The Saint

Opus Dei was founded in Madrid, Spain, on October 2, 1928, by Josemaria Escriva. In 1982, Pope John Paul II established it as a personal prelature and surrounded himself of countless Opus members . "Yours is truly a great ideal," he said refering to Escrivá. On October 6, 2002 John Paul II canonized him (after the quickest procedure in Church's history) in a solemn ceremony. John Paul II, the deceased Pope is now - mutatis, mutantis - appointed as a saint.

I'll leave you with some quotations of Escriva's book, The Way or in Spanish El Camino. They are particulary clarifying about the ideological basis of the deceased pope, the present vatican and ultra conservative politicians.

"Where there is no self-denial, there is no virtue. "(180)


"Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain... Glorify pain!" (208 )


"Books: don't buy them without advice from a Christian who is learned and prudent. It's so easy to buy something useless or harmful." (339)


"Don't forget that you are a... dust-bin. That's why if by any chance the divine Gardener lays his hands on you, and scrubs and cleans you, and fills you with magnificent flowers, neither the scent nor the colour that embellish your ugliness should make you proud." (592 )


"Humble yourself: don't you know that you are the rubbish bin?
You are humble not when you humble yourself, but when you are humbled by others and you bear it for Christ. " (594)

"Yours should be a silent obedience. That tongue!" (627)


"You have come to the apostolate to submit, to annihilate yourself: not to impose your own personal viewpoints." (945 )


"It shows a bad disposition if you listen to God's word with a critical spirit." (936 )


Sorry if I insist in this subject but one has to realise that politics and religion aren't living apart. Therefore, I'm dedicating this post to BRT, a loyal reader and a restless wrongwinger ranger.

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