text:
Opus Dei: recent newshttps://opusdei.org/2018-08-20T19:23:07+01:00Letter of Pope Francis to the People of God2018-08-20T19:23:07+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/document/letter-of-pope-francis-to-the-people-of-god/A letter by Pope Francis addressed to the People of God about the recent scandals in the Church.From the Pope
"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it" (1 Cor 12:26). These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons. Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike. Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated. The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults.

1. If one member suffers…

In recent days, a report was made public which detailed the experiences of at least a thousand survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately seventy years. Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims. We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away. The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced. But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence it, or sought even to resolve it by decisions that increased its gravity by falling into complicity. The Lord heard that cry and once again showed us on which side he stands. Mary's song is not mistaken and continues quietly to echo throughout history. For the Lord remembers the promise he made to our fathers: "he has scattered the proud in their conceit; he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty" (Lk 1:51-53). We feel shame when we realize that our style of life has denied, and continues to deny, the words we recite.

With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them. I make my own the words of the then Cardinal Ratzinger when, during the Way of the Cross composed for Good Friday 2005, he identified with the cry of pain of so many victims and exclaimed: "How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to [Christ]! How much pride, how much self-complacency! Christ's betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his body and blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison – Lord, save us! (cf. Mt 8:25)" (Ninth Station).

2. … all suffer together with it

The extent and the gravity of all that has happened requires coming to grips with this reality in a comprehensive and communal way. While it is important and necessary on every journey of conversion to acknowledge the truth of what has happened, in itself this is not enough. Today we are challenged as the People of God to take on the pain of our brothers and sisters wounded in their flesh and in their spirit. If, in the past, the response was one of omission, today we want solidarity, in the deepest and most challenging sense, to become our way of forging present and future history. And this in an environment where conflicts, tensions and above all the victims of every type of abuse can encounter an outstretched hand to protect them and rescue them from their pain (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 228). Such solidarity demands that we in turn condemn whatever endangers the integrity of any person. A solidarity that summons us to fight all forms of corruption, especially spiritual corruption. The latter is "a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness. Everything then appears acceptable: deception, slander, egotism and other subtle forms of self-centeredness, for 'even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light' (2 Cor 11:14)" (Gaudete et Exsultate, 165). Saint Paul's exhortation to suffer with those who suffer is the best antidote against all our attempts to repeat the words of Cain: "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9).

I am conscious of the effort and work being carried out in various parts of the world to come up with the necessary means to ensure the safety and protection of the integrity of children and of vulnerable adults, as well as implementing zero tolerance and ways of making all those who perpetrate or cover up these crimes accountable. We have delayed in applying these actions and sanctions that are so necessary, yet I am confident that they will help to guarantee a greater culture of care in the present and future.

Together with those efforts, every one of the baptized should feel involved in the ecclesial and social change that we so greatly need. This change calls for a personal and communal conversion that makes us see things as the Lord does. For as Saint John Paul II liked to say: "If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he wished to be identified" (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 49). To see things as the Lord does, to be where the Lord wants us to be, to experience a conversion of heart in his presence. To do so, prayer and penance will help. I invite the entire holy faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting, following the Lord's command.[1] This can awaken our conscience and arouse our solidarity and commitment to a culture of care that says "never again" to every form of abuse.

It is impossible to think of a conversion of our activity as a Church that does not include the active participation of all the members of God's People. Indeed, whenever we have tried to replace, or silence, or ignore, or reduce the People of God to small elites, we end up creating communities, projects, theological approaches, spiritualities and structures without roots, without memory, without faces, without bodies and ultimately, without lives.[2] This is clearly seen in a peculiar way of understanding the Church's authority, one common in many communities where sexual abuse and the abuse of power and conscience have occurred. Such is the case with clericalism, an approach that "not only nullifies the character of Christians, but also tends to diminish and undervalue the baptismal grace that the Holy Spirit has placed in the heart of our people."[3] Clericalism, whether fostered by priests themselves or by lay persons, leads to an excision in the ecclesial body that supports and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we are condemning today. To say "no" to abuse is to say an emphatic "no" to all forms of clericalism.

It is always helpful to remember that "in salvation history, the Lord saved one people. We are never completely ourselves unless we belong to a people. That is why no one is saved alone, as an isolated individual. Rather, God draws us to himself, taking into account the complex fabric of interpersonal relationships present in the human community. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people" (Gaudete et Exsultate, 6). Consequently, the only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God. This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within. Without the active participation of all the Church's members, everything being done to uproot the culture of abuse in our communities will not be successful in generating the necessary dynamics for sound and realistic change. The penitential dimension of fasting and prayer will help us as God's People to come before the Lord and our wounded brothers and sisters as sinners imploring forgiveness and the grace of shame and conversion. In this way, we will come up with actions that can generate resources attuned to the Gospel. For "whenever we make the effort to return to the source and to recover the original freshness of the Gospel, new avenues arise, new paths of creativity open up, with different forms of expression, more eloquent signs and words with new meaning for today's world" (Evangelii Gaudium, 11).

It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past and allows us, in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion.

Likewise, penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people's sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils. May fasting and prayer open our ears to the hushed pain felt by children, young people and the disabled. A fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combatting all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience.

In this way, we can show clearly our calling to be "a sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race" (Lumen Gentium, 1).

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it," said Saint Paul. By an attitude of prayer and penance, we will become attuned as individuals and as a community to this exhortation, so that we may grow in the gift of compassion, in justice, prevention and reparation. Mary chose to stand at the foot of her Son's cross. She did so unhesitatingly, standing firmly by Jesus' side. In this way, she reveals the way she lived her entire life. When we experience the desolation caused by these ecclesial wounds, we will do well, with Mary, "to insist more upon prayer", seeking to grow all the more in love and fidelity to the Church (SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, Spiritual Exercises, 319). She, the first of the disciples, teaches all of us as disciples how we are to halt before the sufferings of the innocent, without excuses or cowardice. To look to Mary is to discover the model of a true follower of Christ.

May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.

Vatican City, 20 August 2018

[1] "But this kind [of demon] does not come out except by prayer and fasting" (Mt 17:21).

[2] Cf. Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Chile (31 May 2018).

[3] Letter to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (19 March 2016).
In Paraguay: "Mary brings us to Jesus"2018-08-20T13:48:45+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/pastoral-trip-prelate-opus-dei-paraguay/On Monday, 13 August, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz began his pastoral visit to Paraguay. We offer some highlights from each day of the trip.From the Prelate
13 August | 14 August | 15 August| 16 August

16 August

Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz began his last day in Paraguay by preaching in the oratory of La Cumbrera to some faithful of the Prelature. He spoke to them about fraternity, about knowing how to forgive, and about serving. He recalled how Saint Josemaria would say that "charity, more than in giving, consists in understanding," and he encouraged them to be attentive to the needs of others.

After breakfast, the Prelate made his way to the apostolic nunciature to visit Archbishop Eliseo Ariotti, papal nuncio for Paraguay. The meeting was brief and cordial. It was followed by a visit to the Archbishop of Asunción, Edmundo Valenzuela, at the archbishop's house close to the Cathedral. Among other things, they spoke about the recent beatification of "Chiquitunga," the first Paraguayan woman named blessed, who enjoys a widespread popular devotion.

Afterward, the Prelate of Opus Dei visited Campoalto School, an educational project inspired by Saint Josemaría's teaching that has about 600 students. As he entered the school, a bustling passageway was filled with children who were waiting for him, and who greeted him as he made his way to the oratory. In Paraguay, today is the official "day of the child," and Monsignor Ocáriz smiled as he slapped the children's hands and met an enthusiastic response as he walked by quickly.

Also at Campoalto, Ricardo gave the Prelate an exquisitely made Paraguayan crucifix, while Carlos and Rafael, directors at the school, told him about its activities and efforts.

After greeting a group of mothers, the Prelate went to the central courtyard where hundreds of students gathered around him. Monsignor Ocáriz took the microphone and thanked them for having received him at the school and he encouraged them to be good students, good friends to one another, and to be always better friends of Jesus Christ.

At noon, he received families at the Villa Morra Cultural Center. "We are so happy with your visit," they told him. "We will take all this to our friends too – everything we've learned from you today." Gloria also told him, "Come back soon, Father!" To which the Prelate replied, "Let's hope it's not 21 years later, like this time!"

Finally, he made his way to the airport where some young people had come to say good bye. Among them was a young couple with three small children, who took advantage of the opportunity to greet the Prelate as he was leaving.

15 August

The Prelate celebrated the Mass of the Assumption of Our Lady in the oratory of La Cumbrera, the conference center where he is staying. He was quite moved by the experience, finding himself in the city of the Assumption (Asuncion, Paraguay), and also because it was the 47th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

Around mid-morning, there was a get-together with women faithful of the Prelature at the Mariscal López Convention Center. Teresa played a song on the harp that she had also performed for Saint Josemaría in 1974 in Buenos Aires.

In response to the questions people raised, Monsignor Ocáriz spoke about various topics, including love and fidelity in marriage and order and diligence. Monica, a mother of a family, told him that whenever they travel as a family, they entrust themselves to the guardian angels, and that a month ago they had a serious traffic accident, but miraculously no one was hurt. She then asked how the custom of giving a blessing before making a trip arose in the Work. Another person present, Mayra, asked for advice on how to avoid forgetting about God's presence in a chaotic world. The Prelate stressed the importance of order to be able to master complex situations, and thus not to let circumstances dominate us.

After lunch, Monsignor Ocáriz spent some extra time with those he had dined with at the Colonial House. As he entered the living room, those present sang him a song entitled Felicidades ("Congratulations"), a polka tune typically sung on special anniversaries. They also performed a song called Mombyry Guive, which means "From afar" in Guaraní, the native language.

María Angélica, one of the first women who came to start the Work in Paraguay, gave him a gift on behalf of everyone: a chalice made by a Paraguayan goldsmith.

Later, there was another gathering, this time with young people. Angie, Gianni and Guada performed a famous Paraguayan dance, dressed in the traditional dresses. Part of the dance involves balancing bottles on one's head while dancing.

During the get-together, Luisa told the Prelate that she met Opus Dei through a colleague, and that what most impressed her was the possibility of sanctifying her work.

Monsignor Ocáriz also paid a visit to Las Almenas School to bless the new oratory. He greeted Sandra, the school's director, and the other staff as well as the founding families. The 3rd grade students, who will make their First Communion this year, sang him the school hymn as he was arriving. The Prelate then visited the oratory and prayed a Hail Mary with everyone, and later remarked on how beautiful the altarpiece was. He also noticed a commemorative plaque which said that this oratory, dedicated to the Holy Family, is the work of the families and alumni of the school. As he was leaving, he lit a candle while three graduates of the school, two of whom are blind, sang Schubert's Ave Maria.

In another get-together back in the conference center, Juan José recalled how Pope Francis had praised the women of Paraguay, and joked that the comment didn't leave Paraguayan men looking too good. Having brought up the topic, he asked the Prelate how they could combat "machismo" and be more involved in what goes on at home. Monsignor Ocáriz invited him to love his wife more each day and to spend time in prayer thinking of ways to show his affection for her.

Sergio then made the following daring suggestion to the Prelate: that whenever he prays the fourth Glorious mystery of the Rosary (the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven) that he remember to pray specifically for those in Asuncion. He also asked for advice on ways to strengthen conjugal love. Monsignor Ocáriz advised him to learn from the experience of his failures, and to ask God for help.

14 August

Today the Prelate visited the facilities of the new Buenafuente School site, which is attached to La Cumbrera, where he is staying. Although the day was cloudy and drizzling, Monsignor Ocáriz planted a tree with the help of Koki, who works at Buenafuente.

Students from the school support group came early with their parents to greet the Prelate, and sang a traditional song for him. He thanked them for their presence and gave them his blessing. He also distributed candies to the children and lit a candle before an image of Our Lady.

At noon, he greeted several families from Encarnacion, Ciudad del Este and Asuncion. The Feschenko family offered him rosaries they had made themselves, so that the Prelate could give them away as he liked during his trip.

The Portillo family surprised the Prelate with a song that 11-year old Nacho composed for the occasion, including the following lines: "We are the Portillos and here we are with you. We pray always for you, since you bear a great responsibility. Thanks to you, people come to believe; thanks to you, Christianity is increasing."

After lunch, the Prelate made his way to the Colonial House to have another get-together with women of the Work, who had come from all over Paraguay. There was also a small group from Posadas (Argentina) and from Montevideo (Uruguay). One of those present gave him a "piggy bank" with money collected by her niece to distribute to needy people during his trip.

Later, back in the living room at La Cumbrera, he greeted several families and then had a get-together with students. This encounter began with an invitation that they read the Gospel, imagining that each is a character in the scene. He explained that this is a "very good way to be in tune with Jesus Christ."

During the get-together, David asked the Prelate about the best way to prepare for the upcoming synod on youth and vocation. First, pray. Then, trying to discern one's personal vocation, knowing that God has a plan for each one, holiness, and that "what God asks of us is a gift that He gives us."

Diego then jokingly complained about the 21 years that had gone by since the Prelate's last visit to Paraguay, but Monsignor Ocáriz pointed out that 21 years ago Diego was not even born. Diego also expressed his desire to take good advantage of the formation he was receiving, and to not get used to receiving talks on Christian life. Monsignor Ocáriz suggested he try to "recover the eagerness of the first time," since "when a person's faith is alive the desire to know Christ better is strong."

During his visit to the Laguna Grande school, the students gave the Prelate a t-shirt and offered him tereré, a traditional Paraguayan drink. When Martin asked about the good use of cell phones, the Prelate invited him to be honest with himself: what do I look for when using my phone? Ezequiel told him that he does not go to a center of Opus Dei, but that the Work comes to his house instead, because in Encarnacion the means of formation take place at his house. The Prelate told them all that "the apostolate of Opus Dei is in your hands: yours and those of your friends."

In the evening, Saint Christopher Parish was overflowing with people, for the double joy of celebrating the Feast of the Assumption, patroness of the city, and taking part in the Mass presided over by Monsignor Ocáriz.

In the intentions for the Mass, Bishop Rogelio Livieres was remembered on the third anniversary of his death. He was the first priest of the Work from Paraguay, and Bishop Emeritus of Ciudad del Este.

In the homily, the Prelate highlighted the relationship between the feast of the Assumption and the history of the city. He also said that "through the Assumption, Our Lady is now closer to us, since she is now so closely united to God that she is able to listen to us and be present with each and every one of us." He stressed that "she listens to us as a mother," and that "Heaven is very close to us, through her maternal mediation. She is always ready to listen to us. This should encourage us to go to Our Lady more often, to have more confidence in her intercession, specifically in ways that the Church's tradition offers us: the rosary and other devotions. But always with filial affection, because we are truly children of the one who is God's Mother."

At the end, the Prelate spoke about the importance of service: "In the Gospel that we just heard, the first thing Our Lady does is to think about her cousin, setting out quickly, in a hurry, and then she stays for several months helping her."

"This present us," he continued, "with the path for giving ourselves to others, for serving them. Let us go to Our Lady frequently, and ask her to teach us to serve, to understand others, to make excuses, to be concerned about others. In this way, Mary will lead us to Jesus. "

In the evening, he dined with priests who are members of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. Father Bernardo told him about his teaching efforts and his apostolic work in a poor neighborhood of Ciudad del Este. And he pointed out that both of them were on the eve of the anniversary of their ordinations. He was celebrating five years as a priest and the Prelate forty-seven.

13 August

On an unusually cool day, the Prelate arrived in Asunción, where he admired the abundance of "lapacho" trees in full bloom, typical of the city's landscape.

Monsignor Ocáriz greeted several families who came to welcome him at the airport, with their lively young children. The Tapia family was ready with a welcoming poster, while Ricardo greeted the Prelate in both Spanish and Guaraní, the official language of the country. The Gonzalez family, together with the Portillos, the Prietos, and the Colmans, offered flowers and small gifts to the Prelate, while their children played with colored balloons. The atmosphere, full of affection, was one of peace and joy.

A short while later, Monsignor Ocáriz arrived at La Cumbrera, the retreat house where he will stay for the next few days. He greeted a group of women who were waiting for him there, and they received him with loud applause, using the typical local greeting, "Mbaéichapa Padre," which means, "How are you, Father?" In addition, they sang a song entitled "We welcome you."
Hyeunmin's Noon Appointment2018-08-17T19:17:11+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/hyeunmins-noon-appointment/Although she wasn't a believer, Hyeunmin accompanied a friend at work every day during their lunch break to pray the Angelus in a nearby church. Thus began her journey to the faith in Seoul, Korea.Personal testimonies
I met Opus Dei thanks to a friend of mine at work. During lunch, my friend always goes to a church near the office and there she prays the Angelus, an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.

I was not a believer, but I was curious and sympathetic towards Catholicism, and I began to accompany my friend to the church to pray. I even memorized the prayers. She also taught me how to pray the rosary while we were taking a walk during lunchtime. Thanks to this, I now go to church and pray the rosary, and I have realized that our Lord is involved in everything that happens to me.

Later on, my friend invited me to an Opus Dei center, and after a year of receiving catechism classes, I was baptized. Now, I am also a cooperator of Opus Dei.

Frequently, the problems I faced at work, also with my colleagues, made me suffer. Before I was a believer, it was hard and painful to resolve or accept those problems. I didn't feel responsible at all for those situations, and therefore I didn't examine my own attitude or behavior. After receiving baptism, I began to attend the means of formation that Opus Dei offers and to receive spiritual guidance from a priest. Talking with the priest, I discovered my own share of responsibility in the frictions I experienced with my colleagues.

When I attend the activities offered at the center of the Work, I learn how a believer should behave and make the resolution to be constant in my prayers. And I try to put into practice the things I am learning through spiritual guidance.

My dispositions, both internal and external, have begun to change. I have understood the importance of daily prayer and I am beginning to have a deeper interior life. And I understand better and accept more easily the things that happen to me throughout the day.
In Bolivia: "Apostolate means loving people"2018-08-14T18:30:06+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/the-prelate-of-opus-dei-in-bolivia/From August 8 to 13, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz made his first pastoral visit as Prelate to Bolivia. This article offers some highlights from each day of the trip.From the Prelate
8-9 August | 10 August | 11 August| 12 August | 13 August

13 August
The last part of Monsignor Ocáriz's visit to Bolivia took place in Santa Cruz, with two encounters with the people of the Work and other friends held right in one of the airport lounges. Because of a cancelled flight, the Prelate could not visit the centers of this city.

At lunch, Santiago told the Prelate the story of the first supernumerary from Santa Cruz: Alberto Seleme, a psychiatrist who studied at the University of Navarra and met Saint Josemaría. Seleme asked for admission to Opus Dei during one of Father Danilo's trips to Santa Cruz, before there was even a center in the country. Shortly thereafter he died of cancer. When Sutó—a new center of Opus Dei in Santa Cruz—was under construction, the streets in the area were marked with numbers. However, eventually names were assigned, and the street on which Sutó lies was called "Dr. Alberto Seleme." From that moment on, the people there prayed to him as a special intercessor to bring their initiatives forward.

During the get-together, the Prelate stressed that "apostolate means loving people." Those present asked him about family issues and social involvement, prayer and raising children. The Bolivians could not resist giving the Prelate a "camba" sombrero, along with hugs and blessings.

