LITURGY OF THE HOURS OF SAN JOSEMARÍA

June 26

SAINT JOSEMARÍA ESCRIVÁ DE BALAGUER

PRESBYTER

He was born in Barbastro (Spain) in 1902, and was ordained.

priest in 1925. On October 2, 1928, he founded Opus Dei,
opening a new path in the Church, so that men and
women of all conditions live the Christian vocation in fullness
sanctifying their occupations in the world. Opus Dei was established
in 1982 in Personal Prelature. With his preaching and his writings
gave rise to a vast awareness of the specific mission
ecclesial of the laity. He died in Rome on June 26, 1975.

From the Common of Shepherds

At Vespers
ANTHEM

We raised with vigor, Josemaría,

our song of praise,
Well, you give us to your children
an old and new message:
That both the married and the celibate,
the elderly like the young,
turn your work into every day
actually Santa.
 2 June 26

Thus, always seeking Christ,

found and loved above all,
reach the crown,
what is the prize of life.
Help us, we ask you,
to practice how much you taught us;
that we continue with a determined step
to the Lord who calls everyone.
Glory to God the Father
and to the Son and to the Paraclete
that you have been awarded with splendor
for eternal ages. Amen.

Office of Reading

ANTHEM

Josemaría was a teacher, rector, nurturing father,

guide, pastor and priest,
to whom you, oh Christ, infused
an intimate vision of light:
What would be the men and women of God
who would help you to lift the cross
at the summit of the world; and thus Christ triumphant
It would attract all things to It.
Called from eternity,
before the constitution of the world,
make us other Christs, salt, leaven, light
at the crossroads of the world:
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You are salt that preserves from corruption,

light that illuminates the hearts of men,
live yeast
May the living Bread be taken to all the jobs.
Only to you, eternal God,
Father, Son and the Holy Spirit,
the utmost tribute of glory and praise,
now and forever. Amen.

SECOND READING

From the Homilies of Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer,

presbyter

(Towards Holiness, ed. Palabra, Madrid 1973, pp. 7-9)

12-13, 20-21, 23-24, 32-33, 40-41, 52

Contemplatives in the midst of the world

We were shaken, with a strong

shudder in the heart, when listening carefully
that cry from San Pablo: this is the will of
God, your sanctification. Today, once again I
I propose it to myself, and I remind it to you also
you and all of humanity: this is the
Will of God, that we be holy. To paci-
to leave the souls in genuine peace, for
transform the earth, to search in the world and to
through the things of the world to God Lord
Our holiness is essential.
personal. Each one is called to holiness, from each
 4 June 26

one asks for love: young and old, single and

married, healthy and sick, educated and ignorant,
work where they work, be where they are. There is
a single way to grow in familiarity and in
trust in God: to communicate with Him in prayer, to speak
with Him, to manifest it – from heart to heart –
our affection.
First a jactation, and then another, and another...
until that fervor seems insufficient, because
Words seem poor...: and give way to the
divine intimacy, in an unceasing gaze at God
and without tiredness. We lived then as captives-
you, as prisoners. While we carry out with
the greatest possible perfection, within our
mistakes and limitations, the tasks themselves
of our condition and of our trade, the soul
longs to escape. It goes towards God, like iron
attracted by the power of the magnet. It begins to
to love Jesus, more effectively, with a sweet
jolt.
But do not forget that being with Jesus is,
rarely, to come across his Cross. When we aban-
we entrust to the hands of God, it is common that
He lets us taste pain, loneliness,
the contradictions, the slanders, the defamations
yes, the mockery, inside and out: because
wants to conform us to His image and likeness, and
it also tolerates us being called crazy and that we
they take for fools. In admiring and truly loving
the Most Holy Humanity of Jesus, we will discover
 June 26 5

one by one his Wounds. And in those times of pur-

passive navigation, painful, strong, of sweet tears
those bitter feelings that we try to hide, necessary-
we will get into each one of those
Most Holy Wounds: to purify us, to
to rejoice in that redeeming Blood, to strengthen
horns.
The heart needs, then, to distinguish and
to adore each of the divine Persons. Of
somehow, it's like a discovery, the one that
It realizes the soul in the supernatural life. And it's
entertains lovingly with the Father and with him
Son and with the Holy Spirit; and it submits easily-
refers to the activity of the living Paraclete, which
we are given without deserving it. Words are unnecessary,
because the tongue fails to express itself; already the understanding-
becomes still. One does not reason, one observes! And the
soul breaks again to sing with a new song,
because it is felt and is also known, love look-
rosily for God, at all hours.
With this delivery, the apostolic zeal is kindled
it increases every day - sticking this longing to the
others–, because good is diffusive. It is not possible
that our poor nature, so close to God,
there is no hunger to sow in the entire world
to the joy and the peace, to water everything with the waters
redeeming that spring from the open Side of
Christ, to start and finish all tasks for
Love.
 6 June 26

May the Mother of God and our Mother bless us.

protect, so that each of us
may serve the Church in the fullness of faith,
with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and with life
contemplative.
RESPONDENT Ephesians 1:4
GodchoseusinthepersonofChrist
–before creating the world– *So that we would be
saints and irreproachable before him for love.
you,orfonispashiderefufs tsC
ihr.V/
leaving you an example to follow in their footsteps.
so that we would be holy and blameless before
he for love.
Lauds
ANTHEM

Let us praise the Saint who showed us the paths,

he/she opened the way for us and facilitated the entry

to the hidden life in Christ,

tocontemplationamidstthedinoftheworld.
As we seek the gentle face of the Lord,
what happens in the middle of the streets,
He, who is the model,
he shapes us with divine strokes.
This is the image of the eternal dialogue,
the garment of divine intimacy,
of which the Saint, filled with joy,
enjoy in heaven forever.
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We sing with our hearts overflowing with joy

the praise to the glory of the Holy Trinity,
that has granted to Saint Josemaría
the crown of the blessed. Amen.

Blessed are you, ant. You have not chosen me

not me, but I have chosen you, and I have
destined for you to go and bear fruit, and your
fruit remains.

Sentence
Oh God, who has raised in the Church St.
Josemaría, priest, to proclaim the vocation
universal to holiness and to the apostolate, grant us,
through his intercession and his example, that in the exercise
through ordinary work we may be shaped into your Son
Jesus Christ and let us serve with burning love for the work
of Redemption. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

II Vespers

ANTHEM

You showed us the path of the ordinary

to imitate the example of Christ,
transmitting to us, obedient to the Light,
that light you clearly saw.
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With a silent and unremarkable life,

you performed the priestly ministry,
preaching the law of God
with humility.
The Virgin Mary has always sheltered you,
venerated Mother of beautiful love,
Servant of the Lord, seat of wisdom
and our hope.
Pray for us, oh holy Virgin,
blessed Mother of God,
You who prepare and preserve in our life
a safe path.
Let us raise our faces to the triune God,
while we worship him with a pious soul,
and let us praise the Holy Spirit together,
with the Father and the Son. Amen.

Magnificat, ant. A new commandment I give unto you,

that you love one another; as I have loved you,
let us also love one another.

For the original version of these texts see Congregation for the
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (cf. Prot. N.
1308/02/L).