Romana

www.youtube.com/josemariaescriva: Videos of a Saint on the Internet

As is well known, YouTube is a web page that contains videos of all types: humor, cooking, sports, hobbies, news, religion… Millions of people connect with it every day to view some of these brief films. Since February 2005, St. Josemaría can also be found on YouTube. Fragments of videos of the get-togethers that he held in Spain and Latin America have been available to all net navigators since that time.

Since 2010 a single page has been created with clips grouped into eight different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Arabic, Italian and Portuguese. The address is www.youtube.com/josemariaescriva.

Films with priests presented on www.josemariaescriva.info

Between 1972 and 1975 St. Josemaría carried out long catechetical trips throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America. He had numerous gatherings with people of all ages and walks of life, including many get-togethers with priests.

On the occasion of the Year for Priests convoked by Pope Benedict XVI, the St. Josemaría web page prepared a series of extracts from these get-togethers with priests in which the Founder of Opus Dei expresses gratitude for their fidelity and encourages them to be “one hundred percent” priests. He speaks of the need for holy priests, the situation of the Church and contemporary pastoral problems. He also stresses the importance of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the other sacraments, and above all the need for charity and fraternity with their brother priests.

As one more person in the Gospel

St. Josemaría tried to pray by placing himself in the Gospel scenes “as one more person there.” This concern is shown by some texts of the Founder of Opus Dei that are offered in audio format, in Spanish, on the web page www.opusdei.org.

The first scene is “The Annunciation.” After the passage from the Gospel of St. Luke (Lk 1:26-27), the corresponding text in his book Holy Rosary is read: “Don’t forget, my friend, that we are children. The Lady of the sweet name, Mary, is withdrawn in prayer. You, in that house, are whatever you want to be: a friend, a servant, an onlooker, a neighbor... —I, at this moment, don’t dare to be anything. I hide behind you; full of awe, I contemplate the scene: The Archangel delivers his message...”

Other scenes from the New Testament included in this collection are: “The Birth of Jesus,” “The Beatitudes,” “The Widow of Naim,” “The Passion,” etc.