There was time for several questions. People were interested to know how the Prelate met Opus Dei, and the names of his parents. Other questions dealt with the meaning of suffering following the loss of a child and practicing the faith in one's family. After about 25 minutes, around 5:30, the Prelate departed in a flight headed to Asunción, in Paraguay.

12 August

In the morning, the Prelate visited several Centers and various educational and social initiatives promoted by the faithful of Opus Dei, cooperators and friends.

At 10:45, a group of girls who attend activities at the Hontanar Club were waiting for him there at this center. Pili, Susy and Ely—the team that directs the club—welcomed him and told him about the advantages of enjoying a new site for the club as of this past year. After lighting a candle and praying the Salve before a beautiful image of Our Lady, they greeted him and took a picture in the garden, along with girls from Peru and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

Following this encounter, the Prelate paid a visit to Horizons School. In the music room, a stage had been set up to have a get-together with teachers and administrative staff. Monsignor Ocáriz reminded them of the importance of their work of formation and the human and Christian education they provide there. In responding to a question by Caro, a math teacher as well as a volunteer firefighter, the Prelate said that, through teaching math, it was possible to help others find God. Before visiting the school's chapel, which is dedicated to Saint Josemaría, he blessed two pregnant teachers.

The morning concluded with a Holy Mass for families, held at the Cumbre School. The Eucharistic concelebration was held in the school's sports center, which was specially prepared for the occasion. Several families helped out by doing the readings and prayers of the faithful, singing in the choir, and bringing up the gifts. In the homily, Monsignor Ocáriz commented on the prophet Elijah: "In our lives, there is a long way to go, with easy moments and difficult ones. In easy moments, we should thank God; and when things are difficult, let us trust in Him." Referring to the day's Gospel, he said that it was in the Eucharist that we find the strength to sanctify our ordinary lives, to "be concerned about the needs of others, in our families and at work." He ended by invoking Mary, Mediator of all graces.

He had lunch at the Huayna Club, where he also gave a brief talk to a group of boys, including some Peruvians who had been in Juli for a service project. Following this, he visited the CEFIM, a gastronomy institute that has helped women for the past 29 years to improve their employment opportunities. Part of the trip was by cable car, during which Diego, an engineer who specializes in this system of transport, told the Prelate about the functioning of the network, as he also pointed out sites in the city from their aerial view.

At the CEFIM, the Prelate spoke with the staff, teachers, students and the women who assist this project, and was shown around the facilities. Brisa told him about "La Especiería," a brand of desserts that CEFIM recently launched. While touring the building, Monsignor Ocáriz laughed with students who insisted that he try the different dishes they had prepared for the occasion: fruit wedges, juices, etc. Several students asked him to bless their hands: their "instrument" of work. With everyone, the Prelate had words of thanks and encouragement for the work being done at the Institute. In Illawa, a student residence next to the CEFIM, the residents were waiting for his visit following the tour of the school. As he made his way there, he also met briefly with the families of Lidia, Claudia and Basi, all of whom work at CEFIM.

Afterwards, Monsignor Ocáriz went to Thaki, where many families and a group of cooperators from Cochabamba were able to spend time with him. The children were thrilled with the candy the Father gave to each of them. There were photos, selfies, questions, and, of course, prayer requests for specific intentions.

The day ended with dinner at Rio Abajo as well as a final get-together, where they sang a song to Our Lady written by one of those present that describes the geography and people of the area. The Prelate thanked them for all the affectionate care he had received over the last few days.

11 August

The day was full of get-togethers with the Prelate: two in the garden of La Estancia Convention Center and one in Río Abajo, the retreat house where Monsignor Ocáriz is staying. A bright blue sky featured as the backdrop for these outdoor encounters.

In the first gathering, Monsignor Ocáriz started out by recalling the faith of Saint Josemaría, and commented on the Gospel of the day: "Faith moves mountains; nothing is impossible for those who have faith. So we should be people with great faith, and great trust in God. Trusting that God has chosen us as we are." And he added: "This also means that we should always be very happy, despite the difficulties."

Natalia, from Santa Cruz, said that the day after she met the Work, she was already helping to find funds for various needs of the center and so she felt herself to be part of the project. Valeria, from Cochabamba, also spoke, as well as Katterine, an Olympic swimmer who lives in Santa Cruz. And then Leo, from Potosí, explained how she met the Work through a supernumerary from Mendoza (Argentina) with whom she worked.

In the afternoon, the Prelate spent time in Río Abajo amidst a relaxed atmosphere of jokes and anecdotes. At four o'clock, the get-together with students began, the setting warmed by a welcome poster: "Father! Thanks for being here!" In the garden, some of the girls danced a typical Bolivian dance, dressed in the traditional costumes of La Paz, Cochabamba, Potosí, Tarija and Chuquisaca.

Lucia asked about how to be consistent with one's goals, and the Prelate stressed the importance of the virtue of order, especially when we need to make time to pray amid daily occupations.

Rafaela, 15, described how she had been in intensive care for several days a few months ago, and that it had brought her closer to God. She asked how each person could discover what God wants from them. Monsignor Ocáriz suggested asking, in one's prayer, for light to see and strength to want to.

The evening get-together in Rio Abajo began with a welcome from José. Speaking in Quechua, he recalled the 40 years since the beginning of the apostolic work of Opus Dei in Bolivia. On behalf of all the cooperators of the Work in the country, Carlos gave the Prelate a colonial-style Crucifix, which possibly belonged to the venerable Virginia Blanco (this is being investigated).

In reply to several different questions, the Prelate stressed the same answer: "For every need, the first thing is prayer." And expanding on this idea, on learning that one of those present would soon make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Monsignor Ocáriz insisted that "we are not following a life-scheme, but a Person," namely, Jesus. Finally, as on other occasions during this pastoral trip, he highlighted the importance of the apostolate with families for the Church. In particular, he made an appeal for "true friendship among families" to help each other along the path of Christian life.

After dinner, he thanked all those who had prepared a buffet of traditional food for the occasion.

10 August

After a morning of personal conversations, the Prelate met with a group of women in La Casita, an area of the Río Abajo conference center. They received him singing "Paint Me Bolivia", a song that describes the different geographical areas of the country.

During the get-together, Lydia told the Prelate about the recent death of two brothers and the serious illness of another. Monsignor Ocáriz encouraged her to become stronger, with hope and prayer, and at the same time he asked everyone present to pray for the whole family at that moment. Carmen, a psychologist and mother of three children, told him that 21 years ago, Bishop Echevarría, the previous Prelate of Opus Dei, had blessed her baby when she was still pregnant. Now, in a new stage of her life, she is opening the doors of her house to organize classes for cooperators of the Work, in addition to catechism classes and a circulating library.

At the end of the encounter, Monsignor Ocáriz planted an acacia tree in the garden and greeted the family of Santiago and Leticia.

In the afternoon, in Rio Abajo he received the Archbishop of La Paz, Edmundo Abastoflor, and also the auxiliary bishop and secretary of the Bishops' Conference, Bishop Aurelio Pesoa, as well as and the military bishop, Bishop Fernando Bascopé. It was a very pleasant and warm meeting, during which they spoke about the challenges faced by the Church in Bolivia and in the world. At the end, they took a photograph, promised mutual prayers, and also prayed together a Hail Mary.

The Prelate also met with a group of students from La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. Nicolás, Jorge and Joaquín danced a Tinku that, as Diego explained, is a pre-Inca warrior dance from Potosí. They received applause and a hug of thanks from the Prelate.

Back in the living room, they also told the Prelate anecdotes and asked several questions: regarding the relationship between science and faith, the commitment to move the country forward, sincerity with oneself about one's use of time with regard to watching movies and television series, suggestions on how to combat laziness, and generosity in helping others…

Lucas played a tango on the organ and also shared his appreciation of social networks. Nicolas asked about how to distinguish between charity and arrogance when he had to correct one of his younger brothers. The Prelate proposed a "system": joy. "If you're going to say something with anger or annoyance, there is pride there. On the other hand, if you are joyful, this is already a sign of charity. " He added: "It shouldn't be a reaction due to something that has bothered you, but always something that can really help the other person."

Responding to Juani (who had given the Prelate a traditional hat, typical of the Andean regions of Bolivia), Monsignor Ocáriz highlighted the Christian virtue of patriotism: "The country where we grow up has given us a lot, and we have a duty to correspond." Seeing the need for development in the country leads us to be generous in "being active for the common good and not only our own good. We are responsible for the whole of society, and not just our own things."

When it began to get dark, the house took on another tone as it was filling up with the 24 families who had come to greet the Prelate that night. Daniel and Carla, both with doctorates in Physics, proposed a Physics riddle to Monsignor Ocáriz, something having to do with Newton and Pascal, which relaxed the environment so that they could introduce him to their seven children.

Maria Eugenia showed the Prelate a picture of her son, Mauricio, who died at the age of 39 after falling from the roof of a church he was helping to restore.

The day concluded with a photo presentation summarizing the 40 years of apostolic work in Bolivia, which featured Father Danilo, who actually met Opus Dei in the United States, along with Father Gabriel and Alberto; they were the first three who, on June 7, 1978, landed in La Paz to begin the Work there. The slideshow also included images from the trip made by Bishop Javier Echevarría in 1997, and the Prelate was happy to recognize Nancy, the little girl who had sat next to him on the stage couch.

8-9 August

On Wednesday, 8 August, the Prelate set foot on Bolivian soil, arriving from Buenos Aires in the afternoon. The plane made a stop in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and, while waiting for the flight to La Paz, Monsignor Ocáriz had an opportunity to converse at the airport with a group of Opus Dei faithful who live in that city. He encouraged all those present to continue working with optimism, joy and hope. They said good bye singing the traditional song "Camba, enchanted land," which evokes the surrounding green fields, rivers, aromas, and the sweetness of ripe sugar cane.

The Prelate arrived at El Alto airport, at 4000 meters above sea level, towards the end of the day. There he greeted Father Marcelo, vicar of Opus Dei in Bolivia, as well as some other Bolivian members of the Work. The Medina family gave him a ceramic boat, typical of the country. From there, Monsignor Ocáriz traveled to Río Abajo, the retreat house where he will stay until Monday, in an area 3050 meters above seal level. Thursday was a calm day, so as to have some time to get used to the altitude.

Diego, one of those who had come to greet the Prelate, told some anecdotes about the cable car network in La Paz, the largest in the world. Sebastian spoke about a new educational project in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Mountain excursions, anecdotes about work and family: these are the small stories that make up the day to day of the Work's activities in these lands.

In the afternoon at Río Abajo, the Prelate met with a group of women members of the Work, from both Bolivia and Peru. They greeted him with the typical Aymara greeting, very warm and welcoming: "¡Jallalla, Father!", which expresses a combination of hope, celebration and joy.

During the encounter, Loli gave the Prelate a huge key on behalf of the members of the Hontanar youth club, who wanted to invite him to visit their new club building that has just opened its doors. Basi told him about an event they had organized to raise funds for the oratory at Illawa, another one of the centers in La Paz, and offered the Prelate a little wooden donkey. Monsignor Ocáriz was especially grateful for the work of the people who look after the domestic services in the conference center and encouraged them all in their efforts to help people draw close to God, without worrying about the difficulties.

Another member of the Work, Alejandra, lost her husband in an accident eleven years ago when her daughter was just five days old. She told the Prelate that after receiving a big favor from Blessed Alvaro, he became her main ally in her efforts to carry out a social project for boys living on the street. Later on, they sang a song to Our Lady of Copacabana, composed by Susana, one of the first members of the Work to bring Opus Dei to Bolivia in 1979.

Later on in the afternoon, Monsignor Ocáriz had tea with Fernando and Clemente, both priests, and they offered him some typical products from the area of Juli: chuspa and lluchu. In the evening, Carlos gave the Prelate some donkey-shaped pins, a gift from Marcelo and Akemi, which were to be given away, after being blessed, to people who share Saint Josemaria's "theology of the donkey": hard work, day after day, that produces abundant fruit.
Lessons Atop Mt. Kenya2018-08-12T16:07:40+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/lessons-atop-mt-kenya/Every year, staff, students and friends from Eastlands College of Technology in Nairobi get together to climb the third highest peak in Kenya, at 4,999m above sea level.Recent News
This year, they were joined by a similar group from a university residence in Ireland. The climb, spread over several days of measured walking, involved spending time with others and learning to stop and admire something beautiful, as well as growth in companionship. Both these themes were touched on by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Laudato Si; themes that the Holy Father says help all of us to learn how to treat things (nature, the environment and animals) with respect, and consequently other people.
Seeing Christ in Every Sick Person2018-08-09T19:26:49+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/seeing-christ-in-every-sick-person/Walé Medical-Social Center, an outpatient clinic in Ivory Coast, is helping meet some serious health care challenges in the surrounding districts. An interview with its founder. Social initiatives
Interview with Manuel Lago

Naval Architect and founder of Walé Medical-Social Center, Ivory Coast

"Travel with Purpose" is a week-long self-funded annual trip to an African country by Harambee Africa International supporters and members. In May 2018, 13 men and women from the US, Spain, Italy and Switzerland visited several elementary schools, vocational centers and health clinics in Ivory Coast that have benefited from Harambee's grants. They were able to see first hand the impact of Harambee donors' support.

Walé Medical-Social Center, an outpatient clinic in Ivory Coast, is a powerful example of what one person can do with the grace of God and the generosity of people who may live continents away.

Walé serves the needs of Yamoussoukro and Tomboukro, two communities centrally located in Ivory Coast. The clinic delivers a wide range of general practice services as well as medical imaging, HIV/AIDs treatment, vaccine administration, obstetrics, pediatric care and follow-up services to patients with chronic diseases. The group met with the head of the center, Manuel Lago, and interviewed him for this article.

Thank you for accommodating our visit. I detect the trace of a Spanish accent. How did you end up in Ivory Coast?

I was born in Vigo, a relatively small city but an important fishing port in northwest Spain. I studied naval engineering in Madrid and then went to Bilbao to work in the shipbuilding industry there. In 1980, the head of Opus Dei at that time, Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, asked me if I would be willing to go to Ivory Coast to start the apostolic work of Opus Dei there. I was delighted and accepted the offer.

The first steps must have been difficult!

When I arrived here, I could see that it was a great country with very kind people, but with many problems due to poverty and a lack of formation. Young people were disoriented and confused about their traditional values as they faced changes in society and the challenges of the modern world. I worked as a professor of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machines in an engineering school. That gave me the chance to partner with other Ivorians and Europeans to promote various initiatives in scientific, cultural, human and spiritual Christian formation.

Tell me about the journey from there to starting a medical clinic.

It was obvious right from the start that urgent problems were related to health. It was tragic to see the number of people who die due to lack of medical assistance. What especially caught my attention was the prevalence of malaria. Malaria is a disease that can be cured in three or four days with a treatment that costs about $5. And yet, it is the leading cause of mortality in Africa, far ahead of HIV AIDS, with 1.5 million deaths per year.

After that, the insufficiency of proper care for prenatal services and the woeful conditions for deliveries and neonatal care struck me as something of paramount importance.

How do you even begin to jumpstart a medical clinic?

The idea for the clinic came after laying the groundwork in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast. With the help of some friends, we organized health care campaigns for people in need in the poor neighborhoods of Abidjan and in the surrounding villages. Medical students dedicated their time during school holidays to those campaigns. It was a drop of water to put out a fire. But in my view, in addition to helping a few hundred patients each year, we were awakening their conscience and building solidarity among these medical students who will become future doctors.

In 2002, I retired from my teaching job. After 20 years of health campaigns, we had established a relationship with the medical students. This aspect of the infrastructure, in my view, is fundamental. If social projects are not well rooted in the country, if they depend solely on the initiative and effort of foreigners, the sustainability is subject to risks and the foundation could be shaky. But because we worked with Ivorian health professional volunteers and medical students, the program was instituted by local people.

With other friends, we created the Association Ivoirienne pour la Formation Universitaire et Professionnelle (AIFUP). We decided to launch a primary health center in Yamoussoukro, and in 2004 the Walé Medical-Social Center was born.

One of those young doctors who we had met as a student had the generosity to choose to work with us and curb his ambition for monetary gains. A retired nurse came to provide her medical and human experience, her sympathy and great heart. Fourteen years later, she continues to collaborate with us, especially in the rural development projects in Walé's branch in Tomboukro.

Tell us more about your expansion to Tomboukro.

Tomboukro is a village located about 35 km from Yamousoukro. Walé created a branch there in 2012 so that we could provide health care to the population of several villages in the area. We also organize literacy projects, classes in hygiene and nutrition, and training in activities that generate income, such as agriculture, to help the women in the villages.

Has Walé grown over the years?

Absolutely! In 2004, Walé was a ground floor house of about 300m2 on a 1000m2 lot, with one doctor, a nurse and a European dedicated to finding funds to launch the project. The first structure, along with minimal furnishings and equipment, was funded by the autonomous government of La Rioja, a region in Spain. An NGO from the same region, COOPERA, gave us a helping hand.

Fourteen years later, Walé has about 40 permanent employees, performs on average 30,000 consultations and 50,000 medical examinations per year, has an X-ray and ultrasound service, and is a reference center in the care of patients living with HIV/AIDS.

What is Walé's reputation in the community?

Everyone in Yamoussoukro knows about Walé's high standard of service, accompanied by human warmth. The people appreciate the low cost and that when someone cannot pay, we don't close the door. No one is turned away. Our experience in that sense is very positive. Often, when applying for grants from Western countries, we are required to obtain the recommendation of local ethnic groups: the Baoulés, the Dioulás, the Mossís, etc. Their answer is always resoundingly enthusiastic.

Let me share a story with you that reflects Walé's reputation in the community. One day a young man was brought to the center by a taxi. The taxi driver told us that the boy was found on the ground and some good Samaritans passing by put him in a taxi and instructed the driver to take him to Walé. They paid for the transportation. The boy had a peritonitis that needed an emergency operation. Since we do not have an operating room, we took him to another clinic to be operated on. In short, the good Samaritans knew Walé would take responsibility for getting the boy the treatment he needed.

The boy recovered from the illness. I recently learned that he is in the seminary and that he will be ordained a priest shortly.

How has Harambee helped Walé over the years?

Harambee has helped us several times, especially in projects related to health, nutrition and hygiene. Your grants have underwritten training and awareness of mothers on these issues, hygiene and nutrition classes, and delivery of nutritional supplements for children suffering from malnutrition when the family can not pay for them.

The issue is especially important in the case of mothers living with HIV AIDS. When a pregnant woman is diagnosed as seropositive, she is put on treatment, and in 100% of cases we deliver a healthy baby. But later, breast milk would present risks, especially after the first six months. When the family does not have the money to buy milk and the necessary supplements (cereals etc.), Walé, with the help of Harambee, would provide it for them. Currently, we have about 90 infants under the age of 18 months who are receiving supplements from us.

How have you incorporated the spirit of Opus Dei at Walé?

The spirit of Opus Dei is putting love of God and love for others into ordinary life, which is what we do everyday. Certainly, the desire to love and serve God and others, especially those who are in need, was a primary deciding factor in establishing Walé. Then, doing things as well as possible. We remember what Saint Josemaría, the founder of Opus Dei, taught us: to see Christ in every sick person. When Bishop Javier Echevarría visited us in 2011, he reminded us of that teaching, and urged us to be "present" for others.

