Letter from the Prelate (September 2007)
The Prelate stresses the importance of living in close union with Jesus Christ. The norms of Christian piety practiced by persons close to Opus Dei help them to share in our Lord’s Cross.
My dear children: may Jesus watch over my daughters and sons for me!
The Church, and the Work as a living part of the Church, is called to reflect the light it constantly receives from Christ and to spread it throughout the world. Jesus taught all Christians: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Mt 5:14-16).
"By listening to Jesus’ words," says Benedict XVI, "we members of the Church cannot but become aware of the total inadequacy of our human condition, marked by sin. The Church is holy, but made up of men and women with their limitations and errors. It is Christ, Christ alone, who in giving us the Holy Spirit is able to transform our misery and constantly renew us. He is the light of the peoples, the lumen gentium, who has chosen to illumine the world through his Church (cf. Lumen gentium, no. 1). ‘How can this come about?’ we also ask ourselves with the words that the Virgin addresses to the Archangel Gabriel. And she herself, the Mother of Christ and of the Church, gives us the answer: with her example of total availability to God’s will-fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Lk 1:38)-Mary teaches us to be a ‘manifestation’ of the Lord, opening our hearts to the power of grace and faithfully abiding by the words of her Son, light of the world and the ultimate end of history" (Benedict XVI, Homily, January 6, 2006).
An essential condition for bringing Christ’s teaching and life to others (and in today’s world it is urgent to do so) is that we ourselves strive more diligently to get to know, deal with, and love our Lord better each day. This is the specific goal of the norms of Christian piety, traditional in the Church, that we live in Opus Dei. We have to fulfill them as well as possible, as the result of a choice of love, even though at times our heart is dry or fails to respond.
When a person comes to the Prelature, moved by the desire to know God better, we try to provide an adequate doctrinal, spiritual and apostolic formation, so that Christ’s teachings become, right from the start, not only clarity for his intellect but also light and strength for following in Jesus’ footsteps. We help people to appreciate and to frequent the sacraments (the Eucharist and confession), to pray earnestly, to deal with God as a Father and with our Lady as a mother, to offer their work to God, to be concerned about others’ spiritual and material needs, to draw closer to God those who are closer to them.
Let us struggle to improve each day in our personal conversation with God our Father, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, with our Lady. We who are nourished with the spirit of Opus Dei strive to give our life of piety a special tone, which many other people also make their own: the sense of divine filiation. We strive to imitate Christ with special attention to his years of ordinary life and work in Nazareth. We foster devotion to the Holy Spirit, intimate guest of the soul, who encourages us to identify ourselves with Christ and to love God the Father. We venerate our Lady as Mother of God and our mother, with the piety of small children who hope for everything from her maternal goodness. We strive for a personal relationship with the guardian angels, whom we consider our allies in all our apostolic tasks. And we go with complete confidence to St. Josemaría, our beloved Father, in whom we see perfectly realized the spirit that God wanted for Opus Dei.
In addition, we have to always strive to serve the Church in deed and in truth (1 Jn 3:18),not only in words. Let us pray and get others to pray for the Pope and his intentions, "pulling the cart" in the direction indicated by the Holy Father and, in each place, by the bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff. By carrying out faithfully the mission proper to Opus Dei, we will collaborate in a very direct way in the great mission that the Master has entrusted to the Church, so that God’s will may be fulfilled: that all men be saved and brought to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).
We have to give a clear apostolic meaning to everything we do, in the most varied situations and moments. Thus everyone, including those who by way of exception are not in a position to take care of a direct personal apostolate, will carry out a very fruitful work. But this path requires-and I repeat this on purpose-that we put great care into our dealing with God in our practices of Christian piety; that we strive to finish our work well, offering it to God each day in the Holy Mass; that we give importance to small mortifications, which he hopes to see in our conduct with a steady rhythm, "like the beating of our heart" (St. Josemaría, The Forge, no. 518).
Union with Christ on the Cross is indispensable in order to carry out this apostolic program faithfully and with optimism. One cannot follow Jesus without denying oneself (cf. Lk 9:23), without cultivating a spirit of mortification, without the habitual component of specific deeds of penance. The Holy Father pointed this out, some months ago, when he announced a year dedicated to St. Paul on the bimillennium of his birth. He stressed that the apostolic fruit of the Apostle to the Gentiles could not "be attributed to brilliant rhetoric or refined apologetic and missionary strategies. The success of his apostolate depended above all on his personal involvement in proclaiming the Gospel with total dedication to Christ; a dedication that feared neither risk, difficulty nor persecution. ‘Neither death, nor life,’ he wrote to the Romans, ‘nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 8:38-39).
"From this we can draw a particularly important lesson for every Christian. The Church’s action is credible and effective only to the extent to which those who belong to her are prepared to pay in person for their fidelity to Christ in every circumstance. When this readiness is lacking, the crucial argument of truth on which the Church herself depends is also absent" (Benedict XVI, Homily at the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, June 28, 2007).
