Letter to a Saint Letters from Guadalupe Ortiz to St Josemaria Escriva - Maria Del Rincón and Maria Teresa Escobar

LETTERS TO A SAINT Letters from Guadalupe Ortiz to St Josemaria Escriva
Maria Del Rincón
Maria Teresa Escobar
Opus Dei Information Office
ISBN 9781094672694
eISBn 9788409092932

I recently read Guadalupe: The Freedom of Loving by Cristina Abad Cadenas and became fascinated by the live of Guadalupe Ortiz. I have watched several YouTube videos about her and her life. While researching to review that volume I came across this book which is being offered for free from the Opus Dei Information Office. And it is a wonderful little read. The chapters in this volume are:

To the Reader.
Preface.
Guadalupe Ortiz: a profile.
Timeline of Guadalupe’s life.
1. With her feet on the ground: holiness in ordinary life.
2. Always close: in love with God.
3. A huge heart: apostolic joy.
4. Desire to serve: working for God.
5. Here I am: path and mission.
Afterword.
Share…

His is a densely packed volume. The eBook comes in at just under 80 pages. And it has 170 end notes, most are references to which letter in the archive the letter or extract was drawn from. Some are external links, and some are references or explanations. We are told in the note to the reader:

“These extracts from letters written by Guadalupe Ortiz to St Josemaria Escriva reflect the soul of a woman who learned to find God in the middle of the world. Guadalupe opened her heart and soul to St Josemaria, whom she always called “Father”. The letters were written by someone who was convinced that Heaven was her destiny and the world was her path there.

In 1944, when Guadalupe, a chemistry teacher, first met St Josemaria, she discovered that God was offering her a path to holiness in the middle of the world, through her professional work. A few months after that encounter, she wrote him a letter beginning, like all her letters to him from then on, “Father,” in which she asked to join Opus Dei. That was the first of 350 letters that she wrote to him, beginning on 19 March 1944, and ending on 22 June 1975, four days before St Josemaria died in Rome.”

The excerpts in this volume are taken from a collection of 350 letters and the letters were written over a 30 years period. From shortly after Guadalupe med Josemaria Escriva and began spiritual work, until shortly before they both died in 1975. They letters are written with an openness and honesty. She wrote as a way to help grow in her spiritual life. She wrote being completely honest with herself and with her spiritual father. The letters will spur on your faith. They will challenge you. They will encourage and motivate you.

This was a wonderful read, and I honestly hop that someday a more complete collection of her letters will be available in English. I encourage you to give this volume a read and see what impact the life and faith of Guadalupe has on your own. 

You can get this book free here.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

Other Books by or about Guadaupe Ortiz:
LETTERS TO A SAINT Letters from Guadalupe Ortiz to St Josemaria Escriva - Maria Del Rincón and  Maria Teresa Escobar 
Guadalupe: The Freedom of Loving - Christina Abad Cadenas
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