Because most of our patients are very poor, they delay coming to the doctor until they are seriously ill, so this advice is relevant. The fact that most patients are Muslims or animists does not change anything. All the staff at Walé are genuinely interested in treating each person. They never lose site of the fact that this is a child of God.

– Isabel Macalintal, President

Harambee USA Foundation, www.Harambeeusa.org

Donations to Walé may be sent via credit card or Paypal through Harambee USA Foundation. Harambeeusa.org/how-to-help/donate and put "Walé" in the memo field.
"Let Him give true depth to our heart's desires"2018-08-09T15:02:07+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/let-him-give-true-depth-to-our-hearts-desires/On Wednesday August 8, continuing his catechesis on the ten commandments, Pope Francis spoke about the dangers of idolatry in Christian life.From the Pope
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Let us continue today to meditate on the Decalogue, looking more closely at the theme of idolatry: we spoke about it last week. Now we will take up the theme again as it is very important to know about it. Let us take our cue from the quintessential idol, the golden calf, mentioned in the Book of Exodus (32: 1-8) – we have just heard a passage. This episode has a precise context: the desert, where the people await Moses, who climbed the mountain to receive instructions from God.

What is the desert? It is a place where precariousness and insecurity reign – in the desert there is nothing – where water is lacking, food is lacking, and shelter is lacking. The desert is an image of human life, whose condition is uncertain and has no inviolable guarantees. This insecurity generates in man primary anxieties, which Jesus mentions in the Gospel: "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?" (Mt 6:31). They are the primary concerns, and the desert provokes these concerns.

And in that desert something happens that triggers idolatry: "Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain" (Ex 32: 1). He stayed there for forty days and the people grew impatient. The reference point, who was Moses, is missing: the leader the head, the reassuring guide, and this becomes unsustainable. Then the people ask for a visible god to be able to identify and orientate themselves. And they say to Aaron: "Come, make us gods who will go before us! Make us a head, make us a leader!" Human nature, to escape from precariousness – the precariousness of the desert – seeks a "do-it-yourself" religion: if God does not show Himself, we make ourselves a made-to-measure god. "Before an idol, there is no risk that we will be called to abandon our security, for idols 'have mouths, but they cannot speak' (Ps 115: 5). Idols exist, we begin to see, as a pretext for setting ourselves at the centre of reality and worshipping the work of our own hands" (Encyclical Lumen fidei, 13).

Aronne can not oppose the people's requests, and he creates a golden calf. The calf had a twofold meaning in the ancient Near East: on the one hand it represented fruitfulness and abundance, and on the other it represented energy and strength. But above all it is golden, so it is a symbol of wealth, success, power and money. These are the great idols: success, power and money. These are the temptations of all time! Here is what the golden calf is: the symbol of all the desires that give the illusion of freedom, and instead enslave, because the idol always enslaves. It is appealing, and you go. That charm of the snake, who looks at the little bird and the bird stays there, without being able to move, and the snake takes him. Aaron did not know how to resist it.

But everything stems from the inability to trust above all in God, to place our safety in Him, to let Him give true depth to our heart's desires. This also allows us to bear weakness, uncertainty and insecurity. Reference to God makes us strong in weakness, uncertainty and even in precariousness. Without God's primacy one easily falls into idolatry and settles for meagre assurances. But this is a temptation we always read in the Bible. And think carefully about this: freeing the people from Egypt did not cost God much work; He did so with a sign of power, of love. But the great work of God was removing Egypt from the heart of the people, that is, removing idolatry from the heart of the people. And God still continues to work to remove it from our hearts. This is God's great task: removing "the Egypt" that we carry within ourselves, that is the fascination of idolatry.

When we welcome the God of Jesus Christ, who made Himself poor for us (cf. 2 Cor 8: 9), we discover that recognizing our weakness is not the misfortune of human life, but it is the condition for opening up to He Who is truly strong. Then God's salvation enters through the door of weakness (cf. 2 Cor 12:10): it is because of his own insufficiency that man opens himself to the fatherhood of God. Man's freedom arises from letting the true God be the only Lord. This allows us to accept our own fragility and reject the idols of our hearts.

We Christians turn our gaze to Christ crucified (cf. Jn 19:37), Who is weak, despised and stripped of all possession. But in Him the face of the true God is revealed, the glory of love and not that of glittering deception. Isaiah says: "By his wounds we are healed" (53: 5). We have been healed precisely by the weakness of a man Who was God, by His wounds. And from our weakness, we can open ourselves up to God's salvation. Our healing comes from He Who became poor, Who accepted failure, Who took our precariousness to its limit so as to fill it with love and strength. He comes to reveal to us the fatherhood of God; in Christ our fragility is no longer a curse, but a place of encounter with the Father and the source of a new force from above.
Video Highlights of the Prelate in Argentina2018-08-08T07:09:35+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/prelate-opus-dei-argentina-pastoral-visit-2018/Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz has concluded his pastoral visit to Argentina. We offer a video summary and an article describing the trip.From the Prelate
August 2 | August 3 | August 4 | August 5 | August 6| August 7| August 8

August 8

On his final day in Argentina, the Prelate said good bye to Our Lady at the Sanctuary of Luján, just as Saint Josemaria did in 1974.

Before entering the basilica, he stopped to greet a group of women who look after the Marangatú Center, an initiative begun by members of Opus Dei together with cooperators that seeks to foster the integral development of women and the family. The women showed him a collage of photos from the various projects they are carrying out. Monsignor Ocáriz wrote a brief dedication on it: "Always faithful, always joyful."

The Prelate also greeted the board of the Marzano Foundation, an institution that, since 1974, promotes rural development and social inclusion through nine schools in the provinces of Mendoza, Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. Monsignor Ocáriz congratulated them on a new project that was recently launched in Luján: the Aromos Training Center. He also encouraged them to keep going in the face of challenges; he assured them that they were doing important work and advised them to work together very closely. When offered a picture showing the chronology of the Rural Training Centers, the Prelate wrote these words: "With my most affectionate blessing for all those who carry out this magnificent work in the Rural Training Centers."

Inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, the Prelate prayed silently for a few minutes. He also prayed the Salve Regina before the famed statue of Our Lady of Luján, which has been in Argentina since 1630. Later on, he paid a visit to one of the lateral chapels where an image of Saint Josemaria was placed in 2009. The image includes a quote from the Founder of Opus Dei, spoken on 26 June 1974 during his visit to Argentina: "I long to stay with you all. And when I leave, I will remain at the feet of Our Lady of Luján: that's where I'm leaving my heart. My children: thank you. I give thanks to God, to you and to Our Lady of Luján. Because I came here and because I am leaving, but I will come back; and what's more, I will stay here."

In the Basilica's visitor book, the Prelate wrote the following words: "With the joy of having prayed in this sanctuary of Our Lady of Luján, following in the footsteps of Saint Josemaria, I place my intentions before Mary's intercession, praying for the whole nation of Argentina." Fr. Lucas, the priest at the basilica, offered him several prayer cards of Our Lady of Luján with pieces of a shawl that was once placed around her image.

In the afternoon, the Prelate went to the Ezeiza airport to head to Bolivia, where he will continue his pastoral trip in Latin America.

August 7

Today, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz visited the Pilar Campus of Universidad Austral (Austral University), of which he is the honorary Rector. Just a few meters away from the entrance of the university, the Prelate was affectionately greeted by families, teachers and students from the nearby Los Candiles and Los Caminos schools and the Cauquén kindergarden.

The Prelate visited the Austral Hospital, and then the Graduate School and the Business School, where he spoke with representatives from all the academic departments of the University.

During the encounter, the Prelate was introduced to a student from the Faculty of Communication who went deeper in her faith while at the University. On behalf of the Health Sciences faculty, Dr. Ernesto Beruti, head of Obstetrics at Austral's Hospital, offered the Prelate a synthesis of the contribution made by the University in the recent abortion debates. Carolina Dams, the first doctoral student at IAE Business School, spoke about the happiness that comes from working each day for love and to give glory to God.

 Monsignor Ocáriz highlighted the good work being done by the University: "The concept of a university implies a unity, not a group of independent elements. It is a universality of fields of learning, professors and students forming a unity. The interdisciplinary character of the faculties, hospital and business school make up a whole, as does the unity among all of you, at all levels. I have seen this here, and this unity and interdisciplinary work gives me a lot of joy. Strive to achieve this, because it is an essential condition to be effective and make progress; help each other, share things, and strive to support one another so that nobody feels isolated."

He also highlighted the importance of having a spirit of overcoming obstacles, "not for one's personal affirmation, but in order to serve the others better."

Afterward, the Prelate of Opus Dei received a diploma as the Honorary Rector of the University, a title that was given to him by the Superior Council in March 2017.

During the visit, Monsignor Ocáriz also greeted a number of families, including Enrique and Lili who were waiting for him in front of the hospital chaplaincy, with their eight-year-old twins. Enrique, a professor of Economics at the University of San Andrés, suffers from an advanced form of cancer. He wanted to thank the Prelate for his closeness and offer him a book containing all the academic papers he has published since 2005. Enrique remarked that Saint Josemaría had insisted on putting the last stones in one's professional work and that, for an academic, to publish articles is to put the last stone.

In the Neonatology unit, the Prelate spoke with Caroline and Juan, parents of a new-born baby, Clementina, who suffers from a severe genetic syndrome. Also Analía, the mother of twins who were born before the 30th week of gestation and are recovering in the hospital, had the opportunity to talk with the Prelate and share her experience.

Throughout the day, the Prelate greeted students, teachers, professors, and administrative staff who came by to show him photos of their families, give him letters and gifts, or just to ask for prayers.

Upon leaving the campus, after an emblematic photo in front of IAE's main building, the Prelate crossed the Austral Park and greeted people from the Arboleda center, located close-by.

With the sunset as the backdrop, about twenty families from Buenos Aires had the opportunity to spend time with the Prelate in La Chacra, taking home with them joyful words of advice.

August 6

In the morning, Monsignor Ocáriz visited Cardinal Poli before making his way to Barracas, where he greeted the school communities connected to Cross of the South and Good Counsel schools.

Boys from Cross of the South school received the Prelate singing a song called "Siempre alegres" ("Always joyful"), a song that has a Salesian origin. At the end of the song, the Father asked for the lyrics to be able to read them later in the car on the way to their next encounter. The refrain of the song says, "We seek a holiness that consists in always being happy," and another verse says, "A saint who is sad is a sad saint; our sanctity is to serve God with joy."

Martin, one of the boys at the school, presented the Prelate with drawings done by his classmates during "Saint Josemaría Week." These drawings had been on display in one of the principal hallways of the school. On behalf of the whole school, he also gave the Prelate a chess set, a favorite pastime among the students.

These schools carry out an educational project open to students from all social levels, in constant contact with the families. Good Counsel school recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, and Pope Francis sent a letter of congratulations via the school chaplain, Father Pedro Velasco Suárez. Years ago, the then-cardinal Bergoglio blessed an image of Our Lady in the school, and the girls presented that image to the Prelate today. Afterward, Monsignor Ocáriz gave them a relic of Saint Josemaría to have in their chapel.

"I asked him for a piece of advice for all the teachers at the school," said Sofia, one of the teachers, following the get-together, "and he told me to never forget to enkindle Christ's love in the heart of each student." The gathering also included songs, violins, flutes, guitars, greetings, a bouquet of flowers for Our Lady and questions posed to the Prelate by the students.

In the afternoon, the Prelate paid a visit to the nunciature for a cordial visit with Monsignor Léon Kalenga Badikebele, who arrived in the country last June.

Finally, Monsignor Ocáriz presided over the concelebration of the Eucharist for the Feast of the Transfiguration, at Saint Benedict Parish in Buenos Aires. In the homily, he reflected on the importance of the centrality of Jesus Christ, both in the history of humanity and in the life-story of each person: "God's entire plan prior to Christ is fulfilled in Christ. All of history converges in Jesus, and acquires its meaning in Jesus."

Recalling the words of Saint Paul, "for me, to live is Christ," the Prelate said that "our life acquires its true meaning in Jesus Christ." And he reminded everyone of the three steps in the spiritual life that Saint Josemaria often pointed out: "May you seek Christ; may you find Christ; may you love Christ."

In order to put Christ truly at the center, he invited everyone "to seek Him in ordinary life: in your work, in your family, in your rest." And he urged them to listen to Him in a way that transforms their life, nourished by the Gospel and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

Following Pope Francis' lead, the Prelate considered how we need faith "to see the others as they are, as loved by God. We need to see others as our Lord sees them." And he underlined how "apostolic strength is born from our union with Christ."

He concluded with an appeal to evangelize the family: "How important it is to help families! Christian families are and should be the domestic Church, where faith grows and where seeking Jesus, dialoguing with Him, and learning to love Him also grows."

August 5

For the Prelate, Sunday was a day filled with young people. He began mid-morning by paying a visit to the Buen Ayre School, where hundreds of girls from different provinces in Argentina and other countries surprised him with a song composed especially for him. He in turn encouraged them to transmit the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and, as he has been doing these past few days, he also asked for prayers for the Church and for Pope Francis. One of the girls described the joy they felt for the school's 50th anniversary. Monsignor Ocáriz praised the work that both teachers and families are doing there.

Another student, Valentina, asked about dealing with the challenge of building bridges and giving witness to charity when the environment does not seem favorable to it. Monsignor Ocáriz recommended giving witness with serenity and learning to love others; he recalled some words of Saint Josemaría, who used to say: "I have not needed to learn to forgive, because the Lord has taught me to love."

Thanks to questions posed by Anita, Cata, Mirna, April and Maria, the Prelate spoke about sanctifying work, dating, solidarity and using one's free time well.

It was particularly moving for everyone when Caro, a non-believer, confided to the Prelate that she has always felt loved and that her freedom is respected at the CECU residence (Ciudad de La Plata), where she has lived for the past five years. She then asked him what she could to to help the people of the Work. The Prelate replied, "Even if you do not know it or believe it, God loves you very much, and it is He who gives you the strength to have the desire to help others."

Another one of those present asked, "Father, what would you advise those of us who are hyperactive and who, when it comes to stopping to pray and to listen to what Jesus wants to tell us, tend to maintain such high velocity that we don't even let Him talk?" The Prelate suggested that she "look at Jesus in the tabernacle. To look at Him with a gaze of faith, to know that He is there for you. You should dedicate a part of your time in prayer to saying nothing at all, but to listening, looking."

Later on, Monsignor Ocáriz greeted a group of Venezuelans with a lot of affection. They expressed their pain and concern for the situation in their country, and he spoke to them about the need for forgiveness.

In the afternoon, the organizers of a variety of initiatives for accompanying and supporting the family met and spoke with the Prelate, who in turn encouraged them to keep on going in their important mission.

Later in the day, he met with another large group of young people. The get-together started with the rhythm of guitars and clapping. Monsignor Ocáriz referred to the next Synod of Bishops on young people and vocational discernment. He said: "We all have a vocation, in the sense that all of us receive a call from God. He has a plan for each one of us, and that's holiness."

During the get-together, someone brought up the question of how to help one's peers to pray. The Prelate encouraged them all to give witness: "Transmit your own experience. This doesn't mean giving a lesson or a theoretical class. You encourage others by sharing your own enthusiasm."

One of the participants, Felipe, who is 21 years old and studies law at the University of Buenos Aires, asked how to take up in a more specific way the invitation of Pope Francis to find Jesus in his friends, companions and especially those who are most in need. The Prelate advised him to cultivate "an interior attitude of openness to the needs of others." And he recalled how the Pope had asked him at a recent audience "that Opus Dei should develop a work of evangelisation especially for the peripheries of the middle classes." The Prelate explained that "there is a material periphery, and there is also a spiritual one. People who are materially in need must be helped as much as possible, and we can also learn from them."

The day once again drew to a close in La Chacra, where the Prelate greeted many families, several of them coming from Rosario.

August 4

Today, the Prelate had multiple encounters at the North Park Auditorium with Argentinian members of Opus Dei and their friends. Before and after the get-togethers, several families were able to greet him. Monsignor Ocáriz stopped to spend time with Alejandro (pictured above), a member of Opus Dei whose wife, Mechi, passed away recently.

During the get-togethers, the Prelate of Opus Dei spoke about hope. He recalled a story that Saint Josemaría liked to tell about Alexander the Great who, when he spoke with some of his friends, said: "Seeing you, my hope is strengthened." The Prelate added, "The same thing is happening to me here in Argentina. The love of Christ impels us all, and it needs to be what moves us."

The first question for the Prelate was by Adrián. Referring to the letter of February 14, 2017, he asked how he could put Jesus Christ more at the center of his spiritual life. The Prelate suggested that he use these words when addressing Our Lord: "Jesus, let's do this between the two of us."

Throughout the conversation, the topic of the family came up a number of times. Responding to one father of a family, the Prelate recommended that he try smiling even before entering the door of his house after a long day's work. "Do it even if you're alone. Sometimes smiling costs effort, because of worries or tiredness. You might arrive exhausted and maybe you don't have the strength to say wonderful things, but if you smile, it helps. You not only help your wife and your children, but you also help yourself." Following this, Guillermo, from Santa Fe, wanted to know how to improve his relationship with his children, as did Nacho from Tucumán who asked a similar question. The Father advised them to really try to be friends of their children: "Friendship is not only that a child trusts his father or that he tells him things, that he opens his heart about the difficulties or questions that he has. Friendship is always mutual, and this mutual sympathy between you and your children needs to be felt."

Later on in the get-together, Rolando opened up about the challenge of preserving affection within the family when its members are spread out in several countries. In his case, his parents are in El Salvador and his siblings in Argentina, Spain, Guatemala, the United States. Monsignor Ocáriz suggested taking special advantage of birthdays and anniversaries to be attentive to one another.

In the afternoon, the Father returned to North Park to talk with other faithful of the Work and cooperators. In an atmosphere full of joy, they welcomed him with songs and applause. In his opening words, the Prelate encouraged them all to pray a lot for the Pope, "not only because he is Argentinian, but because he is the Pope: he is the Vicar of Christ for the whole Church. And because he needs it and asks for it: he has great faith in the effectiveness of our prayer."

When the time came for questions, Marina asked about the transformative power of work. The Prelate advised putting Christ at the center of any task and, in this way, turning everything into prayer. Responding to another question, he also encouraged everyone to cultivate friendship with people who think differently from them, making the effort to discover common ground.

After hearing about the experiences of Goldi and Alejandra, the Prelate encouraged them to help families early on in their development, and to share lived experiences. He stressed that "the key is to see Jesus Christ in others, and to love everyone as they are." In addition, he added: "We should always be happy, and when we aren't happy, we shouldn't just wait for joy to come back to us: we have to gain it back. Recover the presence of God, and make an act of faith in God's love for us and the reality that we are with Him, and that we are His."

Among those who shared stories, Ana was thrilled to tell the Prelate about the work she does together with a group of people in a difficult neighborhood in Rosario. Monsignor Ocáriz stressed the need to be always more merciful and to enlarge one's heart to be able to carry the needs and miseries of all those who suffer.