These considerations will help us to prepare for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the 14th of this month. St. Josemaría held up for us the great goal of placing the Cross of Christ at the summit of all human activities-with our sanctified and sanctifying work-so that Jesus might draw all men to himself (cf. Jn12:32). Let us realize well the urgency of this task: "How many people also in our time are in search of God, in search of Jesus and of his Church, in search of divine mercy, and are waiting for a ‘sign’ that will touch their minds and their hearts! Today, as then, the Evangelist reminds us that the only ‘sign’ is Jesus raised on the Cross: Jesus who died and rose is the absolutely sufficient sign. Through him we can understand the truth about life and obtain salvation. This is the principal proclamation of the Church, which remains unchanged down the ages. The Christian faith, therefore, is not an ideology but a personal encounter with the Crucified and Risen Christ. From this experience, both individual and communitarian, flows a new way of thinking and acting: an existence marked by love is born, as the saints testify" (Benedict XVI, Homily, March 26, 2006).
An important part of "showing" Christ to others in our life can be summed up (and let’s not take this as obvious) in the joyful, habitual practice of mortification and penance: voluntarily renouncing comforts and pleasures which, without being bad in themselves, could cool down or hinder our union with God. The temperate use of material goods, without letting oneself be entangled in their coils, holds a fundamental importance for our union with Christ and our apostolate.
Many years ago now, our Founder wrote that "people expect from us, God’s children in his Work, the bonus odor Christi which, supported by our temperance, enkindles them and draws them forward" (St. Josemaría, Instruction, May-1935/ September 14, 1950, no. 65).In contrast, if we do not reject the contagion of worldly goods, if we think it is impossible to carry with us the demanding environment of Christ, if we don’t know how to go against the current, we will not be able to help others find the great happiness of friendship with Jesus. A worldly environment, unfortunately, is found in most places. We have to invite the others, first by our own example, to breathe the clean air of God’s nearness. And to attain this, temperance of the heart and the senses is indispensable: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5:8).We need to be convinced that only thus can we love this world of ours passionately.
What a great responsibility Christians have! Let us meditate once more on those words that St. Josemaría wrote in The Way:"Many great things depend-don’t forget it-on whether you and I live our lives as God wants" (St. Josemaría, The Way, no. 755).
Continue praying for the Holy Father and his intentions. Ask our Lord to make his service to the Church very fruitful: that all Catholics-shepherds and faithful-take his teachings to heart and put them into practice. And unite yourselves to my intentions as well: forgive me for insisting so much, but I really need you, each and every one of you. As our Father used to say: "Everything is done, and everything remains to be done." Therefore I ask for your whole-hearted assistance, so that I don’t hold back the apostolic challenge of announcing to all mankind that Christ is calling each and every person.
With all my affection, I bless you,
Your Father
+ Javier
Pamplona, September 1, 2007
Click here to return to homepage
My dear children: may Jesus watch over my daughters and sons for me!
The Church, and the Work as a living part of the Church, is called to reflect the light it constantly receives from Christ and to spread it throughout the world. Jesus taught all Christians: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Mt 5:14-16).
"By listening to Jesus’ words," says Benedict XVI, "we members of the Church cannot but become aware of the total inadequacy of our human condition, marked by sin. The Church is holy, but made up of men and women with their limitations and errors. It is Christ, Christ alone, who in giving us the Holy Spirit is able to transform our misery and constantly renew us. He is the light of the peoples, the lumen gentium, who has chosen to illumine the world through his Church (cf. Lumen gentium, no. 1). ‘How can this come about?’ we also ask ourselves with the words that the Virgin addresses to the Archangel Gabriel. And she herself, the Mother of Christ and of the Church, gives us the answer: with her example of total availability to God’s will-fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum (Lk 1:38)-Mary teaches us to be a ‘manifestation’ of the Lord, opening our hearts to the power of grace and faithfully abiding by the words of her Son, light of the world and the ultimate end of history" (Benedict XVI, Homily, January 6, 2006).
An essential condition for bringing Christ’s teaching and life to others (and in today’s world it is urgent to do so) is that we ourselves strive more diligently to get to know, deal with, and love our Lord better each day. This is the specific goal of the norms of Christian piety, traditional in the Church, that we live in Opus Dei. We have to fulfill them as well as possible, as the result of a choice of love, even though at times our heart is dry or fails to respond.
When a person comes to the Prelature, moved by the desire to know God better, we try to provide an adequate doctrinal, spiritual and apostolic formation, so that Christ’s teachings become, right from the start, not only clarity for his intellect but also light and strength for following in Jesus’ footsteps. We help people to appreciate and to frequent the sacraments (the Eucharist and confession), to pray earnestly, to deal with God as a Father and with our Lady as a mother, to offer their work to God, to be concerned about others’ spiritual and material needs, to draw closer to God those who are closer to them.
