St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

Ninety years ago, on October 2nd, God showed Opus Dei to the young St. Josemaria Escriva. It happened in an instant, he fell to his knees dazzled by all that God had just showed him. On this anniversary, our desire is not simply to celebrate this milestone in the history of Opus Dei but also to learn from the operating system of this faithful instrument of God’s providence. To relive the path taken by St. Josemaria will help us to desire the virtue of magnanimity—greatness of spirit and largeness of heart—a genuine craving for great and noble ambitions and adventures:St. Josemaria Escriva realized early on that God had a plan for him, that He wanted something from him. How could he find the answer? Where should he seek it? He set out to search above all by listening to the Word of God.Sacred Scripture, the Word of God, speaks to us today and we need to seek out our place in it to find our path.
“Magnanimity means greatness of spirit, a largeness of heart wherein many can find refuge. Magnanimity gives us the energy to break out of ourselves and be prepared to undertake generous tasks which will be of benefit to all. Small-mindedness has no home in the magnanimous heart, nor has meanness, nor egoistic calculation, nor self-interested trickery. The magnanimous person devotes all his strength, unstintingly, to what is worthwhile. As a result he is capable of giving himself. He is not content with merely giving. He gives his very self. He thus comes to understand that the greatest expression of magnanimity consists in giving oneself to God” (St. Josemaria Escriva; Friends of God, no. 80).
What was the secret that would not let St. Josemaria slow down? An overwhelming sense of being a child of God and the confidence and boldness that this reality entails.Tell Our Lord: “I really have no idea of the undiscovered qualities that I have—maybe this is my chance to discover the hidden greatness in me. This is a chance for me to be ready for great undertakings and to pass on to young people a great openness and eagerness for great ideas.”A resolution from this reflection: “To protect our times of prayer ferociously.”

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In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on the spirituality of St. John Paul II, whose feast day is celebrated October 22nd. St. John Paul II rooted his papacy in the Eucharist and devotion to Mary, inspiring holiness in people of all backgrounds from across the globe. There are many aspects we can learn from the papacy of St. John Paul II, but most importantly he taught us: how to pray, how to love, and how to serve.
As Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “Everyone knows John Paul II: his face, his characteristic way of moving and speaking; his immersion in prayer and his spontaneous cheerfulness. Many of his words have become indelibly engraved in our memories, starting with the passionate cry with which he introduced himself to the people at the beginning of his pontificate: ‘Open wide the doors to Christ, and be not afraid of him!’ An entire pontificate is condensed in words like these. It is as though he would like to open the doors for Christ everywhere and wishes to open up to people the gate that leads to true life, to true love.”
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“Each and every event of this life, without exception, must be steps which take you to God, which move you to know him and love him, to give him thanks, and to strive to make everyone else know and love him” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Forge, no. 680). In this meditation from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to reflect upon work as a medium for prayer, using the hidden life of Jesus as an example. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus spent many years working as a carpenter. Though nothing is written about these years, St. Josemaria considered this silence to be an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, exemplifying the ordinariness which characterized Jesus’s life until he began his public ministry. Thus, when we echo the Apostles’ request “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) we can hear Jesus’s response through his lived example. Work is a place where we are meant to encounter God daily. The idea of “sanctification of work” is simple, but the process is not easy. Fr. Peter explains that a personal life of prayer outside of work is the driving force behind our ability to sanctify our work, since sanctification of work is not about perfecting a routine as much as it is about giving a gift of love. As such, conversation with the Lord in mental prayer, frequenting the Sacraments, and making regular aspirations and acts of love are foundational to being able to sanctify our work, as they increase our love. Likewise, laxity in our spiritual norms can detract from our ability to sanctify our work, as there is less love given in that work. Ultimately, the one who prays more is the one who loves more.

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Today on the podcast... How does God want us to view the virtue of faith?If we look to the Gospels, our Lord shows us many examples that will help us to see, like the Apostles (Lk 15:5-10), that the virtue of faith is connected to miracle working. Our Lord wants us to see that He needs our faith—our life of fidelity and self-giving—to work miracles: Our faith and correspondence to God allow us to become instruments in the ultimate miracle, which is conversion-- personal transformation through repentance and commitment to holiness.Miracles occur through deeds of faith: “So they said to him, ‘What can we do to accomplish the words of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent” (Jn 6:28-29).
The poor widow who “put in more than all the rest” (Lk 21:1-2) is the example of faith and fidelity that we want to contemplate.If you give yourself completely, you are going to be fruitful and spread the Gospel. It’s all about letting God work in you; He needs your self-gift.Whether we have two small coins or a million to give, the important thing is to unload it all—that gift represents your heart, your will, and all your efforts.You must believe, have faith, that the Lord will not outdo you in generosity and will multiply everything that you give and that you do for him. He’s watching and he knows that you are filling the containers to the brim (Jn 2:7).Tell our Lord: “I want to give you everything, but I cannot do everything at once. Where do you want that spurt of growth and love in me?”

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
Let us know that our podcast is important to you:

• Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review.
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Ninety years ago, on October 2nd, God showed Opus Dei to the young St. Josemaria Escriva. It happened in an instant, he fell to his knees dazzled by all that God had just showed him. On this anniversary, our desire is not simply to celebrate this milestone in the history of Opus Dei but also to learn from the operating system of this faithful instrument of God’s providence. To relive the path taken by St. Josemaria will help us to desire the virtue of magnanimity—greatness of spirit and largeness of heart—a genuine craving for great and noble ambitions and adventures: St. Josemaria Escriva realized early on that God had a plan for him, that He wanted something from him. How could he find the answer? Where should he seek it? He set out to search above all by listening to the Word of God. Sacred Scripture, the Word of God, speaks to us today and we need to seek out our place in it to find our path. “Magnanimity means greatness of spirit, a largeness of heart wherein many can find refuge. Magnanimity gives us the energy to break out of ourselves and be prepared to undertake generous tasks which will be of benefit to all. Small-mindedness has no home in the magnanimous heart, nor has meanness, nor egoistic calculation, nor self-interested trickery. The magnanimous person devotes all his strength, unstintingly, to what is worthwhile. As a result he is capable of giving himself. He is not content with merely giving. He gives his very self. He thus comes to understand that the greatest expression of magnanimity consists in giving oneself to God” (St. Josemaria Escriva; Friends of God, no. 80). What was the secret that would not let St. Josemaria slow down? An overwhelming sense of being a child of God and the confidence and boldness that this reality entails. Tell Our Lord: “I really have no idea of the undiscovered qualities that I have—maybe this is my chance to discover the hidden greatness in me. This is a chance for me to be ready for great undertakings and to pass on to young people a great openness and eagerness for great ideas.” A resolution from this reflection: “To protect our times of prayer ferociously.” ______________________________________________________________ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! If you enjoyed today’s podcast, please leave a rating or review here on SoundCloud and on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/st.-josemaria-institute-podcast/id966458405?mt=2 Don’t miss new podcasts from the St. Josemaria Institute!
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