Remembering a question that someone asked Saint Josemaría when he visited Argentina in 1974, Veronica asked the Prelate if he would like to leave behind a message for all Argentinians. Echoing the response given by the Founder of Opus Dei, the Prelate said: "May you love one another; may you be understanding with one another; may you know how to forgive if necessary. Loving one another doesn't mean sentimentality, but true concern for the others. And how is this possible? From Jesus Christ: by seeing Jesus in the others."

Monsignor Ocáriz finished the day at La Chacra Conference Center, where he greeted families from different parts of the country. Joys and sorrows, projects and blessings were aired by the dozens of people who opened their hearts to the Prelate. There was also silence, as in the case of Luis and Inés, who were so moved that they could barely speak. In different moments, the Prelate insisted that prayer is the most important thing. After stopping for a few minutes with each family, the Father blessed those present, encouraging them to transform all their tasks into an opportunity to live presence of God, with joy.

August 3

This morning, the Prelate arrived to Argentina from Madrid. The regional victor, Fr. Víctor Urrestarazu, received him in the airport together with other friends.

Monsignor Ocáriz arrived to La Chacra Conference Center later on in the morning. Some of the first Argentinian members of the Work were there waiting for him, along with others from different provinces and a team of young people who will help out during the activities with families that will go on during the visit.

The Prelate then celebrated Holy Mass, using the same chalice that Saint Josemaria used in Argentina when he celebrated Mass here, on 26 June 1974. In a brief homily, Monsignor Ocáriz invited those present to react with faith when facing difficulties: a faith that enables Christians to be filled with hope and joy.

At the Chacra Center of Study and Work, the Prelate also had an encounter with university students from Venezuela, Bolivia, Paraguay and many different cities throughout Argentina. Luisa from Venezuela spoke about the difficulties they are experiencing in her country, and the Prelate asked everyone to pray for the situation of both Venezuela and Nicaragua, repeating the request of Pope Francis.

At the end of the get-together, the Prelate prayed before an image of Our Lady found in one of the hallways of La Chacra. Saint Josemaria prayed before the same image when he visited Argentina in 1974, as this commemorative plaque recalls.

August 2

During the next few days, the Prelate of Opus Dei will be in Argentina, meeting with members of the Work and their friends, and spending time with a number of families from different provinces. He will also visit some of the social and educational initiatives inspired by Saint Josemaria in Argentina.

The Prelate will have the opportunity to visit two schools: Good Counsel and Cross of the South, both located in the Porteño neighborhood of Barracas. Together, the schools carry out a project of social integration for close to a thousand students coming from this neighborhood known for its many social problems.

Monsignor Ocáriz will also celebrate a Mass for families at Saint Benedict Church and will receive the title of Honorary Rector at the University of Austral.

Before making his way to Bolivia, the Prelate will make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Luján, following in the footsteps of Saint Josemaria and Blessed Alvaro who, in 1974, visited this same shrine. Our Lady of Luján is hailed as the Mother of all Argentinians. The Prelate will also visit the people bringing forward the Marangatú Center, an initiative that seeks to provide an integral formation to women through professional training.
A unique UNIV encounter2018-07-29T09:33:50+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/a-unique-univ-encounter/It was a long-time dream to join thousands of other young pilgrims in Rome with the Pope for a group of young Australians and New Zealanders, but for some the reality surpassed their imaginations, as they came face to face with Pope Francis.Recent News
Of all the young students travelling to Rome, those from 'Down Under' had the furthest to go. A 17-hour flight took the 'Kiwis' only to Doha, before another 8-hour flight into Rome. It was a similar journey for the Aussies.

For Tim, from New Zealand, and Simon from Australia, it was their very first time in the Eternal City. They had white tickets in their hands on the Wednesday, the day of the Papal Audience. Pope Francis had briefly toured the piazza before addressing the pilgrims from all over the world.

Tim said he had prayed for the Holy Father every day and wasn't going to let him come so close without giving him a proper greeting.

"It took us a while to find out where we were actually supposed to go. And after getting mixed instructions from various officials, we found our place quite close to the Pope but separated by two barriers."

"After the Pope had finished the audience, we squeezed our way up to the inner barrier, behind people who were going to get to actually greet the Holy Father. As he was coming around to our side, Simon managed to grab the Holy Father's attention who, after smiling at him, somewhat motioned for him to climb over!

"In a moment of spontaneity and without really thinking about it, Simon jumped over the barrier and I quickly clambered after him, losing one of my shoes! Simon gave Pope Francis a big hug and I followed, giving him a kiss on both cheeks. It was a surreal, unforgettable moment and of course, over too quickly!"

Simon said "It was awesome. Coming all the way from Australia, I wasn't going to let a barrier and three metres stop me from meeting the Pope.

"I'll never forget how the Pope gestured to me, almost shrugging his shoulder, giving me the freedom to make up my own mind but encouraging me at the same time."

"I made the leap of faith and gave him a hug. We looked each other in the eyes, the gateway to the soul. It was very moving. I couldn't help but think what it would've been like to meet Jesus when he was walking around the towns and villages of Palestine."

Simon said the whole UNIV forum defied his expectations.

"It was as if I was a country kid coming to the big city for the first time. Walking into St Peter's square is always special - it makes your jaw drop. One of the older guys in our group said it was like getting a hug from the arms of mother church - he couldn't have been more right. It was moving to see so many young people coming to the heart of our Catholic faith. You realise there is a lot of people out there, from all corners of the world, with a solid faith. You can't help but think there's something, or rather Someone, behind it all."

Xavier is also an Australian, from Melbourne, and didn't have to jump any physical barriers to get to the Pope but he broke through the language barrier by practising a bit of Spanish beforehand.

"We actually chatted for a minute or so, which was a real treat. I told him where I was from, and that I prayed for him every day. He asked me to keep doing so, saying 'Thank you, I need it.' And after he went to greet the next person, he came back to me and this time spoke in English and said: 'Don't forget!' How could I forget now?

"I was struck by his humility, affection and joy. Despite the fact that he was meeting so many people in such a short space of time, he made an effort to pay attention to everyone he talked to. He really takes an interest in every individual."

The Holy Father inspired the young pilgrims not to lose the enthusiasm of their youth once the first years of their commitment to God had already flown by. In the Easter ceremonies he told all the Church that "Our Lord is inviting all of us to follow Him with joy and to love God and neighbour with an unconditional love….He invites you to go back to the time and place of your first love and he says to you: Do not be afraid, follow me."

It is quite a project to organise a visit from so far away, but increasingly larger numbers from Australia and New Zealand are flocking to Rome to take part in the week-long congress. Not everyone will get to meet Pope Francis in person, but every pilgrim has a unique and personal encounter with Christ, through daily prayer and the sacraments, and visiting the important historic sites of early Christianity.

This year's visit was the 50th anniversary of the UNIV Forum. A real focus was the theme of building up society for the future. Later this year, the Pope will convene the special synod on the youth.

"What attracts me to UNIV," said Simon, "is the focus on getting young people to think about how they can help society. We hear a lot about playing our role in the Church, which is important, but often we can forget that our task is really to take our place alongside our peers and offer positive and constructive solutions for the problems we see around us. It's not enough to have a Christian mindset - we have to use the Christian ideals to improve things for the poorest of the poor. Otherwise we just aren't following the command of Christ."

"This trip has inspired me to do more. I want to take part in more volunteer work and get involved in the service projects that are organised from my city. I've been to Vietnam and helped build homes for very poor people who have nothing, and as the Pope says, that's where we really have to be - among the people, and live with the 'smell of the sheep'."

Tim said that's something he can easily do back home.

"Yes well we have 60 million sheep in New Zealand and I think there's about 75 million in Australia," he said.

"But yes, we do need to accompany people more. Not everyone is on the same path as us, and perhaps only a few will journey to Rome to see the successor of St Peter, but we have to find ways to reach them where they are at and speak in a language they can understand."

"And getting them to help their fellow citizens is a way to move their hearts – anyone can do that, but at times they need to be encouraged a little bit more to be generous."

"I'm looking forward to getting back and helping my friends and hopefully I can bring some of them back to Rome next year."
Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, in Nigeria: "Let us bring the joy of Christ to others."2018-07-23T12:21:38+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/primer-viaje-pastoral-de-mons-fernando-ocariz-a-nigeria/Here are some highlights from the pastoral visit to Nigeria by the Prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, who was there from July 19 to July 26. Opus Dei began its work in Nigeria in 1965. From the Prelate
July 20 | July 21 | July 22| July 23| July 24| July 25| July 26

Thursday, July 26

 July 26th was the last day of the one-week trip of Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, the Prelate of Opus Dei, to Nigeria. In the meditation he preached before celebrating Mass, the Prelate reflected on the day's feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He considered how the feast helps us understand that Our Lord's Incarnation is a historical event, and he concluded by encouraging all those present to pray to Mary for help to become people who sow hope in all those around them.

The Prelate then went to visit the Archbishop of Lagos, His Excellency Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins. On his way to the Archbishop, Monsignor Ocáriz made a brief visit to greet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at the Lagos Catholic Cathedral. Archbishop Martins welcomed him cordially, expressing his joy at meeting him. The meeting lasted for about half an hour.

In the early afternoon, the Prelate had a last informal get-together with some faithful of the Prelature. When one of those present asked for some messages to take away from his days in Nigeria, the Prelate highlighted three ideas: the need to make Jesus Christ the center of one's interior life; the need to live charity with one another, which is shown in close-knit unity; and the need to recover interior freedom whenever one loses it. At the end, he blessed all those present.

Upon arrival at the airport in Lagos, the Prelate was pleasantly surprised to find more than five different families waiting to spend some more time with him before his departure.

Wednesday, July 25

 On July 25 in the morning, Monsignor Ocáriz visited the Institute for Industrial Technology (IIT), a social welfare project set up to provide technical skills to out-of-school young people. IIT was set up in 2002 to mark the centenary of the birth of Opus Dei's founder, Saint Josemaria.

Monsignor Ocáriz was given a tour of the school, through the mechanical workshop and the automation laboratory where he met students working on assignments. He also visited the chapel where he said a short prayer.

Olumide Akinjo, Director of IIT, told the Prelate about changes they had made in the training curriculum, in order to include subjects such as work ethics, values, marriage and family life. This has had a positive impact on the students, he said, as testified by parents and, in some cases, even spouses. Most of the alumni retain close contact with the school upon graduation, and many of them wanted to be there to greet the Prelate. Some of them shared testimonies about IIT and how the spiritual formation they received helped their professional, spiritual and human development. In turn, the Father wrote some commemorative words on the artwork presented by the alumni.

The Prelate thanked the patrons, staff and management for their work at the school. He encouraged the staff to foster among the students a concern for the common good, which will help them to make an impact in their respective communities. "Apart from acquiring technical values, the students need to acquire human values as well," he said.

From IIT, Monsignor Ocáriz went to pray at the Ikoyi Cemetery, where some of the departed faithful of the Prelature are buried.

Before the day ended, the Prelate had two informal meetings with Opus Dei members, where he listened to some stories and personal testimonies.

Tuesday, July 24

On the sixth day of his pastoral visit to Nigeria, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz traveled to Enugu, a city in the middle of the country, about 700 kilometers from Lagos. There he met with a group of diocesan priests and seminarians, with whom he spoke of the beauty of the priestly vocation and of responsibility given the mission that God had entrusted to them. One priest asked the Prelate for suggestions on how a parish priest, in spite of his busy schedule, could arrange matters without neglecting his spiritual life. The Prelate encouraged him to give priority to personal prayer, to focus on Jesus in the Eucharist and to have a "plan" for the day that he tries to follow in an orderly way.

Following the encounter, Monsignor Ocáriz made his way to the Niger Foundation Hospital (NFH), a health center whose spiritual attention is entrusted to priests of Opus Dei. After a warm welcome, the Prelate met with the hospital staff. One of the more veteran doctors, Dr. Regina Akosa, who has worked at this center since its beginnings, spoke about how grateful the patients were for the quality of the medical care as well as for the spiritual assistance they receive. She said that for many patients, the hospital's chapel is their "center of gravity," as both Catholics and non-Catholics go there to find solace before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Later on the Prelate had two get-togethers with faithful of Opus Dei at The Base Conference Center. He reminded everyone that God depends on them to bring the fruits of His Redemption to the world. "Prayer and the Eucharist give us the strength to put Christ in the center of our lives, thoughts, work and relationships with others," he affirmed. "Don't be discouraged by any difficulty because God is with us," he added. He recalled how Saint Josemaria was especially moved by that teaching of St Paul: "If God is with us, who is against us?"

The Prelate encouraged them to look at Christ as they sought to carry out their work, family duties and prayer. "At such moments, we should focus on Jesus Christ, recover our freedom, and carry out these responsibilities because we want to, for the love of God, and not because we are being forced to do them. Thus we will find the strength that comes from the love of God."

Monsignor Ocáriz repeated his requests for prayers for the Pope, assuring his listeners that these prayers always bear fruit.

An 81-year-old widower (a supernumerary member of Opus Dei), who had been married for 55 years before his wife died a few weeks earlier, was visibly moved and in tears as he asked the Father how he could practice presence of God with the memory his late wife. Monsignor Ocáriz, who was also moved, consoled him. He said he prayed for her soul as well as for the family when he received the news of her death in Rome. "Speak often with your wife, convinced with hope based on faith that your wife is in heaven with God."

A father of eight children, one of whom was adopted, asked the Father to comment on openness to life. The Prelate spoke about the need to have faith in the value of each human life. "All human life is created by God," he said. "The soul is great, loved by God and worth more than any material thing. Each soul is destined for eternal happiness with God," he added. A young man also asked a question about vocation. The Prelate told him to ask God for light in prayer with an open mind. While assuring him of his prayers, he encouraged the young man to also seek help in spiritual direction.

Monday, July 23

On Monday, July 23, Monsignor Ocariz visited the main campus of the Pan-Atlantic University. The first activity was the blessing of a new grotto of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Prelate encouraged all those present at the brief ceremony to have great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to present to her all their needs.

Following a brief tour of the university, the Prelate met with the senior leadership of the school. The Prelate spoke to them using the analogy of an ice-capped mountain. When the sun appears, the ice melts and waters the valleys below.

This is why, he said, it is important to provide adequate formation to those who occupy high positions in society, business and government. When people are formed humanly, professionally and spiritually, when they are taught to be concerned about the problems of society, it affects all aspects of their lives. They learn to contribute to the common good.

He added that while a project like the Pan-Atlantic University is inspired by the Christian conception of man's dignity, the formation given there should respect the everyone's freedom.

He spoke about how best to educate people in freedom. Teachers should help those they educate do everything inspired by love, because only love can surmount the most difficult situations. He explained further that freedom is not the absence of constraints, nor of limitations and is not the ability to do whatever one feels like doing. True freedom is about choosing what is objectively true and good.

The Prelate's next port of call was the Iroto Conference Center, Iloti, in Ogun State (43km from the university). Many people from Iloti and neighbouring villages came to the streets to welcome him, dancing and singing to the tune of Ekabo (Yoruba for "welcome"). On his arrival, he went to pray briefly before the statue of Our Lady in the garden of the conference center.There was more singing and dancing as he went into the conference center building.

He began by reminding all those present that serving and helping others brings joy to everyone. He advised teachers to be true friends of their students despite age differences. He encouraged people to develop deep friendships and to be truly concerned about the good of others.

In response to a question about the meaning of suffering, the Prelate said that salvation was wrought through the Cross and that it is a mystery that we do not fully understand. "One can find peace, even in the midst of sufferings, when one unites them to Christ's Cross," he said.

Several people present recounted interesting and funny family events and asked him to pray for their families and friends.The short get-together was livened with a folk song for warriors sang to the accompaniment of some local drums.

At the end of the get-together, and before blessing those present, Monsignor Ocariz reminded everyone to pray for the Pope. He was asked to return to Nigeria soon and was seen off with more Nigerian songs and instruments, thus ending the visit on the same vibrant and festive note with which it began.

Sunday, July 22

The auditorium of Lagoon School, in Lekki, Lagos, in southwestern Nigeria, was the venue of a get-together on Sunday, July 22. Undergraduates, schoolgirls and friends were visibly excited to meet with the Prelate and speak to him. They welcomed him heartily, asked questions and even made requests for new centers to begin in other states in Nigeria.

The Prelate emphasized the centrality of the person of Christ: He encouraged the audience to realize that they are not just following a beautiful doctrine or a theory but a Person, who is very close to them in the Holy Eucharist. "A Christian's life is one of love—loving Our Lord and identifying our lives with His. And how does one come to love Christ? By getting to know him. By meditating on the Scriptures, entering into the scenes of the Gospel, and taking the plan of life seriously, one can love Christ and keep alive a relationship with him."

When asked what he expected of students who attend the means of formation in centers of Opus Dei, the Prelate said, "Apostolate is a necessity. It's necessary because the desire to help others meet Christ stems from love of God and the joy of being children of God. Joy is attractive, and that is why we fulfill the apostolic command of Christ with a lot of cheerfulness, affection and good example while also respecting the freedom of others."

The Prelate took the opportunity to talk about the importance of mortification. "Life might seem mortifying enough on its own. But actively seeking to unite oneself to Christ's cross through little mortifications is of great value in a Christian's life," he said.

He advised them to have a lot of fortitude because a constant relationship with Christ is demanding. On the question of vocational discernment, he urged the audience not to be afraid, but to take courage if a person sensed that God was asking her for more, realizing that God does a great favor to the person who corresponds to His call.

Monsignor Ocáriz, the third successor of Saint Josemaria, ended by asking all present to pray a lot for the Pope: "The Holy Father relies a lot on the prayers of everyone." The young people gave their joyful assent with the lyrics "You can count on me like one, two, three, and I'll be there," the chorus of a popular song by Bruno Mars.

 Saturday, July 21

On day three of his visit to Nigeria, the Prelate of Opus Dei had get-togethers at the Lagoon School and at the Lagos Business School.
People came from cities and towns from west to east and central Nigeria: Lagos, Ibadan, Iloti, Nsukka, Enugu, Benin and Abuja. Between the two main events of the day in Lagos, the Prelate was able to greet more than 1,000 people.

At the Lagoon School, Monsignor Ocáriz, reflecting on the Gospel of the day, commented on the Pharisees' disapproval of Jesus healing on the Sabbath day. He compared this to the difficulties we experience daily. He encouraged the faithful to spread the Gospel and increase their confidence in God despite these challenges.

Recalling Pope Francis' words about faith making us see as Christ does, the Prelate stressed the need for us to center our lives on knowing Christ who is present in the Eucharist. He urged everyone to ask the Lord to help them see their lives as God does. He emphasized the need for fraternity shown in serving, understanding, forgiving and valuing others.

He went on to say that apostolate is not merely human but also supernatural: it is not so much about increasing the number of people as about helping them to know and love God better.

Responding to a question on the vocation of one's children, he advised parents to trust in God. "Prayer, maturity and spiritual direction are crucial for discerning a vocation," he said.

When asked how domestic work should be viewed, Monsignor Ocáriz explained that Opus Dei teaches sanctification in ordinary life both within and outside the home. The ambiance, beauty and orderliness in the home facilitates affection and development. "It makes a lasting impression on people," he said, adding that, "domestic work is the backbone of the family atmosphere in Opus Dei."

On the question of emigrating from Nigeria due to economic difficulties, the Prelate pointed out that every country has its challenges. He said that although emigrating may not always be the best option, sometimes it is. But he advised the audience to improve themselves professionally and work for the common good.

