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Amigos de Dios
428 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
143 people are currently reading
419 people want to read
About the author
Josemaría Escrivá
141 books178 followersSaint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975) was a Roman Catholic priest from Spain who founded Opus Dei, an organization of laypeople and priests dedicated to the teaching that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. He was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, who declared Saint Josemaría should be "counted among the great witnesses of Christianity."
Josemaría’s father’s textile business failed in 1915, so the family relocated to Logroño, where José found other work. It was in Logroño that Josemaría sensed his vocation for the first time. After seeing some bare footprints left in the snow by a friar who had walked that way a short time earlier, he felt that God wanted something from him, though he did not know exactly what. He thought that he could more easily discover what it was if he became a priest, so he began to prepare for the priesthood, first in Logroño and later in Saragossa. Following his father’s advice, he also studied for a law degree at the University of Saragossa. His father died in 1924 and Josemaría was left as head of the family. Ordained on March 28, 1925, he began his ministry in a rural parish, and afterwards in Saragossa.
In 1927, with the permission of his bishop, Fr. Josemaría moved to Madrid to work on his doctorate in law. There, on October 2, 1928, God showed him clearly the mission he had been hinting to him for several years; and he founded Opus Dei. From that day on he worked with all his energies to develop the foundation that God asked of him, while he continued to fulfill the various priestly responsibilities he had at that time. These brought him into daily contact with sickness and poverty in the hospitals and the poor districts of Madrid.
When the civil war broke out in 1936, Josemaría was in Madrid. The religious persecution forced him to take refuge in a variety of places. He exercised his priestly ministry in a clandestine fashion until he was finally able to leave Madrid. After escaping across the Pyrenees to southern France, he took up residence in Burgos.
At the end of the war in 1939 he returned to Madrid. In the years that followed he gave many retreats to lay people, priests, and members of religious orders. In the same year, 1939, he completed his doctorate in law.
Josemaría’s father’s textile business failed in 1915, so the family relocated to Logroño, where José found other work. It was in Logroño that Josemaría sensed his vocation for the first time. After seeing some bare footprints left in the snow by a friar who had walked that way a short time earlier, he felt that God wanted something from him, though he did not know exactly what. He thought that he could more easily discover what it was if he became a priest, so he began to prepare for the priesthood, first in Logroño and later in Saragossa. Following his father’s advice, he also studied for a law degree at the University of Saragossa. His father died in 1924 and Josemaría was left as head of the family. Ordained on March 28, 1925, he began his ministry in a rural parish, and afterwards in Saragossa.
In 1927, with the permission of his bishop, Fr. Josemaría moved to Madrid to work on his doctorate in law. There, on October 2, 1928, God showed him clearly the mission he had been hinting to him for several years; and he founded Opus Dei. From that day on he worked with all his energies to develop the foundation that God asked of him, while he continued to fulfill the various priestly responsibilities he had at that time. These brought him into daily contact with sickness and poverty in the hospitals and the poor districts of Madrid.
When the civil war broke out in 1936, Josemaría was in Madrid. The religious persecution forced him to take refuge in a variety of places. He exercised his priestly ministry in a clandestine fashion until he was finally able to leave Madrid. After escaping across the Pyrenees to southern France, he took up residence in Burgos.
At the end of the war in 1939 he returned to Madrid. In the years that followed he gave many retreats to lay people, priests, and members of religious orders. In the same year, 1939, he completed his doctorate in law.
In 1946 he took up residence in Rome. There he obtained a doctorate in theology from the Lateran University and was named consultor to two Vatican Congregations, as well as honorary member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, and prelate of honor to His Holiness. He followed closely the preparations for the Second Vatican Council and its various sessions (1962-1965), keeping in touch with many of the council fathers. From Rome he frequently went to different countries in Europe, including Britain and Ireland, to spur on the apostolic work of Opus Dei. It was with the same objective that, between 1970 and 1975, he made long trips to Mexico, Spain, Portugal, South America, and Guatemala, holding catechetical gatherings which large numbers of men and women attended.
He died in Rome on June 26, 1975. Thousands of people, including many bishops (a third of all the bishops in the world), requested that the Holy See open his cause of beatification and canonization.
