Friends of God is a collection of homilies by St Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. He is a particular favourite of mine ever since I read the classic The Way when I was a teenager. The other day, I came across this passage which is striking when you recall how much St Josemaria is criticised for being involved in politics:I have never asked anyone who has come to me, about his politics. I am just not interested! My attitude here demonstrates a fundamental fact about Opus Dei, to which by the grace and mercy of God, I have dedicated myself completely, in order to serve our holy Church. I am not interested in the subject because, as Christians, you enjoy the fullest freedom, with the consequent personal responsibility, to take part as you see fit in political, social or cultural affairs, with no restrictions other than those set by the Church's Magisterium.(The phrase "restrictions set by the Church's magisterium" refers particularly to the social teaching of the Catholic Church.)
Friends of God was one book I got at the CTS - it is available on Amazon UK but the wait is 4-6 weeks. The Way is sold by Amazon and currently in stock.
18 comments:
R.B. Media Inc. has Friends of God, Christ is Passing By and The Way of the Cross available as audio books, either as CD or MP3 it is great to listen to these sermons as well as reading them.
Steven
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i read from 'Friends of God' every night before going to sleep. It is wonderfully inspiring. He wrote another book apart from The Way..was it Christ is Passing By?
Yes, Jackie, "Christ is Passing By" is another of his.
Steven - many thanks for that. I was just thinking last night that it would be good to listen to thse sermons while travelling round to Wonersh. I'll look up the links when I get home.
Hmmmm..... Ruth Kelly are you listening!!!!
......politics....blahblahblah..., 'with no restrictions other than those set by the Church's Magisterium'.
Where do SOR's feature within the Magisterium of the Catholic Church or indeed 'The Work' of Opus Dei?
You can find the full texts of all of St. Josemaria's published works online at:
http://www.escrivaworks.org/
If you know spanish I would recommend reading his writings in the original language. The english translations are usually ok but to read or listen to him in the language he spoke is amazing!
by the way Father, I've been reading your blog and just noticed that one of your favorite books is Introduction to the devout life So I thought I would let you know about my blog. I just started it. It is focused on St. Francis of Sales' Spirituality, your visit would be highly appreciated! :)
http://vivejesus.blogspot.com/
I always like St JosemarÃa, and have The Way in my perpetual reading list. I particularly like the way he emphasises a wholesome work ethic, and here where one can be political, but in a truly Catholic way, i.e. a truly non-partisan and by modern standard non-political form of politics. :)
Hope that makes sense!
I 'discovered' Damian Thompson's blog at the Telegraph the other day and was struck by his distaste for Opus Dei and St Josemaria. Is there a good introductory essay etc that comes immediately to mind that explains why the Work is as controversial as it evidently is in the U.K.?
Marc - although I have not read it myself, I understand that John Allen's book on Opus Dei is regarded as an even-handed and independent introduction.
The Way is a book I never travel anywhere without. It speaks right to my heart.
The first time I heard about Opus Dei was when reading "Da Vinci Code", and I've never looked back.
Ironic really, but thanks to Dan Brown, I have found true spiritual peace with St Josemaria.
I carry a copy of The Way #796...
I love his 1972 homily Loyalty to the Church and the 1973 A Priest Forever
George, you seem to have missed the point! What St JM was saying was that the magisterium places certain restrictions on what political doctrines we hold, not that the magisterium should decide the content of our politics.
I don't think SORs are a good thing at all, but it's important that we recognise that liberty in deciding between liberalism and conservatism, the free market and socialism, etc., is the right of every Catholic.
Felix - liberty carries with it the responsibility to do what is right.
If we profess to be Catholics then we are bound by the Church's Magisterium and Moral teaching which paradoxically set's us free, and does not enslave us, something 'the world' has great difficulty in understanding.
I would ask you to consider very carefully just which of these 'certain restrictions' you would agree with and how they would apply to your set of preferred political doctrines.
Now multiply this by 100,000's of individuals and the Church's Teaching takes on a different meaning and set of values for everyone.
Liberty can be a wolf in sheep's clothing, often resulting in CONFUSION, exactly what the devil wants and the situation we are in today.
God Bless.
In Conversation With God, by Fr Francis Fernandez, a priest of the prelature of Opus Dei, forms a daily part of my spiritual reading.
Trust the Truth, a blog by Matthew Collins, is a good place to recommend to people who genuinely wish to know more about Opus Dei.
http://www.interbit.com/blogger/OpusDeiFAQ.html
Ah yes! The "Don't ask, don't tell" approach to politics. It's as wrong now as it was wrong when it was condemned by Bl Pius IX over a hundred years ago.
You might possibly have had a hair's breadth of space to make a charge like that stick if it were not for the clause about the magisterium.
In response to Marc, yes John Allen's book is useful, but for me it doesn't entirely capture the 'spirit' of Opus Dei. An excellent little introduction is Scott Hahn's recently published 'Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace'. A short, personal account. Very American in style, but don't let that put you off.
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