Speaking on the role of cooperators in Opus Dei, the Prelate said cooperators support the Work with their prayers, time and financial contributions. He encouraged cooperators to work with the faithful of the prelature to support Opus Dei as their personal circumstances and time permit. In the afternoon, Monsignor Ocáriz went to the Lagos Business School. He was received there by the entire management board of the school led by the dean, Dr. Enase Okonedo. He met briefly with them and several members of staff before proceeding to a meeting with more than 400 young people who had come from different parts of the country.

This latter meeting took place at the business school's auditorium. The Prelate encouraged those present to be dedicated to the means of Christian formation, which helps them get closer to God. "Christ is the focus and person you receive through the meditations, talks and other means of formation," he said.

He also spoke about living virtuous lives amid a decline in morals and sexuality. "Don't be surprised when you're tempted; and when you fall, the solution is to rise and begin again," he said.

Monsignor Ocáriz ended his time at both gatherings asking all to pray for the Pope and the growth of Opus Dei in Nigeria.

The Prelate was later able to receive some families that wanted to greet him. Some came from far away cities like Benin. At the end he gave his blessings, asking them at the same time to remember him in their prayers.

 Friday, July 20

Friday, July 20, was the first full day that the Prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Ocáriz, spent in Nigeria. He celebrated his first Mass in Nigeria at 8 a.m., and then had some informal meetings with several Nigerian members of Opus Dei.
Monsignor Ocáriz expressed on many occasions his happiness at being in Nigeria, saying how much he had longed to come. He described Nigeria as a country with great potential, saying that its most important resource is its more than 170 million people.

The many Nigerians he met shared their stories and expressed their joy at welcoming him to Nigeria. Monsignor Ocáriz encouraged them to remain as friendly as they are, and to love very much the freedom of other people. An important expression of this love for freedom, he said, is the need to listen actively to other people.

The Prelate encouraged those who occupy positions of authority to remember that authority is service. Therefore, those who are in charge of others should not be afraid or ashamed to ask for forgiveness when they make mistakes. Asking forgiveness does not undermine, but rather strengthens their authority, he said.

The Prelate's words about vocation were particularly poignant in a country that is half Christian and half Muslim. He said that everybody has a vocation, including non-Catholic Christians as well as Muslims. As God does not abandon anyone, the question people should ask themselves is not whether they have a vocation, but rather what is God asking of them.

The apostolic work of Opus Dei began in Nigeria in 1965. Bishop Javier Echevarría, Monsignor Ocáriz's predecessor as Prelate, had visited Nigeria in 1999.
The Prelate of Opus Dei, in the Shrine of Covadonga2018-07-13T14:13:54+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/fernando-ocariz-prelate-of-opus-dei-covadonga/Invited by Jesús Sanz Montes, the Archbishop of Oviedo, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz went on pilgrimage to the shrine of Covadonga to participate in the Marian Jubilee Year of the Coronation of the Virgin. He prayed before the Virgin in the Holy Cave and concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Sanz Montes and Don Adolfo Mariño, abbot of Covadonga.From the Prelate
In the Holy Cave, the heart of the sanctuary, the archbishop welcomed the prelate and led the Angelus prayer. Monsignor Ocáriz thanked the archbishop for his welcoming remarks and asked for prayers for the Church and for the intentions of Pope Francis. The Santina, as the statue of Our Lady of Covadonga is popularly known, wore for the first time a mantle given by the families of the Cares Association of Oviedo.

In the Holy Cave the Archbishop Welcomed the prelate and led the Angelus Prayer

About forty priests concelebrated the Eucharist, which began with a greeting of welcome from Archbishop Sanz Montes. Among the concelebrants were the abbot, the vicar general Jorge Fernández Sangrador, the regional vicar of the prelature for Spain, Ramón Herrando, several episcopal vicars, priests of Covadonga and priests from various points of the diocese. The Harmonía Choir from Gijón was present for the ceremony, which concluded with the Hymn of Covadonga.

In his words of welcome the Archbishop expressed his gratitude for Opus Dei's work in his diocese. He said this work is carried out "with true availability and sincere dedication in so many areas: education, teaching, apostolate, family, professional work. All this is done in the midst of the various circumstances of everyday life, sanctifying work as an unfinished work of God that He wants to trust to our little hands."

Pray for the upcoming synod about young people

During the homily, the prelate of Opus Dei highlighted his joy at kneeling before the Santina and encouraged those present to pray for the fruits of the upcoming synod about young people, their faith and vocational discernment, so that many young people might feel the joy of dedicating their lives to God and others.

Monsignor Ocáriz referred to the Santina as "all-powerful intercessor," "the woman of the 'yes'," "cause of our joy," and the "believer par excellence," who had "a faith that pushes us to go out to meet others" with the joy "experienced by generous people who are attentive to the needs of others."

The prelate highlighted his joy at kneeling before the Santina and encouraged those present to pray for the fruits of the upcoming Synod about young people

The prelate gave thanks for the fruits of the Jubilee Year, as "many people have come seeking forgiveness and protection and have returned with a renewed heart and a horizon of hope that fills life with joy in God, despite the difficulties."

Following in the footprints of pilgrims

Monseñor Ocáriz also said that his pilgrimage follows "in the footprints left by so many pilgrims who have come to seek consolation over the centuries." He mentioned the visits to the Santina of Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II, as well as those of St. Josemaría, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo and Bishop Javier Echevarría, and he referred in a special way to San Pedro Poveda, who between 1905 and 1913 remained in Covadonga, and during that time originated the ideal of the Teresian Association.

Through September 8th, Covadonga celebrates the centenary of the Coronation of the Virgin, whose statue is venerated in the Holy Cave (Santa Cueva), very close to the neo-Romanesque basilica inaugurated in 1901. Thousands of pilgrims come to pray before the Santina with the invocation "Mother and Queen," motto of this Jubilee.

• Homily of Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz in the sanctuary of Covadonga.
Youth Speaking Out: "Do I speak with Jesus, or am I frightened of silence?" 2018-07-10T14:14:35+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/youth-speaking-out/Mariam is a young Kenyan woman who is studying engineering. She is convinced that we can listen to Christ who speaks to us in the ordinary experiences of our daily life.Personal testimonies
We know that the Holy Father wants to "listen to the youth... young people from the whole world, Catholic and non-Catholic youth, Christian youth and youth from other religions, and young people who do not know if they believe or do not believe. All of them... it is important that you speak; do not let yourselves be silenced." ( Address to Youth in Chile, 17 January 2018). For this reason, he has called for a Synod meeting this coming October to consider "Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment."

Responding to this request, young people from different countries open up in this new video series "Youth Speaking Out," sharing their dreams and concerns as they respond to specific questions directed at them by the Holy Father.

In the series, young people respond to specific questions directed at them by the Holy Father.
As a starting point, the series takes a few words from the address given by Pope Francis at the pre-synod meeting that took place in March, which brought together youth from every continent. On that occasion, the Pope encouraged those present to "speak courageously. Without shame... You know how to speak like this."
In this second video in the series Mariam, from Kenya, responds to the Pope's question: "Do I speak with Jesus, or am I frightened of silence?" Mariam is convinced that stopping to pray is very worthwhile, and she shares with us how she dialogues with Jesus through the daily experiences in her life.

"Discovering the ever-youthful face of Christ"2018-07-09T18:01:13+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/discovering-the-ever-youthful-face-of-chirst/On Thursday, 5 July 2018, Pope Francis authorized several decrees on heroic virtues, including those relating to two teenagers: the Anglo-Italian Carlo Acutis and the Spaniard Alexia González-Barros, who died respectively at 15 and 14 years of age. Recent News
Alexia, from Madrid, died in 1985, after a painful illness that left her paralyzed a year before. Carlo died in Milan, in 2006, because of an aggressive leukemia. The association promoting Alexia's cause of canonization, in the archdiocese of Madrid, issued a statement expressing its happiness and the conviction that "many people all over the world will join us in giving thanks to God our Lord."

Alexia was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, Francisco and Moncha, lived their Christian faith with naturalness. At the age of four she became a student at the Jesús Maestro School, run by Saint Teresa de Jesus nuns, where many people still remember her and in whose chapel she used to pray daily. When she was eight, she made her First Holy Communion in the church of Santa Maria de la Paz, in Rome; during that family trip her parents introduced her to Saint John Paul II and Blessed Alvaro del Portillo. During high school she started attending a center of Opus Dei for young girls, where she took part with her friends in cultural and spiritual activities.

At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma. The operations she had to undergo and recovery process involved great suffering. She edified everyone by her peace and ability to transmit joy amid serious illness. Her brother Francisco, in presenting the documentary Alexia by Pedro Delgado in 2011, said that "Alexia lived a clear and close relationship with Jesus. The strength of Alexia's case rests on this: she believed."

When preparing that documentary, Delgado discovered that Alexia "was an extroverted and very curious person. She regularly attended concerts at the Royal Theater, but was also interested in flamenco, and enjoyed Eurovision." Her humor and strength in the face of illness inspired many other patients.

She offered her suffering for the Church and for her family and friends. Until her final moments she frequently repeated the aspiration she often used when greeting our Lord before the tabernacle: "Jesus, may I always do what You want."

The Spanish website for the upcoming synod on young people highlights Alexia as one of the "young witnesses," saying that "her young life has left us an example of faith and peace that helps us discover the ever-youthful face of Christ." It also points to her simple and deep piety, "fruit of divine filiation lived in little things. Alexia had learned to trust her father God and this enabled her to be joyful even amid the greatest pains and hardships. She knew that her suffering was meaningful, that she held a treasure in her hands, and she offered it daily for the Church, the Pope and all the people she had in her heart."

Since 2004 her body rests in the Madrid church of San Martín de Tours. Alexia's tomb is under an oil painting that represents our Lady as an adolescent, reading in the company of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne. Many people with devotion to her go there to ask for her intercession before God.

Carlos Acutis, an ardent lover of the Eucharist

Carlo Acutis died in October 2006, at the age of 15, owing to aggressive leukemia. The teenager, born in London but living almost his entire life in Milan, moved his family and friends by telling them he was offering all his suffering for the Church and the Pope, as Alexia had done a few years before.

From the day he received his First Communion at the age of seven, he never missed an appointment with daily Mass. He always tried, either before or after the Eucharistic celebration, to pause before the Tabernacle to adore our Lord, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Our Lady was his great confidant and he never failed to honor her by reciting the Holy Rosary every day. Carlo's modern and up-to-date ways combined perfectly with his profound Eucharistic life and Marian devotion, which helped to make him a very special boy whom everyone admired and loved.

Carlo used to say to his friends: "Our goal must be the infinite, not the finite. The Infinite is our homeland. Heaven is always waiting for us." Another phrase of his was: "All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies." To move towards this goal and not "die as photocopies," Carlo said that our compass must be the Word of God, which we have to strive to measure up to constantly. But in order to reach such a lofty goal very special measures are needed: the Sacraments and prayer. In particular, Carlo placed the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the center of his life and called it "my highway to Heaven."

Carlo was very gifted with everything related to the world of computers so that both his friends and adults with computer engineering degrees considered him a genius. Everyone was amazed at his ability to understand the secrets of computers that are normally only accessible to those who have specialized university degrees. Carlo's interests involved computer programming, film editing, website creation, editing and laying out small publications, as well as doing volunteer work for the most needy, children and the elderly. He also created a website to spread Eucharistic devotion on the internet.

"To be always united with Jesus, this is my plan of life." These few words of Carlo Acutis outline the distinctive feature of his short life: living with Jesus, for Jesus, in Jesus. "I am happy to die because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God."
"Sanctity is the path to happiness"2018-07-09T15:35:37+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/sanctity-is-the-path-to-happiness/An extensive interview with the Prelate of Opus Dei was recently published in the Italian newspaper "Avvenire." Here are two questions about the apostolic exhortation "Guadete et exsultate." From the Prelate
The Pope's recent exhortation Gaudete et exsultate on the "call to holiness in today's world" echoes in many points the teachings of Escriva. What were your thoughts on reading it?

The universal call to sanctity is the "hinge" for all the founder of Opus Dei's teachings. He always insisted that sanctity was not just for a few privileged people: "God calls everyone, he looks for Love from everyone: from all men and women, wherever they are; from all, whatever their situation in life, profession or job." God is calling the high school teacher to be holy, the artist, the business person, the kitchen assistant, the sports person, the person confronting the challenges of unemployment…

While still alive, the founder had the great joy of seeing how the Second Vatican Council confirmed and proclaimed this truth: that sanctity is for everyone. Therefore you can understand why, in reading Guadete et exsultate, my thoughts quickly went to the joy Saint Josemaria would have experienced on seeing this new expression of the message of the universal call to holiness in Pope Francis' words.

What surprised you the most about it?

The Pope points to the beatitudes as the "identity card" for a person seeking sanctity in daily life. This path requires us to sometimes go against the current, but it leads in the end to happiness. It is very important to help people see, by our example, that an integral Christian life also leads to human fulfilment already here on earth, despite the difficulties we all confront.

The path of the beatitudes is a path to happiness for us and for all men and women. I also thought it was very beautiful to see how the Pope insisted, throughout the entire exhortation, that holiness is based on small gestures, something we also see Saint Josemaria stressing in his book The Way: "Have you noticed how human love consists of little things? Well, divine Love also consists of little things."

Link to complete interview in "Avvenire"

Transcript of Cardinal Dolan's June 26, 2018 Homily2018-07-05T19:46:15+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/transcript-of-cardinal-dolan-s-june-26-2018-homily/Transcript of the homily given by Cardinal Timothy Dolan on June 26, 2018 in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Manhattan, for the feast of Saint Josemaria.Recent News
Welcome to St. Patrick's Cathedral everybody, America's parish church. I'm very glad you're here and I wish you a blessed feast day of your founder, St. Josemaria Escriva. Fr. Bohlin and and my brother priests, women and men religious, and especially you beloved members of Opus Dei: I welcome the opportunity to offer Mass this evening on the feast day because it gives me the chance to thank you, to thank you for your wonderful vocation, your charism, your presence and witness here in the archdiocese of New York...

I'm very familiar with the good work of priests in spiritual direction and serving as confessors. I'm gratefully aware of your apostolate at St. Agnes Parish, right smack-dab in midtown Manhattan. St. Josemaria would be happy. And I'm just so gratefully aware of the silent day-in, day-out witness that all of you give to the pursuit of holiness, the response to the universal call to holiness in the apostolate of your work. So I thank God for the gift that you are to the Church universal and in a particular way, here in the archdiocese of New York.

We're blessed to have this beautiful Gospel reading that Fr. Bohlin just proclaimed, and I think you will agree with me that this Gospel episode from St. Matthew's Gospel very much capsulizes the extraordinarily rich insights that St. Josemaria Escriva left to the Church. Let me just mention four of them, four of them from this evening's Gospel, that I think you will agree arise in the charism of St. Josemaria and Opus Dei.

Number one would be the mandate that Jesus gave to the Apostles in the boat: "Cast out to the deep." The Latin: Duc in altum, cast out to the deep. Like many phrases of Jesus, that has a literal meaning, and that has a symbolic meaning. The literal meaning obviously was Jesus telling Peter and the apostles, "Get out there! There are fish out there all right!" The spiritual meaning is deeper. And the Fathers of the Church and your founder saw that mandate of Jesus to "cast out to the deep" as the call, the call to plummet to the depths of the soul in the pursuit of perfection. Deep, deep down within us dwells the most Blessed Trinity. Deep, deep down within us is the very life of God in sanctifying grace. And when Jesus tells us to cast out to the deep, he means pursue perfection. Pursue sanctity. Look into the depth — there's where the "deep" is — look into the depth of your soul and nurture there the flame of God's life within. Cast out to the deep: the call to perfection.

I was very moved a couple weeks ago at a meeting, a meeting in Washington D.C. [with] Archbishop Jose Gomez, the Archbishop of Los Angeles. It was a meeting to bring together divergent thoughts or movements in the Church in striving for unity, and Archbishop Gomez very powerfully said, "Look we are all called to be saints. And that pursuit of sanctity, that desire to be a saint, is what brings unity to all of us." All of us. Archbishop Gomez knew what Jesus was talking about. Archbishop Gomez knows what St. Josemaria meant.

Remember when Pope Benedict XVI assumed the chair of St. Peter? It was his first address as bishop of Rome, and the world was expecting was expecting an extraordinarily cerebral and erudite sermon from this towering intellectual. And Pope Benedict XVI captivated the church and the world when he said simply, "I call you to holiness of life, which means friendship with Jesus." [repeats] I call you to holiness of life, which means friendship with Jesus. There's number one: Cast out to the deep.

Number two, a second conclusion from the Gospel that rings true in the teaching of your founder: those apostles responded — somewhat reluctantly — responded to the mandate of Jesus to cast out to the deep in their work. He called them as fishermen to do their jobs. Cast out to the deep: that was their work, that was their occupation, they were fishermen. And he sanctified that work, that vocation, because it became the agency of a miracle, in the miraculous draught of fish. So did St. Josemaria encourage all of us to find sanctity, to cast out to the deep, not in some exotic apostolates, not just in faraway missionary lands, not just in cloistered convents, or sanctuaries of cathedrals — no, to cast out to the deep, to pursue perfection, to go after sanctity in our professions, in our work, in our labor. An insight that seems so simple that it is downright profound. So he, anticipating the great teaching of the Second Vatican Council, would be the poet of the universal call to holiness. Everyone is called to holiness and sanctity, everyone is called to the pursuit of perfection, in whatever walk of life we find ourselves.

Insight number three: the move to repentance. St. Peter was so moved by the miracle, St. Peter was so embarrassed by his initial reluctance, and his sluggishness in his obedience to the command of Jesus to cast out to the deep, that he fell in repentance at the feet of the Master. Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man. Oh, how often did St. Josemaria call us to conversion of heart and repentance of life! How often did he recommended the examen [examination of conscience]; how often did he recommend acts of sacrifice and penance; how often did he encourage us to [go] to the Sacrament of Penance. He knew we were all like St. Peter at the feet of Jesus: "Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man," as we are, moved to contrition, to conversion of heart, and repentance of life. Like St. John the Baptist, whose nativity we celebrated last Sunday, it was Josemaria that prophetically called the world to the conversion that characterized St. Peter in this evening's Gospel.

And finally, number four. The Gospel ends with Jesus calling those fishermen, "Come, follow me." Come follow me, words that the Church has always interpreted as the summons to discipleship, the invitation to discipleship. St. Josemaria would agree that that the premier vocation in the Church is the call to discipleship. First and foremost we are called to be disciples of Jesus. If we don't have that, no other vocation makes sense. The call to discipleship. George Weigel, the celebrated biographer of Pope St. John PIII, tells the story that after he had completed his "Witness to Hope," his magisterial biography of John Paul, as most authors he left the introduction to the end. So the book was done, most of the work was over, but he didn't know how to title the introduction. He said, "What should I call the introduction?" and he said he wrestled with it for hours. He said: Should I call the introduction "the Pole," since John Paul II exuded that sense of Polish identity? Should I call the introduction "The ThInker," since Karol Wojtyla was such an astoundingly astute thinker? Should I call the preface, "The Philosopher, The Theologian?" Should I call the preface "The Priest"? Should I call the preface "The Bishop," since he so cherished his years as archbishop of Krakow? Should I call the preface "The Confessor of Faith," in his standing up with courage to Nazi and Communist atrocity? Finally, finally, finally, George Weigel came upon the answer: "I will simply entitle the preface, 'The Disciple.'" The Disciple. Because first and foremost, Karol Wojtyla, John Paul II, saw himself as a disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the most important identity in his life from which every other description, charism, and vocation flowed. Josemaria, St. Josemaria, would agree. The primacy of discipleship.

