June 24: St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner

The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist June 24. Unlike the vast majority of saints, whom we remember on the day of their passing into heaven (August 29 in the case of the Forerunner), we also commemorate Saint John the Baptist on the day of his earthly birth.

Who was this man, really, who wore camel-hair clothing, whom many considered a madman, and who ultimately marked the beginning of the Redemption of all human beings?

St. John the Baptist: A Birth Marked by a Miracle

Juan's story begins with his parents, Zechariah (a priest (a Jew) and Elizabeth. They were elderly, and her infertility had prevented them from having children. One day, while Zechariah was in the temple, the Archangel Gabriel He appeared to him to announce that they would have a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Zechariah doubted the news and, as a result, was struck dumb until the promise was fulfilled.

There is a fascinating detail regarding the conception of St. John: when the Virgin Mary (who was already expecting Jesus) went to visit her cousin Elizabeth; the infant John leaped for joy in his mother’s womb upon hearing Mary’s greeting. Because of this episode, popular devotion and Church tradition hold that John was freed from original sin before he was born.

Eight days after his birth, it was time to name him. The family assumed he would be named Zechariah, after his father. However, Elizabeth objected, and Zechariah asked for a tablet on which he wrote: «His name is Juan» (which means "God is merciful"). Instantly, Zechariah regained the power of speech. With this gesture, his parents gave up trying to impose their own plans on him and embraced the unique calling that God had for their son.

During the Angelus on June 24, 2012, Benedict XVI said: «From his mother’s womb, John is the forerunner of Jesus: the angel announces to Mary his miraculous conception as a sign that ‘nothing is impossible with God’ (Lc »1:37), six months before the great miracle that brings us salvation—the union of God with man through the work of the Holy Spirit.".

«The four Gospels place great emphasis on the figure of John the Baptist as the prophet who brings the Old Testament to a close and ushers in the New, identifying Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the One Consecrated by the Lord,» continued the theologian pope.  

The Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness

John is the key figure who serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments; he is the last of the prophets. He was not a conventional man. He spent his youth in the desert leading an extremely austere lifestyle: he wore a camel’s hide fastened with a leather belt, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

Around the year 26 A.D., guided by the Holy Spirit, he began preaching on the banks of the Jordan River. His message was direct and sometimes harsh—he even called the Pharisees and hypocrites who approached him a "brood of vipers." He invited people to change their lives and administered a "baptism of repentance" to all. Although his appearance and harshness might have made him seem like a madman, the core of his message was not punishment, but preparing people’s hearts to receive God’s imminent mercy.

St. Josemaría on the Baptism of Jesus Christ

The highlight of his mission came when he himself Jesus He went to the Jordan River to be baptized. When John saw him, he recognized him and spoke the words that are still repeated today: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.".

Regarding this passage, St. Josemaría invited us to reflect. He emphasized how in the Baptism, God the Father takes possession of our lives, unites us to Christ, and sends us the Holy Spirit. The founder of Opus Dei reminded us that through this sacrament, the Lord places an indelible seal on our souls that makes us children of God.

«At Baptism, Our Father God has taken possession of our lives, has incorporated us into the life of Christ, and has sent us the Holy Spirit. The strength and power of God illuminate the face of the earth. We will set the world ablaze with the flames of the fire you came to bring to earth! ... And the light of your truth, our Jesus, will enlighten minds for all eternity.».

«I hear you cry out, my King, with a living voice that still resonates: “""I have come to bring fire to the earth, and what do I want but for it to be set ablaze?"” (I have come to bring fire to the earth, and what do I want but for it to burn?)—And I reply—with my whole being—with all my senses and faculties: “Here I am: for you have called me!” (I’m here because you called me). Through Baptism, the Lord has placed an indelible seal on your soul»Or: You are a child of God. Child: Doesn't that make you eager to get everyone to love Him?"

«He has to grow, and I have to shrink.»

John was the consummate master of humility. Despite his enormous social influence and vast following (in fact, Jesus’ first apostles—such as Peter, Andrew, and John—were initially disciples of John the Baptist), he never sought the limelight. His spiritual legacy is summed up in a phrase he left to his followers: «He has to grow, and I have to shrink». His sole mission was to point to Christ and, once that was done, to step aside.

Witness to the Truth Until Martyrdom

A man of such integrity could not turn a blind eye to the injustices committed by those in power. John openly rebuked King Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife and marrying Herodias, his own brother’s wife. This courage in defending the truth and the institution of marriage cost him his freedom, as Herodias came to hate him so much that she sought his death.

His end came tragically during a grand banquet held in honor of Herod's birthday. Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced for the guests and so pleased the king that he swore an oath to grant her whatever she asked for. Urged on by her mother, the young woman asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Herod, though saddened, refused to lose face in front of his guests, so he ordered John to be beheaded in prison.

Today, St. John the Baptist remains a model of faithful holiness: he teaches us to be courageous defenders of the truth, to live without unnecessary attachments, and, above all, to make our own lives an instrument for bringing others closer to God.

In 2007, already as Pope, Benedict XVI had also said during the Angelus. «Today, June 24, the liturgy invites us to celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, whose life was entirely oriented toward Christ, just like that of his mother, Mary. St. John the Baptist was the forerunner, the “voice” sent to announce the Incarnate Word.».

«That is why commemorating his birth actually means celebrating Christ, the fulfillment of the promises of all the prophets, the greatest of whom was John the Baptist, who was called to “prepare the way” before the Messiah (cf. Mt »11, 9–10).". 

 The Pope Francis noted in January 2025, during the Jubilee, Jesus emphasizes to everyone: «"I tell you the truth, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he"” (v. 28). Hope, brothers and sisters, lies entirely in this qualitative leap. It does not depend on us, but on the Kingdom of God. Here is the surprise: welcoming the Kingdom of God leads us to a new order of greatness. Our world—all of us—needs this! And we say: What should we do? [Start over]; I don’t quite understand [start over]. Don’t forget this: start over.

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio).

When Jesus speaks those words, John the Baptist is in prison, filled with questions. On our journey, we, too, carry so many questions, and do you know why? Because there are many “Herods” who still oppose the Kingdom of God. But Jesus shows us the way—the way of the new Beatitudes, which are the surprising laws of the Gospel. So let’s ask ourselves: Do I have a sincere desire within me to start over? Do I want to learn from Jesus who is truly great? The least in the Kingdom of God—he is great. And we must… [Start over, start over]. Start over.

So let us learn from John the Baptist to believe once more. Hope for our common home—this Earth of ours, so abused and wounded—and hope for all human beings lies in God’s otherness. His greatness is different. And we begin anew from this originality of God, which shone forth in Jesus and which now calls us to serve, to love one another as brothers and sisters, and to recognize our own smallness. And to see the least among us, to listen to them, and to be their voice. Behold our new beginning; this is our jubilee! And we must… [start anew] Thank you!».

Gospel of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist (Lk 1:57–66, 80)

Meanwhile, the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him after his father, Zechariah. But his mother said:

—No way; his name will be Juan.

And they said to him:

«There is no one in your family with that name.» At the same time, they asked his father by signs what name he wanted him to be called. And he, asking for a tablet, wrote, “John is his name.” This filled everyone with wonder. At that moment, his speech returned; his tongue was loosened, and he spoke, praising God. Fear seized all his neighbors, and these events were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea; and all who heard them treasured them in their hearts, saying:

"What's this kid going to be, then?"

Because the Lord's hand was with him.

Meanwhile, the child grew and became strong in spirit, and lived in the wilderness until the time came for him to reveal himself to Israel.

Commentary on the Gospel 

Among the Israelites, the act of naming a child was reserved for the child’s father. It was a way of acknowledging paternity of the newborn. That is why it was up to Zechariah to name the baby, even though he found it difficult to speak at that moment, because he had been struck dumb due to his unbelief.

