Wednesday Wisdom

WHO?

Saint Josemaría Escriva de Balaguer (1902–1975) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and is best known for his spiritual teachings, his philosophy and approach to life which were grounded in a strong commitment to holiness in everyday activities. Josemaria Escriva attended local schools in Barbastro in northeast Spain on the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. His family moved to Logroño in the Rioja region where his father sought better financial opportunities in the textile industry. Tragedy struck early in his life as four of his siblings died in childhood, and his father’s business faced significant financial struggles, these early life experiences had a lasting impression on Fr. Escriva’s thinking throughout his life.

Father Escriva experienced a sense of spiritual calling at an early age. When he was 16 years old, during a cold winter in Logrono, he saw the snow-covered footprints of a barefoot Carmelite friar. This moment was unremarkable however it was seminal for a young Josemaria, as he believed it was a signal or sign that God had a plan and special mission for him.

What he produced

Father Escriva’s early experiences with loss, financial struggle, and witnessing profound acts of faith shaped his worldview and inspired his later teachings. He understood the sanctity of everyday life and the dignity of ordinary work, these first principles became central to his philosophy. The formative years of his youth and Catholic schooling laid the foundation for his lifelong mission to help people discover God in their daily activities and sanctify themselves through their work and ordinary responsibilities. In 1928 Fr. Escriva founded Opus Dei (Latin for work of God), a lay institution within the Catholic Church that emphasizes the pursuit of holiness in everyday life, especially through one's work and ordinary daily activities. Fr. Escriva emphasized the idea that by finding God in ordinary life, one could achieve holiness not just through religious rituals but by carrying out one's daily duties with love and dedication. A central theme in Fr. Escrivá's philosophy was the sanctification of work. He encouraged individuals to view their professional and everyday tasks as opportunities for spiritual growth. This perspective was rooted in the belief that all honest work could be a means of serving God. Fr. Escriva promoted the idea that holiness is not reserved for a select few but is a universal call for all individuals. In his book Conversations, written in 1968, he expresses these thoughts by writing “Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find him.”

Father Escriva taught about the concept of divine filiation, a tenet of the Catholic church which explains the trinity and emphasizes the idea that we are all children of God. This concept underscored the importance of a personal relationship with God and living according to the teachings of Christ. Fr. Escriva believed in the importance of personal freedom and responsibility. He encouraged individuals to use their free will to choose good and to take responsibility for their actions. This aligns with Catholic moral theology, which emphasizes the role of conscience and free will. The teachings of Fr. Escrivá focused on practical spirituality, realizing the new challenges between faith and modern life. He sought to bridge the gap between faith and everyday existence, providing guidance on how individuals could live their faith authentically, no matter a person’s circumstances. In his book The Way published in 1934, he writes “Sanctity does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us.”

As the founder of Opus Dei, Fr. Escriva sought to embolden everyday working people to live a life of sanctity by serving God through service to your fellow man. For his work in founding Opus Dei and for his heroic virtue and unwavering faith, he was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002. In his canonization ceremony, Pope John Paul praised Fr. Escriva by saying, “He taught that holiness is not reserved for a privileged few. It is something we are all called to, and it consists of carrying out the everyday tasks of life with love, faith, and care.”

2024 why do we care?

Father Escriva encouraged an optimistic and joyful approach to life. He believed that true happiness comes from living a life centered on God and that this joy should be visible to others.

In his book, The Way, Fr. Escriva taught that a deep, personal relationship with God was the foundation of holiness. His writings urge Christians to dedicate their daily activities and work to God as acts of love and dedication. He writes “Love is deeds, not sweet words and useless gestures.” Fr. Escriva also highlighted the importance of loving and serving others as a reflection of one’s love for God. He believed in charity in action, that helping your fellow man, showing kindness, and empathy as a tangible way to live out one’s faith. In his book Conversations, Fr. Escriva writes "Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it."

There is a strength and elegance to living a life of simplicity. A wise man once told me, “All the rest of it is noise, all you need is to love God and love your fellow man, everything else will be taken care of.”

And now you know...

Thanks, Dad, for the gift of curiosity!

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.