'God’s work is activated in our work': Papal Nuncio officiates first Escriva mass in Manila in 2 years

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino members of Catholic organization Opus Dei were able to celebrate the feast day of their founder St. Josemaria Escriva in person for the first time in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown presided over the Eucharistic celebration at the Manila Cathedral last June 27. During his homily, he discussed the spirituality of human work. 

“We come with hearts filled with gratitude and joy this evening to celebrate the memory and the teaching of this great saint who has shown us a way of sanctification in the modern world,” Brown said.

The Nuncio quoted the late St. John Paul II, the Pope who canonized Escriva in 2002, in calling human work as participation in God's activity, which was “summation of the spirituality of St. Josemaria Escriva.”

"That awareness ought to permeate even the most ordinary everyday activities,” Brown continued, reminding that Escriva valued the vocation of the laity. This was also a reference to St. John Paul II calling Escriva "the saint of the ordinary."

According to the Papal Nuncio, creation is described as the work, the “opus Dei," while "Our own work in itself without God’s grace is completely insufficient, completely inadequate. But when we are living a spirituality of work and allowing God’s grace to penetrate our work, then our nets become full to the point of bursting. Then, God’s work is actually activated in our work. That is a sanctification of work."

"God’s opus Dei is Creation and we return - in a certain sense - to God, through our work. Man’s work - human beings’ work - is analogous to God’s work in Creation. In working, we imitate God and we see in that the nobility of work. And we find in that a spirituality of work, a sanctification of work, because by working we are imitating God’s creative power in our own much more humble ways," he expounded.

"So, we need to value our work. We need to do our work well. As I said now several times: Are our efforts on their own enough? No, but our efforts on their own are necessary. That paradox: something that is insufficient and necessary at the same time. And that is the miracle of our faith."

The Manila Cathedral had limited crowd capacity because of health protocols, but numerous devotees held masses across the nation beginning June 26 — Escriva's actual feast date — until July 1.

Bishop Emeritus Antonio Tobias, Bishop Roberto Gaa of Novaliches, Bishop and Military Ordinariate Oscar Florencio, and Regional Vicar of Opus Dei in the Philippines and Msgr. Carlos Estrada were among the over 30 concelebrants at the Eucharistic celebration.

Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Jose Advincula was not among those physically present but was in attendance from his cathedral. Opus Dei's beginnings in the Philippines date back to 1964.

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