Let us struggle to improve each day in our personal conversation with God our Father, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, with our Lady. We who are nourished with the spirit of Opus Dei strive to give our life of piety a special tone, which many other people also make their own: the sense of divine filiation. We strive to imitate Christ with special attention to his years of ordinary life and work in Nazareth. We foster devotion to the Holy Spirit, intimate guest of the soul, who encourages us to identify ourselves with Christ and to love God the Father. We venerate our Lady as Mother of God and our mother, with the piety of small children who hope for everything from her maternal goodness. We strive for a personal relationship with the guardian angels, whom we consider our allies in all our apostolic tasks. And we go with complete confidence to St. Josemaría, our beloved Father, in whom we see perfectly realized the spirit that God wanted for Opus Dei.
In addition, we have to always strive to serve the Church in deed and in truth (1 Jn 3:18),not only in words. Let us pray and get others to pray for the Pope and his intentions, "pulling the cart" in the direction indicated by the Holy Father and, in each place, by the bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff. By carrying out faithfully the mission proper to Opus Dei, we will collaborate in a very direct way in the great mission that the Master has entrusted to the Church, so that God’s will may be fulfilled: that all men be saved and brought to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).
We have to give a clear apostolic meaning to everything we do, in the most varied situations and moments. Thus everyone, including those who by way of exception are not in a position to take care of a direct personal apostolate, will carry out a very fruitful work. But this path requires-and I repeat this on purpose-that we put great care into our dealing with God in our practices of Christian piety; that we strive to finish our work well, offering it to God each day in the Holy Mass; that we give importance to small mortifications, which he hopes to see in our conduct with a steady rhythm, "like the beating of our heart" (St. Josemaría, The Forge, no. 518).
Union with Christ on the Cross is indispensable in order to carry out this apostolic program faithfully and with optimism. One cannot follow Jesus without denying oneself (cf. Lk 9:23), without cultivating a spirit of mortification, without the habitual component of specific deeds of penance. The Holy Father pointed this out, some months ago, when he announced a year dedicated to St. Paul on the bimillennium of his birth. He stressed that the apostolic fruit of the Apostle to the Gentiles could not "be attributed to brilliant rhetoric or refined apologetic and missionary strategies. The success of his apostolate depended above all on his personal involvement in proclaiming the Gospel with total dedication to Christ; a dedication that feared neither risk, difficulty nor persecution. ‘Neither death, nor life,’ he wrote to the Romans, ‘nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 8:38-39).
"From this we can draw a particularly important lesson for every Christian. The Church’s action is credible and effective only to the extent to which those who belong to her are prepared to pay in person for their fidelity to Christ in every circumstance. When this readiness is lacking, the crucial argument of truth on which the Church herself depends is also absent" (Benedict XVI, Homily at the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, June 28, 2007).
These considerations will help us to prepare for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the 14th of this month. St. Josemaría held up for us the great goal of placing the Cross of Christ at the summit of all human activities-with our sanctified and sanctifying work-so that Jesus might draw all men to himself (cf. Jn12:32). Let us realize well the urgency of this task: "How many people also in our time are in search of God, in search of Jesus and of his Church, in search of divine mercy, and are waiting for a ‘sign’ that will touch their minds and their hearts! Today, as then, the Evangelist reminds us that the only ‘sign’ is Jesus raised on the Cross: Jesus who died and rose is the absolutely sufficient sign. Through him we can understand the truth about life and obtain salvation. This is the principal proclamation of the Church, which remains unchanged down the ages. The Christian faith, therefore, is not an ideology but a personal encounter with the Crucified and Risen Christ. From this experience, both individual and communitarian, flows a new way of thinking and acting: an existence marked by love is born, as the saints testify" (Benedict XVI, Homily, March 26, 2006).
An important part of "showing" Christ to others in our life can be summed up (and let’s not take this as obvious) in the joyful, habitual practice of mortification and penance: voluntarily renouncing comforts and pleasures which, without being bad in themselves, could cool down or hinder our union with God. The temperate use of material goods, without letting oneself be entangled in their coils, holds a fundamental importance for our union with Christ and our apostolate.
Many years ago now, our Founder wrote that "people expect from us, God’s children in his Work, the bonus odor Christi which, supported by our temperance, enkindles them and draws them forward" (St. Josemaría, Instruction, May-1935/ September 14, 1950, no. 65).In contrast, if we do not reject the contagion of worldly goods, if we think it is impossible to carry with us the demanding environment of Christ, if we don’t know how to go against the current, we will not be able to help others find the great happiness of friendship with Jesus. A worldly environment, unfortunately, is found in most places. We have to invite the others, first by our own example, to breathe the clean air of God’s nearness. And to attain this, temperance of the heart and the senses is indispensable: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God (Mt 5:8).We need to be convinced that only thus can we love this world of ours passionately.
What a great responsibility Christians have! Let us meditate once more on those words that St. Josemaría wrote in The Way:"Many great things depend-don’t forget it-on whether you and I live our lives as God wants" (St. Josemaría, The Way, no. 755).
