The Mark of the Saints

In His providence, God has always brought forth saintly people throughout history who have shown us the way to Him.

Saint Augustine comes to mind. His mother Monica prayed relentlessly for his conversion and led him to Saint Ambrose. For Teresa of Ávila, it was Saint John of the Cross who accompanied and strengthened her on the path to God.

And what about each of us?

What was it like for you? For me, it was Saint Josemaría who led me into a deep friendship with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The first steps on this path were laid by my own mother. At the tender age of three, she taught me my first prayers. Later, we would pray the Rosary together. At that time, however, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were not yet concrete persons to me—ones I could converse with. I only said “official” prayers, like the Our Father or the Hail Mary. The idea of having a dialogue with them never occurred to me. I didn’t know such a thing was possible.

But that changed quickly when I encountered the spirit of Escrivá. In his writings, it became very clear: it is entirely possible to speak with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as if they were standing right next to me—as if we were lifelong friends. That was something entirely new for me. A whole new world opened up. It was like a mountain hidden behind the fog suddenly became visible—and what a majestic mountain it was! For me personally, it marked the beginning of a new phase in my life.

The First Phases of My Life

The first phase—as mentioned above—was shaped by my parents’ piety. It was beautiful, but God felt distant. He didn’t shape my life, even though I attended Mass daily for many years. A veil separated me from Him. Not out of malice, but out of ignorance.

With Escrivá, the second phase of my life began. The beginning of a friendship with Jesus. And slowly but steadily, with His mother Mary and His foster father Joseph as well. It was a never-ending crescendo. Every day, I discovered new aspects of their personalities. The texts of the Gospel became understandable—they gained contours and began to influence my daily behaviour. They began to have a real impact on my life.

This phase was essentially a journey of discovery, and Escrivá was the guide. Through him, I discovered the true meaning of my life. I began to recognize God’s traces in my own life and in the lives of others with great clarity. Phenomenal.

The second phase wasn’t free of crises. One of them shook my life deeply. It was actually the first real crisis of my life. God didn’t initially explain the reason behind it. But I was sure He wanted to communicate something through it. Yet He remained silent at first. At that moment, friends weren’t good advisors. They suggested I abandon everything I had built in my relationship with Jesus. But I waited for a signal from God. It had to come. I had (and still have) full trust in Him. That is my creed.

The knowledge required for this article series was acquired by the author through studies in philosophy and theology, the daily reading of the Gospel and spiritual books, and daily participation in the Eucharist.

And Then Came the Third Phase of My Life

One morning, as I got up and—as usual—looked at the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth hanging in my bedroom, something was different. Suddenly, I heard in my heart the words: “We belong to this family.” It was a sentence I had read decades earlier, but it hadn’t particularly impressed me at the time. Like thousands of other phrases we encounter throughout life, it simply stayed in my memory.

But that morning, I realized that this sentence would turn my life upside down. It was the Holy Spirit speaking to me: “You are a full member of the Holy Family of Nazareth.” And here’s the key point: that sentence had been written by Escrivá. The content of the sentence is not new in itself—after all, Jesus gave us His mother as our own from the cross. So far, so good.

But God wanted that this specific sentence of Escrivá would shape my life. That day marked the beginning of the third phase of my life. Through Escrivá, God wanted divine childhood through Mary to become a defining and formative element of my existence. God used Escrivá to give my life a deeper meaning.

Escrivá himself had once described something similar: God sends us a message in an envelope. The content is God Himself; the envelope is just the medium. That means that in my life, Escrivá is the envelope—just as he had foreseen.

Do I owe my life to Escrivá? No. I owe my life to God. But the teaching of Escrivá—meaning, the teaching of God—gave my life direction and depth, because it pointed me toward God. There is nothing greater than that.

My Advice to You

So here is my advice for today: Choose a saint whose spirituality fits you, and let yourself be guided and helped by them. That is why God has placed people at our side—either physically or through books, podcasts, and videos. Let them help you, and work on yourself. God is stronger than the devil, who wants to lead us into destruction.

God’s only desire is that we live together with Him—both here on Earth and later in Heaven. And for this to happen, He sets in motion everything within His almighty power. In the end, it’s up to us to accept His help.

The saints describe how beautiful life with God is: the inner joy, the security, the trust. All of this cannot be given to us by the world. Only God can provide it. If we open ourselves to God, we will—just like the saints—experience a world full of joy amid the hardships of everyday life. Both are possible: joy and deep adversity. But this is only possible in connection with God. No person and nothing can replace Him. Loving people can certainly help us, but they cannot replace God—that’s my experience.

The Author

Dr.-Ing. Karl-Maria de Molina
Studied engineering, philosophy, and theology. Holds a PhD in automotive engineering. Has authored books on automotive technology and work methodology and has edited works on work culture and competence development. He holds multiple teaching assignments at German universities, conducts seminars on leadership development, and has founded several companies, developing and marketing innovative products.

The knowledge for this article series was acquired through studies in philosophy and theology, daily reading of the Gospel and spiritual literature, and daily participation in the Eucharist.