Works by Saint Josemaria Escriva

Today, June 26, 2024, we celebrate the feast day of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei. Therefore, we are inaugurating this account to share daily reflections from his works "The Way", "Furrow", and "The Forge". May his words inspire our daily lives!

664. What is a man or the greatest reward on earth worth compared with Jesus Christ, who is always ready to be with you? #Furrow

664. Don't be gloomy. Let your outlook be more 'ours', — more Christian. #TheWay

663. My child, it’s worth your while being humble, obedient, loyal. Drench yourself in the spirit of God, to carry it from where you are, from your place of work, to all the peoples that fill the earth! #Forge

...savour? #Furrow

663. You go on attending some classes daily, merely because in them you acquire a certain rather limited knowledge… How is it then that you are not constant in going to the Master, who is always ready to teach you the science of interior life, with its eternal content and...

663. You ask me to suggest a cure for your sadness. I'll give you a prescription from an expert adviser, the Apostle Saint James: Tristatur aliquis vestrum, are you sad, my son? Oret! Pray! Try it and you will see. #TheWay

...several days now. There are a hundred and twenty on it. I hope that Our Lord will do good work in our souls.” #Forge

662. When you are preparing for a work of apostolate, make your own these words of a man who was seeking God: “Today I start to preach a retreat for priests. God grant we may draw profit from it—and, first of all, myself!” And later: “I have been on this retreat for...

662. This is the only way to get to know Jesus: speak to him! You will always find in him a Father, a Friend, an Adviser, a Helper in all the noble deeds of your everyday life. And getting to know Him will give rise to Love. #Furrow

662. You are unhappy? — Think: there must be an obstacle between God and me. You will seldom be wrong. #TheWay

661. If you look for Mary, you will necessarily find Jesus; and you will learn, in greater and greater depth, what there is in the Heart of God. #Forge

...your Father, and yourself as his son in need of help. And then to give him thanks for all that he has given you and for all that he will give you. #Furrow

661. It is possible that you might be frightened by this word: meditation. It makes you think of books with old black covers, the sound of sighs and the irksome repetition of routine prayers… But that is not meditation. To meditate is to consider, to contemplate God as...

661. Long face, rough manner, ridiculous appearance, unfriendly attitude. Is that how you hope to inspire others to follow Christ? #TheWay

...victorious, and faced with his victory those poor wretches have all taken flight. Be filled with hope: Jesus Christ is always victorious. #Forge

660. The Lord’s triumph, on the day of the Resurrection, is final. Where are the soldiers the rulers posted there? Where are the seals that were fixed to the stone of the tomb? Where are those who condemned the Master? Where are those who crucified Jesus?… He is...

660. How are you going to live in God’s presence if you are only looking around everywhere?—It is as if you were drunk with novelties and futilities. #Furrow

660. Never lose heart if you are an apostle. There is no obstacle that you cannot overcome. Why are you sad? #TheWay

...leads us to make demands on ourselves, to struggle to respond at every moment to God’s calls. #Forge

659. Christian optimism is not a sugary optimism; nor is it a mere human confidence that everything will turn out all right. It is an optimism that sinks its roots in an awareness of our freedom, and in the sure knowledge of the power of grace. It is an optimism which...