St. Josemaria Institute Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In our meditation of the week: Fr. Peter Armenio reflects on how St. Josemaria Escriva was inspired by the light of God with the mission to bring Christ into the heart of the entire world in a way that he had never been before, especially into a world gripped by a culture of death and in need of healing through God’s mercy.

St. Josemaria wrote: “God is the same as always. It is men of faith that are needed: and then, there will be a renewal of the wonders we read of in the Gospel” (The Way, no. 586). Therefore, as Fr. Peter explains, St. Josemaria understood that all of God’s children are needed and called to participate in this beautiful mission! And our mission is to replicate both the joy and the affection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, which can be cultivated through a well-formed interior life of prayer. It is our prayer life that exudes the joy and light of Christ in the world.

“[God] wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world” (St. Gregory Nazianzen; Oration, no. 39). We are called to be light, but this is no ordinary light; it is a light in which we are bathed in the glory of God. Our Blessed Mother, Mary, helps us to enter into the light, the light of her son, which is nothing more and nothing less than the mercy of God.

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In our meditation of the week: Fr. Leo Austin reflects on how Our Lady opens our hearts to giving ourselves as a ransom for many, as we say in the Mass when we receive the Eucharist. To be a ransom for many, as she teaches us, means desiring to make ourselves humble instruments of God.

Drawing on the scene of the ten lepers in St. Luke's Gospel, Fr. Leo reminds us that when we are confronted with the healing power of God's grace, whether we feel worthy or not, all of us have the possibility of giving ourselves to make an encounter between people and God possible. Our Lord takes everything we offer him and exchanges our life and our pain for the needs and sufferings of others. And only in Heaven we will see the results of our actions and prayers.

Through entrusting our prayer, our sacrifices, and the desires of our heart to Our Lady, we can be sure of them having a positive impact on those around us and create a beautiful crown of the Church adorned with our prayers and sacrifices. 

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In our meditation of the week, Fr. Leo Austin reflects on the gospel of St. Luke, particularly the scene of Jesus’ visit to Bethany. At Bethany, Our Lord was able to find refuge in his friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Fr. Leo reminds us that similar to Bethany, Christ longs to take refuge in our heart, to find a place where he can rest as our friend. In this way, we are called to make our hearts a place of warmth and sincerity, inviting Our Lord into our lives as a dear friend. 

St. Josemaria reminds us, “For me the tabernacle has always been a Bethany, a quiet and pleasant place where Christ resides. A place where we can tell him about our worries, our sufferings, our desires, our joys, with the same sort of simplicity and naturalness as Martha, Mary and Lazarus” (Christ is Passing By, no. 154).

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In this podcast, Fr. Peter commemorates the canonization of St. Josemaria Escriva as well as the background of the founding of Opus Dei. He talks about the light St. Josemaria received on that fateful 2nd of October, after a decade of constant prayer, and how that light came to illuminate the rest of his life.

We are also privileged to hear about Fr. Peter's own experience at the canonization of St. Josemaria, which he says was filled with people from all walks of life, and from many different countries and cultures. The ceremony itself, we learn, was a witness to the great impact of St. Josemaria's life on the whole world.

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In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio speaks of the New Evangelization, a term coined by St. John Paul II, as the “original evangelization.” The early Christians did not go into far off lands to convert others to Christ, they started where they were: in their families, their workplace, their circle of friends. By sharing the Gospel with others, one by one, they eventually changed the culture and the world.

The example of the early Christians reminds us that we don’t need to leave our place in the world to become great evangelizers. Christ calls us to be “the light of the world” in our everyday occupations and in the ordinary circumstances of our life. Our mission territory is right where we find ourselves. This is where Christ calls us to share His life.

Ultimately this is what St. Josemaria envisioned for the laity, especially for “the life of the members of Opus Dei, ordinary Christians who strive to live their Christian vocation fully without leaving the world” (Conversations, no. 33). All of us are called to be the light, leaven, and salt in the middle of the world, “that by our very presence, by our very witness, Jesus says, we will start to change the world.”

This podcast is part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of October. Access and download the full resources for free at www.stjosemaria.org.

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In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo shares an insightful reflection on the Holy Archangels – St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael – in honor of their feast day on September 29. Fr. Javier explains how "the work of the Archangels is really one of service to God, adoring God, being messengers of God, and helping mankind reach its ultimate end of going back to God."