On May 17, 1992, Pope John Paul II beatified Josemaría Escrivá. He proclaimed him a saint ten years later, on October 6, 2002, in St. Peter’s Square, in Rome, before a great multitude. In his homily on that occasion, the Pope said: “Following in his footsteps, spread in society the awareness that we are called to holiness, without distinction of race, class, culture or age."
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 24, 2021
Josemarìa Escrivá is a writer and homilist from the mid 20th century. This book is a collection of some of his homilies. His message is simple and pairs well with Thérèse of Lisieux’s. It is simply that in and through your everyday work, you are called to holiness. The homilies collected here range on topics from various virtues to Our Mother, heavily packed with quotes from Scripture and the Church Fathers.
I do love how naturally Escrivá links all of Scripture together in ways that are just not readily apparent. I think sometimes he is a bit wordy but it is just his style and my attention span. He pulls stories from his life and childhood in with ease and is not afraid to be humbled before others.
This man shares his heart and I wish I could have heard these in person. He is challenging but loving. Several times while reading these homilies I have been convicted to do better. I have thought to myself “Yes! Why don’t I live like this? Why would I approach life any other way?” Thankful he is repetitive in his homilies because by the next day, I have forgotten my resolve to live my life in the Spirit of the Lord, offering all of my work to Him, and expelling laziness and delay from my daily work. I wish Josemariá would simply visit me every day and tell me to get my shit together. I want to read his collection of short suggestions - The Way- to continue the little shoves he has given me.
I do love how naturally Escrivá links all of Scripture together in ways that are just not readily apparent. I think sometimes he is a bit wordy but it is just his style and my attention span. He pulls stories from his life and childhood in with ease and is not afraid to be humbled before others.
This man shares his heart and I wish I could have heard these in person. He is challenging but loving. Several times while reading these homilies I have been convicted to do better. I have thought to myself “Yes! Why don’t I live like this? Why would I approach life any other way?” Thankful he is repetitive in his homilies because by the next day, I have forgotten my resolve to live my life in the Spirit of the Lord, offering all of my work to Him, and expelling laziness and delay from my daily work. I wish Josemariá would simply visit me every day and tell me to get my shit together. I want to read his collection of short suggestions - The Way- to continue the little shoves he has given me.
June 21, 2018
No other spiritual writer connects with me so powerfully and so consistantly. St. Josemaria speaks directly to the heart.
April 22, 2010
Debo confesar que éste es un libro que se sale del contexto de lo que regularmente leo. Sin embargo me resultó agradable. Quizá porque en ningún momento sentí que Mons. Josemaría Escrivá, a través de sus homilías, tuviera una agenda personal de imponerle al lector algún aspecto particular de la religión católica. Se enfoca más en el aspecto espiritual de las personas, en su alma, y sobre todo en la fé. Es en algunos aspectos casi una guía para recibir a Dios y aprender a conectarse y conversar directamente con él. Subrayé un par de frases o párrafos que me resonaron y me motivaron a pensar más sobre mi propia espiritualidad. Y bueno, el título del libro en particular me parece una delicia. Creo que el mundo no estaría tan descompuesto como lo está actualmente si todos fueramos verdaderos amigos de Dios.
August 26, 2020
Escriva is not afraid to give you a kick in the butt just about as quickly as he'll give you a pat on the back . His works are both challenging and encouraging. His basic premise is effectively that anyone—through effort and the grace of God—can become a Saint. And that one should aspire to be a Saint. A challenge indeed!
Friends of God is a book of his homilies, and you'll see the dates each is given as you go through the book. I found these helpful as meditations to be read before going to sleep a couple nights a week; reading the book cover-to-cover would feel, at least to me, to cheapen the message. It's a book that requires not just reading, but work, and daily struggle to bring yourself one step closer to sanctification. And yet some days, you'll find yourself taking many steps back. And when you do, Escriva will be waiting for you, encouraging you to step forward again.
