Friends of God, chapter 1

By: St. Josemaria

Ch. 1. The richness of ordinary life

• Jesus is at our side guiding us like a shepherd
• He has chosen us to be part of his family to be saints
• His invitation obliges us to struggle to the point of heroism
• These world crisis are crisis of saints
• Concern for souls follows from the fact that God has chosen us.
• Success in attracting souls depends on how much interior life we have
• Ppl are not born holy. Holiness is formed by God's grace n man's correspondence.
• Holiness God asks of us is in daily duties, n these will almost always consist of small realities.
• You will not lack opportunities to show love of God in the small n ordinary things around you.
• We are few n worth little
• A disciple of Christ calls error error but the person in error he will correct with kindness
• Victory only comes to those who strive to behave as Christians. Thus there are so many who from a human point of view should be happy but aren't. They appear to be, but just scratch the surface and...
• Interior life consists of begining once n again... The struggle is never ending
• Child helping the fishermen...if we come to God like that, knowing our weakness, we shall more easily reach the goal
• You must let yourself be helped by a spiritual director
• Have you been pursuing God's or your own glory in everything you do?
• Ppl who fly to the heights w/o interior life are like that fellow flying on the wings of a plane...frightening
• In work n dealing w others we should maintain dialogue w God which is not audible but does manifest outwards in the care we put in doing things.
• Be of one piece
• The more we advance in interior life, the more we see our own failings
• Saints were ppl like us, with weaknesses who managed to master themselves for love of God.
• Your boat -your talents, achievements, etc- are worth nothing if not left in Christ's hands.
• If we let him take command, how safe the boat will be!
• We want him to do as he pleases with all we posses
• Only in his shelter will we find true happiness

BookNo.: r010

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 29/12/10

El hombre de Villa Tevere. Chapter 9

This is a much shorter chapter than the previous ones as if wanting to re-affirm that St. Josemaria's life though having it, was not made of it.

The chapter talks about the extraordinary graces, the miracles which Our Lord God worked on St. Josemaria or for him.
"Un hombre que se fia de Dios: eso es un santo" [A man who trusts God, that's a saint]. St. Josemaria, as all other saints, based his life on God, asked him for everything and expected everything from him. He knew clearly that he, by himself could do nothing.

In 1958, when in London, he almost felt into sadness realizing that he could do nothing to bring to God such society which was so indiffirent to God's things. But then he heard "tú no puedes nada, pero Yo lo puedo todo" [you can do nothing, but I can do everything], and of course, then he knew that there would be success in London and everywhere else.

There were many miracolous events on his life: words he heard from God clearly, miracolous cure from diabetes in 1954, among others, but he was always reluctant to talk about this, as he wanted to transmit to people that holiness is in the ordinary, everyday things, not the miracles which rarely happen.