Customer Reviews

The Way: The Essential Classic of Opus Dei's Founder

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of three great little books by Josemaria Escriva's The Way, Furrow and The Forge. Each of these three volumes are collections of thoughts, pense's musings and meditations. They can be read from beginning to end or randomly opened and read just as you find them. Some of the reflections will require more thought and work then others. Some examples that particularly grabbed my attention are:

"Fight against the softness that makes you lazy and careless in your spiritual life. Remember that it might well be the beginning of tepidity ... and, in the words of the scriptures, God will vomit out the lukewarm."
#325

"When I made you a present of that life of Jesus, I wrote in it this inscription: `May you seek Christ, may you find Christ, may you love Christ. These are three very distinct steps. Have you at least tried to live the first?"
#382

"Fight against that weakness which makes you lazy and careless in your spiritual life. Remember that it might well be the beginning of lukewarmness... and, in the words of the Scripture, God will vomit the lukewarm out of his mouth."
#325


Each of these three little books will help you grow deeper in the Christian life. They will challenge you every time you pick them up and read. I have gotten to the point that I always carry one of them with me, and while waiting for a ride, or before class, or in any spare moment open it and read, and through that reading I pray. Through that prayer I hope to become a better Christian and a better person.

THE WAY (or Camino) is a terrific book of short numbered meditations -- it contains the spirit of Opus Dei ("Work of God"). The writings are great to read before bed -- like a type of spirtual poetry. The new edition by DoubleDay is printed on high quality paper -- better than the little edition by Specter. It's not a book to burn through however (i.e., to read), but a thousand suggestions from a saint as to how we, the laity, can increase our holiness through our day-to-day work -- making the mundane sacred. You don't have to be a Catholic to benefit from this book: it's useful to anyone that wants to better connect one's religion with one's day-to-day actions.

I have loved THE WAY for a number of years, along with the FORGE and the FURROW. Traditional (in the best sense of the word) Catholic spirituality in easy to digest format yet leaving in the "Cross" ... not for the uncommitted or Sunday only Catholic but for those who really want to progress in their union iwth Christ and their love of Neighbor. This edition is excellent....some explanatory notes at the bottom of some pages, excellent readable type, nice format, index, scripture index......can't recommend it too highly.

This is a book to pray with. A thousand short points,
some of which leap out at you -- but not always the same
ones -- every time you open it. There is no other work
(other then the author's own Furrow and Forge) that provides
such useful stimuli for conversation with God, without itself
becoming a distraction from prayer.

NOT Spirituality Lite.

St. Josemaria Escriva's 'The Way" was very influential. Obviously, some people will instantly jump to the conclusion that Opus Dei is a cult and that 'The Way' is its tool. If one looks past the lies that have been stirred up in the past years, the truth can be found. In the right mindset, 'The Way' is great advice on how to live a better life.

_The Way: The Essential Classic of Opus Dei's Founder_ by Saint Josemaria Escriva, first published in 1939 in Spain, consists of spiritual reflections for Christians. Saint Josemaria Escriva was a Spanish priest who founded the organization Opus Dei ("God's Work") in 1928 as a special institution within the church for people in all walks of life to seek Christ and to grow with him. Opus Dei has continued to do good works motivated by a tradition of charity since then. Escriva was made a saint in 2002.

This book consists of spiritual reflections for Christians and members of Opus Dei, which concern everyday life and the struggles man faces with sin. Escriva begins his book with these words,
"Read these counsels slowly.
Pause to meditate on these thoughts.
They are things that I whisper in your ear -
confiding them -
as a friend, as a brother, as a father."
In particular, Escriva emphasizes manly character and uprightness before God for those who seek Christ. This book also focuses on the everyday doings of ordinary Catholics, showing how they may come to know God in their work and the vocations which they are called to do. Escriva emphasizes Christ and his love for us, as well as Marian piety, and the importance of receiving the Eucharist in the Holy Mass. Escriva frequently quotes from Holy Scripture mentioning for example Saints Peter and Paul, but also mentions later saints such as Ignatius, Xavier, and Teresa of Avila. Escriva also mentions the role that the Catholic must face in dealing with the world and with those who may oppose his faith, but also the need for becoming an apostle and following a calling. Among the important virtues emphasized by Escriva is that of obedience, and Escriva emphasizes the role of a spiritual director in the life of the faithful. The counsels contained in this book offer much for the reader to meditate upon. They are unique reflections upon the Christian spirit, the reading of which should be coupled with fervent prayer.

This collection of inspirational sayings is too often underrated. Read it as Fr. Josemaria suggests in the preface of the book and you will find much with which to be challenged. It is a 20th-century Thomas aKempis fortified with the importance of the so-called "small and insignificant" things of life. It is a call for Roman Catholics in particular to gain from careful and continuous study of the scriptures along with the mystigogy that Roman Catholics have appreciated since the first century. Given careful consideration, the sayings can enhance your devotional life in a way that impacts every other aspect of your life. Fr. Josemaria reminds us again and again that every Christian has a vocation, a calling, and that bringing Jesus to ordinary life transforms and sanctifies that life. It is a message all Christians can find life-changing.

It is a simple teaching that one might wonder why it has caused such a stir. But it is in the application that this teaching can shake and transform our culture. For that reason, I think, it is feared by those resisting such change. It is only for the brave, your church and your culture may not be ready for the revolution it could bring. But little could compare to the rewards that await those brave. You will find versions of this and other of the author's works at escrivaworks dot org.

Great reading. The one that really can change your life and how you affect others.

The way is The Way. This means that St. JoseMaria Escriva saw each and every Catholic as Christ manifest in the world. It is an obligation for each and every Catholic to live the fulness of what it is to be Christ. This book of sayings and aspirations is a neat little reminder to us of the importance of humility and vigilance on the way to spiritual perfection.

After reading Forge, I read this one. Easy to read, easy to remember, so clear in it's ideas that it pulls your soul and your intelligence to new levels. A must.