St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

In this podcast, Fr. Peter Armenio invites us to reflect upon the cross, particularly as a medium to connect with the Lord.  Highlighting the imprisonment and martyrdom of St. Thomas More as an example, Fr. Peter illustrates that when faced with suffering, we might be tempted to discouragement if we are not quick to embrace the cross or delight in it.  But he reminds us that although suffering is essential for growing in intimacy with the Lord, as long as we are trying to bear it alone, we will struggle.  We need to remind ourselves: “It’s not my cross, it’s his, and he does the heavy lifting."In order to grow in our love for the cross, Fr. Peter suggests listening to Jesus’ words when he told his Apostles to “watch and pray.”  The Lord is our role model in his suffering and agony, since any cross we are enduring, he also endured.  Thus he is our template for suffering; by watching Jesus, our suffering can be lessened and we can grow in deeper unity and intimacy with him through the cross.“The Cross symbolizes the life of an apostle of Christ, with a strength and a truth that delight both soul and body, though sometimes it is hard, and we can feel its weight.”St. JosemariaThe Forge, no. 757View TranscriptVisit Show Page Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this meditation from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to reflect upon the “apostolate of attraction” as the means by which we are to fulfill the Great Commission and lead others into relationship with Jesus Christ. This type of apostolate, as old as the Gospel itself and encouraged by Pope Francis, begins by our faithful witness to the love of Christ: “people need to see us as oases of joy and peace.”   It is our witness, only later accompanied by doctrine, that will prove that Jesus is real.“Whenever sanctity is genuine, it overflows from its vessel to fill other hearts, other souls, with its superabundance. We, the children of God, sanctify ourselves by sanctifying others. Is Christian life growing around you? Consider this every day” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Forge, no. 856). Before our Lord sent the Apostles out into the world, he gave them the new commandment of love, instructing them to remain united with him and replicate his heart. Despite any obstacles and difficulties they would face, Jesus promised them that in following this commandment, they would succeed in sharing the Gospel, since it would be him acting through them. This remains true for us still today; if we remain united to his heart and participate in his life, others will come to know him through our love. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, helps us to reflect upon the means of becoming like Christ using the story of the Rich Young Man (Mark 10: 17-22) as the model. The young man, desiring eternal life, asks Jesus what he must do. After exhorting the young man to follow the commandments, Jesus invites him to “give it all” and become his disciple. It is this invitation that Christ repeats to us as well; how is Jesus calling us to follow him more closely? One danger in the spiritual life can be to regard our life of prayer and formation as a time of personal training or self-improvement. Instead, Fr. Peter reminds us that the goal of prayer and formation is to encounter Jesus and grow more deeply in our love of him and others. By responding to prayer in this way, we will “become Christ” and our lives will be a witness to others, giving them an experience of the heart of Christ. “You lack drive. That's why you sway so few. You don't seem very convinced of what you gain by giving up those things of the earth for Christ. Just compare: a hundredfold and life everlasting! Would you call that a poor bargain?” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Way, no. 791). Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this meditation by Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we reflect upon “hunger to know the Master” as the source for apostolic zeal and the foundation for fruitfulness in the apostolate. Although Jesus gave the mandate to his followers to bring the Gospel to all the corners of the earth, his Apostles realized that this would not be accomplished through human efforts, but rather by God working through them. As such, it is the love of Christ that motivates us in our desire for conversion and urges us in sharing him with others. St. Paul spoke of Christ as the source of evangelization throughout his writings. In his letter to the Romans (13:14), he reminds us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” as it is not us who evangelize, but Jesus who works through us. Furthermore, in his 2nd Letter to the Corinthians (4:7), he explains that fruitfulness in the apostolate is not dependent on our own strengths and virtues, but on the power of God: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” Elaborating on this, Fr. Peter encourages us that despite our own faults and failings, we are not broken clay pieces, but vessels, meant to be filled and used as instruments for bringing the Gospel to the world. Only by hungering to know the Lord and being filled by him will we be able to cultivate our apostolic zeal. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, invites us to reflect upon the “science of the cross” given by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. As the precondition for those who want to follow Christ, Fr. Peter shows how we can apply Christ’s words to ourselves and learn how to put them into practice.“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me’” (Mark 8:34).Self-denial is often manifested through acts of mortification and fasting, yet the self-denial that Christ is addressing here is on a macro level. We are called to deny our whole persona: our minds, our wills, our hearts, our entire beings, just as Mary did in her “fiat” at the annunciation. No matter what our vocation, Christ is inviting us to put him first in our life.Although living out this type of self-denial is the work of a lifetime, it begins by cultivating the disposition of giving the Lord our entire self each day. In examining the lives of the saints, we see models of those who cultivated this disposition and responded to the Lord’s call with a total gift of themselves. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Today in the podcast... Fr Peter Armenio, a priest of Opus Dei, reflects on the New Commandment from Jesus Christ which he issued to the Apostles before the Last Supper.This commandment is particularly difficult to follow since we are asked to love one another as Jesus loves us, which is a very tall order. How can we match Jesus’ love for us!However, Fr. Peter Armenio makes a point to note that when God issues a commandment, it is because we can live it. Do not write yourself off!“No matter how much you may love, you will never love enough. The human heart is endowed with an enormous coefficient of expansion. When it loves, it opens out in a crescendo of affection that overcomes all barriers. If you love Our Lord, there will not be a single creature that does not find a place in your heart” (St Josemaria Escriva, The Way of the Cross; Eight Station, Number 5). Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