Continue praying for the Holy Father and his intentions. Ask our Lord to make his service to the Church very fruitful: that all Catholics-shepherds and faithful-take his teachings to heart and put them into practice. And unite yourselves to my intentions as well: forgive me for insisting so much, but I really need you, each and every one of you. As our Father used to say: "Everything is done, and everything remains to be done." Therefore I ask for your whole-hearted assistance, so that I don’t hold back the apostolic challenge of announcing to all mankind that Christ is calling each and every person.
With all my affection, I bless you,
Your Father
+ Javier
Pamplona, September 1, 2007
Click here to return to homepage
Opus Dei In The Heart Of Russia
During the Mass celebrated in Rome on the feastday of St. Josemaría (June 26), the Prelate mentioned that on that very day the stable work of Opus Dei in Russia had begun. These paragraphs from Bishop Echevarría's homily speak about these new beginnings.
Today I feel a special joy in my soul that I would like to share with you. Precisely today, as we celebrate St. Josemaría's feastday, the apostolic work of Opus Dei will begin in a stable form in Russia, that immense land that extends from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean and from the Black Sea to the frozen Arctic Ocean. This fulfills a dream of St. Josemaría, who always wanted the spirit of Opus Dei to spread throughout the whole world, including the nations of Eastern Europe. You can’t imagine how much he looked forward to this moment!
Thanks be to God, the faithful of the Prelature are now working in the countries of Eastern Europe as well as in so many others. For many years the realization of this dream was stalled by a lack of freedom. In 1955, during a trip to Vienna, St. Josemaría entrusted this intention to the Mother of God, invoking her with the aspiration: Sancta Maria, Stella Orientis, filios tuos adiuva! (Holy Mary, Star of the East, help your children!) He never tired of praying for this intention, although as the years passed he was never allowed to see to see even the beginning of an answer.
Later, when the walls built by violence unexpectedly began to fall, our beloved Don Alvaro del Portillo began the apostolic expansion of Opus Dei into those countries. First of all, Poland; then the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary and the Baltic countries. And in the last few years, Slovenia and Croatia. Today, finally, the moment has arrived to carry this apostolic activity to Russia as well. Let us give thanks to God and let us ask, through the intercession of our Lady and St. Josemaría, for divine help in these beginnings. . . .
To carry forward any apostolic activity we must go, first of all, to God. We must also place the necessary material means at the service of the apostolate, for the apostolic activities of Opus Dei need the collaboration of many people, their prayers and their material help. In this way, through the grace of God and the generous contribution of so many men and women from different walks of life, an ever-growing work of evangelization is being carried out throughout the world in service of the Church.
The complete homily is available (in Spanish) at www.josemariaescriva.info.
Click here to return to homepage
Considering The Life Of The Early Christians
Letter of Bishop Javier Echevarría to the faithful of Opus Dei. This month’s letter urges the faithful to consider the ordinary but exemplary life of the first Christians.
By Bishop Javier Echevarría
My dear children: may Jesus watch over my daughters and sons for me!
As in past years, on June 26 the liturgical celebration of the feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá was held in many places throughout the world. Devotion to our Father is a reality that is growing each day without restrictions of geography, language, race or social status. Millions of people turn to his intercession for their spiritual and material needs, and are inspired by his life and teachings to put into practice the demands of the Gospel.
His example is very timely and will always be so, with God’s grace, and will help many men and women to discover the paths that lead to the Blessed Trinity, amid all noble human realities: the family, work, social relationships, etc.
Our Lord wants us, in struggling for sanctity each day in accord with the spirit of Opus Dei, to strive to faithfully follow the paths that St. Josemaría opened by his docility to the divine will. Thus, with the witness of our interior struggle (at times victorious and other times not, but always beginning again joyfully) and with our words of encouragement, many others will be enheartened to undertake this way of sanctification in daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian’s ordinary duties, which is the Work.
Today I want to remind you of some teachings of our Father connected with the first Christians, who received the Gospel message directly from the Apostles or from their immediate co-workers. He used to point to them as an example of how we should live in the midst of the world. Just yesterday we celebrated the liturgical memorial of the first martyrs of Rome, men and women who bore supreme witness to Christ in the Eternal City during the persecution of Nero. Upon introducing their feast in the universal calendar, the Church decided it would be celebrated on June 30, right after the solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, as though to stress their close union with the ones who had transmitted to them Christ’s holy teaching.
To explain Opus Dei’s mission, St. Josemaría often turned to those first sisters and brothers of ours in the faith. If you want a point of comparison, he would say, the easiest way to understand Opus Dei is to consider the life of the early Christians. They lived their Christian vocation seriously, seeking earnestly the holiness to which they had been called by their Baptism. Externally they did nothing to distinguish themselves from their fellow citizens. Similarly, he added, the faithful of Opus Dei are ordinary people. They work like everyone else and live in the midst of the world just as they did before they joined. There is nothing false or artificial about their behavior. They live like any other Christian citizen who wants to respond fully to the demands of his faith, because that is what they are.