Those four points I hold up to you this evening, everybody, as we celebrate his feast in this most fitting way: Duc in altum, the call to interior perfection. The call to perfection within their work, their labors, their profession. The move to repentance of St. Peter, a model of us all, and the primacy of the call to discipleship.
Ulf and Birgitta: "Be an example!"2018-07-05T16:04:13+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/ulf-and-birgitta-giving-testimony-to-the-fath-in-stockholm/Ulf and Birgitta have recently embraced the Catholic faith. Last April they met Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz in Stockholm, during the Prelate's pastoral visit to Sweden.Personal testimonies
It was a great pleasure for me and my wife Birgitta to be able to meet the Prelate of Opus Dei prelate during his visit to Sweden in April.

As a Protestant pastor, I worked for many years to bring the Gospel to the whole country. Four years ago my wife Birgitta and I were received in the Catholic Church, which meant a radical change in our lives, and great joy and satisfaction.

Even before converting, our job was to teach the laity to spread their faith to others. When we became Catholics, we continued in that effort.

In the get-together with Monsignor Ocáriz I asked him: "What does our mission as Christians, as lay people, to be living witnesses in the world specifically involve? In a secularized country that is apparently indifferent to religion, we see a growing interest in many people to know more about the Christian faith and the Catholic Church. How can we take advantage of this positive situation in Sweden and give forceful testimony to God in our daily work?"

"Be an example!"

The Prelate, after listening attentively to my question, replied: "Be an example! Being an example in the workplace, in the environment in which each person is immersed, is worth more than a thousand words. People see our lives. They realize that we are Christians and compare our principles with our actions and attitudes towards life. If their impression is positive, they open to us the doors of their heart."

Monsignor Ocáriz stressed that "living your own call in daily life, striving—with God's help—to be an example, being attentive to the needs of others..., are opportunities to reach people's hearts and let Christ act in their souls."

In the Heart of the Home 2018-07-05T09:14:57+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/in-the-heart-of-the-home/The goal of the recent Art of Living Conference in Manila was to help people see "work in the home as a service to their family, which can be professionalized and brought to the level of an art." Recent News
Due to the rapidly changing work and social landscape, stress management has become vital. Modules and sessions on coping with tension are growing in number. Ultimately, stress is relieved by the feeling of security that comes from knowing one is loved and accepted for what he or she is and not for what one can deliver, and this happens in the heart of the home.

This is the premise of the Art of Living Conference or AOL. Putting the home back on center stage has been its mantra since it began five years ago. "We hope to help the girls see work in the home as a service to their family, which can be professionalized and brought to the level of an art," AOL co-founder Joy Schallenberg says.

With cooking made more adventurous and housekeeping turned into a challenge, AOL participants learn that keeping their families happy begins with the little details, that keeping house is showing care, and showing care makes and keeps people whole.

This year's AOL was held in April at the Makiling Conference Center in Calamba, Laguna. The participants' profile showed a wide range of backgrounds, with students coming from private, public and parochial schools in Metro Manila and the provinces. Among the winners in the various categories were students from Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu and Bacolod – proof that the talents of making a house a home cut across social classes and backgrounds.

Fringe benefits

The AOL 2018 Conference also addressed current youth issues. Given that "our young girls were born in the age of high-tech digital technology, we wanted the Art of Living program to provide an alternative activity where they could forge meaningful friendships, be challenged to learn skills which they could apply in their own homes, and develop virtues such as respect for others, patience, discipline and tenacity," Schallenberg said.

"Homemaking is about celebrating each other, and about caring for each other, as well as for your friends and extended families and even the occasional stranger. Homemaking is majoring in (...) relationships," wrote Jill Savage, celebrated American author on marriage and family. AOL wants to instill in the participants the value of fostering good family relations.

Thus, in every AOL, parents are invited to be with their children to support them in the various events. Activities are designed to foster interaction among the girls who meet each other for the first time. Mentors attend to the needs of each one. The participants expand their knowledge and skills in an atmosphere of camaraderie.

Fruit of each AOL is the health benefit. Schallenberg reports that "chronic illnesses in children such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity are on the rise due to the proliferation of what young people call happy foods or comfort foods." To address this, AOL has designed culinary and baking sessions to instill in the girls a taste and preference for healthy foods. As a bonus, this new competence of preparing healthy foods has served well in building their personality and self confidence.

AOL is more than just cooking, baking and keeping house. It's about learning to nurture what is at the core of every person: a happy and healthy home.
Working on Trust (4): "Can I go out tonight?"2018-07-02T21:03:32+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/working-on-trust-4-can-i-go-out-tonight/"Can I go out tonight?" is one of the most feared questions for parents of adolescents. But as children grow up, the need for space to exercise their freedom becomes increasingly evident. Fourth video in the series "Working on Trust."Recent News
"Working on Trust" is a series of videos that draw upon the teachings of Saint Josemaria, who was passionate about freedom and the educational role of parents. The videos suggest topics for conversation between spouses and with other families. Each one is accompanied by a selection of texts for reflection, questions for discussion, and links to further material.

"Can I go out tonight?" is one of the most feared questions for parents of adolescents. But as children grow up, the need for space to exercise their freedom becomes increasingly evident, where young people can develop and learn to relate to a wide variety of people. For adolescents the chance to go out in the evening has always been especially attractive.
Facing this issue can be a good opportunity for parents to teach their children how to manage their freedom. As in all topics that have to do with education, there are no magic formulas and the measures of prudence vary depending on the social and cultural environment in which each family is immersed.

Below are some questions that can help you take advantage of this video, when you see it with friends, at school or in the parish:

Questions for dialogue:

How can parents begin to allow for their children's evening activities, in a progressive way? How can they assess the suitability of these plans, taking into account all the factors that come into play (age, schedule, personal responsibility, money, etc.)?

Should parents establish some fixed conditions regarding permission, arrival times, etc., or should they be open to dialogue with their children?

How should parents deal with the small or big lies of their children regarding their plans and evening activities?

Some suggested action-steps:

Before speaking with a child, it is best that parents agree with each other and can give good reasons, consistent with the values they seek to transmit to their children. And to make correct decisions, they need to know the environment their children are in and how it affects them, and not get carried away by the emotional blackmail of "that's what all my friends do."

Get to know the details of the plans that your children have or want to make and the expectations they have; above all, by talking to them. Listen to your children rather than "interrogating" them. Encourage them to talk and help them reflect on their own ideas, without imposing your own.

Adolescents need time to mull over and assimilate their parents' viewpoint. Give reasons when you say "no" and explain them.

It is important to talk about the risks (the abuse of alcohol, drugs, sex), but always do so from a position of dialogue. Try not to just lay down laws ("don't drink," "don't arrive late") or give extreme examples.

Quotes from Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for reflection:

Listen, children, to fatherly instruction, listen to discernment; because I give you good training, do not abandon my teaching. I am also my father's son, endearing and unrepeatable to my mother. He taught me saying: 'May your heart retain my words; keep my commands and you will live. Acquire wisdom, acquire discernment' (Prov 4 1:5).

 Home is thus the first school of Christian life and 'school of the richest humanism.' Here one learns patience and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous—even repeated—forgiveness, and above all, divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1657).

God has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. The way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1884).

It is incumbent on those who exercise authority to strengthen the values that inspire the confidence of the members of the group and encourage them to put themselves at the service of others. Participation begins with education and culture. 'One is entitled to think that the future of humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with reasons for life and optimism' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1917)

Quotes from Pope Francis for reflection:

The same distractions that are omnipresent in today's world also make us tend to absolutize our free time, so that we can give ourselves over completely to the devices that provide us with entertainment or ephemeral pleasures. As a result, we come to resent our mission, our commitment grows slack, and our generous and ready spirit of service begins to flag (Gaudete et Exultate, 30).

The world tells us exactly the opposite: entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape make for the good life. The worldly person ignores problems of sickness or sorrow in the family or all around him; he averts his gaze. The world has no desire to mourn; it would rather disregard painful situations, cover them up or hide them. Much energy is expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can be concealed. But the cross can never be absent (Gautete et Exultate, 75).

In our own day, dominated by stress and rapid technological advances, one of the most important tasks of families is to provide an education in hope. This does not mean preventing children from playing with electronic devices, but rather finding ways to help them develop their critical abilities and not to think that digital speed can apply to everything in life (Amoris Laetitiae, 275)

Quotes from Saint Josemaría for reflection:

Parents should find time to spend with their children, to talk with them. They are the most important thing—more important than business or work or rest. In their conversations, parents should make an effort to listen, to pay attention, to understand, to recognize the fact that their children are sometimes partly right—or even completely right—in some of their rebellious attitudes. At the same time, they should help their children to direct their efforts and to carry out their projects properly, teaching them to consider things and to reason them out. It is not a matter of imposing a line of conduct, but rather of showing the human and supernatural motives for it. In a word, parents have to respect their children's freedom, because there is no real education without personal responsibility, and there is no responsibility without freedom (Christ is Passing By, 27).

Try to get the children to learn to ask themselves what their actions mean in God's eyes. Give them supernatural reasons to ponder on, so that they feel responsible. And don't show mistrust. It's better to let them deceive you on occasion than to destroy the affection and union they have with you. (Guadalquivir, Valencia, November 17, 1972)

You need to keep an eye on your children's freedom according to how old they are. You can't treat them all the same. Justice demands that you treat unequal children unequally, but in a way that doesn't provoke jealousy. They are unequal by age, temperament, health, intellectual abilities… Thus, with your help, they will become equal, loving each other a lot, behaving well, having their parents' virtues, and being good children of our Lady. (Guadalquivir, Valencia, November 17, 1972)

"Do the same with your children. Don't let on that you've found them out, if they deceive you on some occasion. Understand them, find excuses for them. Haven't you and I done the same with our Lord, and we've come back? May your children realise that you are their best friend; that no one loves them as much as their father and mother. You will see how proud your children are of that. But don't expect them to be head-to-toe saints. No one is a saint in this life. (El Prado, Madrid, November 18, 1972)

For further reflection:

Leisure and Free Time (3)

Archbishop William Lori's Homily for Feast of Saint Josemaria2018-06-29T16:59:46+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/archbishop-lori-s-homily-for-feast-of-saint-josemaria/Homily of Archbishop Lori at the Mass on June 26, 2018 in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Baltimore.Recent News
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore
June 26, 2018

First, it is a pleasure to welcome you once again to this venerable basilica, our nation's first cathedral, to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Josemaria Escrivá de Balaguer.

I thank you for your presence and with you, I give thanks to the Lord for raising up in the not-too-distant past a saint who speaks to us so powerfully about holiness and evangelization in our everyday lives – our lives at home, at work, and at leisure.

More than a corpus of inspiring writings that embody the truth, wisdom, and love of the Scriptures and the Church's teaching, St. Josemaria has also bequeathed Opus Dei to the whole Church, as a way of living and working in holiness, en medio del mundo, por todo el mundo, that is to say, living and working in holiness in the midst of the world for the sake of the sanctification of the world.

This evening's readings, proper to the Feast Day of St. Josemaria, help us to grasp more profoundly the vision of this great saint and in the overflowing graces of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to put into practice what he taught us about everyday spirituality and evangelization.

Let us briefly review what we have heard so that we may contemplate with joy the sacrifice in which we shall share.

Cultivating the Earth

The reading from the Book of Genesis reminds us that we are God's creation and that we were meant to be, not private contractors, but God's co-workers in cultivating the world He had so graciously created.

In this account of creation, we are reminded that the world was a formless waste but was transformed into a beautiful garden by God's creating hand.

So too, it reminds us that out of a clump of nothingness, a handful of dust, God created our original parents, and with and through them, created all of humanity.

Scripture says, "Then [God] breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being," a being endowed with intellect, will, and an immortal soul, a being unlike any other on the earth, made in God's own image.

God bestowed upon man the rich and verdant garden he had created. It was to be his home, the place where he would experience God's providential care. It was to be the place where he would find nourishment, shelter and happiness. One might also say that the Garden was to be man's workplace, for God entrusted the garden to man to cultivate it and to take care of it.

From this we learn about the importance and dignity of work. From the beginning God intended man to be his co-worker in cultivating the earth. Work was not only a way of obtaining life's necessities but also a way of glorifying God by participating in his creative work, by developing the world in accord with his creative wisdom and gracious love.

Yet, Sacred Scripture elsewhere teaches us, early on man declared his independence from the Lord who made him and decided in his pride to work for his own glorification, not God's.

Ever since, man has been tempted to work for money, power and pleasure, to pile up riches, to impose himself on others, to enjoy himself at other's expense.

It is a temptation that we also experience, living as we do in a post-original sin world where sin often still holds sway. How often we are enticed to live and work for ourselves and not for God.

Divine Filiation

Yet, in his mercy God has called us back from such self-destructive behavior, for we are made not ourselves but to share God's love, now and for all eternity. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul takes us to the heart of the Gospel and to the very heart of Opus Dei – if I may say so – namely, that while we were yet sinners, God has called us in Christ Jesus, his only begotten Son, to become his adopted sons and daughters, to be the children of God.

"Everyone," he says, "moved by the Spirit is a son of God!"

Instead of being enslaved by our passions for self- aggrandizement, living in greed and living in fear, God sends his Spirit into our hearts, pouring into them the love of Jesus Christ, whereby the Father can see and love in us what he sees and loves in his only Son.

With freedom and joy, we can cry out, "Abba!" "Father!" "Our Father in heaven!"

Once it truly dawns upon our hearts that, in baptism, we have become God's children, then everything changes in our lives. We no longer see our everyday lives as merely a way of making ends meet, nor is it any longer our ambition simply to enjoy success, as the world defines it.

Nor do we allow ourselves to exploit others or the world that is around us. Instead, we see our everyday lives as a path to sanctification, as a pathway to our becoming like Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we go about our daily work as true sons and daughters of God in Christ, then we will bring our daily work of heart and hand to the Father and ask him to bless it, to help us do it well and wisely and for the glory of his name.

United with his only-begotten Son, we will speak daily to the Father in prayer. We will bring to him our joys and sorrows and consolation and desolation. We will lay out before him our sins and failings asking for forgiveness. We will ask daily for the grace to become more like Jesus so as to reflect Jesus' love onto the world all around us and will also pray to Mary as our Mother in the order of grace.

Thus, the invaluable importance of daily prayer, Holy Mass, the sacrament of penance, spiritual direction, mortification and Marian devotion. This is how we become like Christ so as to live and work like Christ!

Evangelization

In the Gospel, we see the good fruit of living our everyday lives in holiness. The Apostles are going about their everyday occupation – they were fishermen.

And they experienced, as we often do, a sense of futility as we go through our routine seemingly without effect. Yet, as we pray, confess our sins, mortify ourselves, seek Mary's intercession, and receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, the Risen Lord stands beside us in whatever it is we have been called to do, and tells us to keep trying, "to put out our nets for a catch."

And without our really understanding how, the Lord transforms our meagre efforts in a powerful instrument of his truth and love, making of us, his disciples, "fishers of men".

If the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus is reflected in the thoughts we think, the words we choose and the deeds that we do, people we will be "hooked," as it were, by the attractiveness of the Gospel.

When we are ready to give an account of the hope that is ours, as St. Peter urges, and can articulate what we believe and why we believe it, we will be able to sway many to embrace the Lord and the Church.

And when we use our network of our personal influence not for ourselves but for the Lord and for that which is true and good, we will always draw many, more than we know, to open their hearts to Christ.

In these days there are many programs and strategies of evangelization afoot but nothing replaces personal holiness and the personal witness of our lives in attracting those around us to Christ and to the Church.

Let me conclude by giving St. Josemaria the last word; somewhere he wrote:

"When a Christian carries out with love the most insignificant everyday action, that action overflows with the transcendence of God. That is why I have told you so often, and hammered away at it, that the Christian vocation consists in making heroic verse out of prose each day. Heaven and earth seem to merge, my daughters and sons, on the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your everyday lives."

May heaven and earth unite in our hearts as together we celebrate the unending sacrifice of Christ, the source and summit of all holiness.

St. Josemaria, pray for us!
Free Ebook: "Catechesis of Pope Francis on the Mass"2018-06-28T09:27:36+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/free-ebook-catechesis-of-pope-francis-on-the-mass/This book gathers together the audiences of Pope Francis in St Peter's Square dedicated to explaining the Holy Mass and the Eucharist, given between November 2017 and April 2018.From the Pope
iTunes iBooks ► eBook "Catechesis on the Mass"

Google Play Books ► eBook "Catechesis on the Mass"

ePub ► eBook "Catechesis on the Mass"

Mobi ► eBook "Catechesis on the Mass"

In fifteen public audiences between November 2017 and April 2018 Pope Francis has explained what the Holy Mass is, its different parts and its importance in the life of the Christian.

"Through these catecheses that we are beginning today," said the Holy Father, "I would like to rediscover with you the beauty that is hidden in the Eucharistic celebration and that, once revealed, gives full meaning to each person's life."
"The freedom and trust of being God's children"2018-06-27T15:12:43+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/document/the-freedom-and-trust-of-being-god-s-children/Homily of Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz for the liturgical memorial of Saint Josemaria, given in the basilica of Saint Eugene in Rome on 26 June 2018.From the Prelate
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Rom 8:14). Saint Paul's words express the exalted vocation to which we are called: to be God's children. As we read in the book of Genesis, at the beginning man received life through the breath of God (cf. Gen 2:4). Christ has sent us, from God the Father, the Holy Spirit, who leads us to a new life in which we can recognize the face of the Father and exclaim: Abba, Father! (cf. Rom 8:15).

How often Saint Josemaria meditated on the words that we read today in the Mass! One day back in 1931, he felt the Holy Spirit placing these words in his heart and on his lips while traveling in a streetcar in Madrid. He himself recalls walking through the streets for a long time saying over and over: Abba, Father! The Paraclete engraved on his heart a new and deeper certainty that he was a child of God, and he understood that the sense of divine filiation is the foundation of the spiritual life. Before his eyes there opened up a marvelous panorama. We are children of God in Christ, sharers in the eternal filiation of the Only-begotten Son of God the Father!

Today we can ask ourselves whether, as Saint Paul suggests, the awareness of being children of God shapes and imbues every dimension of our life. Frequently considering, with faith, our divine filiation will help us to travel with hope, day after day, despite our weakness, along the path towards identification with Christ, towards sanctity, as Saint Josemaria says: "Jesus understands our weakness and draw us to himself on an inclined plane. He wants us to make an effort to climb a little each day"(Christ is Passing By, no. 75).

Do we feel the freedom and trust that being daughters and sons of God offers us? For we haven't received the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear (Rom 8:15): the fear of failure, which sometimes dampens efforts to undertake new initiatives in the service of others; the fear of losing the false security that comfort and selfishness give. The fear, in short, of going deeper into the marvelous sea of a life of prayer that promises us, along with many joys, real self-giving, in which the sufferings of this present time will not be lacking. But these are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).

