Hundreds of people attended the Mass on the feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei and the University of Navarra, at sports center of campus.

The Archbishop of Pamplona and Bishop of Tudela, Msgr. Francisco Pérez González, officiated at the Mass, which was also concelebrated by six other priests: Carlos García del Barrio (vicar of the Prelature in Pamplona), Gregorio Guitián, Joaquín Sedano, Santiago Collado, Manuel Valdés and Juan Francisco Pozo. The musical part was provided by the Laudemus Choir at position .

"Today we are here to celebrate the feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, an exemplary man who sample showed us how to respond to God's call with faith and courage, following the example of our father in the faith, Abraham," Bishop Pérez noted at the beginning of his homily. "In his case," he continued, "it was the vocation to found Opus Dei, an institution that sought to remind all Christians of the universal call to holiness in the midst of the ordinary works and occupations of life.

Like Abraham, St. Josemaría, the Archbishop noted, trusted fully in God and set out for the land that was shown to him. "His life was a generous and courageous response to God's call. He left his homeland, his comfort staff and set out on an adventure as God abundantly blessed him, just as he promised Abraham."

The life of St. Josemaría," he stressed, "is a living testimony of how God can attract an ordinary person to accomplish great deeds. He taught us that holiness is not a call reserved only for a few, but is a path open to all the baptized. He reminded us that our daily lives, our ordinary activities, are the place where we can encounter God and sanctify ourselves in the midst of the world".

The real treasure

Bishop Francisco Perez insisted that despite possible fears and doubts, "if we trust in divine providence and open ourselves to his grace, we will experience his blessing and be instruments of his love in the world. Let us not seek our own comforts and securities but trust fully in God's plan for our lives."

In this regard, he recalled that St. Josemaría discovered that the true treasure is not found in material riches, in the success of the world or in the search for power, "but in an intimate relationship with God and in the vocation to take the message of the Gospel to every corner of the world. Like the merchant in search of fine pearls, he valued the importance of finding the true jewel, the pearl of great value that is the presence of God in our lives. "Let us follow his invitation to sell everything that prevents us from getting closer to God, to renounce the comforts that separate us from Jesus Christ and to joyfully seek God's presence in every aspect of our lives," he concluded.

At the end, the vicar of the Prelature in Pamplona thanked Bishop Perez for his presence and emphasized the closeness of Pope Francis, with whom he met a few months ago, and who asked him to transmit his blessing to all the groups with whom the Archbishop of Pamplona met.