"Friends of God"

St. Josemaria Escriva "never set out to be an author, though he figures among the leading teachers of Christian spirituality. His teaching is both attractive and forceful, and is meant to be lived in the midst of our work, at home, in our dealings with other people, everywhere in fact."

- Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, Foreword to Friends of God

"Living by Faith"

"Living by Faith", a homily by St. Josemaria Escriva, is this month's reading selection at the St. Josemaria Institute. The homily is a helpful guide during these days when we are asked through faith to [especially] remember and pray for our deceased friends and family, and all souls. The homily is also fitting in preparation for the "Year of Faith" announced by Pope Benedict XVI that begins on October 11, 2012. 

Excerpt from "Living by Faith"

"Jesus approaches the fig tree: he approaches you, he approaches me. Jesus hungers, he thirsts for souls. On the Cross he cried out Sitio! - 'I thirst'. He thirsts for us, for our love, for our souls and for all the souls we ought to be bringing to him, along the way of the Cross which is the way to immortality and heavenly glory.

He reached the fig tree 'and found nothing but leaves on it'. How deplorable. Does the same thing happen to us? Is the sad fact that we are lacking in faith, in dynamism in our humility? Have we no sacrifices, no good works to show? Is our Christianity just a facade, with nothing real behind it? (...) We have to work a lot on this earth and we must do our work well, since it is our daily tasks that we have to sanctify. But let us never forget to do everything for his sake. If we were to do it for ourselves, out of pride, we would produce nothing but leaves, and no matter how luxuriant they were, neither God nor our fellow men would find any good in them."

- St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, 202

Click here for the complete homily "Living by Faith" by St. Josemaria Escriva.

"Living by Faith" is one of the 18 homilies published in Friends of God — a collection of homilies by St. Josemaria which, deeply inspired by the Gospels, are meant to help all souls to draw closer to God.

'Sons of God, Friends of God; this is the great truth that St. Josemaria Escriva wanted to engrave on the hearts of those who knew him. His preaching is a constant effort to stop souls thinking of "friendship with God only as a last resort". Jesus Christ is truly God and truly Man, he is our Brother and our Friend. If we make the effort to get to know him [Jesus] well, "we will share in the joy of being God's friends".'

- From the Foreword to Friends of God

Friends of God was published in 1977; it has been translated into 13 languages, and has sold over 400,000 copies worldwide.

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