Our Lord tells Peter: Put out into the deep (Lk 5:4). It is as though He were telling us: trust in the deepest truth about yourself, being a child of God, and do not be afraid to travel through a world that, at times, seems a tumultuous sea. It's true that things may not go as we would have liked ideally: that in our work we encounter a setback in a project, that someone we love turns their back on God, that unexpected or adverse events arise… And we may feel moved to reply as Peter did: Master, we toiled all night and took nothing (Lk 5:5); depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Lk 5:8). At these moments, we can be greatly helped by doing a good time of prayer, and hearing as really addressed to us too Jesus' words: Do not be afraid (Lk 5:10).

Pope Francis is telling each one of us: "holiness, in the end, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life (cf. Gal 5:22-23). When you feel the temptation to dwell on your own weakness, raise your eyes to Christ crucified and say: 'Lord, I am a poor sinner, but you can work the miracle of making me a little bit better'" (Apost. Exhort. Gaudete et exsultate, no. 15).

The Holy Spirit teaches us to live as God's children, and urges us to help the people we encounter on the path of our life to discover this truth. We all hear, with the Apostles, Jesus' commanding and encouraging voice: let down your nets for a catch (Lk 5:4). A catch to which all of us Christians are called: helping many people to second the action of the Holy Spirit who, in Christ, leads them to God the Father. And this takes place in ordinary life: in the family, in work, in the relationships of friendship and closeness… For example, when fathers and mothers take up in their arms a small child who has fallen and been hurt, and pour out their affection, they are transmitting the love of God the Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth takes its name (Eph 3:14). In these and many other moments, parents are instruments of the loving care of our Father God.

This marvelous reality can also take place among friends. For example, when we listen attentively, with true interest and affection, to someone in difficulty, and assist them with our prayer and, if relevant, with the opportune advice, we are helping them realize that they are not alone, that they have a Father in heaven and brothers and sisters here on earth.

To finish, we can make our own the petition of the prayer that we will pray after Communion: "may the mysteries we have received in this celebration of Saint Josemaria, strengthen in us the spirit of adoption as your children, so that, in faithful adherence to your will, we may advance joyfully along the path of holiness." On this path we will always find our Mother, Holy Mary, who accompanies us.
Saint Josemaria: "The Last Romantic"2018-06-25T16:24:33+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/saint-josemaria-the-last-romantic/For the 90th anniversary of the founding of Opus Dei, Monsignor Mariano Fazio has published some personal reflections on the founder.Recent News
Monsignor Mariano Fazio (Buenos Aires, 1960) has just published El último romántico. San Josemaria en el siglo XXI [The Last Romantic. Saint Josemaria in the 21st Century]. His book is not a biography of the founder of Opus Dei, nor a theological study or a compilation of quotes. "It is simply an attempt," the author explains, "to present in an orderly manner some of the consequences of the light received by Saint Josemaria ninety years ago, and which today are especially relevant."

You met Saint Josemaria in Argentina. What do you remember about that encounter?

I remember a priest with a big smile, who transmitted with naturalness a great joy. His words were positive and encouraging, filled with understanding and also with friendly demands. The smile on his face is still engraved on my memory, and has been an incentive for me to try to smile, also when apparently there are no reasons to do so.

I was just fourteen years old and knew very little about Opus Dei. There were many high school and university students there, all in search of great ideals. I have to admit that I remember very few specific things that Saint Josemaría told us, but one sentence really struck me: "Buenos Aires has to be the city of joyful souls." I returned home with the horizons in my life considerably broadened.

"The last romantic." Why do you describe Saint Josemaria like this?

He saw himself in line with the nineteenth-century romantics who fought for personal freedom. "I love the freedom of others," he said, "yours, that of the person passing by right now on the street, because if I didn't love it, I couldn't defend mine. But that's not the main reason. The main reason is this: that Christ died on the Cross to give us freedom, so that we could live in libertatem gloriae filiorum Dei" (in the freedom and glory of the children of God).

Without freedom we can't love. Therefore he thought that in the natural order God's greatest gift to mankind was having created us as free beings. God wanted to run the "risk" of our freedom, so that we could freely respond with our love to his infinite love. Saint Josemaria lamented that, in recent times, many people were demanding freedom in order to make use of it to destroy others, to subject them and step on them. In contrast, he defended a "Christian romanticism": loving the freedom of others, with affection.

Next October 2 will mark 90 years since the founding of Opus Dei. What message does your founder have for the 21st century?

90 years ago Saint Josemaria received a light from God that gave a new meaning to his life, where love (with its ingredient of divine excess) and freedom hold a central place. The hearts of men and women of all times and places hunger for love and freedom. We are made to love and be loved. That's why it is so easy to feel drawn to his spirit. His message has changed the lives of many people throughout these decades, and is destined to expand. Anniversaries, in themselves, are simply dates, but to me personally it has served as an occasion to reflect on some aspects of his message that are especially illuminating in the context of contemporary culture.

Dostoievsky, Perez Galdós, Tolkien, Chesterton... your book contains many references to classical and modern authors.

Classical authors have a special ability to illuminate some of the key issues that affect all of us. With his concern for human freedom, Saint Josemaria has also dealt with many of these ideas and therefore I have tried to make some inter-connections that are relevant for the 21st century and future centuries. For example, Gogol and Tolkien were thankful that God had granted human beings a share in his creative power; Kafka and Kierkegaard have a lot to say about the relationship of each person with their father; Chesterton offers reflections on loving God in the world; Machado provokes us to think about true love... As I try to show in the book, work, love, filiation and the world are some of the themes on which Saint Josemaria offers quite valuable suggestions, ideas that we also find in the classics.

In the introduction, Monsignor Ocáriz talks about the rejuvenating power of Christianity...

The Prelate of Opus Dei compares the current exhaustion of ideas and values with that which, twenty centuries ago, affected the society in which Christianity took root. The life of Jesus' disciples very soon began to rejuvenate the life of an aging society: renewing it with the youth and newness of God. Saint Josemaria's proposals come from the Gospel, which is why they are so necessary for the 21st century: the joy of being children of God, work as a place to seek holiness, the positive character of secularity, the importance of family life and love, the value of pluralism, the social repercussions of the life of each and every Christian.
Pastoral Trips of the Prelate in July and August 20182018-06-25T12:52:21+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/viaje-pastoral-prelado-opus-dei-julio-agosto-2018/Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz will travel to Spain, Nigeria, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay to see faithful and friends of the Prelature.From the Prelate
► Infograph of Prelate's pastoral trips in JPG

► Infograph of Prelate's pastoral trips in PDF

As last summer, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz during July and August will undertake several pastoral trips that will give him the opportunity to greet faithful of the Prelature and cooperators and friends.

At the end of June, the Prelate will travel from Rome to Pamplona, in Spain. From there, on July 13 he will go to the shrine of Covadonga, where he will concelebrate a Mass with Archbishop Jesús Sanz of Oviedo, for the Marian Jubilee Year being held at the shrine.
 After another brief stay in Pamplona, on July 19 he will fly from Madrid to Lagos, in Nigeria, where he will spend a week with the people there.

After returning to Spain for a few days, on August 2 he will fly from Madrid to Buenos Aires, Argentina. From there, on the 8th of August, he will travel to La Paz, in Bolivia. On August 13 will go to Asunción, in Paraguay. On the 16th of August he returns to Pamplona.

On September 1 he will take part in the Family Day at the shrine of Torreciudad, and the next day in the priestly ordinations of three faithful of the Prelature.
 A few days later he returns to Rome."Washington Week": Integrating Faith and Professional Dreams2018-06-21T16:04:03+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/washington-week-integrating-faith-and-professional-dreams/This summer, in July, high school girls from the U.S. and Europe will spend a week in Washington, DC exploring ways to integrate their faith with their professional aspirations. Recent News
This summer in July, Yuma Center in Washington, DC will host its 4th annual Washington Week program for high school girls. Last year's edition drew young women from across the U.S. and Europe.

Washington Week is designed to help high school girls explore career opportunities in media and public policy while also learning about ethical leadership and the importance of character and the values that come from one's faith in every profession.

"I think it's important for high school girls to think about their professional futures," said Gabriela of New Jersey, who attended the program last year. "Washington Week taught me that a strong foundation in what you believe can take you to far-off places."

"I learned how to talk to others and to be polite in a professional environment. I also had the opportunity to dress professionally everyday and to learn how to take the Metro," said Maddy of Virginia who also attended the program in 2017.

"Washington Week was an incredible experience that has broadened my professional horizons immensely and has helped me make lifelong friends," said Isabel from Maryland who also attended in 2017.

The students can choose to participate in either a one-week seminar focused on domestic policy and communications or a separate week-long conference that centers on global affairs and human rights. Hearing the personal and professional stories of people working in these fields broadens perspectives and helps the girls envision themselves serving society in these capacities.

"We need to think about our professional futures because we need to be prepared for what the future may bring and start to think about what we want to accomplish in life and what our interests are and how we can help the world," said Maria from South Carolina, a past participant.

Whether visiting the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court or chatting with a State Representative or a former White House staff member, students learn what it means to be a civil servant. Hearing a speechwriter talk about her craft helps them appreciate the art and challenge of communication. Meeting with an immigration lawyer and an analyst from the FBI gives them a personal understanding of the multiple layers and issues involved in security.

"The FBI and the White House were my top two favorite site visits,' said participant Barbara from New Jersey, who dreams one day of working at the FBI.

"I liked going to the House of Representatives because I liked the very professional and serious atmosphere there. Getting to see where politicians work was amazing. I also liked that we got to go inside an office and speak with a representative," said Maria.

"I love the visit to the FBI. I love the importance they place on teamwork and how they describe the FBI as a family. I was impressed with the efficient procedures and how many different jobs there were. It was eye-opening and gave me a great appreciation for the FBI," said 2017 participant Kiley.

For those interested in global affairs, visiting multiple embassies, listening to dissidents who escaped communist countries, hearing from retired intelligence officers and going to the World Bank to solve a case study on anti-fraud are eye-opening. All of these program elements give perspective on reading the daily news and inspire them to consider possible future careers.

During both weeks, the girls have a chance to study the history of the nation's capital by visiting museums and national monuments. They also take part in small group discussions with fellow participants and program leaders about the role of one's faith in everyday life and work.

"I think that by integrating my faith life into my everyday work, I can truly appreciate my work. The speakers helped me see that faith and work should go hand in hand," said Maddy.

Through the experience, they are encouraged to think big about their future. They are exposed to numerous professionals who talk to them about their work and help them understand how they could pursue a career in their field. As one participant put it, Washington Week taught her "not to be afraid of my future."

Every element of the program incorporates how to work with integrity and purpose. Many speakers talk about how they integrate a career with family and faith, and the ways in which they strive to bring optimism and excellence to their workplace. As one participant said, she learned "how to be a woman of faith and reason in the professional world."

The students—mostly rising juniors and seniors—gain a deeper understanding of U.S. and world history, and the issues facing us today. They learn the central role that ethical leadership plays in influential positions—and the importance of service and an outlook that always aims to improve an element of life or society.

Many have developed lasting friendships through the program. The girls have a lot of fun, and they leave Washington Week energized to dream about their future, and about how they can improve the lives of others in the years to come.

"Washington Week was an incredible experience that has broadened my professional horizons immensely and has helped me make lifelong friends," said Isabel.

For more information about the program, visit: http://www.yumadc.org/washingtonweek
"The commandments are the path to freedom"2018-06-20T16:27:47+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/the-commandments-are-the-path-towards-freedom/On June 20, in Saint Peter's Square, Pope Francis continued his series of addresses on the ten commandments.From the Pope
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

This audience takes place in two places: we are here in the square, and in the Paul VI Hall there are more than 200 sick people who follow via the maxiscreen. All together we form a community. Let us greet those in the Hall with an applause.

Last Wednesday we began a new cycle of catechesis, on the commandments. We have seen that the Lord Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfil it. But we must understand this perspective better.

In the Bible the commandments do not exist autonomously, but are part of a relationship. The Lord Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to bring it to fulfilment. And there is that relationship, of the Covenant[1] between God and His People. At the beginning of Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus we read – and this is important – "And God spoke all these words" (v. 1).

It appears to be an opening like any other, but nothing in the Bible is banal. The text does not say, "And God spoke these commandments", but "these words." The Jewish tradition always calls the Decalogue "the ten Words." And the term "Decalogue" is intended to say precisely this. And yet they have the form of laws, they are objectively commandments. Why, then, does the holy Author use, right here, the term "ten Words"? Why? And why not "ten commandments"?

What difference is there between a command and a word? A command is essentially a communication that does not require dialogue. The word, on the other hand, is the essential means of relations as dialogue. God the Father creates by means of His Word, and His Son is the Word made flesh. Love is nurtured by words, like education or collaboration. Two people who do not love each other are not able to communicate. When someone speaks to our heart, our loneliness comes to an end. A word is received, communication is given, and the commandments are words of God: God communicates Himself in these ten Words, and awaits our response.

It is one thing to receive an order, another to perceive that someone is trying to speak with us. A dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. I can say to you: "Today is the last day of spring, it is hot for spring, but today is the last day." This is truth, it is not dialogue. But if I say to you, "What do you think of this spring?", I initiate a dialogue. The commandments are a dialogue. Communication is carried out for the pleasure of speaking and for the real good that is communicated between those who wish each other well, by means of words. It is a good that does not consist in things, but in the same people who reciprocally give each other in dialogue (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 142).

But this difference is not something artificial. Let us look at what happened at the beginning. The temptor, the devil, wishes to deceive the man and the woman on this point: he wants to convince them that God has forbidden them to eat the fruit of the tree of good and evil to keep them in submission. The challenge is precisely this: is the first rule that God gave to man the imposition of a despot who forbids and compels, or is it the care of a father who cares for his young and protects them from self-destruction? Is it a word or is it a command? The most tragic, among the many lies that the serpent tells Eve, is the suggestion of an envious deity: "But no, God is envious of you" – and of a possessive deity – "God does not want you to have freedom." The facts show dramatically that the serpent lied (cf. Gen 2: 16-17; 3: 4-5), he made them believe that a word of love was a command.

Man faces this crossroads: does God impose things or does He take care of me? Are His commandments just a law, or do they contain a word, to care for me? Is God master or father? God is the Father: never forget this. Even in the worst situations, think that we have a Father Who loves us all. Are we subjects or offspring? This conflict, within or outside us, presents itself continually: a thousand times we must choose between the mentality of slaves or the mentality of sons. The commandment is that of a master, the word is that of a Father.

The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of sons, He is the Spirit of Jesus. A spirit of slaves cannot but receive the Law in an oppressive way, and can produce two opposing results: either a life made up of duties and obligations, or a violent reaction of rejection. All Christianity is the passage from the letter of the Law to the Spirit that gives it life (cf. 2 Cor 3: 6-17). Jesus is the Word of the Father, not the Father's condemnation. Jesus came to save, with His Word, not to condemn us.

We can see when a man or a woman has experienced this passage or not. People realize if a Christian reasons like a son or a slave. And we ourselves remember whether our educators took care of us like fathers or mothers, or if they simply imposed rules. The commandments are the path towards freedom, because they are the word of the Father that makes us free in this journey.

The world needs not legalism, but care. It needs Christians with the heart of sons.[2] It needs Christians with the heart of sons: do not forget this.

[1] Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus is preceded by the offering of the Covenant at Chapter 19, in which the following pronouncement is central: "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19,5-6). This terminology finds its emblematic synthesis in Lev 26,12: "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people", and even reaches the name foretold by the Messiah, in Isaiah 7: 14, or rather "Immanuel," which is found in Matthew: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us'" (Mt 1: 23). All this indicates the essentially relational nature of the Jewish faith and, to the highest degree, of the Christian faith.

[2] Cf John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis splendor, 12: "The gift of the Decalogue was a promise and sign of the New Covenant, in which the law would be written in a new and definitive way upon the human heart (cf. Jer 31:31-34), replacing the law of sin which had disfigured that heart (cf. Jer 17:1). In those days, 'a new heart' would be given, for in it would dwell 'a new spirit,' the Spirit of God (cf. Ez 36:24-28)."

The Son I Never Dreamed Of2018-06-19T19:50:43+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/the-son-i-never-dreamed-of/Patricia Schroeder, who lives in Uruguay, is a journalist and mother of seven children, one of whom has Down syndrome. When he turned ten, Patricia asked her other children: "What have you learned from Fran?"Personal testimonies
Francis is the son I never dreamed of, and I say this with a bit of shame. I have seven children. Fran arrived with his twin brother. It never crossed my mind that I could have a child with Down syndrome. I dreamed of the birth of two sons, strong, athletic, good students.... I dreamed about their future professions, their becoming mature and responsible adults.

A few days after the twins were born, I began to be worried about Fran; his almond-shaped eyes hid a secret we needed to decipher. That very day we asked for a genetic test. After a short time we had the diagnosis confirmed. At first we felt a great uncertainty, a lot of anguish and fear. What could we do? How could we educate him? How could we help him become part of this world of ours that seems so unaccepting for someone different?

The confirmation of the diagnosis transformed our negative feelings into a great certainty. Fran will need the help of each of us: Dad, Mom, brothers and sisters…. Almost without realizing it, we began drawing up a family action plan that, without exaggerating things, revolved around his special needs.

He taught us that a family, this small community, should organize itself and prioritize in accord with the one who is most in need. For a while it was the twins: Nico and Fran. The two were always together at first, when eating, bathing, and sleeping. If at times Fran needed me more, the rest of the family would be diligent in looking after Nico.

Now Fran and Nico are ten years old. And after so many shared efforts, we look with pride at what has been achieved in our family. We have no doubt that God will never stop holding us in his hands, and that the family is always protected by our Lady's embrace. As Saint Josemaria said, each day God is close to us "like a loving Father. He loves each one of us more than all the mothers in the world can love their children—helping us, inspiring us, blessing... and forgiving."

With almost ten years of work as a family team, I thought it was also a good time to pause and reflect on what Fran has brought us. So I asked his brothers and sisters: "What's the best thing about Fran?" Their responses are very positive:

- If you feel down, he always tries to cheer you up.

- His daily joy, his kindness, his transparency and sincerity (he never hides anything), his warmth, always being concerned about everyone, always being in a good mood and sharing it with the rest, his huge heart. He spreads love around him.

- Fran is always attentive to how you feel; if you are down, he encourages you with a hug without your asking.

- In Fran I see his good humor (most of the time), his way of entertaining others and his big heart.

- He's so transparent, direct and authentic.

- The best of my brother: he is always willing to do whatever you need. He is the first to greet you when you arrive home with a hug and a kiss. When you're sad he asks what's the matter and gives you a hug; he's our "teddy bear" we can hug when we need it.

 - (From Nico, the twin): He is the sun and I am the moon, that's how twins are.

So it's easy to see that all our effort with Fran has brought our family a great reward. And the answer to a second question: "what's the worst about Fran" was also quite revealing. He is very insistent, and doesn't stop until he gets what he wants; it is difficult to "negotiate" with him; he always wants something right away and needs to be the center of attention.

