Opus Dei

On May 17, 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified Msgr. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, and Josephine Bakhita, a Daughter of Charity of Canossa. Here are excerpts from the Pope's homily at the beatification.

The Novena for the Family, with many quotes from Saint Josemaria's writings, seeks to help people grasp the greatness of Christian marriage and to sanctify family life, imitating the Holy Family.

The liturgy is an “action of God” that unites us to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit (cf. "Sacramentum Caritatis," no. 37).

The God we come to know through faith and reason is "spiritual, transcendent, omnipotent, eternal, personal, and perfect. He is truth and love."

Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is the central mystery of our faith and of Christian life.

The importance of the truth about creation comes from its being the foundation of God’s saving plans culminating in Christ. Both the Bible and the Creed begin with a confession of faith in God the Creator.

In creating the first man and woman, God constituted them in a state of holiness and justice. He also granted them the possibility of sharing in his divine life through the proper use of their freedom.

Christ taught that to be saved we must carry out the commandments, which express the core of the natural moral law. The first commandment is twofold: love for God and love for neighbor out of love for God.

Personal sin is an “action, word or desire contrary to the eternal law."

A new doctrinal outline in the "Summaries of Catholic Teaching" series. Many people have found these helpful for getting to know the Catholic faith better and explaining it to others.