Students gathering in the Gentile Gallery last Wednesday evening were privileged to hear our own Dr. John Bergsma speaking on his dear saintly friend: St. Josemaria Escriva. 

“Without St. Josemaria, it is very unlikely that I would be a Catholic,” Dr. Bergsma began, sharing how, through “Opus Dei,” he first encountered the full richness of the faith and was led into the Catholic Church. Today, St. Josemaria remains his spiritual father. 

“I really owe him a great spiritual debt,” Dr. Bergsma continued, “…and I want to try to pay some of that debt back tonight by sharing my love for this saint and some information about him in the hopes that you too will join me in loving him and following his spirituality to the extent that God calls you to.” 

Dr. Bergsma first gave a biographical sketch: St. Josemaria was born in Barbastro, Spain, in 1902. At the age of 18, after witnessing the “life-changing” and inspiring example of local Carmelites, he entered the seminary. Over the next eight years, he was to cry repeatedly to God – Domine, ut videam! Domina, ut sint! (Lord, let me see! O Lady, let it be!) – waiting on the Lord to make clear his calling.  

“I think this is very meaningful for us at Franciscan,” Bergsma advised. “I am sure that many of you are in the throes of discerning a vocation of some kind right now. And I highly recommend to you these prayers of St. Josemaria.” 

Fr. Josemaria finally received a vision of God’s plan for him as a young priest while on retreat in 1928. The biblical studies professor went on to describe how it was through his interaction with diverse peoples and cultures that he realized that God was found in the everyday. “[These are] ordinary working people made into saints,” he finished.  

For the second phase of his presentation, Dr. Bergsma described the spirituality of St. Josemaria according to “twin pillars.”  

The first and most foundational is “divine filiation: the knowledge and security that you are a child of God.” Dr. Bergsma related that, through a mystical experience in a Madrid streetcar, St. Josemaria was convicted that God was Father. “This,” Bergsma explained, “is the basis of St. Josemaria’s whole spirituality.”  

Bergsma summarized the subsequent pillar, St. Josemaria’s principle that “…work must be worship, and our labor must be liturgy.” Speaking from 20 years of experience, Bergsma warned us this is “very hard to master,” but gave some choice advice: do it well, pay attention to small things, and “simply remember” the dignity and purpose of our work. 

“For most of us this is what we are going to need to do to become saints,” Bergsma concluded. “If we don’t learn to sanctify [our daily tasks] we are not going to become saints. And sainthood is what we are all called to. St Josemaria taught: every Christian must seek for canonizeable sainthood … and if we set our goal any lower than that, we are not living up to what the Second Vatican Council called the universal call to holiness.” 

Dr. Bergsma will lead men’s formation sessions on St. Josemaria’s spirituality Fridays at 10 a.m. in the Fireside Lounge.