“Each and every event of this life, without exception, must be steps which take you to God, which move you to know him and love him, to give him thanks, and to strive to make everyone else know and love him” (St. Josemaria Escriva; The Forge, no. 680). In this meditation from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to reflect upon work as a medium for prayer, using the hidden life of Jesus as an example. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus spent many years working as a carpenter. Though nothing is written about these years, St. Josemaria considered this silence to be an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, exemplifying the ordinariness which characterized Jesus’s life until he began his public ministry. Thus, when we echo the Apostles’ request “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) we can hear Jesus’s response through his lived example. Work is a place where we are meant to encounter God daily. The idea of “sanctification of work” is simple, but the process is not easy. Fr. Peter explains that a personal life of prayer outside of work is the driving force behind our ability to sanctify our work, since sanctification of work is not about perfecting a routine as much as it is about giving a gift of love. As such, conversation with the Lord in mental prayer, frequenting the Sacraments, and making regular aspirations and acts of love are foundational to being able to sanctify our work, as they increase our love. Likewise, laxity in our spiritual norms can detract from our ability to sanctify our work, as there is less love given in that work. Ultimately, the one who prays more is the one who loves more. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, invites us to reflect upon Mary, especially in light of her Assumption, as God’s great gift to us and as our great hope. ‘Mary has been taken up to heaven by God in body and soul, and the angels rejoice.’ Joy overtakes both angels and men. Why is it that we feel today this intimate delight, with our heart brimming over, with our soul full of peace? Because we are celebrating the glorification of our mother, and it is only natural that we her children rejoice in a special way upon seeing how the most Blessed Trinity honors her” (St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, no. 171). As Fr. Peter explains, the Feast of the Assumption is in one sense a celebration of ourselves. God has brought Mary into heaven and her glorification emphasizes her relationship with the Blessed Trinity. But as she occupies a place of honor and gazes at God face to face, she intercedes for us and serves us as our mother. In the Assumption, we receive an invitation to optimism, as Mary’s intercession from heaven is our own victory. Fr. Peter encourages us that we must become more “Marian”; relying on Mary as our hope, especially in our works of apostolate and evangelization. In facing the formidable obstacles of today’s culture, we can follow the example of the great saints and evangelists, such as St. Josemaria Escriva, Blessed Alvaro Portillo, and St. John Paul II, in loving Mary and relying on her for all the help that we need. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

Using the story of the Rich Young Man as the model, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon Jesus’s search for “laborers” for the harvest (Luke 10:2) and highlights the three steps Jesus gives to help us lay down our lives for him and become laborers. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments…’”  And he replied, “All of these I have observed from my youth.”  When Jesus heard this he said to him, “There is still one thing left for you: sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Luke 18: 18-23) These three steps Jesus gives can be seen as a path leading us towards giving a total gift of self.  First, Jesus lays the foundation by reminding us that God alone is good and able to satisfy the human heart.  Next, Jesus shows that by keeping the commandments, we become free to give ourselves completely, as we are not bound by sins or attachments.  And lastly, Jesus invites us to lay our lives down for him by making him our ultimate good.  In following these steps, Fr. Peter explains that we will become laborers and be able to witness to others that it is only Christ who gives true joy, hope, and freedom.  If we are not capable of giving ourselves totally to God yet, Fr. Peter encourages us to seek God’s grace and Mary’s help in learning to courageously say “yes” as she did. “Why don’t you give yourself to God once and for all… really… now?  If you see your way clearly, follow it.  Why don’t you shake off the cowardice that holds you back? ‘Proclaim the Good News… I shall be with you…’  It is Jesus who has said this… and he has said it to you” (St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way: no. 902-904). Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!

“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, highlights Jesus’s teaching during the Sermon on Mount and invites us to reflect on “holy purity” as a means to finding true joy and freedom in our lives.Fr. Peter explains that because God is revealed as self-giving love, and holy purity is an expression of self-giving love, the more we exercise purity, the more we see God face to face.  Holy purity, therefore, liberates us to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, seeing him in prayer, suffering, and through relationships with other people.Looking at our culture, Fr. Peter examines several falsehoods placed before men and women today concerning this virtue and shows how living out holy purity in our attitudes and relationships both reflects our dignity as children of God, and leads to a happiness that far surpasses what is found by living according to society’s false ideas of freedom as license.Fr. Peter emphasizes the need to not only pray for the grace of the virtue of holy purity, but to pray to desire the virtue, as both will be necessary in living it faithfully. Additionally, he stresses that holy purity is a difficult virtue to live in this day and age; we must avoid the tendency to become discouraged and follow the example of St. Mary Magdalene and continue to repent and begin again. Support the showTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING!Let us know that our podcast is important to you: Share your favorite episodes with others and leave us a rating or review. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter: www.stjosemaria.org Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider helping us keep our episodes free and accessible for all our listeners: Give today!