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on September 14, 2026

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Decanonization of Saint Josemaria Escriva

DECANONIZATION OF SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA The canonization on October 6, 2002 of Josemaria Escriva by John Paul II—also a saint, canonized by Papa Francesco on April 27, 2014—was one of the most controversial during the contemporary era. In 2002 The Irish Times observed, for example: “The man that Opus Dei members like to call ‘Our Father’ or ‘The Founder’ has been accused of being vain (he allegedly had the ‘de Balaguer’ tagged on to his name out of petty snobbery), fascist (he allegedly made anti-semitic remarks about the Holocaust, whilst his movement prospered greatly in Franco’s Spain), arrogant and ambitious, as well as having such a loathing for many of the liturgical changes introduced by Vatican Council II that he once considered joining the Greek Orthodox Church. “A number of Vatican commentators have also expressed reservations about his appropriateness as a candidate for sainthood, reservations which reached a crescendo 10 years ago on the occasion of Mon...

Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s 14 Rules for the Discernment of Spirits

Saint Ignatius of Loyola (c. 1620-22) by Peter Paul Rubens SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA’S 14 RULES FOR THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIRITS See: http://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/14-rules-discerning-spirits-different-movements-caused-soul/ —“The 14 Rules for Discerning of Spirits – ‘The Different Movements Which Are Caused In The Soul,’” The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, translated from the autograph by Father Elder Mullan, S.J., Discerning Hearts: Catholic Podcasts dedicated to those on the Spiritual Journey Understanding and learning the Ignatian rules for the discernment of spirits requires long experience. It takes time. A quick approach—though hardly infallible—is to apply the heuristic given below. DISCERNMENT OF GOD’S VOICE Someone who knows what God is like knows what his voice is like. As an exercise, write down a list of single words that describe what you think God’s voice is like (for example: gentle, patient, kind, forgiving, encoura...

Epektasis

EPEKTASIS “Gregory’s concept of always progressing toward God echoed St. Paul’s exhortation about ‘stretching forth’—constantly pressing forward, as in a race, toward the prize of Christ (Philippians 3:13-14). Commenting on Paul’s attitude, Gregory wrote: ‘Paul does not let the graces he has obtained become the limit of his desire, but he continues to go on and on, never ceasing his ascent’ (Homilies on the Song of Songs). “The ascent never stops because there is always more of God. And therefore the ascent constantly brings more and more joy, as we are transformed ‘from one degree of glory to another’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).” https://wau.org/resources/article/st_gregory_of_nyssa/ —Gregory Roa, “St. Gregory of Nyssa: Charting Our Journey toward God,” The Word Among Us, 2023 About the first week of March last year, I came across this delightful piece in The Word Among Us on Saint Gregory of Nyssa. It puts him in the context of the Arian crisis in the C...

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