The parents of Saint John the Baptist recognized that God had blessed them by sending them a child when it seemed they no longer had any reason to hope. The extraordinary way in which he came into the world reminded them that this son was a gift from the Lord. The angel had told Zechariah that this son would bring great joy not only to his parents but also to a multitude of people: «He will be a source of joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth» (Luke 1:14). Saint John, that long-awaited son, had a mission for the entire people: «He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God» (Luke 1:16).

Elizabeth and Zechariah insist on naming the child as the angel had instructed. Behind this attitude, we can sense their desire to offer this son to God. They do not want to control his life, nor do they seek to assert themselves through their parenthood. In fact, Zechariah refuses to give the child his own name, even though everyone else thought that would be the most logical choice. However, for Elizabeth and her husband, the most important thing is that their son fulfill the mission for which he has come into the world.

After Zechariah had written, «His name is John,» his tongue was loosened, and he began to praise God. It is the joy of a generous father who entrusts his son to the Lord and is filled with enthusiasm for the mission he has been given.

In the parents of Saint John the Baptist, we find a wonderful example for all parents. It pleases the Lord for us to rejoice in the gift of our children. At the same time, He invites us to respect and love “the name” He has given them: that is, their unique temperament, their talents, and, above all, their vocation. Parents thus become the nurturers of their children’s personalities and a great help to them in embracing the mission the Lord has entrusted to them.

The Holy Mass, the Fullness of Time

In this meditation by Father Ricardo Sada, he explores how the Holy Mass It renews the significance of Christ's sacrifice, revealing our identity as children of God and becoming the very heart of every Christian's life.

«We know that the Bible is the word of God; it is not merely human words, even though they were written by the sacred writers, but rather it is the revealed word, the word of eternal life.".

And St. Paul teaches us: "When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.".

When the fullness of time had come—the pivotal moment in human history, when several thousand years had passed (we do not know exactly how many) since the Fall, and the people of Israel had been chosen so that the Messiah might be born among them, when everything was already in place—God sent His Son. His only Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Born of a woman, He took on human flesh in a woman’s womb and is therefore truly human, while at the same time being the true Son of God.

And why? St. Paul says: "So that we might attain the fullness of sonship." It is not something that remains merely in God’s Word; rather, it affects us deeply. And so the Church says: "Christ reveals man to himself." Christ reveals to us the profound mystery of man. What is man? Who are you? Or who am I?

The Mass, Elevated to the Divine Order

We are a spirit incarnate, made for union with God forever, to live in intimacy with God because God unites us to His Son and gives us the life of His Son. And so He tells us, "This is who you are—you are a spirit dwelling in the flesh." But it is not just that; you are not merely body and soul, but because you have a soul, you are capable of being elevated to the divine order.

And so I think it’s important that we always adjust our understanding of what it means to be human and our understanding of who we are. You are not your body; you have a body. You are, above all, a soul; you are a spirit. You are a spirit. If you didn’t have a body, you would be an angel. But since you have a body, you are a human being.

But what matters isn't so much your body, even though we see, for example, that there are major—well, I don't know—medical advances, right? It's great that they bring relief to our bodies. But anyway, in the end, all bodies are going to—well—die; they’re going to decay and die, for one reason or another, but the soul lives forever.

And just as we often worry about our physical health and go to the doctor, who prescribes medication, and we follow a treatment regimen and all that, well, we can't think that the soul is any less important—quite the opposite, in fact.

That we are, above all, a spirit—a spirit in the flesh—but that spirit and that flesh, raised to the reality of the children of God, are divinized by grace, sanctifying grace. Grace is the life of Christ communicated to us as if it were a blood transfusion that, instead of blood, infuses us with divinity.

Delving into the Mystery of Love

Well, let’s value ourselves properly. We are so much more than we seem to be. We were saying yesterday that man should be like birds because he flies and sings; well, here God tells us, "Look, there’s no limit to your ability to fly—your spirit can always fly." Just as the body is very limited—because it gets tired and can only lift so many kilograms or run at a certain speed—your soul is not; your soul can always rise higher and higher and higher and higher—you have no limits. You have no limits in love.

Well, that’s the mystery—the mystery of every person—and that’s why, during a retreat or a moment of prayer, what we’re always seeking is… let’s see… to go deep within yourself; that’s where the truth lives. God dwells within you; that’s where you have that encounter.

Well, Christ reveals man to himself and leaves us the sacraments. He is a sacrament. What is a sacrament? A sacrament is something tangible that possesses—or rather, contains—an invisible grace. And Christ is a mystery because the people who saw him saw a man who spoke, who made certain gestures, who performed miracles. But those who had faith also saw in him the Son of God, a sacrament.

And then He says, "I will leave you sacraments—as signs of my presence—so that you will not forget me, but will always remember me." And He leaves us the seven sacraments.

And I wanted us to talk a little bit about the Eucharist, but not the Eucharist as in the consecrated host, but rather the Eucharist as in the celebration of the Mass. What is called the Eucharist in Progress, that is, in the act itself, which is the sacrifice of the Mass, the holy sacrifice of the Mass. May our faith and our love grow as we reflect a little on the Mass.

The Love of Christ on Calvary

Because it's a reality that, if we look at it superficially, can seem really boring. It's always the same. Like, "I could be doing much more interesting things." I’ve got, I don’t know, a whole world of fun on my phone and stuff, but this is so slow and I’m starting to doze off—plus, maybe I got here, I don’t know, there wasn’t any room, and I don’t like the way this priest talks or the way he preaches." And we say again, "Try to go deeper; try to get to the very heart of it.” And what are you doing when you’re at Mass? You’re taking part in Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary.

And all of us are called to strengthen our faith and also to pray, for example, for the priests. It’s very important because we priests celebrate many Masses. Yesterday a priest called me to ask if I could help him because he had so many Masses. I told him, "Hey, I’m sorry, but the other priest won’t be here, so I can’t make it—but let me know again.".

Maybe I was going to celebrate four or five Masses on a Sunday or a day when Mass is obligatory. We say, "Hey, after the third Mass, or the fourth Mass, doesn’t your faith start to waver a little? Don’t you feel tired? Or don’t you start to feel a little annoyed about celebrating Mass? Maybe you’re already losing your voice and it’s getting hoarse because you’ve talked a lot and given a homily at every Mass. And besides, since so many people have gathered, you’ve had to stand for a long time.".

And I don’t know if we should pray that this priest never loses sight of the fact that he is making present the sacrifice of Christ. And that the most important thing is not the Liturgy of the Word—or, I don’t know, the series of parish announcements they’re giving us—but rather the double consecration. That moment when the bread and wine are consecrated separately, symbolizing the bloody separation of Jesus’ body and blood on Calvary. And divine wisdom has found a wonderful way to make that moment present.

The Month of Nisan

None of us were there on the 14th day of the month of Nisan in the year 33, in Jerusalem, from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. No, we weren’t. But it says, "Look, now I’m going to give you the opportunity to be there. You’re going to be present at the sacrifice on Calvary. You’re going to set out with your faith as if you were boarding a spaceship that transports you through time and space and places you in Jerusalem on that day and at that hour. And your faith will tell you, 'Here you are.'”.

"Here you are, and there is no other Christ who dies 'in the fullness of time.' When the Earth's axis begins to make everything revolve around the cross of Christ, everything is resolved there.".

That is why the priest, after performing the double consecration, says: "This is the sacrament of our faith." A mystery. Sacrament means mystery. A mystery—I see one thing, but there is so much more. "Of faith," because we are not creating special effects. We’re not playing a video or the sounds of the hammer as they nailed Christ to the cross, or the shouts of the soldiers or the crowd, or the seven words of Jesus, right? We’re not saying, "The blood is falling; right now, well, I don’t know, he’s saying this word or that one," right?

