Holiness in the Everyday: The Legacy of St. Josemaria Escriva
On June 26th, the Catholic Church celebrated the memorial of St. Josemaria Escriva. St. Josemaria was a Catholic priest from Spain who lived during the 20th century and was canonized in 2002 by Pope St. John Paul II.
He is most famous for founding Opus Dei, which translates to “Work of God.” Through his religious institution, Josemaria emphasized seeking perfection in our everyday work.
As we celebrate the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, we are reminded that everyone is called to holiness. It’s not just priests and nuns who are called to be holy, but fisherman, bus drivers, doctors, and chefs.
Surprisingly, the greatest saints in our Catholic tradition are not a pope or a nun or a monk, but a mother and a father, Mary and Joseph, whose statues can be found in practically every Catholic Church.
Although we go to church to receive God’s grace in the sacraments, our relationship with the Lord is deepened in the most ordinary circumstances of everyday life. Christianity is learned in church but lived in the world—whether it’s at a desk at a law firm, in a mechanic’s shop repairing cars, or in our own homes. Every action can be performed with love. Every action can be performed for God.
I know someone who told me that their Italian grandmother would think of God in everything that she did. When she added salt to a pot of boiling water for pasta, she would make the sign of the cross with the salt as she sprinkled it into the pot. When she added laundry detergent to the washing machine, she would say a prayer to Jesus and make the sign of the cross with the detergent as she added it in.
Everything she did was with and for God. The most ordinary activities are opportunities for sanctification.
Vivat Jesus!
Fr. D.J. Egan
Rev. David J. Egan, Chaplain
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