Meditations: Tuesday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time
Some reflections that can assist our prayer during the 21st week of Ordinary Time.
Javier, Spain: "From this moment on, I'm starting fresh"
Javier's life took a dramatic turn on 18 May 2018. A car jumped the central barrier and veered into his lane, colliding with him head-on. He has been in hospital ever since, trying to recover and walk again. Throughout this time, he has been accompanied every day by his entire family.
Sidnei, Brazil: "Everything works for the good, including when I lost my job"
How do you sanctify work when you're fired from your job? That was one of the questions Sidnei asked when he lost his position after the restructuring of the multinational company he worked for. He discovered that he could approach this period in another way, as a new way to serve.
João Carlos, Brazil: "I found God in my archeological excavations"
João Carlos is an architect, professor of archaeology, and comparative history researcher. "We have to have great love for people's freedom, because without freedom, it's impossible to love God," he says.
Alonso, Spain: "I told God, 'This is the last chance I’m giving you'"
The Genesis account tells us that Jacob spent an entire night wrestling with God. It was a physical struggle that ended with a dislocated femur… and God’s blessing. Alonso’s battle was even longer but no less hard or intense. And, just like Jacob, God won – which means that they both won.
Juan Eusebio, Spain: "The formation I receive in the Work is essential for me"
Juan Eusebio works in the fields of Mérida. He and his wife take in Saharawi children from refugee camps.
One by One: Opus Dei Through Personal Stories
No two people are the same, nor are there any identical lives. Opus Dei is every person who embodies its charism, as the Prelate often reminds us. "One by One" is a mosaic of faces from around the world, telling the stories of their lives and their encounters with the Work.
Cecilia, Canada: "Through my work, people feel loved and valued"
Cecilia was born into a Catholic family in Ontario, Canada. The faith she received in her childhood is, to some extent, from her great-grandfather (the English intellectual Malcolm Muggeridge) and his tireless search for truth. The legacy Malcolm and his wife Kitty left their family was this spirit of inquiry and dedication. In her vocation to Opus Dei as an assistant numerary, Cecilia seeks to make people loved and valued through her professional work and to bring them closer to God.
Cloti, Spain: "If I'm with you, I already have a family"
After Cloti and Antonio had been married for some time, Cloti, who works at an optical store with many clients, was often asked the same question: "Don’t you have children?"
Manolo, Spain: "Faith is the most important thing. I would be a nobody if I didn’t offer everything I do"
“My name is Manuel Lozano Salamanca. I have a slight disability from birth on the left side of my body, due to cerebral palsy. I’m the eldest of three siblings, and I had to set an example… I had to be, well, not just normal, but a step beyond." Thus begins the story of a fighter.