It is fitting that they engraved on his tombstone the words: “The Father”

Evgenii Pazukhin, radio broadcaster, Russia

June 15, 2002

Tags: Divine sonship, Optimism, Father The Way is the fruit of the grace of God, to which the author responded with all of his heart and his entire mind. And yet the book is the natural outgrowth of moving pastoral encounters with many people. From this springs its animated tone, its cultivated language and the brilliant, small fragments that constitute an astonishingly well-integrated mosaic. It is hardly surprising that, in a short time, The Way achieved huge popularity, spreading to all corners of the earth. The book indeed proved to be the way into the hearts and minds of millions.
The Spirit, sent by the Father through the Son, called Josemaria Escriva to the profound sense of divine sonship that distinguished not only his teaching, but his character and deeds as well. The perception of God as a loving and compassionate father precludes the possibility of making God into an instrument of human passions and ambitions. It reorients the teaching of the Church away from threats and towards the bright and joyful promise of the Father of Heaven. From this derives both the boundless optimism of Escriva and the spirituality of Opus Dei. This explains the sincere charm of the man, his happiness (despite profound suffering), his constant good humor (“true sanctity should be joyful”), and the unusual naturalness of his actions. From this derived his rejection of all hypocrisy and prudishness. It also explains how readers of his works are invariably touched by his happiness and freedom (…) The Founder of Opus Dei had the audacity to look at people with deep, divinely inspired love and compassion, and see them through the eyes of the Heavenly Father. He became the father of all who set out with Christ on the new trail to holiness he blazed on earth. It is fitting that the Founder’s spiritual children, by divine inspiration, inscribed on his gravestone the words: “The Father”.