Opus Dei

Nearly forty years ago, Natale Sandoli left Venezuela for Tenerife. A photographer, husband, and father of three, he’s the first to admit he wasn't much of a churchgoer back then. That changed when a friend handed him a copy of “The Forge.”

In his August prayer intention, Pope Leo invites us to pray for the evangelization of the city so that the Church might know how to reach out to everyone, offering comfort, community, and the joy of the Gospel in every corner of the city.

4 August is the feast of Saint John Mary Vianney, who Saint Josemaria named intercessor for Opus Dei's relationship with the diocesan bishops. This is a study on the relationship between the two saints.

Original sin can sound like an unfair idea: are we really being punished for something Adam and Eve did thousands of years ago, and does it mean we’re all born bad people? Well, no, that’s not what the Church teaches. Original sin is really about a gift that was lost, that God never stops trying to give back to us.

A recollection is time spent in silence with God, talking to Him and “recollecting” who we are before Him. This is a package of resources for a recollection in your own home.

500 children in a Muntinlupa public school now get a hot meal every day, thanks to a food bank, a parish, and a lot of volunteers.

It’s hard to look at Jesus on the cross and hear him say, “If anyone wants to be my disciple, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.” Even though you’ll probably never get nailed to a cross, it sounds grim. And you may wonder whether Jesus really meant it when he also said, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest ... My yoke is easy and my burden light.”

Pilar, a mother of six and a supernumerary of Opus Dei, felt called to visit a prison near her family home.

Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz spent close to a month in Pamplona. Before returning to Rome, he took part in a gathering attended by thousands of people, mostly families connected with Opus Dei’s apostolic activities in Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Soria. It was held last Thursday, 23 July, at the University of Navarre’s sports center.

One of the most intense moments in the Gospel unfolds in Bethany. Jesus’ response to Lazarus’ death shows that true friendship doesn’t spare us from pain. Rather, it transforms that pain into life.