The first steps into priesthood

When his father died in 1924, Josemaría, then still a seminarian, became the head of his family. He was ordained a priest on March 28, 1925. After practicing his ministry in two rural parishes near Saragossa, he settled in Madrid in 1927 to obtain a PhD in law. He was soon appointed the chaplain of a foundation run by nuns that worked to help the sick, and the people who were left behind by the capital and its blue-collar suburbs. 

The retreat that changed everything

On the 2nd of October 1928, while on a spiritual retreat, Josemariá understood clearly what God expected of him: he had the mission to put all his strength at the service of what will soon be called the Opus Dei, a Christian movement of people who are ready to sacrifice themselves for others with joy, to divinise all the human paths on the face of the earth, to sanctify all honest work, and every worldly activity." In other words to create, inside the Church, a new spiritual family, composed of numerous laypeople, assisted by a few priests.

From then on, he started to get into work. Without financial means, and without knowing anyone in Madrid, he finds the strength he needs among the "terminally ill, poor people abandoned by everybody, children without a family",  who he asks to pray and offer their sufferings for an intention close to their heart. He also understands that he needs to open the door of the Opus Dei to women: today, they make up almost half of the members of the movement.

 Texts from St. Josemariá Escriva

Freedom, a gift from God (second excerpt from the homily "Freedom, a gift from God", published in "Friends of God")

The love of God marks out the path to truth, justice and goodness. When we make up our minds to tell Our Lord "I put my freedom in your hands", we find ourselves loosened from the many chains that were binding us to insignificant things, ridiculous worries or petty ambitions. From then on our freedom, which is a treasure beyond price, a wonderful pearl that it would be a tragedy to cast before swine, will be used by us entirely to learn how to do good.
This is the glorious freedom of the children of God. Christians who let themselves be browbeaten or become inhibited or envious in the face of the licentious behaviour of those who have not accepted the Word of God show that they have a very poor idea of the faith. If we truly fulfil the law of Christ - that is if we make the effort to do so, because we will not always fully succeed - we will find ourselves endowed with a wonderful gallantry of spirit that does not need to look elsewhere to discover the full meaning of human dignity.