Whenever we notice that Fran has made an advance in some point there are so many of us who take pride. First, the five older brothers and sisters who have rolled up their sleeves countless times to provide extra help at home. And also the grandparents, uncles, cousins, friends and godparents who always want the best for Fran. And the many educational and sports institutions that have opened their doors to us.

I hope this message reaches parents who may now be feeling the same fear we felt in those first days of uncertainty. I also hope it will help bring about greater inclusion in sports, at school, in games and at work. This is not easily achieved, and there has to be some give and take, just as happened in our home. But the reward is enormous, much more than we could ever have dreamed of.
Strathmore University's 10th Anniversary2018-06-18T15:49:10+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/strathmore-university-s-10th-anniversary/An interview with the Prelate of Opus Dei, who is Chancellor of Strathmore University in Kenya, that was published for the 10th anniversary of the University's charter.From the Prelate
What was the vision of Saint Josemaria for Africa and specifically Kenya when he sent the first members of Opus Dei who started the Strathmore A Level College in 1961?

Kenya was the first country in Africa to receive faithful of Opus Dei in 1958. That is why Saint Josemaría always looked at your nation with great affection. He prayed a lot for Kenyans and for Strathmore. He hoped that his daughters and sons, who had arrived there to carry out their professional work, would become good citizens of the land that had welcomed them. He wanted Strathmore College to be interracial: in the management team, in the faculty and in the student body. "Because there is only one race," he liked to say, "the race of the children of God." That is why Strathmore is, in a way, a place where one has to learn to live like this, as children of God.

What are your expectations of Strathmore University on this occasion of celebrating 10 years since it was awarded its charter?

I hope that this anniversary will be an opportunity to open up to a yearning for truth. It is an attitude very much in keeping with the university spirit and is what Saint Josemaría wanted – and later Don Alvaro and Don Javier – for people who work in this field. Openness to the whole world, eager to serve and share the best you have.

Strathmore's charter was awarded in 2008, at a time when Kenya was greatly divided after the 2007 post-election violence in the country. What is your take on the University's Christian orientation and foundational values that are emphatic on charity and unity as clearly spelt in the motto 'Ut omnes unum sint'?

Unity is not improvised. It is an asset, a great good based on the willingness to help others and avoid making a big deal about our differences, no matter what they are. This motto, therefore, is a basis for further work and also the horizon to be reached. Unity is a daily conquest: a struggle to appreciate and respect differences and to know how to ask for forgiveness. And at the University, people are taught how to build society on this foundation. Pope Francis, on his visit to Kenya, encouraged people to work with integrity and transparency for the common good, to say no to corruption and to foster a spirit of solidarity in all areas of society and especially with those most in need. Difficulties, for a Christian, are rather challenges, because we always have the grace of God and the encouragement to contribute to improving relationships between people, even if we take our own limitations as our starting point.

In following the message of Saint Josemaria on the universal call to holiness while carrying out ordinary work, what is your advice to various cadres of staff working in the University to foster excellent work and uphold high human standards at all times?

The very history of Strathmore University can be a source of inspiration: over the years it has grown from a small academic institution to a university. The stature of the university depends on your commitment to try to work hard and to work well, to carry out each task with human perfection and with love of God. In that sense, the key lies in the heart of every teacher, every employee, every student and every manager. By fostering an effective desire to help others and to find God in this very ordinary work, their work – whatever it may be – is always relevant. This is where the importance of love in work comes from. It is something simple and, at the same time, supernatural.

Technological advancement has spread rapidly in the world, in Africa and Kenya is not left behind; what words of advice would you give to;

A. Students who need to balance between being tech savvy and being truly human

I would tell them not to be afraid to exercise their freedom in projects that are worthwhile. Technologies contribute a great deal to life, but you also need to "disconnect" in order to interact, face to face, with others. On the other hand, the future of the country and, perhaps, of other nations, depends on the students who are now being trained.

B. Lecturers who use technology to teach & carry out research and should guide the youth on cultivating meaningful relationships at the family and social level?

Technical means contribute to improved performance in research work. At the same time, they are just means, that is, instruments that allow us to reach an end. Therefore, a good professional tries to use them with measure so they do not distance him or her from others. The consequence of this attitude is the positive influence of the lecturers in the rest of the university: their example mainly influences the students, who will be the leaders of society in a few years

C. How does one find God in the noise of social media?

You can learn to communicate with God in many ways. It is enough to go to the chapel, or to spend some time every day praying with the Gospel. A necessary mode of "access" is the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist. With the power of God's grace, we work and live in the company of the Lord amidst the noise of the factory, the classrooms, the streets or the paths of the countryside.

Saint Josemaria loved working with the disadvantaged and marginalized in society. What insights would you give to those working on projects in Community Outreach for more effectiveness? What role does the University play in bringing about development to the economy of our country?

"Opus Dei grew up," Saint Josemaría often said, "in the poor neighborhoods of Madrid," because in the sicknesses and sufferings of others he found the strength of God. The priority of the individual moves Christians to take an interest in each person. The Pope recalled – for example in the last Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exultate– the need to live with understanding, affection and true attention for those around us, inviting them to live the teaching found at the end of chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is about seeing Christ in others. The initiatives to help the needy, which are promoted in Strathmore, are a concrete way of trying to live like this.

Looking ahead to the future with the foundational years behind us, what is most important contribution you expect Strathmore to make in this region and in Africa?

A university of Christian inspiration contains the potential remedy that society needs: human values, the will to contribute to the needs of the country and to culture, training the professionals of the future. And, above and beyond that, a place where, within the personal limitations of each one of us, we try to give every student, every person who works here, the opportunity to feel very free and very responsible. Many great things depend on their lives and on the good they actually do around them, for others and for God.

Link to Strathmore University website

"The Lord Jesus leads us into true life"2018-06-13T14:43:56+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/the-lord-jesus-leads-us-into-real-life/On Wednesday 13 June, Pope Francis began a series of catecheses on the role of the ten commandments in Christian life.From the Pope
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today is the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua. Who among you is called Anthony? An applause to all the "Anthonies." Today we will begin a new itinerary of catechesis. It will be on the theme of the Commandments. The Commandments of the law of God. To introduce it, let us take as a starting point the passage we have just heard: the encounter between Jesus and a man, he is a young man, who, on his knees, asks Him how he can inherit eternal life (cf. Mk 10: 17-21). And in that question there is the challenge of every existence: ours too: the desire for a full, infinite life. But how can we arrive at this? What path should we take? To live truly, to live a noble existence. How many young people seek to "live" and then destroy themselves in the pursuit of ephemeral things.

Some think that it is better to extinguish this impulse, the impulse to live, because it is dangerous. I would like to say, especially to the young: our worst enemy is not concrete problems, however serious and dramatic they may be: the greatest danger in life is a poor spirit of adaptation that is not meekness or humility, but rather mediocrity, pusillanimity.[1] Is a mediocre young person a young person with a future, or not? No! He stays there, he doesn't grow, he will not be successful. Mediocrity or pusillanimity. Those young people are afraid of everything: "No, I am this way…" These young people will not go ahead. Meekness, strength and no pusillanimity, no mediocrity. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati – who was a young man – used to say that it is necessary to live, not to get by.[2] The mediocre get by. Live with the strength of life. We must ask the heavenly Father, for the young people of today, the gift of a healthy restlessness. But at home, in your houses, in every family, when you see a young person who stays seated all day, at times the mother and father thing, "But he is ill, he has something," and they take him to the doctor. The life of the young person is about going ahead, being restless, healthy restlessness, the capacity not to settle for a life without beauty, without colour. If young people are not hungry for authentic life, I wonder, where will humanity end up? Where will humanity end up with quiet young people who are not restless?

The question of that man in the Gospel passage we have heard is within each one of us: how do we find life, life in abundance, happiness? Jesus answers: "You know the Commandments" (19), and cites a part of the Decalogue. It is a pedagogical process, by which Jesus wishes to lead to a precise place: indeed it is already clear from his question that the man does not have a full life, he seeks more and he is restless. What must he therefore understand? He says: "Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy" (v. 20).

How do we pass from youth to maturity? When we begin to accept our own limits. One becomes an adult when one becomes relative and aware of what is missing (cf. v. 21). This man is compelled to acknowledge that everything he can "do" does not go beyond a roof, it does not go beyond a margin.

How good it is to be men and women! How precious our existence is! And yet there is a truth in the history of recent centuries that man has often refused, with tragic consequences: the truth of his limits.

Jesus, in the Gospel, says something that can help us: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them" (Mt. 5: 17). The Lord Jesus gives fulfilment, He came for this. That man had to arrive at the threshold of taking a leap, where there opens up the possibility of stopping living for oneself, one's own works, one's own goods and, precisely because full life is lacking, leave all to follow the Lord.[3] Seemingly in Jesus' final invitation – immense, wonderful – there is not the offer of poverty, but of wealth, of the true kind: "One thing you lack… Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (v. 21).

Who, given the choice between the original and a copy, would choose the copy? Here is the challenge: to find the original of life, not the copy. Jesus does not offer surrogates, but true life, true love, true wealth! How can the young follow us in faith if they do not see us choose the original, if they see us addicted to half measures? It is bad to find Christians of half measures, if I may permit myself the word, "dwarf" Christians; they grow up to a certain point and no further; Christians with a shrunken, closed heart. It is bad to find this. There needs to be the example of someone who invites me "beyond" to "more", to grow a little. Saint Ignatius called it the "magis," "the fire, the fervour of action that rouses the dormant."[4]

The road of what is missing passes for what there is. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil. We have to start from reality to make the jump to "what is missing". We must scrutinize the ordinary to open ourselves to the extraordinary.

In these catecheses we will take the two tablets of Moses as Christians, hand in hand with Jesus, to pass from the illusions of youth to the treasure that is in heaven, walking behind Him. We will discover, in each of those laws, ancient and wise, the door opened by the Father Who is in heaven because the Lord Jesus, who has passed through it, leads us into real life. His life. The life of the children of God.

[1] The Fathers spoke of pusillanimità (oligopsychìa). Saint John of Damascus defined it as "fear of acting" (De fide ortodoxa, II, 15) and Saint John Climacus adds that "pusillanimity is a puerile disposition in a soul that is no longer young" (The Ladder, XX, 1, 2).

[2] Cf Letter to Isidoro Bonini, 27 February 1925.

[3] "The eye was created for light, the ear for sound, everything for its purpose, and the desire of the soul to hasten towards Christ (Nicholas Kabasilas, Life in Christ, II, 90).

[4] Address to the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, 24 October 2016: "It is a magis, that plus which leads Ignatius to under take initiatives, to follow them through, and to evaluate their real impact on people's lives in matters of faith, justice, mercy and charity."
Sunday Mass in Wormwood Scrubs2018-06-11T16:24:20+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/i-was-in-prison-and-you-visited-me/"When Pope Francis declared a Year of Mercy starting in December 2015, it set me thinking about works of mercy. In a meeting with friends to discuss possible projects, someone mentioned how he used to go with a group of volunteers to a prison to attend Sunday Mass there with the prisoners."Social initiatives
Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison in west London for adult males, originally set up towards the end of the 19th century. In 1979 prisoners staged a rooftop protest which led to sixty inmates and several prison officers being injured. In the 1990s, a police investigation into allegations of staff brutality resulted in the suspension of 27 prison officers. Although a 2004 report said that the situation had greatly improved after some fundamental changes, by 2008 another report stated that conditions had deteriorated and in 2014 the Inspectorate was very critical of the prison.

I contacted the prison chaplain about attending Mass there once a month with some friends, and we agreed to meet at the prison gate at 10 am one Sunday morning, half an hour before Mass was due to begin, complete with passports and other proofs of address. I was apprehensive at first, not quite knowing what to expect, but determined to go ahead regardless, inspired by Pope Francis' example and his encouragement to be near the poor and sick, not to be afraid of 'the smell of the sheep'.

I could not help but look around me at this other world as it unfolded: the heavy iron doors, the barking of the dogs, the filth and litter that had gathered under the cell windows, the warning signs not to approach the feral cats, the high barbed wired walls, the loud voices as prisoners tried to converse with one another through the open windows from one cell to another.

Then, suddenly, right in the very centre of the prison, we were lead into a magnificent, spacious, beautiful chapel. The contrast could not have been greater; an oasis of hope and beauty. I found out that the chapel had been completed at the end of the 19th century using convict labour. In fact, some of the prisoners had painted the gospel scenes that were behind the altar. It is said that they used each other's' faces to paint the apostles and that the face of Pontius Pilate bore an uncanny resemblance to the prison governor of the time!

Prisoners entered in groups from the various wings. We welcomed them in, offered a few words of encouragement, shook their hands, I also gave out some prayer cards to St Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. The Mass started. The priest told them about the Year of Mercy, the most relevant part being this extract from a letter of Pope Francis about the indulgences available during the year.

My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom.

There were about 150 inmates there that morning out of a total prison population of about 1300. In many ways they were not so different from any other congregation; there were many who were very devout, others were more distracted and had to be encouraged to follow the Mass more attentively. Generally, they would oblige. It reminded me of being a teacher, overseeing pupils in Mass in a rough school. Some were clearly moved and tearful, perhaps on hearing the same hymns that once they had sung as children before things had started to go wrong in their lives.

Sometimes one has to persevere to do good; after only a few visits, due to high and growing levels of corruption, security became much tighter. Volunteers were no longer allowed to enter the prison without going through an extremely bureaucratic and stringent vetting process together plus some training. I decided that I would try my best to get past these obstacles. It took me over a year but by July 2017 I had been fully vetted and trained. I now have the advantage of being able to go in and out of the prison whenever I want to and I continue to attend Sunday morning Mass there at least once a month.

Little by little I got to know some of the prisoners. There is always work to be done at the end of Mass, being asked for all sorts of things, from rosaries to copies of the Bible in Vietnamese or a request that a priest visit their cell to hear their confession.

I was particularly moved by Juan from Colombia. He spoke no English but we were able to converse in Spanish. I could scarcely believe my ears as he told his story. He had been admitted to the prison about a month previously and routine medical tests had shown that he had advanced cancer. Doctors expected him only to live for a few more months. I assured him of my prayers. I was really taken by his calmness and trust. He was shortly moved somewhere else and I have heard nothing since.

One morning, one of the inmates approached me and said "You're from Opus Dei, aren't you?" I replied that indeed I was and asked him how he knew. He said that he had seen me giving out prayer cards of the founder. Then, out of the blue he asked why it was that St Josemaría called Alvaro 'Saxum'? I gave him a brief explanation but I was more intrigued as to how he knew all this. He said that he got moved around a bit from one prison to another but that when he had been in Yorkshire he used to get copies of the Newsletter of Mgr. Josemaría Escrivá, a regular publication produced while his process of canonisation was on-going. He said he had never read any works of St Josemaría but that he would like to read Christ is passing by. Last Sunday I handed him a copy.

Now, when I leave the prison after Mass, as I ride my bike along the river Thames and then up to and over Wimbledon Common back home, with the fresh early Sunday afternoon air, my thoughts always go back to the prisoners in their cells and I begin to pray for them. The week of work ahead does not seem so bad now and it helps me to offer it all up for the many needs of others and to try to complain much less.

Mark Stables is a school master, married with two children
"I lacked a lot of trust"2018-06-05T21:35:15+01:00https://opusdei.org/en-au/article/i-lacked-a-lot-of-trust/Anna Corry, a supernumerary member of Opus Dei, had many messages to pass on before she died of cancer on the 29th of March 2018, in Sydney, Australia. Personal testimonies
Anna was 51 years of age, wife of Martin and mother of three boys: Michael (17 years old), Dominic (14) and Andrew (11).

 She was misdiagnosed and told she didn't have cancer but a chest infection. Then soon afterwards she was told she only had 12 months to live. She went through chemotherapy twice but ultimately to no avail.

 She wanted to be honest about her interior struggle caused by her intense physical suffering and having to leave behind her young family.

This video was recorded two weeks before she died and is a summary of an extensive interview where she spoke about her final months on earth.

Transcription of the interview is found below:

They gave me a time limit of 12 months to live and it just, it shook me to the bone. I just said to them… I think I screamed out: "I can't say goodbye to my sons. I just can't do it!"

 I was at home some nights. I remember saying to even the children or to my husband that I can't go through this anymore. I just can't cope. It is too painful, it is too dehumanising. I was worried that because I had been through so many things what was next?

 When I came into this hospital, straight away my pain levels... they started me on a syringe drive which is a 24 hour pump that evenly distributes the narcotic or opiod that is required and it was exactly what I wanted. They titrated that according to my pain to my neurological levels and I was most impressed because when a person is without pain or at least me I just think life is worth living, life is beautiful.

 I guess when you're in pain you can be irrational, illogical, you don't notice anything, you're kind of in your own world. It's a terrible situation to be in. I don't think God necessarily… you know we can offer it up and it does tremendous good but I don't think He necessarily wants us to be in pain if it can be treated.

 And I know he gives us all crosses and we've got to bear them and sometimes they're emotional, we've got to work through them, or spiritual or moral. But with this physical cross he gave me… it was incredible to endure it and then to be treated for it. So the difference was amazing.

 I was begging God to align His will with… sorry... my will with His. That's all I wanted but I didn't know how it was going to occur. I just didn't know how. I just couldn't see myself... Martin would say these words of wisdom… he'd even read things in the Bible or talk about Job... tell me to read Job...about his affliction...that he had so many afflictions And what helped him.

And in the end the message… Well I actually read it myself… the message I got from that was that "you must pray for your enemies, you must do God's will or love his will." And I started reading some of the saints and particularly Saint Teresa who agreed that if we align ourselves to God's will it's more pleasing to Him than our prayer, our mortification, etc... not that they're not pleasing, they very much are but this was more pleasing even ... and I started to think of the beauty in that.

I lacked a lot of trust, a lot. And I didn't realise until I endured this illness how much I lacked. Trust that he will look after the children…or Our Lady will. Apparently the two of us from heaven, or me from purgatory maybe, will look after the children so we will both raise them. What could be better than that?

 So I lacked a lot of that trust but that's since become… well, you know best. And that's through the spiritual reading I've done, it's through talking to very wise people, the priest in spiritual direction, confession once a week... has been incredible… because they're very busy and they're giving this time for one person only. I've received communion daily which has given me tremendous graces.

 And then more and more people would come with intentions mainly about their children you know; women were coming you know and it was just so beautiful to be able to help them either by just words but more praying for them because I did have quite a few hours so I was able to pray a lot.

 So I've had a few regrets and I'm trying to make up for it now in spiritual communions. I've had lots of regrets in the apostolate. Trying to reach out and I wish I had been more generous with my time, towards others, I really do... and going to the tabernacle to do my prayer. That's a regret that I have.

 But also I'd like to say that Father has anointed me and it's been unbelievable the graces to receive… sometimes this room was full of people and I was anointed last Sunday. I was anointed and the room was full of people. So they got to see me so happy, so relaxed after that.

 Can I just say too that not on the 11th of March but on the 4th of March that I did my fidelity and it was the best day... one of the best days of my life.

 Now my wedding day, the days I gave birth to my children, various other days in my life... but the days I've spent in here. Some of these days have been the best days of my life equivalent to those and that's due to most of the things I just said.

 And I know that sounds crazy because here am I sitting up in a hospice but that's the truth. That's how I feel internally.

If I want to give advice to anyone... stay in the state of grace... to get to heaven. If they understand what that is.