In mentioning these ideas I am also moved by the desire to second the teachings of the Pope, who in his Wednesday audiences has been speaking for quite some time now about the early Fathers and writers of the Church. His words can help us to imitate the example of those who lived at the dawn of Christianity. In general, the circumstances surrounding their witness to the faith do not seem all that different from our own.
The first point that stands out is the optimism, filled with confidence and conviction (from their faith!), with which they confronted the pagan world. With the light of our Lord’s teaching, they were able to discern the positive elements in the social customs of their times, and to reject what was not in accord with the new vision of life Christ’s doctrine had given them.
The Pope points out, for example, that St. Justin (a layman and philosophy teacher in Rome), basing himself on Sacred Scripture, shows first of all the divine plan of creation and salvation that is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Logos, that is, the eternal Word, eternal Reason, creative Reason. And he stresses how that ancient Father of the Church held that every person as a rational being shares in the Logos, carrying within himself a "seed," and can perceive glimmers of the truth. Thus, the same Logos who revealed himself as a prophetic figure to the Hebrew people under the old Law also manifested himself partially, in "seeds of truth," in Greek philosophy. Now, Justin concludes, since Christianity is the historical and personal manifestation of the Logos in his totality, it follows that "whatever things were rightly said among all men are the property of us Christians."
In many countries, we who know we are God’s children find ourselves submerged in a neo-pagan society, and (let us never doubt it) we have been entrusted with the marvelous mission of redirecting it to God. The apostolic response of each and every one of us has to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before us. Firmly grounded in Catholic teaching, we have to act without any inferiority complex in the heart of the civil society to which we belong by our own right, and-without arrogance-transform it from within acting as a leaven in the mass, for mankind’s temporal and eternal good.
So let us be optimistic and objective. Although we see deficiencies and errors, there are always many positive attitudes and good realities in the men and women we find alongside us and in the environment around us. In carrying out our apostolate, we have to discover and appreciate these riches, in order to lead those we are dealing with towards the Truth. By stressing these points of common interest, it will be easier to bring souls to God. Our greatest ally for the new evangelization of society-besides the guardian angels of those we are dealing with-is precisely the divine residue that is always found in every human being (although at times they don’t realize it), even among those who are furthest from God.
So let us be filled with optimism, and try to spread this outlook to others who perhaps are discouraged in the face of the moral and spiritual decadence that has arisen in so many places. In our personal conversations with friends and colleagues, as well as in the more or less public interventions that we might be called upon to make, we should rely on the two "wings" of faith and reason, as the Pope repeats untiringly, without separating one from the other. Thus we will counteract the relativism around us, a manifestation of a lack of faith and a lack of trust in reason.
Recalling as well our beloved John Paul II, let us put into effect his advice: "Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors to Christ! Open to his saving power the borders of states, the economic and political systems, the broad fields of culture, of civilization, of development. Do not be afraid! Christ knows what is in man’s heart. He alone knows it!" We need to make this a reality first of all in ourselves, allowing our Lord to enter our souls and to rule there; and also in those we are dealing with, accompanying them so that they reach the conviction that Jesus is their best Friend.
Therefore it is essential that we constantly improve our theological formation, that we go deeper-in accord with each one’s needs and circumstances-into the topics of public discussion related to the fundamental aspects of revelation.
In explaining the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, the Pope stresses another point of great importance for today’s world. He states that the great error of the ancient pagan religions consisted in not adhering to the paths traced out by divine wisdom in the depths of man’s soul. Therefore, the decline of the pagan religion was inevitable: it was a logical consequence of the detachment of religion-reduced to an artificial collection of ceremonies, conventions and customs-from the truth of being. The early Fathers and Christian writers, in contrast, made the choice of the truth of being against the myth of custom. Tertullian, the Pope recalls for us, wrote: Dominus noster Christum veritatem se, non consuetudinem, cognominavit. Christ our Lord affirmed that he was the Truth, not custom. And Benedict XVI remarked: it should be noted in this regard that the term consuetudo, used here by Tertullian in reference to the pagan religion, can be translated into modern languages with the expressions "cultural fashion," "current fads."
Today as well, the shipwreck of those who try to do without God is certain. Despite the apparent victory of relativism in some places, this way of thinking and of living will end up collapsing like a house of cards, since it is not anchored in the truth of God the Creator and in his divine Providence, which directs the paths of history.
We Christians know that we are freer than anyone, because we do not allow ourselves to be dragged about by momentary fads. The Church wants her children to be responsible and consistent Catholic citizens, so that the mind and heart of each of us are not dispersed, each going in its own direction, but consistent and firm, doing at every moment what one clearly sees has to be done, without letting oneself be dragged along, through lack of personality and of loyalty to one’s conscience, by passing tendencies or fashions: so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles (Eph 4:14).