But faith tells us that in the double consecration, the body and blood of Christ are separated. Therefore, Christ is dead; he has just died. He has just died; he is dead. The recipient says, "This is the sacrament of our faith; we proclaim your death." Yes, you are dead. And the mystery is so profound that it then leads us to say, "But we proclaim your resurrection.".

He is risen. The risen One is the same One who was dead; that is why the risen One appears with the marks of the nails and the wounds in His hands and in His side. And we conclude by saying, "Come, Lord Jesus." You are coming to establish Your kingdom, Your definitive kingdom. It’s already here—your kingdom has already begun—but come and establish it in its fullness.

What happens during Mass?

That’s why it’s so good that we hold the Mass in such high regard. I mean, let’s try to understand it—I’m not saying we’ll ever fully understand it, but at least a little better. With God’s help, and the Holy Spirit’s, let’s understand the Mass a little better and see it as an enormous, enormous sign of God’s love—an explosion of love.

And may we also understand how much this might resemble Christ’s suffering when we do not appreciate Mass or simply when we do not attend it—when we do not regard it as an absolute priority that gives meaning not only to Sunday but to the entire week.

What happens during Mass? Well, as we were saying, Christ dies, and therefore the gates of heaven—which had been closed because of the sin of our first parents—are opened to us. Once again, we can enter heaven because Jesus has paid the price for our redemption with his infinite love.

And besides, we save souls from Purgatory. That’s why this custom is so wonderful: whenever someone passes away, we always, always try to have a Mass celebrated, and then perhaps—if possible—a novena of Masses, or if not, once a month, or if not, once a year, because every Mass rescues souls from Purgatory. Perhaps that person—this relative of ours, whoever it may be—is still in Purgatory. Well, "I’m going to offer you, Lord, this Mass for my deceased grandfather.".

I’m going to help him get out of purgatory, or I’m going to help other souls get out of purgatory. And when I go to my judgment, perhaps there will be saints there who will say, "We’re going to speak very highly of you because you helped us get out of Purgatory." Because you also offered the Mass for us, the departed.

Mass—one Mass is worth more than individual prayers. Isn’t that right? Let’s not lose our sacramental awareness of the Mass; the Church is sacramental. And often people say, "No, but I already went, for example, to the Tepalcingo fair." Well, you went to buy things—or whatever it was you went for. "No, I went to see Jesús Nazareno." Well, but did you go to Mass or didn’t you? "I went to the procession." But did you go to Mass or didn’t you? Because everything else—we’re not trying to say it isn’t—isn’t the act of Christ, isn’t the action of Christ, which is of infinite value.

A book on the Mass says: "After the consecration, just as on the cross, everything has been fulfilled. He becomes incarnate in the priest’s hands, just as He did in Mary’s womb. We are all filled with grace, and the Lord is with us." There is Jesus, doing good, healing all kinds of ailments, performing all manner of wonders, giving sight to the blind, multiplying the loaves, calming the waves of passions and sorrows, and raising the dead to the life of grace.

Giving himself entirely as in the Upper Room, surrendering himself as in the Garden of Gethsemane, remaining silent as in Jerusalem, ascending as on Calvary, shedding his blood as on the cross, glorious and alive as on the day of his victory, pouring out his blessing upon all flesh, His Spirit and His grace. Oh, the depth of God’s mysteries! Who would not be overwhelmed at the very thought of this sacrifice, in which God never ceases to work what He once accomplished on Calvary, making Himself the temple, the altar, the priest, and the victim?

God gives everything

God gives in a way that befits who He is, doesn’t He? God gives infinitely. God performs miracles that are truly incredible. Not only because He remains present in the bread with His body and blood, His soul, and His divinity, but also because He makes His sacrifice a reality. Just how miraculous is that? If we stop to think about it, for example, how many tabernacles are there? I mean, here in this house there’s this one, there’s the one at the administration office, there’s the one at the school, and there are the ones at the retreat house.

Well, and in all those tabernacles there’s a ciborium that holds many hosts? And Jesus is present in each host, and He’s also present in every piece of every host—if you break the host, He’s present in each piece. Well, what if you multiply that by all the tabernacles in the world? That right there—what a miracle! I mean, what an incredible miracle.

Well, all of that, you see, comes from the great miracle of God’s love. And we could say the same thing right now, right here where we are, at this latitude, at this hour—there must be, I don’t know, 10, 15, 20 thousand Masses being celebrated at this very moment. And in an hour there will be another 10, 15, 20—where? Well, I don’t know—in Africa, in Australia, in Japan, or maybe even here, because there might be an evening Mass, and well, there must be many Masses being celebrated right now in Mexico, since it’s the evening Mass.

The Sacrifice on Calvary

And what a miracle, isn't it? That the sacrifice on Calvary is being made present here and there, a hundred times, a thousand times—and who can do this? Well, only the power of God—a miracle of the highest order.

And so we’re going to say, "I can’t just… how can I put it… diminish God’s gift," right? It would be very sad if you saw it, for example, as a mere obligation. "I just have to go." It’s not that you’re doing God a favor by going to Mass; it’s He who is doing you a tremendous favor by inviting you. There’s an invitation, He says, "Come to my sacrifice; join me." Don’t be like Peter and the other apostles who left—they weren’t present at the sacrifice; only Mary, John, and the holy women were there.

The apostles—all the others, well, Judas had already gone off to hang himself, but the other ten ran off in fear. And Jesus tells us, "Come on, I’m coming again; I’m calling you again; I’m with you again; I want you to accompany me again; comfort me; take advantage of all the graces I’m going to pour out in this Eucharist.".

First of all, because you’re going to join in the praise I’m offering to the Heavenly Father, and therefore you’re fulfilling your first duty as a creature, which is to glorify God. "But I can pray just as well at home." Yes, but who are you praying with? You’re praying with Christ, united to Christ, together with the whole Church. And what you pray is a personal prayer. This is the moment of redemption, the fullness of time. This is where all blessings and graces are poured out upon the world.

Well, help us, Lord, to understand just a little bit; help all the faithful Christians, help all the priests, so that we don’t turn the Mass into something trivial, superficial, or purely human, right? As if it were a show where the priest is the main focus, right? The priest isn’t the main focus.

If the priest were what mattered, then we’d do what Protestant pastors do—who, when they finish their… I don’t know what it’s called—their Sunday service or their psalm readings and hymns, they go to the church entrance and start saying goodbye to all the parishioners.

No, the point here is that "I didn’t go to see Father So-and-so." No, no, I didn’t go to see the priest—he doesn’t have to come out to greet me—I went to see Christ, to be with Christ. And so, the priest is the least of it. "It’s just that I don’t like his tone of voice"—it doesn’t matter. As long as he’s a validly ordained priest, he’s making Christ’s sacrifice present.

Let this be the opportune moment, the greatest treasure. There is an author who says: "At the hour of your death, your greatest consolation will be the Masses you have devoutly attended throughout your life. Every Mass you attended will accompany you to the divine judgment seat, and there it will intercede on your behalf so that you may receive forgiveness." Indeed, your greatest consolation. Not so much—I don’t know—a single act of charity I performed, right? Because I am present at the very moment when Jesus is offering himself to the Father, and I joined in, participating with devotion. How wonderful that we have this awareness.

Well, let’s hope we can say, "Mass is the center of my life." That’s how St. Josemaría liked to put it: "In other words, let it be the center of your life." There’s nothing more important—not today, not tomorrow, not even when you finish college, or anything else—than being at Mass. Make Mass the center of your Sunday. "I just didn’t have time to go to Mass." Well, put it first, and you’ll see that you’ll always have time. If you put it first—that is, at the center—everything else revolves around Mass, just as the planets revolve around the sun.

