Fr. John Trigilio explains Opus Dei for CRNET
Opus Dei is neither a religious order, like the Dominicans,
Franciscans & Jesuits, nor is it a Secular Institute or religious
movement, like Cursillo or Charismatic. It is a Personal Prelature, 95%
which is laity and only 5% clergy. It was founded by the late and
recently beatified Blessed Jose Maria Escriva in the early thirties in
Spain. Well before Vatican II taught the UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS of
all the baptized, Msgr. Escriva sought to promote a spirituality for the
laity. Previously, the only spirituality was that of the religious monks
and nuns. The monastic life, especially the rule of St. Augustine and
St. Benedict was the keystone of spirituality. The mendicant orders,
Dominican & Franciscan, were a modification of these. The parish
priest, i.e., the Diocesan (Secular) Priesthood was a further
modification of those. Hence, all Priests, regular (religious) or
secular (diocesan), must pray the Divine Office. The Liturgy of the
Hours is designed in a monastic style, with the hours of the day broken
up as the monks divided their day.
The laity had to adapt and dilute the already attenuated monastic
spirituality for themselves. Consequently, laypeople had no spirituality
which was uniquely their own. It was nothing more than a watered down
version of a religious spirituality. Msgr. Escriva found this
unacceptable, save for those laity who felt called to embrace the Third
Order (tertiaries) of Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, et al. He
devised a spirituality of and for the laity. OPUS DEI, the Work of God,
is a means by which the Catholic Faithful sanctify themselves and the
world in which they live and work. It is comprised of all walks of life,
doctors, lawyers, homemakers, teachers, students, bus drivers, retirees,
etc. The goal is for each member of Opus Dei to bring their Roman
Catholic Faith into their WHOLE life, home, work & play. As leaven
in the world, the laity being IN the world bring Christ and the Catholic
Faith INTO that same world by the way they practice their Faith. The
clergy's function is to HELP the laity find their spirituality and to
help them bring the FAITH to the world.
Opus Dei, then, is a vehicle by which its members sanctify the world
by sanctifying themselves in whatever situation and condition and
vocation they find themselves. The so-called "secret" of Opus
Dei is that the members do not wear their religion on their armsleeves.
They are very well read in the Magisterial teachings of the Church, are
very loyal to the Holy See, and they quietly but effectively defend
Church dogma and faithfully practice their Catholic Faith 24 hours a day
without crediting it to Opus Dei, necessarily. Their absence of
self-publicity breeds contempt from their enemies who see them as
clandestine. In reality, it is nothing more than humility. Opus Dei
members study the Faith and they INFUSE Catholic virtues into a secular
world and secular society. Rather than selling out to the social mores
of the pagan culture like modern sycophants, Opus Dei members uphold the
moral and doctrinal teachings of the Church and encourage all men and
women of all faiths to obey the Natural Moral Law. Due to their
resistance of diluting Church law, many opponents accuse Opus Dei of
being anti-ecumenical.
All in all, Opus Dei is a superb method for any Catholic Christian to
know their Faith more fully, to create a concrete strategy for
Christianizing the world and to build up the kingdom of God via ALL
members of the Church, lay and clergy. As it is more cerebral and
intellectual, it may not attract everyone just as the Cursillo and
Charismatic Movements are not for everyone either. It is fully
legitimate and fully recognized by the Church, from the Roman Pontiff on
down. All I can say is to check it out by attending a day of
recollection, make a retreat or talk to some members of Opus Dei to see
if it is for YOU. Read Msgr. Escriva's monumental work, "THE
WAY" and see if it helps you in developing a spirituality; a plan
of life. If not, at least it won't be a waste of time by any means.
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