At the beginning of this letter I mentioned that devotion to St. Josemaría is continuing to spread throughout the world. A few days ago (and these are not the only quite recent examples) a stone plaque was unveiled in Reggio Calabria commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of our Father’s visit to that city, and a street in Fiuggi was named after him. And today, July 1, a parish church in Valencia is being dedicated to St. Josemaría. This is why my letter is dated here, since I have come to this city through the invitation of my dear friend and brother in the episcopate, Archbishop García Gasco, to take part in the liturgical ceremony. Please join me in giving thanks, and let us continue working, each in one’s own place, so that this spirit of God may reach new environments and people.
It gives me great joy to tell you that since this past June 26 your brothers who are beginning the stable activity of the Work in Russia have been in Moscow. Let us accompany them closely with our prayer, during these first moments and always; and let us prepare for the future expansion.
Upon seeing all of your letters on the occasion of my birthday, I was filled with embarrassment and joy. I have thanked each and every one of you. As our Father used to say, ask Him about it, if you have any doubts.
With all my affection, I bless you,
Your Father
+ Javier
Valencia, July 1, 2007
Click here to return to homepage
Happy Birthday Bishop Javier Echevarría
Today is the birthday of Bishop Javier Echevarría, Prelate of Opus Dei. He turns 75.
Bishop Echevarria was born in Madrid, Spain, on June 14, 1932, and began work as the personal secretary of Saint Josemaría Escrivá before being ordained to the priesthood for Opus Dei on August 7, 1955.
He was appointed the Secretary General of Opus Dei in 1975 upon the succession of Msgr. Escrivá by Father Alvaro del Portillo as Prelate, or head, of Opus Dei. Rodriguez later became Vicar General in 1982, when Opus Dei was elevated as a personal prelature of the pope.
With the death of Msgr. Alvaro del Portillo on March 23, 1994, a period of mourning followed. The Holy See subsequently named Father Echevarria Rodriguez as the second Prelate of Opus Dei on April 20, 1994, and Titular Bishop of Cilibia on November 21, 1994. He was consecrated a bishop by Pope John Paul II with Bishops Giovannia Battista Re and Jorge Mejía as co-consecrators on January 6, 1995.
Bishop Echevarria serves as the chancellor of the prestigious University of Navarra in Spain, and various other universities under the spiritual care of Opus Dei.
He participated in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for America in 1997 and of Europe in 1999, and also of the General Ordinary Assembly of 2001 and 2005.
Works
He has written works on spirituality such as:
Memoria del beato Josemaría - reminiscences of Blessed Josemaria
Itinerarios de vida cristiana - reflections around the turn of the millennium on the ways of Christian life
Para servir a la Iglesia - a homily on serving the Church
Getsemaní -- about praying in union with Christ in his passion
Eucaristía y vida cristiana -- about the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of a Christian
Some excerpts from his works
Christianity is God’s nearness to man. It is a close friendship and an intimate relationship between God and man. It expresses the familiarity of a beloved son welcomed with indescribable joy, music, celebration and a great banquet (cf. Lk 15: 22-24).-- from Eucaristia y vida cristiana
Love is the substance of happiness. To love and to know oneself loved is the only true response to the ultimate anxieties of the human heart...Augustine of Hippo briefly expressed this in writing: “Pondus meus, amor meus”. My love is my weight, that which gives me solidity, attracts me and exalts me. It transmits to me height and depth, it is the origin of my peace.
"To all who received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God" (Jn 1:12). For a Christian, this is not just a way of speaking or calling. Awareness of divine filiation is rooted in a divine gift that transforms a person from within. St. John puts it this way: "See what love the Father has for us, that He has called us sons of God, and so we are!...We are truly children of God" (1 Jn 3:1-2). St. Josemaria concludes that "whoever is unaware of this is unaware of his innermost truth;" he has not yet discovered the deepest reality of his being, nor the meaning of his existence on this earth.
The secret of the apostolic zeal of a disciple of Christ is rooted in his love for the Master. This is what moves him to give his life for the others, to spend it in helping them know the divine Word and to live according to the imperatives of the Love of God. His zeal for souls is born from a love for Christ, which like all true love, implies identification with the person loved.
Letter from the Prelate
A letter from Bishop Javier Echevarría to the faithful of the Prelature of Opus Dei, focusing on peace.
January 01, 2007
During the Christmas season, the Church reminds us on several occasions that at the most important moment in history, when God-made-man came into the world, a song of joy resounded in the heavens: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will" (Lk 2:14). The angels’ hymn shows us that the glory of God and peace on earth are closely united realities. In calling us to share in his intimate life, God has incorporated us to the infinite communion of love that exists in the heart of the Trinity. God the Father sent his Son into the world; and later the Father and the Son sent us the Holy Spirit. Since then, and right to the end of time, he pours out through the Church, God’s family on earth, his love, joy and peace.