Let’s try to break out of the routine and participate with enthusiasm. Maybe—I don’t know—I don’t have to sing, or I don’t have to, I don’t know, respond too loudly, but what I do have to do is be mindful of what I’m doing. Pay attention—inward attention. Outwardly, too—I’m not going to be spacing out, right? But I might just be staring off into the distance and having my head in the clouds. I’m going to try to, uh, truly participate, to take part in the sacrifice.

Make sure you’re prepared and on time. Right? I mean, I thought about what I’m going to do, where I’m going to be—I’m going to the sacrifice of Christ, I’m going to unite myself with Him, and I’m going to get there early. Man, because a lot of times if I’m late, I can’t find a place to sit, and then I’m going to be really uncomfortable. No, get there early—don’t be late—because you’ll end up way back there, among the crowd of people in the back, and people keep arriving late, so you’ll get distracted. Well, I got there early and ended up with a good spot.

I can also attend with a specific intention, saying, "Jesus, I’m going to offer this Mass to you for this need I have, for this person, or for the Church, or for the Pope, or for the souls in purgatory, or for this family member who has died." So, with the intention of offering it, we try, therefore, not to miss Sunday Mass.

And that’s what Mass is all about—that is, the importance I’m giving to God, right? And the importance that every Christian gives as well. Well, Mass is for me, for you, for each one of us; it’s your Mass—it’s the Mass in which you unite yourself with Jesus.

And Pope Saint John Paul II liked to say that what happened on Calvary also happens at every celebration. Not only Christ’s death, but also, for example, Mary’s presence. Mary is on Calvary; Mary is at every Mass; she is the only one who never misses Mass. There might be nothing more than an elderly woman at Mass, or perhaps no one at all; or maybe there was one person there, but they were a tourist and left.

Well, but there’s Mary—she’s always there at every Mass, just as she was at Calvary and beyond. The Pope also says that there Jesus repeats the words he spoke to John: "Behold your mother, and to her I entrust you." Between the consecration of the bread and the consecration of the wine, Jesus is crucified, but he is not yet dead.

And that’s when He says those words: "Woman, here is your son" and "here is your mother," because that’s when she’s giving it to me—right now I’m receiving it, and I have this joy—and I’ve tried to live this celebration with reverence, from the depths of my heart, because I’ve prepared myself; because maybe as early as Saturday I’m already thinking, "What time am I going to Mass tomorrow?" and "How can I hurry up so I have enough time and don’t have to rush?".

And "I’m going to try to get there a little early and say a few prayers," or I can say, "I’m going to have a missal or look online to see what tomorrow’s Mass is, what tomorrow’s Gospel is, and what the proper prayers for tomorrow are; I’ll reflect on them a little, and I’ll pray a little using those prayers.".

»But first and foremost, I am going to attune myself to the heart of Jesus, who offers himself to the Father and saves us. You are no longer purely earthly; you are no longer even purely psychological—you are of a divine nature, because when Jesus died, he gave us the ability to be children of God as well.".

Ricardo Sada Fernández, a Mexican priest of the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is a computer engineer and holds a doctorate in theology. Ordained in 1981 and with extensive experience as a preacher and spiritual director, he is the author of several books and is known for his website www.medita.cc, which publishes daily audio meditations.

I confess, the website that helps you to make a good examination of conscience

There are people who have not gone to confession for many years. Others want to do it, but do not know where to start. The website I confess has arrived to help us. Some people are afraid, ashamed or simply feel that they “no longer remember” what it was like and what they should do. And then there are those who confess frequently, but have fallen into a kind of routine where they always say the same thing, almost by rote, without stopping too long to review their life.

In the midst of this reality, a simple, direct and very current digital proposal appears: yomeconfieso.es, a website designed to help you prepare well for the sacrament of Confession. But who is behind this initiative? A priest, of course, Don Javier Sanchez-Cervera, creator also of the famous audios, ten minutes with Jesus.

The website is not intended to replace the priest, nor to turn the sacrament into something digital. Its objective is much simpler and, precisely for that reason, interesting: to accompany the person before going to confession.

And it does so with a friendly, uncomplicated language and a very intuitive dynamic.

I confess, the tool for those who do not know how to go to confession

Many Catholics remember learning to go to confession as children, before First Communion. The problem is that the years go by and, if one moves away from the practice of the sacrament, a fairly common feeling returns: “I don't know how to do it”.

Don Javier Sánchez-Cervera, creador de la web Yo me confieso
Javier, creator of the website yomeconfieso.es.

The website is clearly designed to respond to this situation. From the beginning it conveys the feeling that no one is judging you. It does not use overly technical or moralizing language. It seems more like someone who accompanies you step by step to help you do something important: to look at your life with sincerity.

This approach is probably one of the great successes of the project. Because today many people do not reject Confession out of rebellion against the faith. Sometimes they simply feel blocked, insecure or disconnected. They have lost the habit. They do not remember the formulas. They don't know what to say. Or they think that their sins “are always the same” and that there is no point in going back. The web tries to break precisely that initial barrier.

The examination of conscience: clear, visual and very human

The most interesting part of the experience is the interactive self-examination offered by the website. Instead of offering a long text to read, it proposes different themes related to daily life. The user marks whether he/she falls a lot, regularly, a little or not at all on each one.

And here is something important: it does not focus only on the “most scandalous” sins. The list includes a wide variety of issues: not praying; superstition or missing Mass; blasphemy, pride, disobedience, bad answers, hatred, anger, criticism, gossip, bullying, xenophobia, drugs, gluttony, pornography, impurity, sex; theft, greed, materialism, selfishness, laziness, lying, envy.

The approach is striking because it mixes traditionally recognized sins with others that are very present in today's life, especially among young people and adults: speaking ill of others, living obsessed with material things, normalizing the consumption of pornography or falling into dynamics of hatred and aggression in social networks.

That makes the exam not seem abstract or disconnected from reality. The web manages to ground sin in concrete situations of daily life. And that is important, because many times the problem is not that a person does not want to go to confession, but that he does not even identify certain attitudes as something that is hurting him spiritually or personally.

And it doesn't just ask questions: it also helps to reflect. After sorting these topics according to frequency, the site proposes to start a guided chat. Before starting, a simple message appears to prepare the user: “Let's go with the questions about the list you have ordered before.".

From there, questions related to the previously marked topics appear. The user must answer if he/she has fallen into it many times, some times, few times or never.

The system is progressive: you answer a question and the next one appears. This makes the exam much more dynamic than a traditional checklist. But, above all, it helps you to stop. Because one of the most difficult things today is precisely that: to stop and review one's life calmly.

Examen de conciencia para una buena confesión
A young man listening to the priest's advice after confession.

We live surrounded by noise, screens, rushing and constant distractions. It has been a long time since many people have spent ten minutes sincerely asking themselves how they are living. The web yomeconfieso.es, without dramatization, forces us to do a little bit of this inner exercise.

Confession does not begin at the confessional

One of the most interesting messages this tool conveys is that a good confession begins before entering the church. It begins when you decide to be honest with yourself.

The examination of conscience is more than “making a list of sins”. It is to search the heart. Detecting habits. To discover wounds. To recognize attitudes that perhaps had been normalized. And here the web has a lot of pastoral value, because it helps especially people who:

It can also be of great help to those who do go to confession regularly, but have turned the sacrament into something automatic. It is relatively frequent to fall into the feeling that “I always confess the same thing”. And, in part, it is true: we all have tendencies, defects and recurrent falls. But sometimes that makes us stop looking at other areas of our life.

Perhaps one is preoccupied with certain specific sins and, in the meantime, has completely neglected prayer, charity, family treatment, pride, selfishness or the way one speaks of others. Yomeconfieso.es proposes to broaden the focus. It makes the person look again at his whole life.

A particularly useful aid for young people

Another interesting aspect is the language. Everything is presented in a very visual, simple and direct way. It does not look like a page written years ago. Nor does it use excessively complicated or moralizing expressions.

This makes it much easier to connect with young people or people far from the Church. Because many times the problem is not the Christian content, but the way of communicating it.