Friends of God is a book of his homilies, and you'll see the dates each is given as you go through the book. I found these helpful as meditations to be read before going to sleep a couple nights a week; reading the book cover-to-cover would feel, at least to me, to cheapen the message. It's a book that requires not just reading, but work, and daily struggle to bring yourself one step closer to sanctification. And yet some days, you'll find yourself taking many steps back. And when you do, Escriva will be waiting for you, encouraging you to step forward again.
December 29, 2021
C'était une belle lecture. Une découverte complète de St Josemaria et de son enseignement. J'ai beaucoup aimé. Le message principale est de vivre notre relation à Dieu dans notre quotidien, dans notre réalité et pas de façon fantasmé ou compliqué. "La routine, voilà le danger : imaginer que Dieu ne se trouve pas là, dans l'activité de chaque Instant, parce qu'elle est tellement simple, tellement ordinaire !"
Ce livre est donc un recueil d'homélies (discours du prêtre durant la messe) découpé en paragraphe numéroté. J'ai trouvé cela pratique pour méditer au fur et à mesure. En lisant un paragraphes par jour on peut facilement étaler la lecture sur un an.
Ce livre est donc un recueil d'homélies (discours du prêtre durant la messe) découpé en paragraphe numéroté. J'ai trouvé cela pratique pour méditer au fur et à mesure. En lisant un paragraphes par jour on peut facilement étaler la lecture sur un an.
July 22, 2018
A collection of homilies covering the different (and I would say essential) aspects of the Christian life. In this volume, St.Josemaria shares his insights on how man can strive to achieve his ultimate goal of sanctity in the chapter "Towards Holiness". He outlines how one can develop a life of intense prayer filled with filial love for God in the chapter "Life of Prayer". Among the other topics are human virtues, the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, love for freedom, etc.
August 16, 2024
St. Josemaria Escriva reminds us of the attainability of our deepest hopes, the wisdom of the ordinary, and the importance of an active inner life. His style of speaking is deeply personal, direct, and accessible to all. He earnestly calls his listeners to will the good of others with no worldly expectations in return.
December 31, 2024
Friends of God Homilies by Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, is a book I used for meditation. I read something every day.
This is a book of 18 homilies written during the 1940's. They are simple, something even I could understand. Yet, they contain doctrine and a theologian's clarity of explanations.
They are perfect for discussions with friends and God.
This is a book of 18 homilies written during the 1940's. They are simple, something even I could understand. Yet, they contain doctrine and a theologian's clarity of explanations.
They are perfect for discussions with friends and God.
December 21, 2021
Perhaps the most impactful book on the spiritual life I’ve ever read.
August 19, 2024
En palabras de Don Ricardo Vargas: “un libro ascético de cabecera para todo cristiano o persona que quiera acercarse a Dios.” Y sí, sí lo es. ✨
September 26, 2024
Terrific meditations that can be used for mental prayer on specific points of piety.
Read
February 11, 2025Read this before bed most nights. I think it helped me sleep easier.
January 28, 2012
The most compelling book of homilies ever recorded. Speaks to the heart to all people in all states of life in all social economic backgrounds. Inspiring. Moving. Perfect.
This book of homilies gets the Golden burrito award.
This book of homilies gets the Golden burrito award.
October 5, 2016
Amigos de Dios recoge algunas de las homilías de San Josemaría. Es un bello libro que me ayudó a meditar muchos aspectos de mi vida y de mi relación personal con Dios. Es un libro espiritual que llama a la reflexión y al discernimiento.
September 12, 2009
I spend long periods of time in Escriva's books. His way of constructing the essential connection between my daily life and the salvation of my soul both startles and settles me.
Want to read
January 7, 2010Included in the "Spiritual Reading" section of Fr. John McCloskey's 100-book Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan.
October 30, 2011
Greatly advised my work ethic and faith choices. It's a good read for someone looking to get more meaning out of every day life.
October 22, 2012
These homilies have truly perennial value
April 20, 2014
I love how simple and easy to connect to daily life it is.
May 1, 2025
Quiero mucho a Nuestro Padre.
Necesitaba volver a leer su mensaje inspirador y fuerte.
Es como el alimento de los niños, pero ahora soy menos que un niño.
Necesitaba volver a leer su mensaje inspirador y fuerte.
Es como el alimento de los niños, pero ahora soy menos que un niño.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews