Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest who founded Opus Dei. St. Josemaria Escriva is the Patron Saint of Diabetes. If you’re suffering from diabetes and related disorders then you can pray St. Josemaria Escriva novena to seek his intercession for your problems.
About St. Josemaria Escriva
Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer was born on January 9, 1902, in Barbastro, Spain, to Jose and Dolores Escriva, the second of their six children.
He learned the fundamental teachings of the religion and practices such as regular confession and communion, the rosary, and almsgiving while growing up in a devoted household and attending Catholic schools.
The deaths of his three younger sisters, as well as his father’s bankruptcy as a result of economic setbacks, taught him the meaning of pain and matured his gregarious and upbeat personality. The family relocated to Logrono in 1915, where his father had secured new employment.
Josemaria sensed that God was demanding something of him beginning in 1918, but he didn’t know what it was. He decided to become a priest so that he might be available to God for anything he needed.
He began his studies for the priesthood in Logrono, then Saragossa. He began studying civil law at his father’s urging and with the agreement of his seminary authorities. In 1925, he was ordained a priest and began his pastoral work.
Escrivá studied to become a Catholic priest with the support of his father. He studied in Logrono before moving to Zaragoza, where he was ordained as a deacon on December 20, 1924. On Saturday, March 28, 1925, he was ordained a priest in Zaragoza.
In 1927, he moved to Madrid, Spain’s capital, to study law at the Central University, after a brief assignment in a rural parish in Perdiguera.
Escrivá worked as a private tutor and chaplain for the Santa Isabel Foundation in Madrid, which included the royal Convent of Santa Isabel and a school run by the Little Sisters of the Assumption.
Only a few books were published by St. Josemaria Escriva, and only a few more were published after his death. Despite the fact that he wrote a great deal, the work that consumed him throughout his life prevented him from focusing on publishing.
His top priorities were doing God’s will, looking after Opus Dei, and serving souls. Each of the books we do have is a treasure trove of loving counsel for people seeking meaning, direction, and a greater oneness with God.
Spiritual Considerations was the title of the first edition of The Way, his most widely read work, which was published in 1934. It has been expanded and rewritten numerous times since then, with more than four million copies in print in a variety of languages.
Holy Rosary, The Way of the Cross, two collections of homilies, Christ Is Passing By and Friends of God, and Furrow and The Forge, which, like The Way, are made up of short points for prayer and contemplation, are among his other spiritual publications. Monsignor Escriva died abruptly on June 26, 1975, in Rome, at the age of 73.
Facts
Novena Starts: June 17th
Feastday: June 26th
Birth: 9 January 1902
Death: 26 June 1975
Significance of St. Josemaria Escriva Novena
The Vatican was petitioned by a large number of bishops and ordinary Catholics to commence the process of his beatification and canonization.
Pope John Paul II pronounced him Blessed in front of a large throng in St. Peter’s Square on May 17, 1992. On October 6, 2002, he was declared a saint. The Church commemorates St. Josemaria Escriva’s liturgical feast day on June 26th.
St. Josemaria Escriva novena prayer repeated for nine consecutive days to make petitions to Jesus. It is to be repeated each day along with reading and reflection on Jesus. This novena to St. Josemaria Escriva can be prayed throughout the year.
Read more: St. Alexander Novena
St. Josemaria Escriva Novena
Day 1
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is God’s will for you, your sanctification.’ Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints.
In order to bring peace, genuine peace, to souls; in order to transform the earth and to seek God Our Lord in the world and through the things of the world, personal sanctity is indispensable. In my conversations with people from so many countries and from all kinds of social backgrounds, I am often asked: ‘What do you say to us married folk? To those of us who work on the land? To widows? To young people?’
I reply systematically that I have only ‘one stewing pot.’ I usually go on to point out that Our Lord Jesus Christ preached the good news to all, without distinction. One stewing pot and only one kind of food: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.’ He calls each and every one to holiness; he asks each and every one to love him: young and old, single and married, healthy and sick, learned and unlearned, no matter where they work, or where they are.
There is only one way to become more familiar with God, to increase our trust in him. We must come to know him through prayer; we must speak to him and show him, through a heart to heart conversation, that we love him.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 2
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Christ is Passing
Our Lord is calling us, in our present state, to share his life and make an effort to be holy. I know holiness can sound like an empty word. Too many people think it is unattainable, something to do with ascetical theology — but not a real goal for them, a living reality. The first Christians didn’t think that way. They often used the word “saints” to describe each other in a very natural manner: “greetings to all the saints” (Rom 16:15); “my greetings to every one of the saints in Jesus Christ” (Phil 4:21).
Take a look now at Calvary. Jesus has died and there is as yet no sign of his glorious triumph. It is a good time to examine how much we really want to live as Christians, to be holy. Here is our chance to react against our weaknesses with an act of faith. We can trust in God and resolve to put love into the things we do each day.
The experience of sin should lead us to sorrow. We should make a more mature and deeper decision to be faithful and truly identify ourselves with Christ, persevering, no matter what it costs, in the priestly mission that he has given every single one of his disciples. That mission should spur us on to be the salt and light of the world (Cf. Mt 5:13-14).
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: Fulton Sheen Novena For Canonization
Day 3
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Christ is Passing
Since our first conscious decision really to follow the teaching of Christ, we have no doubt made good progress along the way of faithfulness to his word. And yet isn’t it true that there is still much to be done? Isn’t it true, particularly, that there is still so much pride in us? We need, most probably, to change again, to be more loyal and humble, so that we become less selfish and let Christ grow in us, for “He must become more and more, I must become less and less” (Jn 3:30).
We cannot stay still. We must keep going ahead toward the goal St Paul marks out: “It is not I who live, it is Christ that lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This is a high and very noble ambition, this identification with Christ, this holiness. But there is no other way if we are to be consistent with the divine life God has sown in our souls in baptism. To advance we must progress in holiness. Shying away from holiness implies refusing our Christian life its natural growth. The fire of God’s love needs to be fed. It must grow each day, gathering strength in our soul…
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 4
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
Jesus is not satisfied with a wavering assent. He expects, and has a right to expect, that we advance resolutely, unyielding in the face of difficulties. He demands that we take firm, specific steps; because, as a rule, general resolutions are just fallacious illusions, created to silence the divine call which sounds within our hearts. They produce a futile flame that neither burns nor gives warmth, but dies out as suddenly as it began.
You will convince me that you sincerely want to achieve your goals when I see you go forward unwaveringly. Do good and keep reviewing your basic attitudes to the jobs that occupy you each moment. Practice the virtue of justice, right where you are, in your normal surroundings, even though you may end up exhausted. Foster happiness among those around you by cheerfully serving the people you work with and by striving to carry out your job as perfectly as you can, showing understanding, smiling, having a Christian approach to life. And do everything for God, thinking of his glory, with your sights set high and longing for the definitive homeland, because there is no other goal worthwhile.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 5
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Christ is Passing
Conversion is the task of a moment; sanctification is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed of charity, which God has sown in our souls, wants to grow, to express itself in action, to yield results which continually coincide with what God wants. Therefore, we must be ready to begin again, to find again — in new situations — the light and the stimulus of our first conversion. And that is why we must prepare with a deep examination of conscience, asking Our Lord for his help, so that we’ll know him and ourselves better. If we want to be converted again, there’s no other way.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: St. Louis de Montfort Novena
Day 6
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
When we meditate on the words of Our Lord, ‘And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth,’ (Jn 17:19) we clearly perceive our one and only end: sanctification, or rather, that we have to become saints in order to sanctify others. Then, like a subtle temptation, the thought may come that there are very few of us who have really taken to heart this divine invitation. Moreover, we see that those of us who have, are instruments of very little worth. It is true; we are few, in comparison with the rest of mankind, and of ourselves we are worth nothing. But our Master’s affirmation resounds with full authority: Christians are the light, the salt, the leaven of the world and ‘a little leaven leavens the whole batch’ (Gal 5:9). That is precisely why I have always taught that we are interested in each and every person. Out of a hundred souls we are interested in a hundred. We discriminate against no one, for we know for certain that Jesus has redeemed us all, and that he wishes to make use of a few of us, despite our personal nothingness, to make his salvation known to all.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 7
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
I wish to continue this conversation with Our Lord with an observation I made use of years ago, but which is just as relevant today. I had noted down some remarks of St Teresa of Avila: ‘All that passes away and is not pleasing to God, is worth nothing, and less than nothing.’ Now do you understand why a soul loses all sense of peace and serenity when it turns away from its goal, and forgets that it was created by God to be a saint? Strive never to lose this supernatural outlook, not even at times of rest or recreation, which are as important in our daily lives as is work itself. You can climb to the top of your profession, you can gain the highest acclaim as a reward for your freely chosen endeavors in temporal affairs; but if you abandon the supernatural outlook that should inspire all our human activities, you will have gone sadly astray.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 8
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
Some of you might think I am referring only to a select few. Don’t let the promptings of cowardice or easygoing ways deceive you so easily. Feel, instead, God urging each one of you on, to become another Christ, ipse Christus, Christ himself. To put it simply, God is urging us to make our actions consistent with the demands of our faith. For our sanctity, the holiness we should be striving for, is not a second-class sanctity. There is no such thing. The main thing we are asked to do, which is so much in keeping with our nature, is to love: ‘charity is the bond of perfection’ (Col 3:14); a charity that is to be practiced exactly as Our Lord himself commands: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind,’ (Mt 22:37) holding back nothing for ourselves. This is what sanctity is all about.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Day 9
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Reflection: Friends of God
Certainly our goal is both lofty and difficult to attain. But please do not forget that people are not born holy. Holiness is forged through a constant interplay of God’s grace and the correspondence of man. As one of the early Christian writers says, referring to union with God, ‘Everything that grows begins small. It is by constant and progressive feeding that it gradually grows big.’ So I say to you, if you want to become a thorough-going Christian — and I know you are willing, even though you often find it difficult to conquer yourself or to keep climbing upwards with this poor body of ours — then you will have to be very attentive to the minutest of details, for the holiness that Our Lord demands of you is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work and your daily duties, and these will almost always consist of small realities.
Prayer for the intercession of St. Josemaria
O God, through the mediation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
you granted countless graces to your priest Saint Josemaría,
choosing him as a most faithful instrument to found Opus Dei,
a way to holiness through daily work
and the ordinary duties of a Christian.
Grant that I also may learn to turn all the circumstances
and events of my life into opportunities to love you
and serve the Church,
the Pope and all souls,
with joy and simplicity,
lighting up the paths of the earth with faith and love.
Through the intercession of Saint Josemaría,
please grant me the favour I request…
<<mention your special request>>
Recite once
Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory Be
Read more: St. Josephine Bakhita Novena