In this case, the experience is similar to a guided conversation. The person advances step by step, without pressure, almost as if someone were accompanying him personally.

Moreover, the structure is somewhat reminiscent of dynamics that today are part of everyday digital life: answering questions, interacting, moving through screens, receiving personalized accompaniment.... And that makes it familiar even to those who do not have much religious training.

Before going to confession: practical aids

When the questioning process is over, the website does not limit itself to displaying a list. It also offers concrete help to better prepare for the sacrament. This detail is important because many people still have practical doubts:

The web tries to respond to all of this in a natural way.

Finally, it shows a kind of guide or orientative conversation on how to begin the confession with the priest and presents the list of sins that the person has identified during the examination.

It does not replace the actual dialogue with the confessor, but it does remove some of the initial fear. And that, for many people, can make the difference between taking the step or continuing to postpone it indefinitely.

Technology at the service of spiritual life

Projects like this one show that the Internet can also become a space for evangelization and accompaniment. The key is in how it is used.

In this case, technology does not distract. It does not seek to entertain or generate dependency. It does just the opposite: it helps to get inside oneself.

And that's quite countercultural. Because while much of the internet is designed to constantly grab attention, this website invites silence, reflection and sincerity.

There is something pedagogical about the format itself. Many people would perhaps never sit down to read a long examination of conscience on paper, but they are willing to interact with short questions from their cell phone or computer. And there the tool finds a very interesting access point.

Rediscovering the meaning of Confession

In the end, the most valuable thing about the website is not the technology or the questioning system. It is to remember something essential: confession is not an uncomfortable procedure or a cold list of errors. It is an encounter with God's mercy.

Sometimes the sacrament is spoken of only as a moral obligation, but many people need to rediscover it from another perspective: as an opportunity to start anew. That is why tools like these can help so much, because they lower psychological and emotional barriers that weigh heavily today, such as, for example, the following:

The web does not force. It does not pressure. It simply accompanies. And perhaps therein lies a good part of its effectiveness.

The Pope's dream: why the Church needs well-trained priests

From the CARF Foundation, we work so that the Pope's dream be fulfilled: that a solid and integral formation reaches seminarians and diocesan priests all over the world.

But beyond the public agenda, there is an underlying message that the Holy Father has been repeating insistently since the beginning of his pontificate: the Church needs well-trained priests.

Carta de León XIV con motivo de la Asamblea Presbiteral de la Arquidiocesis de Madrid

A concern that runs through his entire pontificate

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has outlined a very clear vision of the priesthood. It is not just a question of vocations. It is about how they are accompanied and prepared.

As he recalled in his meeting with Spanish seminarians on February 28, 2026, «the seminary is always a sign of hope for the Church». But this hope is not only born from the number of young men who respond to the call, but also from the formation process they undergo. Because it is there that future priests are built.

To form priests is to form people

The Pope insists that formation cannot be reduced to academics. It is not enough to acquire knowledge or pastoral skills. Formation is, above all, a path of relationship. Becoming a priest implies learning to live in friendship with Christ and from there to understand people. 

That is why he speaks of the seminary as a «school of affections». A place where the future priest learns to integrate his life, to mature, to love well and to accompany others with balance and depth. This dimension is key. Because the priest does not work with ideas, but with people.

The risk of reducing the priesthood to a function of the priesthood

One of the Pope's most interesting messages at this point is his warning about a silent danger: turning the priesthood into a function. In his meeting with the Dicastery for the Clergy, recalled that the Church does not need “functionaries” but pastors with a heart (June 26, 2025). This statement introduces a decisive key: formation is not only to “do things”, but to be in a certain way. To be a father, to be a guide, to be a presence.

A call that also reaches Spain

The Pope's upcoming visit to our country will not be just a one-time event. As has happened on other occasions, it will leave a deeper mark: it will awaken vocations, confirm decisions and move consciences.

And, in the background, this message will resonate strongly: taking care of the formation of priests is taking care of the future of the Church. "Make the Pope's dream come true" focus precisely on this reality: to make it possible for those who have received a vocation to be trained in the best conditions.

haz que el sueño del papa León XIV se cumpla dona formación

Forming seminarians today to serve as priests tomorrow

Through the CARF Foundation, benefactors from around the world are already contributing to the formation of seminarians and priests in more than 130 countries.

Each grant translates into something very concrete: years of study, human and spiritual accompaniment, intellectual and pastoral preparation. But, above all, it translates into a future.

Because behind every well-trained priest there are thousands of people who, over the years, will receive guidance, support and hope. The Pope's dream has names, faces and concrete stories.

Mensaje del Santo Padre León XIV para vivir la Cuaresma 2026

Make the Pope's dream come true

There are young men all over the world who have heard a deep call to pursue a vocation to the priesthood. They want to serve, to accompany, to impart the sacraments and to help their people encounter God. But many of them do not have the financial means to form themselves well, academically and humanly, at this key stage of their encounter with God.

Pope Leo XIV has recently recalled this with simplicity and depth in his apostolic letter "Loyalty that generates future"The identity of priests is constituted around their being and is inseparable from their mission«.

For this reason, the Church takes special care in the formation of future priests so that they may be humanly, spiritually and pastorally prepared, capable of accompanying their communities and serving people where they are most needed. This is what the CARF Foundation has been doing since 1989.

In many countries around the world, there are people with a vocation to the priesthood where faith is strong, but resources are scarce. That's where your help makes a difference.

The CARF Foundation accompanies seminarians and diocesan priests from 130 countries so that they may receive the integral formation that the Church needs today and will need tomorrow. Behind each one is a story, a family, a people and an entire diocese that one day will have a priest better prepared to serve them and to form others.

With your help you are making this possible. Pope Leo XIV's dream: that formation would reach seminarians and priests all over the world. May the future of the Church be built on firm foundations, with well-prepared and dedicated people.

Make the Pope's dream come true!

Make possible the formation of those who will care for the faith and lives of millions of people around the world.

DONATE NOW AND HELP MAKE THE POPE'S DREAM COME TRUE

26J saint Josemaría: the saint of ordinary life

St. Josemaría was born on January 9, 1902 in Barbastro (Huesca), into a deeply Christian family. He was the second of six children. His father, José, was a merchant; his mother, Dolores, was a pious woman who passed on to her children a living and simple faith. When Josemaría was thirteen years old, the family moved to Logroño due to the bankruptcy of the family business. This change of city would mark a key moment in his spiritual life.

One winter day, during a snowfall, he saw in the street the footprints in the snow left by a barefoot Carmelite. This made a deep impression on him: he perceived that God wanted something from him. Years later, he would remember that moment as the beginning of an interior intuition, of a diffuse call, a spiritual restlessness that grew.

Although he did not know exactly what the Lord was asking of him, he decided to become a priest as a way of being more available to fulfill the divine will. He entered the seminary in Zaragoza, where he began his ecclesiastical studies, which he later combined with law studies. He was ordained a priest on March 28, 1925.

After a brief period as curate in a rural parish in Perdiguera, he moved to Madrid to continue his academic formation. There he worked as a chaplain and ministered to the sick, students and people in need.

Dibujo animado de San Josemaría Escrivá con símbolos asociados: una cruz, un rosario, una rosa roja y el libro "Camino".
Representation of St. Josemaría Escrivá and some key elements of his life and message.

It was in this urban environment, in contact with people from all walks of life, that his life took a definitive turn. On October 2, 1928, during a spiritual retreat, he received with inner clarity the mission that God entrusted to him: to found Opus Dei. He understood that he had to open a path within the Church to help discover that all men and women, regardless of their status, profession or social condition, are called to seek holiness in their ordinary lives through each other's work.

Who was St. Josemaría and why is it celebrated on June 26?

