Moj prvi susret s Josemariom Escrivom je bio pomalo dramatičan. Moj prijatelj, strastveni putnik, mi je došao na vrata u vrlo neobično vrijeme, u ponoć. Kada je odlazio, predložio je da mu se pridružim na rekolekciji u centru Opusa Dei udaljenom desetak minuta od moje kuće. Prihvatio sam, više zbog toga da ga se riješim nego zato što sam dobro promislio o toj stvari.
Sljedećeg jutra došao je po mene, i pošao sam s njim, jer obećanje je obećanje. Tri sata kasnije, sve se promijenilo. Ono što sam čuo tog dana promijenilo je moj život. Na kraju skupa kupio sam knjigu propovijedi svetog Josemarije, «Prijatelji Božji». Sljedećeg mjeseca pošao sam na skup ponovo i kupio još literature. Tog popodneva sam nazvao prijatelja da mu kažem da sam otkrio blago koje bih želio podijeliti s njim. Otišli smo zajedno na sljedeću rekolekciju...
Svog prijatelja putnika nisam vidio više od godinu dana, no blago koje mi je pokazao je još uvijek sa mnom. „ Jedna tajna. Javna tajna: svjetske krize nastaju zbog krize svetaca.
Bog želi šačicu "svojih" na svakom polju ljudskog djelovanja. Tada će biti "pax Christi in regno Christi - mir Kristov u kraljevstvu Kristovom" (Put 301).
Kada sam se prvi put susreo s tim idejama koje nas ohrabruju da radimo ozbiljno i na sređeno, kako bismo povećali svoj ugled, pitao sam se da li je to u suprotnosti s poniznošću. Onda sam shvatio da osoba koja pokušava biti iskrena i pravedna, koja ljubi svog bližnjeg, a uz to je ugledna, bit će poticaj drugima da se isto tako ponašaju, i na taj način će pridonositi osvjetljavanju svih zemaljskih putova.
Sveti Josemaría mi je također pomogao da svoj posao shvatim kao služenje. Uz moj profesionalni rad, posvećujem vrijeme civilnim udrugama kao što su „Zabrinuti profesionalci“ koja okuplja profesionalce koji su odani demokraciji i dobroj vladi, i nigerijskoj podružnici „Transparency Internationala“, organizaciji koja promovira društveno poštenje.
Još jedan projekt u koji sam bio uključen bio je u korist udovica. Ideja mi je sinula kad sam vidio jadno stanje udovica u mnogim dijelovima Nigerije i ponižavajuće obrazovanje kojima su ponekad podvrgnute. Centar koji smo otvorili nudi savjetovanje i obučavanje žena s ograničenim sredstvima, pomaže im da dobiju kredit i stipendije za svoju djecu. Osim toga, formirali smo tribinu na kojoj se mogu okupljati da bi branile svoja prava.
“I phoned a friend to tell him I had discovered a treasure which I wanted to share with him.” Testimony of Patrick Utomi, a lecturer in business studies and a consultant in Lagos, Nigeria.
24 March 2004
My first contact with Josemaría Escrivá was somewhat dramatic. A friend of mine, an inveterate traveler, came to my front door at a rather unusual hour, at midnight. When he was leaving, he suggested I accompany him to a recollection at a center of Opus Dei about 10 minutes walk away from my house. I accepted, moved more by the thought of getting him to leave than because I had really thought the matter through.
Next morning he came to fetch me and I went with him, because a promise is a promise. Three hours later, everything had changed. What I had heard that day transformed my life. At the end of the recollection I bought a book of homilies by St. Josemaría, Friends of God. Next month I went to the recollection again and bought more reading matter. That same afternoon, I phoned a friend to tell him I had discovered a treasure which I wanted to share with him. We went together to the next recollection.…
I did not see my traveling friend again for over a year, but the treasure he had opened up to me is still with me. “A secret. –An open secret: these world crises are crises of saints. –God wants a handful of men ‘of his own’ in each human activity. –And then... pax Christi in regno Christi – the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ” (from The Way).
When I first came across these ideas which encourage us to work seriously and in an orderly way, so as to improve our prestige, I wondered if they might go against humility. Then I came to realize that a person who tries to act with honesty and a sense of justice, who loves his neighbour, if he has prestige as well, then it will be an encouragement for others to act likewise, and that way he will contribute to lighting up all the ways of the earth.
St Josemaría has also helped me to see my work as a service. As well as my professional work, I devote time to civil associations such as “Concerned Professionals” which brings together professional people who are committed to democracy and good government, and the Nigerian section of “Transparency International”, an organization for promoting civic honesty.
Another project I have been involved in is on behalf of widows. The idea came when I saw the sorry plight of widows in many parts of Nigeria and the humiliating rites they are at times subjected to. The center we have opened offers counsel and training for women with limited means, helps them get credit, and scholarships for their children. Besides, we have created a platform where they can come together to defend their rights.