Nov 21 Tue
All honest human occupations are paths to holiness.
St. Josemaría: “The spirit of Opus Dei expresses the beautiful truth that any worthy and noble human work can be made divine. Every lawful profession, whether intellectual or manual, whether deemed important by people or not, is compatible with Christian morals."
“In God's service, no job is of lesser importance: all are very important. The importance of a job depends on how each person carries it out: the seriousness they bring to it, and the love for God they put into it."
We need to remind Christians of this reality.
“There is an inexplicable, centuries-long gap, during which it was, and continues to be, virtually unknown that people could seek Christian perfection by sanctifying their ordinary work, each in their own profession and state in life."
Our mission is to transmit this divine message: our everyday, ordinary, perhaps humanly monotonous, work is a sure path to holiness when carried out for God.
Yet rectitude of intention is needed to sanctify our work truly.
“A recommendation for you: never lose your upright intention. Years ago, I visited the cathedral of Burgos accompanied. Climbing to the top of one of the towers, we could contemplate the cresting of the noble edifice. As is common in Gothic churches, the top is adorned with many bas-reliefs and statues, which formed a veritable lacework in stone. These were not just sketched out, but finished down to the last detail, despite being unseen from below. After pointing them out to those accompanying me, I would always comment: if those who carried out this work were alive today, they could be in Opus Dei, since they worked facing God, not men."
If I am speaking to you somewhat bluntly, it is because I myself want once again to make a very sincere act of contrition, and I would like each one of you to do the same. As we call to mind our infidelities, and so many mistakes, weaknesses, so much cowardice –each one of us has his own experience– let us repeat to our Lord, from the bottom of our hearts, Peter's cry of contrition: "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you, despite my wretchedness!" And I would even add, "You know that I love you, precisely because of my wretchedness, for it leads me to rely on you, who are my strength: For you, O God, are my strength." And at that point let us start again.
That is how our life should be. We shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes, but we have to be ready to rectify them, whenever necessary. In this way we will bring joy to our Lord, and his Blessed Mother. “Be faithful, very faithful, in all the little things. If we try to live thus, we shall also learn to run trustingly into the arms of Mary, as children of hers."
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