The initial inspiration showed him that any honest task - from an operating room to an office, a kitchen, a factory, the countryside or a classroom - could be a place of encounter with God. It was not a matter of doing extraordinary things, but of doing the ordinary with love, with perfection, with a Christian sense. Work, lived with this attitude, became a means of personal sanctification and service to others. This vision broke the mold at a time when holiness was associated almost exclusively with religious or priestly life. Josemaría insisted time and again to everyone that God does not call only some, but all.

In the early years, Opus Dei began in a very humble way: just a handful of young people in Madrid who listened to that priest speak to them about a Christian life that was coherent, joyful, demanding and committed to the world. In 1930, he also understood that this call was for women, and in 1943 he founded the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, as part of the structure of Opus Dei. diocesan priests.

Expansion was slow at first, marked by the social and political difficulties of the Spain of the time. During the Civil War, the founder had to go into hiding because he was a priest. At the end of the conflict, he resumed his work with renewed impetus.

But in 1946 he moved to Rome, from where he promoted the international development of the Work. In 1950, the Holy See granted definitive approval to Opus Dei, recognizing the validity of this new path within the Church. The expansion was progressive: they reached countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

From the beginning of his ordination, St. Josemaría developed an intense pastoral and formative activity. He preached retreats, wrote books on spirituality - among them the best known, Caminopublished for the first time in 1939 - and accompanied many people spiritually.

In all her writings and meetings she insisted on the value of the little things, on the importance of doing them well and with God's love. "God waits for us in the little things," he used to say. His spirituality was neither complicated nor inaccessible, but deeply incarnated in daily life with a marked confidence in being a child of God: divine filiation fills the whole life of the person.

He died in Rome on June 26, 1975, unexpectedly, having just arrived at his residence at the headquarters of Opus Dei, Villa Tevere, after seeing and spending time with his daughters at the Roman College of Santa Maria.

Javi, I don't feel well

This is how Blessed Alvaro del Portillo relates it in an interview about the Founder. "At eleven fifty-seven we entered the garage of Villa Tevere. A member of the Work was waiting for us at the door. Father quickly got out of the car, with a cheerful face; he moved with agility, so much so, that he turned to personally close the door. He thanked his son who had helped him and entered the house.

He greeted the Lord in the oratory of the Holy Trinity and, as he used to do, he made a slow, devout genuflection, accompanied by an act of love. Then we went upstairs to my office, the room where he usually worked, and a few seconds after passing the door, he called out: Javi!

Javier Echevarría had stayed behind to close the elevator door, and our Founder repeated more forcefully: "Javi! and then, in a weaker voice: "I am not feeling well. Immediately Father collapsed on the floor. We used all possible means, spiritual and medical. As soon as I realized the gravity of the situation, I gave him absolution and the Anointing of the Sick, as he ardently desired: he was still breathing. He had begged us many times to not deprive him of this treasure.

Possibly, after greeting the picture of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe with an ejaculatory prayer, as he always used to do when entering any room of the house, with that last small act of love he collapsed. That same day the fame of his sanctity began to spread among the faithful.

In 1992 he was beatified by St. John Paul II, and in 2002 he was canonized, The Pope himself said during his homily: "With supernatural intuition, St. Josemaría untiringly preached the universal call to holiness and apostolate. Christ calls everyone to Christian perfection: workers and peasants, intellectuals and artists, people of all professions, social conditions and cultures".

A path of holiness in the midst of the world

Today, St. Josemaría's message continues to inspire thousands of people around the world. Opus Dei is present in 68 countries and offers spiritual and human formation to Christians from all walks of life. His legacy is not limited to the creation of an institution, but lies, above all, in having opened a new way to live the Gospel in the heart of the world.

Celebrating St. Josemaría's feast day on June 26 is to remember God's call to live fully in the midst of the ordinary. It is an invitation to all - lay people, priests, He urged us to seek holiness in daily life, at work, in the family, at rest, in our professional duties and in our human relationships. He himself said: «There where your aspirations, your work, your loves are, there is the place of your daily encounter with Christ».

In short, St. Josemaría was an instrument in God's hands to remind us of something profoundly evangelical: that there are no second- or first-division Christians, that all of us-you and I-are called to the fullness of love, without the need to change our life, but only by changing the heart with which we live it.

The value of priests in the 21st century

In this year 2026, St. Josemaría's message on holiness in the world takes on a special meaning. For the laity to be able to encounter God in their ordinary life and work, the work and accompaniment of priests, who need a solid theological, human and spiritual formation, is fundamental. Remembering the founder of Opus Dei on his liturgical feast is also an opportunity to support priestly vocations throughout the world.

Praying through the intercession of St. Josemaría

Christians have always had recourse to the intercession of the santos to bring your prayer into the presence of God. You can download the prayer in more than 30 languages.

Estampa de san Josemaría Escrivá con una oración por su intercesión.

Bibliography:

Sunday May 31, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

The revealed truth of the Most Holy Trinity has been from the origins at the root of the Church's living faith, principally in the act of Baptism. It finds its expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the preaching, catechesis and prayer of the Church. These formulations are already found in the apostolic writings, such as this greeting found in the Eucharistic liturgy: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (1 Cor 5:17).2 Co 13:13; cf. 1 Co 12,4-6; Ef 4,4-6). This reference comes literally from point 249 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The liturgical celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity invites us to plunge into the very heart of our faith. On this day, the Church calls us to contemplate the infinite Love that unites the Father, the Son and the Son of God. Holy Spirit.

What do we celebrate on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity?

The Church dedicates the following Sunday to Pentecost to honor God in his unity and trinity. We do not celebrate an abstract concept, but rather a mystery of communion. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Trinity is the central mystery of faith and of Christian life. It is the source of all the other mysteries of the faith.

Texts to deepen our understanding of the Holy Trinity

  1. Christian faith summaries: Theme 5. The Holy Trinity
  2. This Trinitarian current of Love (The Light of Faith series editorial): The Mystery of the Trinity profoundly changes our view of the world, because it reveals how Love is the very fabric of reality.
  3. Five questions about the Holy Trinity: Do I believe in God, One and Triune? The Holy Trinity is the mystery of God in itself, the central mystery of Christian faith and life. What does it mean in practice to say “I believe in the Triune God”? How do we distinguish and treat each of the three divine Persons?
  4. 'I believe, we believe', e-book by Msgr. Javier EchevarríaThe Creed is the guiding thread of “I Believe, We Believe", a book composed of excerpts from the Pastoral Letters that Bishop Javier Echevarría wrote during the Year of Faith.
  5. Catechism texts on the Holy Trinity.
Ilustración religiosa de la Santísima Trinidad con Dios Padre y Jesucristo entronizados entre nubes y ángeles, iluminados por la paloma del Espíritu Santo.
Classical representation of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit surrounded by heavenly glory.

4 teachings of the Catholic Church on the Most Holy Trinity

1. What is the central mystery of the faith and of the Christian life?

The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

2. Can human reason alone know the mystery of the Holy Trinity?

God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament, but the intimacy of his being as the Holy Trinity constitutes a mystery inaccessible to human reason alone and even to the faith of Israel, before the Incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit. This mystery has been revealed by Jesus Christ, and is the source of all other mysteries.

How does the Church express its Trinitarian faith?

The Church expresses her Trinitarian faith by confessing one God in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three divine Persons are one God because each of them is identical to the fullness of the one and indivisible divine nature. The three are really distinct from each other, because of their reciprocal relationships: the Father begets the Son, the Son is begotten by the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

4. How do the three divine Persons work?

Inseparable in their one substance, the divine Persons are also inseparable in their work: the Trinity has one and the same operation. But in the one divine action, each Person is present according to the way that is proper to him in the Trinity. «My God, Trinity whom I adore... pacify my soul. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling place and the place of your repose. May I never leave you alone in it, but may I be there entirely, fully awake in my faith, in adoration, surrendered without reserve to your creative action» (Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity).

