness is not cookie cut. While there are similar pillars of holiness, the path taken is individual.
- But sanctity always involves heroism.
- Heroism involves the virtue of persevering in allowing God to work and corresponding to his efforts.
- The universal call to holiness involves regarding others as called to be saints, too.
- That means we have a mission to form others toward holiness
Conclusion
Prayer