Transcription of St. Josemaría's words
I have to say that I didn't found Opus Dei. Opus Dei was founded in spite of me.
It's God's will that was done, and that's that. I am a poor man and I have done nothing but get in the way.
Sanctification of work
In Opus Dei we seek holiness through work: sanctifying our work, sanctifying ourselves in work, and sanctifying others through our professional work.
In what places? Where the intellectuals are? Yes, where the intellectuals are. Where the manual workers are? Yes, where the manual workers are.
And which of these jobs is better? I'll tell you, as I've always told you, that the best job is the one done with the most love of God.
Wherever an honourable person can live, there we have air to breathe; that is where we should be, with our joy, with our inner peace, with our eagerness to bring souls to Christ.
The centrality of Jesus Christ
If we have a relationship with Jesus through frequent sacraments, speaking with him every day, constantly, in conversation, we will imitate Jesus Christ almost without realizing it. And what heart is greater than Christ's heart? What is more immense than the Lord's love? We all fit there! In a heart like that, we all find room!
Then, when you are on the street, in your professional work, or at home, and you do not have the Tabernacle there, you are yourself the temple of the Blessed Trinity. The Holy Spirit sits in our soul and makes our life a Christian life, supernatural life. He acts; He gives us his grace.
One single vocation
Our vocation is the same. I have the same vocation as all of you: your vocation, my daughters. And I have the vocation of a supernumerary working in the fields. The Lord wanted just one juridical, ascetical,
theological phenomenon. Just one. In Opus Dei there is one vocation, which,
like a glove that fits to the hand, fits each person's needs and circumstances. I have always said that I only have one "soup pot" for everyone: the spiritual food is the same.
Family
And the way we treat God our Lord is the same. The love you have for your husbands or wives and your children and families does not take away from the love of God. Neither does the love of God take away from your commitment to care for your loved ones: your family, which is part of your vocation.
Union with the Church and the Pope
I am with the Pope. With the Pope with all my heart: I love him with all my soul. Without the Pope we are not well: we are not with the Church. Is that clear? And with the ordinary hierarchy. We have no right to judge the Pope. We have to love him, is that clear? Oremus pro Beatissimo Papa nostro Paulo (Paul VI): say it with all your heart, when something occurs to you and when you see the need to pray for the Church, and in this way, you pray for the whole Church because in him, in his fatherly heart, all the faithful are contained.
Personal friendship
We must be compassionate, affectionate. We mustn't distinguish between people from this side or that, front or back. We must have a heart for everyone, understanding for everyone. Life has enough difficulties already; why would you and I make it more difficult for souls? Ease: we must help people come closer to Jesus Christ. He does not reject anyone. He does not reject anyone because he comes to give health.
In life, you have to do everything out of love. Love has wings and you will see that sometimes you fly lower, and sometimes higher and so the outlook each day, while similar, is always new.
Youthful souls
In Opus Dei we are always young. We go to God, to this God who gives joy to our youth, which never ends. The children of this great family love each other, and when they bring others who are not part of the family, they are struck by this divine madness, the madness of peace, understanding, living together in love, self-giving, asking forgiveness, loving...
The Holy See said it in a solemn document many years ago: in Opus Dei, we are sowers of peace and joy.