PRELUDE

I would draw a concept that we all surely know: the need of our sanctification. Since we worked hard in our things and inevitably we live immersed in the chaotic life of hedonism and in the current climate of society, if we are not very vigilant and careful we can lose the good way, and we tend to forget that we too must 'sanctify' being fully in the world, not through some kind of heroism of which there are ever the occasion, but in living our lives everyday. We find the idea of ​​holiness and sanctification in the early days of Christianity: the term 'holy' referred generically to any christian, as 'sanctified', that is 'set aside', 'secluded', 'consecrated' and not just because they were sacred by God through baptism, then later as indicated by the Catholic Church.
Saints were then called all the followers of Christ (apostles and disciples). We see it in the St. Paul's letters. For example, when addressing his letter to the Ephesians "to the saints which are at Ephesus." "Holy" is in fact the one that the example of Jesus Christ, animated by love, tries to live and die in God's grace. For us, then there is no question of doing great things and to give life - although unfortunately in the world are still many Christians who suffer abuse and harassment, or are killed.
We're secular and obviously we are not required to give us the contemplative life totally rejecting the world. But as recommended by St. Paul to the Ephesians, we must strive to practice the exercise of the Christian virtues in the everyday's life. Christian virtues are faith, hope, and charity, based on the cardinal virtues - justice, fortitude, temperance, prudence that are human virtues that allow you to persevere.
For us being fathers, grandparents or some like me too, as an example of virtue there's the same Holy Family: Mary, available to the designs of God, exemplary wife and humble woman always perfect in everything she did (remember the visit to her cousin Elizabeth when we recite the Rosary and meditate on the mysteries); imagine Jesus intent on his work as a carpenter, accurate, timely and perfect, obedient and respectful to the putative father and his duties towards parents.

THE TOPICS OF THIS TALK: sanctification  -  presence of God (divine filiation) - job - family - social relations.

PERSONAL SANCTIFICATION
From our point of view, then we must try to sanctify ourselves trying to reach that state toward which a person, physically and spiritually alive every single day and on all occasions, strives to follow the Jesus Christ teachings. Our pursuit of holiness is expressed then in behavior, style, and in the uniqueness of life - what is the uniqueness of life? In our life we pursue the search for holiness through the certainty to be God's children and adopt a consequent behavior everywhere - WORK - FAMILY - SOCIAL RELATIONS, ENTERTAIMENTS

Words of the founder of Opus Dei: 'The normal everyday life can be holy and full of God and the Lord calls us to sanctify our daily task, because in this consists the perfection of the Christian'.

To support the work of sanctifying the daily realities in my opinion at first comes the FAITH, IN PARTICULAR THE CERTAINTY OF BEING CHILDREN OF GOD. This can not be cultivated without prayer. At any time of the day you have to remember this fact. Here is how:

• PRESENCE OF GOD. Our day, like that of every Christian, must be marked by events that causes us to ask constantly thinking to our Father and Creator. Wake up each morning is very important to our first thought to be a praise to GOD that at that time is there listening us, with a thank you for all the gifts he has given us, and an offer of our actions of the day, we will make sure that we are helped to do them for ourselves and others. In any event, when we see a holy picture, affectionately let's greet the Virgin and let us turn to her with an aspiration or a Hail to intercede for us with her Son.


• Among all our commitments, even if it costs us, let us strive to enter the daily attendance at Mass for many reasons, but mainly because participation in the Eucharist is the nourishment for the soul, which keeps it firm and faithful in purpose


• READING: to this purpose we will also find a few minutes devoted to reading and to the quick thinking of a passage from the Gospel. Then instead of reading books of pleasant literature, or even before you do - no one asks us to be bigots and read only books about religion or spirituality - we should read passages of some spiritual book. Even this could maybe ask some effort, similar to that of an athlete or a singer or a musician who repeat and repeat their exercises and then be able to succeed. But we know that if we do not exercise, definitely do not get it shortly.


