St. Josemaria Institute Podcast

Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, reminds us that St. Josemaria was inspired by the light of God with the mission to bring Christ into the heart of the entire world in a way that He had never been before. Into a world that is gripped by a culture of death; to be healed by the intervention of God’s Mercy. “God is the same as always. It is men of faith that are needed: and then, there will be a...

Jesus spoke these words, “For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In this passage, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, points out that we must not lack repentance, love for God, and affection and compassion for others, especially those alienated from God. Our Lord calls us to love our n...

“My Father — talk to him like that, confidently — who art in heaven, look upon me with compassionate Love, and make me respond to thy love.—Melt and enkindle my heart of bronze, burn and purify my unmortified flesh, fill my mind with supernatural light, make my tongue proclaim the Love and Glory of Christ” (St. Josemaria, The Forge , no. 3). Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon the...

“I will get up an go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants'” (Luke 15:18-19). While making use of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Fr. Peter Armenio, an Opus Dei priest, causes the observer to stop and think about the reason why a soul is moved to repent...

In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, a priest of Opus Dei, invites us to come to understand the importance of the second most perfect gift that God has given us at the foot of the cross, the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, is also our Mother. He explains through her Immaculate Conception, she had been prepared for the sole purpose of helping us become children of God worthy of be...

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...

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...

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 a...

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 workin...

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 m...

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...

“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 o...

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...

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. Y...

“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-givin...

In this meditation, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects upon joy as the foundation for all evangelization and how living joy in our daily lives can lead others to encounter Christ. The particular role of the laity in bringing Christ to the world, especially in the places we live and work, requires that we not only bring the truth of the Gospel to all those who we encounter, but that we...

In this reflection from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to hear Mary’s words from the Wedding Feast of Cana, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5), as our instructions to listen and respond to Jesus’s command given during the Last Supper. “So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have...

On June 26th, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva. In this reflection, Fr. Peter Armenio explains the reason why the Holy Spirit moved the Church to canonize St. Josemaria so quickly. The reason he suggests is because “the Church wants us to encounter Jesus amid work” following Jesus’s own example. “Jesus’ thirty-three years!...: thirty were spent in silence and obscurity; in...

Reflecting on the scene of the Last Supper, when Jesus is “beginning to hand the baton to his followers,” Fr. Peter Armenio explains that another Divine Person begins to become more prominent: the Holy Spirit. In this reflection, we are invited to contemplate the Holy Spirit and his job “to penetrate the words of Jesus and to convert us and transform us.” “And I will ask the Father, and he will gi...

Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects on the poverty spirit we should cultivate in order to make Jesus Christ the priority of our lives. Like the rich young man in the Gospel (Mk 10:17-22), Fr. Peter explains how Jesus Christ is also asking us now:- Do you believe that only I (God) can fill you?- Do you keep my (God’s) commandments?- Do you put me (God) first? Am I (Jesus Christ) your pa...

In this reflection from Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, we are invited to contemplate the “workshop for the first evangelization” and learn how Jesus prepared the first disciples to go out into the world as his witnesses. “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine,...

In this reflection, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, invites us to take time during the Easter season to ask God in our prayer: “What is it that you want me to contemplate in light of the Resurrection?” Fr. Peter explains that we will see that we are called to bring Jesus Christ into the world in a "new way", especially through our joy— the joy that comes from making “Jesus Christ...

On May 1st, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. To help us get to know St. Joseph better, Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects on the holiness of St. Joseph as the role model for the whole Church, especially the laity. St. Joseph is the template for the Christian vocation— the “all-star” of holiness. “We need devotion to St. Joseph,” Fr. Peter explains, “b...

Fr. Peter Armenio, priest of Opus Dei, reflects on Jesus’s gentle and loving invitation, ‘Come to me,’ and how we are to translate what it means for each of us personally. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden lig...

In this podcast for Easter Sunday, Fr. Javier del Castillo invites us to contemplate the Resurrection of Christ and how “the Resurrection is an event that can only be accessed by people of faith who have had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.” And, like the women at the tomb and the apostles, how “every Christian is a witness” and what that means for us today. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING! If you...