Opus Dei

Apostolic letter of Pope Francis on the meaning and significance of the Nativity scene. Given in Greccio, at the Shrine of the Nativity, on 1 December 2019.

A review of some milestones on the Opus Dei website in 2025, from the Jubilee Year to the premiere of “One by One,” the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, and new steps on the path to the centenary.

The Holy Family is on the final stretch of the journey, ascending towards Jerusalem. Exhausted, uncertain, and nearly at their destination, Joseph faces a decisive question: how can he respond to what God is asking of him?

“We have a great mission: to transmit true peace, which is Jesus Christ.” With these words, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz invites us to live Christmas by sharing the immense and extraordinary message of the Gospel: the love of God who becomes small in order to come very close to each person.

The season of Advent means four weeks of hope, especially this year, when we're also counting down to the end of the Jubilee of Hope.

This is the most difficult part of the journey. Fatigue starts to set in. Torn between his natural exhaustion and the hope that sustains him, Joseph turns to Mary to understand what God wants from them now.

Joseph starts to feel the pull of everything they left behind in Nazareth. Through his tiredness and nostalgia, he realizes that part of his path is learning how to be a father.

María Ángeles discovered Opus Dei by chance, when a teacher at the school in her hometown told her about the opportunity to live in a Study and Work Centre (CET). There she discovered three things: how to balance study and work, how to make better use of her time and live her faith in everything, and how God was calling her to Opus Dei.

In his 17 December general audience, Pope Leo XIV continued his catechetical cycle on Jesus Christ, our hope, speaking about Easter as the refuge of the restless heart.

Joseph and Mary have been travelling towards Bethlehem for two days now. The road is long, the rain makes the journey difficult, and Joseph is not always sure he is doing the right thing.