Free e-book texts: the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

vasos sagrados objetos litúrgicos de los sacerdotes para la Misa San Josemaría Escrivá

Voice Most Holy Trinity from St. Josemaría's Dictionary

1. The importance of the Trinity in the life and preaching of St. Josemaría. 2. 2. The homily Towards holiness. Unity and Trinity. The “trinity of earth” and the trinity of heaven. Trinitarian devotions.

In his preaching St. Josemaría always went to the essential, to the central mysteries of our faith and, as a consequence, his considerations, in one way or another, always have as their horizon the mystery of the Trinity: the love of God the Father who gives his Son, the love of the Son that leads him to offer his life in sacrifice, and the sanctifying action of the Spirit. His whole spiritual doctrine was deeply Trinitarian and Christological.

Importance of the Trinity in the life and preaching of St. Josemaria

As his spiritual writings attest, St. Josemaría From very early on, he had a warm relationship with each of the three divine Persons, underlining the distinction between them according to the characteristics they manifest in the history of salvation: the Father is the source and origin of everything; the Son, the Word of the Father who becomes man so that men may become children of God; and the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier, the one who unites men with God, making them one with Christ.

One of the features that St. Josemaría emphasized in his spiritual itinerary, with great interior commotion, is the divine filiation and, consequently, the paternity of God. In a homily dated April 1964, he confided: “My life has led me to know that I am especially a child of God, and I have tasted the joy of entering into the heart of my Father” (AD, 143).

He was referring to the supernatural intuition with which he perceived the joyful reality of divine filiation and, consequently, of the paternity of God. This paternity already appears in his Apuntes íntimos (Intimate Notes), in Holy Rosary and in The Way, as the truth that serves as the foundation of his spiritual life. 

The Word is present in St. Josemaría, above all, as the Word incarnate, with an endearingly human name: Jesus. He is the Wisdom and the Word of the Father, a Word full of love, for he is “the Word from whom love proceeds” (ECP, 162). With his “Heart of flesh, with a Heart like ours, which is a sure proof of love and a constant witness to the unspeakable mystery of divine charity” (ibidem). The only way to the God-Trinity is precisely the Humanity of the Lord (cf. AD, 300-303).

In the spiritual life of St. Josemaría, this great interior “discovery” took place between September 22 and October 17, 1931. In the autumn of 1932 another “discovery” took place, also of profound and lasting consequences in his interior life and in his theological thought: the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul. Pedro Rodriguez offers a text, taken from Apuntes íntimos, of great mystical elevation.

In it, St. Josemaría describes how he perceives the importance of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the soul: “Until now, I knew that the Holy Spirit dwelled in my soul, to sanctify it.... but I did not grasp that truth of his presence (...) I feel Love within me: and I want to treat him, to be his friend, his confidant..., to facilitate his work of polishing, of plucking, of kindling (...) -Purpose: to frequent, if possible without interruption, the friendship and loving and docile treatment of the Holy Spirit. Veni Sancte Spiritus” (CECH, p. 270; cf. F, 514). 

One of the prayers to the Holy Trinity in the devotional.

When St. Josemaría speaks of God, he thinks above all of the God-Trinity. This is seen, for example, in his reading of the first chapters of Genesis: “The Trinity has fallen in love with man, raised him to the order of grace and made him in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26); he has redeemed him from sin (...) and he earnestly desires to dwell in our soul: he who loves me will observe my teaching and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode within him (Jn 14:23)” (ECP, 84).

Human freedom that springs from the freedom that exists in the Trinity. Here is a very expressive text taken from a homily entitled Freedom, gift of God: “In all the mysteries of our Catholic faith flutters this hymn to freedom. The Most Blessed Trinity brings the world and man out of nothing, in a free outpouring of love. The Word comes down from heaven and takes our flesh with this stupendous seal of freedom in submission: Behold, I come, as it is written of me in the beginning of the book, to do your will, O God (Heb 10:7)” (AD, 25). 

When St. Josemaría describes God's love for man, he often recalls that this love is Trinitarian. We find a particularly eloquent passage on the Trinity in a homily delivered on Holy Thursday 1960, in which he devotes ample space to speaking of its relationship with the Eucharist: the «Trinitarian current of love for mankind is perpetuated in a sublime way in the Eucharist» (ECP, 85). Here, at the center of the Christian mystery, the manifestation of God's love for mankind also reaches its highest point: «The whole Trinity is present in the sacrifice of the Altar. By the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, the Son offers himself in redemptive oblation» (CCC, 86).

St. Josemaría is enunciating in these paragraphs truths that are very dear to him, both with regard to the celebration of the Holy Mass and to the nature of the ministerial priesthood - the liturgy, especially the Holy Mass, is the most important of the liturgies. opus Trinitatis, The Mass, I insist, is a divine action, Trinitarian, not human.

The priest who celebrates and serves the Lord's purpose, lending his body and his voice; yet he does not work on his own behalf, but in persona et in nomine Christi, in the Person of Christ and in the name of Christ» (ibidem). In celebrating, the priest enters, so to speak, into the stream of Trinitarian love precisely because, acting in the person and name of Christ, he offers the holocaust to the Father with the sanctification of the Holy Spirit (cf. ECP, 86). 

The most direct way to treat the Blessed Trinity is found in the Holy Mass: «By attending Holy Mass, you will learn to treat each of the divine Persons: the Father, who begets the Son; the Son, who is begotten by the Father; the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from both. In dealing with any one of the three Persons, we deal with one God; and in dealing with all three, with the Trinity, we deal equally with one true and unique God» (ECP, 91). 

Santísima Trinidad solemnidad amor Espíritu Santo

2. The Homily Toward Holiness 

It is very illustrative what is said in the homily Toward Holiness about the importance in St. Josemaría's thought of the contemplation of the Most Blessed Trinity. In this homily he describes the general lines of man's journey towards God. After speaking of the universal call to holiness, of prayer, of the presence of God and of contact with our Lord Jesus Christ, he adds: «To approach God we have to take the right path, which is the Most Holy Humanity of Christ» (AD, 299). The road to the Trinity must be traveled in close union with Christ through the Bread and the Word. 

Union with Christ often means an encounter with the Cross and entering into times of “passive purgation” (AD, 302). These times are to be spent in the midst of peace and joy, for if we truly love Christ, «if with divine boldness we take refuge in the opening that the lance left in his side, the promise of the Master will be fulfilled: whoever loves me will observe my teaching, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode within him» (AD, 306). We are before the truth of the indwelling of the Trinity in the soul and its ascetic consequences. 

As if the soul could have experience of this dwelling of God in it, he continues: «The heart needs, then, to distinguish and adore each of the divine Persons. In a way, it is a discovery that the soul makes in the supernatural life, like those of a creature that is opening its eyes to existence. And it entertains itself lovingly with the Father and with the Son and with the Holy Spirit; and it easily submits itself to the activity of the life-giving Paraclete, who gives himself to us without deserving it: the supernatural gifts and virtues» (AD, 306).

St. Josemaría clearly refers to the contemplation of the Blessed Trinity in the midst of the daily hustle and bustle. The expressions he uses to describe this contemplation are similar to those used by spiritual authors to speak of contemplation as the fruit of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here are some very graphic expressions of how he conceives this contemplation: «Words are superfluous, because the tongue is unable to express itself; the mind is stilled. One does not discourse, one looks! And the soul breaks into song again with new song, because it feels and knows that it too is lovingly gazed upon by God at all times» (AD, 307). 

These words of St. Josemaría remind us of the marvelous paragraphs in which St. John of the Cross describes the union of the soul with the Holy Trinity and the indwelling of God in the soul, or rather, the indwelling of the soul in God. Of course, it is clear that St. Josemaría is speaking of contemplation and dealing with the Trinity in ordinary life.