Today, the first day of January, is the World Day of Peace. It is a very good day to beseech our Lord to infuse this celestial gift into every heart and into society. As the Holy Father reminded us at the beginning of Advent, “peace is the goal to which the whole of humanity aspires! For believers ‘Peace’ is one of the most beautiful names of God, who wants all his children to agree with one another" (Homily, December 2, 2006).
Christ came to tear down the wall separating Jews and Gentiles, making of the two a new people (Cf. Eph 2:14-17) that would serve God in justice and holiness. He came to instill peace, “not only between Jews and non-Jews, but between all nations, since all have their origin in the same God, the one Creator and Lord of the universe” (Benedict XVI, Homily in Ephesus, November 29, 2006).
In this regard, the pontifical message for the World Day of Peace has a very significant title this year: “The Human Person, the Heart of Peace.” The Pope wants to emphasize that efforts to promote peace in the world, always laudable, end up being ineffective or transitory if a true concern to respect the dignity of all men and women is lacking. “I am convinced,” he wrote, “that respect for the person promotes peace and that, in building peace, the foundations are laid for an authentic integral humanism. In this way a serene future is prepared for coming generations” (Message for the World Day of Peace 2007).
The Pope reminds us of the many consequences that stem from this important principle: the right to life and religious freedom; the natural equality of all human beings, reflected in the safe-guarding of human rights; the need to foster harmony and understanding among people of different religions, cultures, and races. As an indispensable premise, he points out that true peace is a gift of God and a task conferred upon mankind. In so far as it is a divine gift, it was promised to mankind from ancient times; but only with the birth of Christ was it sent to earth.
"Ecce pax non promissa, sed missa," writes Saint Bernard. “Now our peace is not promised but sent; it is not deferred but granted; not prophesied but achieved. It is as if God the Father sent upon the earth a sackful of his mercy, which will burst open during our Lord’s passion to pour forth its hidden contents—the price of our redemption. It was only a small sack, but it was very full. As Scripture tells us: ‘a child has been given to us,’ but in him ‘dwells all the fullness of the divine nature’” (Sermon 1 on the Epiphany of the Lord). Let us thank God for his infinite mercy, also in the name of those who have not recognized it. And let us feel the need to love all human beings; let us call to mind more frequently St. Josemaría, to whom the world seemed so small.
At the same time, peace implies a task entrusted to men of good will; a good will that stems from the love that God has for us. Thus, as you know, one can translate the angels’ song more literally: “and peace on earth to men who love God.” The task of fostering peace is not only in the hands of those who have direct responsibility for public affairs; it is also in the hands of all citizens without exception, in accord with each one’s possibilities. Let us carry out each day this joyful task of striving to be “sowers of peace and joy,” as St. Josemaría liked to say, in the various spheres of our life. Are we spreading peace to souls? Can they say that we love them? How much are we praying for those who are suffering?
The first field in which we have to cultivate peace is our own soul, where this divine gift should reign so that we can then transmit it to others. From man’s heart comes evil; but with God’s grace there also come the good things that man is capable of. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk6:45). As Benedict XVI says: “Grace is the power that transforms man and the world; peace is the mature fruit of this transformation” (Homily in Ephesus, November 29, 2006). But this requires the free collaboration of the human person in the divine plan of salvation. And since the cause of conflicts resides fundamentally in the heart, each person needs to struggle decisively within himself, to make firm the reign of God in his own soul.
This is a truth as old as the Gospel, although unfortunately many don’t know it or don’t put it into practice. Our Lord said: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Mt 10:34). He spoke of the struggle against sin, an indispensable prerequisite for true peace.
When one truly strives to uproot the weeds of sin and to identify oneself with Christ, a Christian’s life is converted into good soil, where the virtues germinate that make possible the harmonious coexistence, imbued with charity and peace, of people from the most varied environments. As Benedict XVI said, “alongside the ecology of nature, there exists what can be called a ‘human’ ecology, which in turn demands a ‘social’ ecology.” And he adds: “there is an urgent need...for a commitment to a human ecology that can favor the growth of the ‘tree of peace’” (Message for the World Day of Peace 2007).
Let us spread everywhere these longings of the Holy Father. And at the same time, with a big heart, let us ask our Lord for forgiveness and make reparation for the sins with which we offend him, and also for those who offend him in many parts of the world by the promotion of behavior contrary to the natural law, and therefore to human dignity.
With the new year, we celebrate Mary’s divine maternity, the root of all the graces God has granted to our Mother. Let us go to her intercession filled with trust, placing in her hands our personal struggle for sanctity and our prayer for peace. Our Lady, Regina Pacis, will obtain from Jesus, “the Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), this divine gift so longed for by souls, the Church, and the whole world.
January 01, 2007
During the Christmas season, the Church reminds us on several occasions that at the most important moment in history, when God-made-man came into the world, a song of joy resounded in the heavens: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will" (Lk 2:14). The angels’ hymn shows us that the glory of God and peace on earth are closely united realities. In calling us to share in his intimate life, God has incorporated us to the infinite communion of love that exists in the heart of the Trinity. God the Father sent his Son into the world; and later the Father and the Son sent us the Holy Spirit. Since then, and right to the end of time, he pours out through the Church, God’s family on earth, his love, joy and peace.