As he reflects on the tasks of the Archangels in the history of salvation, Fr. Javier also shares anecdotes about St. Josemaria Escriva's personal devotion to the Guardian Angels and Archangels, to whom he entrusted "the specific apostolic endeavors that he was to undertake as part of the mission that God wanted of him... founding Opus Dei."

We learn how St. Josemaria's devotion to the angels was rooted in Scripture and grew from their loving intervention in his daily life, which inspired him to write: "Drink at the clear fountain of the Acts of the Apostles. In the twelfth chapter, Peter, freed from prison by the ministry of Angels, comes to the house of the mother of Mark. Those inside will not believe the girl, who says that Peter is at the door. Angelus ejus est! It must be his Angel!' they said. See on what intimate terms the early Christians were with their Guardian Angels. And you?" (The Way, no. 570).

On this feast day, let us strengthen our devotion to the angels by invoking them often and seeking their help to overcome our daily struggles against evil and increase our loving desire to serve God.

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan underscores the perennial importance of persevering in our ascetical or interior struggle for "going higher and higher, doing whatever it takes to aim high, and to reach Heaven."

We know that the Christian life is not compatible with self-satisfied mediocrity, love of comfort, and lukewarmness. We need great moral strength to reach Heaven and that means a daily perseverance towards sanctity. Therefore, as Msgr. Dolan explains, "to go higher and to get there requires a 'struggle' or 'warfare'... against the enemies of our sanctity, which include pride, laziness, love of comfort, sensuality, and a whole host of others."

With practical advice and anecdotes from the life of St. Josemaria, Msgr. Dolan encourages us to fight our daily interior battles through which the discipline of a plan of work, good use of time, and small sacrifices will keep us exercising control over our appetites and keep us from falling into dissipation and lukewarmness.

As you end this time of prayer, looking ahead into the new season and keeping your eyes on Heaven, what struggles do you want to conquer with a positive, cheerful, constant, and energetic spirit?

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In this podcast, Fr. Javier del Castillo explores the meaning that our human suffering can assume when we offer it out of love to God. He explains that “the Lord has not come to get rid of suffering–we continue to suffer all the time–but he has come to give it meaning with his Cross; he has come to give it the meaning of love.”

As we unite ourselves to the Cross of Christ, our hearts expand to a deeper outpouring of love among those around us. If we embrace our Cross in this way, we too will "find Mary on the way, just as Jesus did," and she will comfort and sustain us with her maternal care (Holy Rosary, no. 9).

As you pray with this meditation today, think of ways you can begin to see the Cross, whether it is one or several in your life, as a source of joy instead of sorrow. And, ask yourself: how can I better unite myself to Jesus and Mary by means of the Cross?

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan invites us to remember how closely the Good Shepherd walks with us in our daily lives. He knows everything about us and is there at every moment, ever ready to guide, inspire, and support us as we aim to live out the particular vocation He has lovingly entrusted to us.

God takes a risk with you. As St. John Henry Newman explains, “[God] has committed some work to [you] that he has not committed to another. [You] have [your] mission. He has not created [you] for nothing.” Ultimately, we are free to say ‘no’ to the mission God gives us. Yet only in fulfilling that mission wholeheartedly will we become truly happy and truly free.

As you pray and reflect on this meditation, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and light to see how you can put your gifts and talents at the service of God. Remember that our human limitations and weaknesses need not deter us from responding generously to God’s will.

This podcast is part of our Day of Recollection resources for the month of September, available for free online at www.stjosemaria.org.

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In this podcast, Msgr. Fred Dolan shares a reflection on the standard of holiness which St. Josemaria characterizes by the following three points: holy intransigence, holy coercion, and holy shamelessness. He explains that we must form our heart and mind according to the gospel message so that we will have a firm foundation when confronted with opposition.

We are encouraged to look to the example of the saints who were steadfast in seeking the truth despite facing opposing viewpoints. Inspired by their witness, we too can seek to attain the plane of sanctity through the ordinary moments of everyday life and be a reflection of Christ in the world today.

In this podcast Msgr. Dolan shares excerpts from the Letter from the Prelate of Opus Dei dated February 14, 2017. This letter can be read in full online at opusdei.org.

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