Saint Josemaría Escrivá was born in Barbastro, Spain, in 1902.
At the age of two, he nearly died from a serious illness. In the years that followed, three of his younger sisters passed away. Then his family lost much of what they had worked for when financial disaster struck unexpectedly. By the time he reached adulthood, he had already experienced a lifetime of pain, uncertainty, and disappointment.
For most people, such experiences can leave deep wounds. Chronic illness, loss, financial struggles, and daily hardships can easily lead to discouragement, bitterness, and despair.
Saint Josemaría was not most people. He responded differently. Rather than allowing suffering to push him away from God, he allowed suffering to draw him closer to God.
Through life's trials, he developed a profound trust that God remains present even when life feels fragile, unfair, or just outright impossible. He learned that faith is not reserved for the moments when everything is going well. Faith is strengthened through suffering, sacrifice, and ordinary struggles that seem to have no end.
As a young man, Saint Josemaría initially studied to become an architect. Later, however, he discerned a call to the priesthood and was ordained in 1925.
In 1928, he received a revelation that would come to define his life's work: every Christian is called to holiness, not apart from ordinary life, but within it. We do not need to escape our responsibilities, our families, our workplaces, or even our sufferings in order to find God. Instead, God meets us where we are.
Holiness is possible in the middle of everyday life. It is possible for parents caring for children, workers facing exhausting schedules, caregivers tending to loved ones, and those living with chronic pain, fatigue, or disability. God is present not only in extraordinary moments but also in the ordinary routines that make up most of our lives.
Saint Josemaría Escrivá taught that even the most common tasks can become holy when they are carried out with love, obedience, and a desire to serve God and others. The daily effort to persevere through pain, to fulfill one's duties despite limitations, or simply to begin again after a difficult day can become an offering pleasing to God.
To help others live this vision, he gathered his spiritual reflections into a book called “The Way”, a collection of nearly one thousand points for meditation on finding God in the midst of ordinary life.
He also founded Opus Dei, which is Latin for "Work of God." Its mission is to help ordinary men and women discover that their daily lives—their work, their family responsibilities, their struggles, their joys, and their sufferings—can all become pathways to holiness. Members seek to remain close to God through practices such as daily Mass, the reading of Sacred Scripture and other spiritual books, the Rosary, time spent each day in personal prayer, bearing witness to their Christian faith wherever they are, and small acts of self-denial offered in union with Christ's suffering.
On June 26, 1975, Saint Josemaría Escrivá died suddenly in Rome after casting a final loving glance toward an image of Our Lady in his workroom. He was canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II on October 6, 2002.
The enduring message of Saint Josemaría Escrivá is one of hope for ordinary people. As he taught:
"Sanctity is not for a privileged few. The Lord calls all of us. He expects love from all of us—from everyone, wherever they are; from everyone, whatever their state in life, their profession or job. For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity... because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter with Christ."
For those whose days are marked by chronic illness, persistent pain, caregiving responsibilities, financial strain, or simple exhaustion, Saint Josemaría Escrivá offers a consoling reminder: God has not abandoned you to those struggles. He is present within them. The ordinary circumstances of your life—even the difficult ones—can become the very place where you encounter Christ and grow in holiness.
Along with Saint Josemaría Escrivá, praise the Lord, all you peoples.
Thanks be to God!
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