Mass for the Feast of Saint Josemaría Escrivá

Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Mary’s Church, West Melbourne,
on Saturday, 25th June, 2005, at 11.00am

My dear Brothers and Sisters,

Gathered in the joy of the children of God we celebrate the feast of Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balalguer, Founder of Opus Dei. We do this together with sixty thousand members of eighty nationalities serving the Church with the same spirit of complete union with the Pope and the Bishops, which characterised the extraordinary life of Saint Josemaría.

Saint Josemaría has been variously described as the saint of everyday life and his remarkable teaching and example are our inspiration as we look with our daily work and following his example remember our sins and our capacity with the grace of God and our own striving to grow in the perfection of Jesus Christ and ourselves be even more ardent witnesses of the Gospel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today once again we honour Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. Very much he is a saint of our time. From his birth on 9 th January, 1902, his ordination in Zaragoza on 28 th March, 1925, to his founding of Opus Dei by divine inspiration on 2 nd October, 1928, to his death in 1975, the story of his influence is nothing short of legendary.

Already at the time of his unexpected death on 26 th June, 1975, just thirty years ago, Opus Dei had spread to the five continents, as I have said, with over sixty thousand members of eighty nationalities, completely united with the Pope in the mission of the Church.

After his canonisation, Pope John Paul says of him, for us to take note, “The Lord made him understand deeply the gift of our divine filiation. Saint Josemaría taught how to contemplate the tender face of a father in God, who speaks to us through the most various vicissitudes of life. A father who loves us, who follows us step by step and protects us, understands us and waits for a response of love from each one of us. The consideration of his paternal presence, which accompanies him everywhere, gives the Christian an unshakeable confidence. At every moment he should confide in the heavenly Father. He never feels alone, nor is he afraid. In the cross when it appears, he does not see a punishment, but rather a mission entrusted by the Lord himself. The Christian is necessarily optimistic because he knows that he is a son in Christ.”

In his homily the previous day, Pope John Paul said, “Work and any other activity, carried out with the help of grace, become means of daily sanctification.” “The normal life of a Christian who has faith,” Josemaría Escrivá used to say, “when he works or rests, when he prays or sleeps, at all times is a life in which God is always present.”

Following in his footsteps spread in society the awareness that we are all called to holiness without distinction of race, class, culture or age. We here in this distant part of the world are reminded that it is our normal activities, which are the path to holiness, and Saint Josemaría is a saint of the ordinary.

He was convinced, as we must be convinced, that for whoever lives with an outlook of faith everything offers an opportunity for meeting with God and a stimulus to prayer. Seen in that way, daily life reveals an unsuspected greatness. Holiness is put on everybody’s doorstep.

We too can add our own testimony to that of his followers.

“Once I have said sorry to my Father God it is so easy to say sorry to the children or to my husband.”
(Virginia McGough, Great Britain)

“When I realised that work done in God’s presence can be a way to holiness, I began to work in earnest.”
(Jose Olaizola, Spain)

“Everything in my life is important to God and provides an opportunity to please him more.” ( John Keogh, Ireland )

“Having a large family is certainly hard work, but it is immeasurably rewarding and can be lots of fun.”
(John Perrottet, Australia)

“To give one’s life to the priesthood is a splendid, marvellous thing. How moving it is to see the faithfulness of the Pope to Jesus Christ. He is a man who gives his all to the Church.” (Father Armando la Santa, Alberite, Spain)

As we seek to follow the example of Josemaría Escrivá, whom we honour today with love for his unfolding of the joy of everyday service of Christ, we recall the words of Pope John Paul, “Those who have come into genuine contact with Christ cannot keep him for themselves. They must proclaim him. Christ must be presented to all people confidently. We shall address adults, families, young people, children without ever hiding the most radical demands of the Gospel message.” ( John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 40 )

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.