“I am not referring to extraordinary situations. They are, they may well be, ordinary phenomena of our soul: a madness of love that, without spectacle, without extravagance, teaches us to suffer and to live, because God grants us Wisdom. What serenity, what peace then, when we are on the narrow path that leads to life! (Mt 7:14)” (AD, 307). 

St. Josemaría is well aware that he is mentioning a true goal of spiritual experience, and this in ordinary life. It is a question of “ordinary phenomena” that, at the same time, are an authentic “madness of love. Here, by a logical association of ideas, some questions arise that lead us to understand the importance of union with the Most Blessed Trinity -with each of the divine Persons- in ordinary life: ”Asceticism? Mysticism? It does not worry me.

Whatever it is, ascetic or mystical, what does it matter: it is God's mercy. If you try to meditate, the Lord will not deny you his assistance (...). This is already contemplation and it is union; this must be the life of many Christians, each one going forward on his own spiritual path - there are infinitely many of them - in the midst of the cares of the world, even if they have not even realized it” (AD, 308). 

St. Josemaría uses words with precision. He is speaking of contemplation and union with the Trinity, with each of the Persons; these are well known terms in spiritual theology. He also speaks of ordinary life and of many Christians “going their own spiritual way. We find ourselves, then, before a great paradox, but this paradox disappears if we keep in mind the deep conviction with which St. Josemaría relies on the universal call to holiness.

This contemplation of the Trinity will always be a “mercy” of God, a mercy that corresponds to the gift of the universal call to holiness, to the fact that we are children of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit and to the reality of the indwelling of the Trinity in the soul.

Imagen del Espíritu Santo interpretado por una paloma blanca con las alas abiertas

Unity and Trinity 

St. Josemaría emphasizes the distinction of Persons, considering the Trinity as a communion of life and love in its perfect unity, and advises us to treat each of the Persons in their distinction: “Treat the three Persons, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And to arrive at the Most Blessed Trinity, go through Mary” (F, 543). 

The glory that the Christian should give to God also has a Trinitarian structure. Thus it appears already in The Way: “Let no affection bind you to earth apart from the most divine desire to give glory to Christ and, through Him, with Him and in Him, to the Father and to the Holy Spirit” (C, 786). Devotion to the Trinity has an evident Christological dimension: “Our Master is Christ: the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. By imitating Christ, we attain the marvelous possibility of participating in that stream of love, which is the mystery of the One and Triune God” (AD, 252). 

In all these counsels, St. Josemaría adheres soberly to the formulations of the Symbol and the doxologies of the Liturgy, with great faith and a great ecclesial sense. Quoting St. Cyprian, he says, “we are one people confessing one faith, one Creed; one people gathered together in the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (ECP, 89).

It also reflects, as a long-lived reality, his own spiritual itinerary in his dealings with the Most Blessed Trinity and with each of the divine Persons. In this sense, it is worth noting that the two planes of the consideration of the Trinitarian mystery - the Trinity ad intra and the Trinity ad extra, that is, the immanent Trinity and the economic Trinity - are very present and clearly distinguished in his teaching.

Of the first Person, St. Josemaría considers above all his paternity and his fontality: everything proceeds from the Father, he is the origin of the Trinitarian current of love, he is the one who takes the initiative in offering man the Covenant. On this question, as we have already noted in the voice God the Father, the annotations and comments of Pedro Rodriguez, in his critical-historical edition of The Way, are of great interest, especially in numbers 267 and 435.

St. Josemaría contemplates the Father's fatherhood with the eyes of our Lord, uniting his Abba to the Abba of Jesus. This is how he formulated it in a meditation preached on April 28, 1963: “When our Lord gave me those blows, around the year thirty-one, I didn't understand it.

And suddenly, in the midst of that great bitterness, those words: you are my son (Ps. 2:7), you are Christ. And I could only repeat: Abba, Pater!, Abba, Pater!, Abba!, Abba! (...) And the reason - I see it more clearly than ever - is this: to have the Cross is to identify oneself with Christ, is to be Christ, and, therefore, to be a son of God” (cf. also Illanes, 2008, pp. 471-472). Illanes rightly comments that this text and the meditation as a whole bear witness to the spiritual and theological maturity attained by St. Josemaría, who here “reveals the profound meaning from which the meaning of filiation derives and, more concretely, its development. 

With regard to the Son, St. Josemaría dwells above all, as is logical, on his humanity and on the mysteries of his life, on the gesta et passa Christi. It is enough to recall what this contemplation is like in the books Holy Rosary and Way of the Cross. In the homily dedicated to the Heart of Jesus, we find a whole Trinitarian and Christological theology: “God the Father has deigned to grant us, in the Heart of his Son, infinite dilectionis thesauros (Prayer of the Mass of the Sacred Heart), inexhaustible treasures of love, mercy and affection (...).

Divine love makes the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Word, the Son of God the Father, take on our flesh, that is, our human condition, minus sin. And the Word, the Word of God, is Verbum spirans amorem, the Word from which Love proceeds” (ECP, 162), says St. Josemaría, following St. Augustine and St. Thomas (cf. S.Th., I q. 43, a. 5; De Trinitate, IX, 10). 

Devotion to the Holy Spirit is also present with decisive force in the life and preaching of St. Josemaría. He is the one who identifies us with Christ and through him introduces us into the life of Trinitarian love: “To concretize, even in a very general way, a style of life that impels us to treat the Holy Spirit-and, with him, the Father and the Son-and to have familiarity with the Paraclete, we can look at three fundamental realities: docility, prayer life, union with the Cross” (ECP, 135). 

Perhaps the best way to indicate how the mystery of the Trinity is present in St. Josemaría's writings is to say that it is present as love, according to the Johannine phrase God is Love (1 Jn 4:16) or, to use a well-known theological expression, as communio personarum: “the love of Jesus for mankind is an unfathomable aspect of the divine mystery, of the love of the Son for the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, the bond of love between the Father and the Son, finds in the Word a human Heart (...) Love, in the bosom of the Trinity, is poured out on all men through the Love of the Heart of Jesus” (ECP, 169).

4. The “trinity of earth” and the Trinity of heaven. 

St. Josemaría refers to the Sagrada Familia as the “trinity of the earth”, considering that in her the Trinitarian mystery is manifested in a special way, community of life and love, and strongly emphasizes the relationship between St. Mary and the Trinity.

Even before the writing of The Way, Saint Josemaría liked to address Santa Maria recalling her relationship with each of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: “How men love to be reminded of their kinship with literary, political, military and Church personalities! -Sing before the Immaculate Virgin, reminding her: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail Mary, daughter of God the Father: Hail God, Mary, Mother of God the SonHail Mary, Bride of God the Holy Spirit.... More than you, God alone!” (C, 496).

In the critical-historical edition of The Way (CECH, pp. 649-651, nts. 15-17), Pedro Rodríguez recalls the history of this prayer of deep popular roots and offers a testimony from 1939, which documents that, already at that time, St. Josemaría advised considering the mystery of Mary in her relationship to the Blessed Trinity. 

It is the same thing we find much later in Friends of God, 274: “This celebration leads us to consider some of the central mysteries of our faith: to meditate on the Incarnation of the Word, the work of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Mary, Daughter of God the Father, by the Incarnation of the Lord in her immaculate womb, is the Spouse of God the Holy Spirit and Mother of God the Son”. 

Trinitarian devotions

St. Josemaría, who was in favor of “few but constant particular devotions” (C, 552), communicated to the members of Opus Dei in 1959 that it was advisable to begin the custom of praying or singing the Angelic Trisagion in the triduum preceding the feast of the Trinity, and of frequently praying and contemplating the Quicumque Symbol. Both customs are intended to manifest devotion to the Trinity with acts of adoration and explicit faith in the truths revealed about the central mystery of our faith. Related words: God the Father; Holy Spirit; Divine Filiation; Trinitarian Inhabitation; Jesus Christ.