• MENTAL PRAYER: we will also grow with Jesus Christ a more personal relationship, if we secure with him an appointment at a fixed hour of the day - a quarter or half an hour maybe after lunch or after Mass - and tell him in private our problems, our aspirations, asking his opinions and be listening as we would a dear very intimate friend. To who wanted a guide and an invaluable aid for those who progress in spiritual life, on this subject, I suggest a manual entitled 'difficulty in mental prayer' by Eugene Boylan. Reading this book has been a lot useful to me personally.


• MORTIFICATIONS: this spiritual exercise is very important to focus on those we once called 'Little Flowers'. Our sacrifices may still be similar to what we did as children, but now that we are adults, especially those that allow the faithful fulfillment of our own duties, and even those that make life more pleasant to others. We talk here about little things, many details of service, good manners, respect for others, order, punctuality, and so on. When you perform it for the love of God, these gestures are not irrelevant for the christian's life. Imagine then how different would our society if everyone did that! "Great holiness consists in carrying out the little duties of each moment" says St. Josemaria Escriva.


• WORK is the means by which provide to us and to our family the means to live, but not only that. In the Opus Dei spirit, the work can be sanctified and become a way of sanctification: having been taken by Christ, the work becomes a redeemed and redemptive; not only is the environment in which man lives, but a means and path of holiness, something to be sanctified and sanctifying.
  Any honest work is therefore an opportunity to give glory to God and serve others. The work's sanctification then becomes the pivot around which the spiritual life of the Christian. Sanctify work means to run it with the greatest possible human perfection (professional competence) and with Christian perfection (for love of God and service of men). As you can offer to God something done without care and pull away, just because you have to do it?
  "We are people of the street, ordinary Christians immersed in the bloodstream of society, and the Lord wants us to be saints and apostles, right in our professional work; that is, who wants to sanctify us in our jobs, who sanctify the occupation itself and that, through it, helping others to become holy. "


• FAMILY. Among the ordinary reality, indeed among these is the most important because it obeys the divine commandment "be fruitful and multiply" there is marriage.
  "The christian marriage is not just a social institution, much less a remedy for human weakness, it is a real supernatural calling", On marriage and family, with all the resulting duties and obligations, its difficulties and its problems, a Christian has 'a fortiori' a wonderful chance to build his own sanctification.
  Each of us who is traveling or has traveled this road knows very well what I mean. Marriage and the family offer us all possible occasions to strive in the faithful accomplishment of our duty, and to make life more pleasant for others. The little things, the many details of service, respect for others, the order, punctuality, etc. require our utmost dedication. The family, in addition to be the most challenging to exercise our virtues, is also the one who most need the help of God and the intercession of Our Lady Mary, especially in difficult and painful moments that will never be lacking.
• SOCIAL RELATIONS. On all occasions of contact with others, we must not avoid, obviously the occasion and without ostentation, to witness to our faith. The aspiration to make Christ known is inseparable from the desire to help alleviate the material needs and to solve the social context in which we live. In the field of labor, even at the cost of being ridiculed and teased (fortunately it did happen to me when I was a managing director at Terni steelworks) to the people you meet and who come to know that you follow Christ, you must be an example of seriousness and professional ability. THIS is something very important for two reasons:
1. Quote from the Gospel: Luke 6:22 " Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when you put the ban and they insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because here's your reward is great in heaven ".
2. In the words of our founder: "By engaging elbow to elbow into the same problems of our comrades, our friends, our relatives, we can help them get to Christ" .

Love of freedom. The Opus Dei faithfuls enjoy the same rights as any other citizen, and also are subject to the same duties. In their political, economic, cultural, family life they act with freedom and personal responsibility, without any claim to involve Church or Opus in his decisions, or  to present them as the unique consistent with the faith. This implies respecting freedom and opinions of others.


CONCLUSION
Being consistent is not easy, because the way of the Christian is hard, while the road to perdition is width and paved with good intentions - this phrase seems to me significant. The Christian is not to "lead a kind of double life: on one hand the inner life, a life of union with God; the other, a separate and distinct, family life, professional and social." On the contrary, "there is only one life, made of flesh and spirit, and it is this that has to be - in body and soul - holy and full of God." One must strive to arrive at harmonizing the friendship with God, the occupations of each day, and the commitment to the duties, and come to a "unity of life simple and strong," a term coined by St. Josemaria Escriva.

Lino Bertuzzi