Today, the first day of January, is the World Day of Peace. It is a very good day to beseech our Lord to infuse this celestial gift into every heart and into society. As the Holy Father reminded us at the beginning of Advent, “peace is the goal to which the whole of humanity aspires! For believers ‘Peace’ is one of the most beautiful names of God, who wants all his children to agree with one another" (Homily, December 2, 2006).
Christ came to tear down the wall separating Jews and Gentiles, making of the two a new people (Cf. Eph 2:14-17) that would serve God in justice and holiness. He came to instill peace, “not only between Jews and non-Jews, but between all nations, since all have their origin in the same God, the one Creator and Lord of the universe” (Benedict XVI, Homily in Ephesus, November 29, 2006).
In this regard, the pontifical message for the World Day of Peace has a very significant title this year: “The Human Person, the Heart of Peace.” The Pope wants to emphasize that efforts to promote peace in the world, always laudable, end up being ineffective or transitory if a true concern to respect the dignity of all men and women is lacking. “I am convinced,” he wrote, “that respect for the person promotes peace and that, in building peace, the foundations are laid for an authentic integral humanism. In this way a serene future is prepared for coming generations” (Message for the World Day of Peace 2007).
The Pope reminds us of the many consequences that stem from this important principle: the right to life and religious freedom; the natural equality of all human beings, reflected in the safe-guarding of human rights; the need to foster harmony and understanding among people of different religions, cultures, and races. As an indispensable premise, he points out that true peace is a gift of God and a task conferred upon mankind. In so far as it is a divine gift, it was promised to mankind from ancient times; but only with the birth of Christ was it sent to earth.
"Ecce pax non promissa, sed missa," writes Saint Bernard. “Now our peace is not promised but sent; it is not deferred but granted; not prophesied but achieved. It is as if God the Father sent upon the earth a sackful of his mercy, which will burst open during our Lord’s passion to pour forth its hidden contents—the price of our redemption. It was only a small sack, but it was very full. As Scripture tells us: ‘a child has been given to us,’ but in him ‘dwells all the fullness of the divine nature’” (Sermon 1 on the Epiphany of the Lord). Let us thank God for his infinite mercy, also in the name of those who have not recognized it. And let us feel the need to love all human beings; let us call to mind more frequently St. Josemaría, to whom the world seemed so small.
At the same time, peace implies a task entrusted to men of good will; a good will that stems from the love that God has for us. Thus, as you know, one can translate the angels’ song more literally: “and peace on earth to men who love God.” The task of fostering peace is not only in the hands of those who have direct responsibility for public affairs; it is also in the hands of all citizens without exception, in accord with each one’s possibilities. Let us carry out each day this joyful task of striving to be “sowers of peace and joy,” as St. Josemaría liked to say, in the various spheres of our life. Are we spreading peace to souls? Can they say that we love them? How much are we praying for those who are suffering?
The first field in which we have to cultivate peace is our own soul, where this divine gift should reign so that we can then transmit it to others. From man’s heart comes evil; but with God’s grace there also come the good things that man is capable of. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk6:45). As Benedict XVI says: “Grace is the power that transforms man and the world; peace is the mature fruit of this transformation” (Homily in Ephesus, November 29, 2006). But this requires the free collaboration of the human person in the divine plan of salvation. And since the cause of conflicts resides fundamentally in the heart, each person needs to struggle decisively within himself, to make firm the reign of God in his own soul.
This is a truth as old as the Gospel, although unfortunately many don’t know it or don’t put it into practice. Our Lord said: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Mt 10:34). He spoke of the struggle against sin, an indispensable prerequisite for true peace.
When one truly strives to uproot the weeds of sin and to identify oneself with Christ, a Christian’s life is converted into good soil, where the virtues germinate that make possible the harmonious coexistence, imbued with charity and peace, of people from the most varied environments. As Benedict XVI said, “alongside the ecology of nature, there exists what can be called a ‘human’ ecology, which in turn demands a ‘social’ ecology.” And he adds: “there is an urgent need...for a commitment to a human ecology that can favor the growth of the ‘tree of peace’” (Message for the World Day of Peace 2007).
Let us spread everywhere these longings of the Holy Father. And at the same time, with a big heart, let us ask our Lord for forgiveness and make reparation for the sins with which we offend him, and also for those who offend him in many parts of the world by the promotion of behavior contrary to the natural law, and therefore to human dignity.
With the new year, we celebrate Mary’s divine maternity, the root of all the graces God has granted to our Mother. Let us go to her intercession filled with trust, placing in her hands our personal struggle for sanctity and our prayer for peace. Our Lady, Regina Pacis, will obtain from Jesus, “the Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), this divine gift so longed for by souls, the Church, and the whole world.