Josemaría Escrivá

Even though we might be passing through a great physical or moral difficulty that possibly seems to have no solution.

A lady approached the regional vicar of Opus Dei in Argentina one day to thank him for having given her a prayer card to Saint Josemaria.

He didn't remember that occasion, he didn't remember this lady, but she said, yes, a couple of years ago you saw me on the street and you gave me a prayer card.

At that time my husband was about to divorce me, my children were going through a bad time, I was unemployed, my husband was unemployed, everything was going wrong in my life.

And so we're told in the letter to the Hebrews, he's a man chosen from among men and appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

And so St. Josemaria asks, what then is the priest's identity? that of Christ, he says.

Each one of us Christians can and should be not just any other Christ, but Christ himself, ipse Christus.

But in the priest, this happens in a direct way, by virtue of the sacrament.

And to the priest has been confided the most divine of divine works, the salvation of souls.

He's been made an ambassador and a mediator between God and men.

And so St. Josemaria says, it warms my heart to think of the quiet human supernatural dignity of those brothers of mine scattered throughout the world.

It's only right that they should now feel themselves surrounded by the friendship, help and affection of many Christians.

Pray for those who abuse you.

St. Josemaria in point 463 of the Way has said, Does not consist so much in giving.

As in understanding.

Therefore seek an excuse for your neighbor.

in doctrine classes or in other moments or in their preaching but also in our social conversation sometimes we have to confront people with the truth because that's the greatest charity even if that person might not respond well we try to see it in the right moment in the right way the greatest amount of politeness and courtesy but never weakening the truth love that christ has given us impels us his followers to proclaim to all people the truth that saves but at the same time we have to distinguish truth from error error of which must always be rejected and the one who is in error never loses his dignity as a person, even though he flounders amid false or inadequate religious ideas.

Gaudium et spes of the Second Vatican Council says this very clearly.

St. Josemaria says in Friends of God, a disciple of Christ, will never treat anyone badly.

Error he will call error But he will correct the person in error with kindliness.

We should try and shun all types of falsehood or anything that has the odor of hypocrisy.

And so St. Josemaría in 40337 says, you were reading in that dictionary the synonyms for insincere, two-faced, surreptitious, evasive, disingenuous, sly.

As you close the book, you ask the Lord that nobody would ever be able to apply those adjectives to you.

And you resolve to improve much more in the supernatural and human virtue of sincerity.