Is Opus Dei safe? (Newbie to Catholicism)

[onegirlinchrist]

Just tell your friend you first need to learn to walk before you run.

That…is perfect. What a great way to politely decline, and yet be honest without offending.

 

[onegirlinchrist]

Yes, Opus Dei is safe. It is approved by the Church and was founded by a canonized saint, St Josemaria Escriva. It is also very orthodox and true to the teachings of the Church and the Pope. You will get solid catholicism from Opus Dei.
Bad things you may have read online about Opus Dei such as it being secretive and other things are untrue. This is from people who want to slander Opus Dei just as people slandered Christ when he was on earth.
As you mentioned, Opus Dei has a wonderful spirituality for lay people, i.e., the sanctification of ordinary life and the universal call to holiness. I have been wonderfully inspired by the life and writings of St Josemaria Escriva in trying to sanctify ordinary life.
Other posters have mentioned that since you have not been through RCIA to not jump into some organization of the Church such as Opus Dei. This does not mean though that you cannot talk with that friendly woman who introduced you to Opus Dei or that you shouldn’t go to any of their functions such as days or evenings of recollections. You do not have to be a member of Opus Dei to participate in these kinds of functions. I have been to quite a number of such functions and I’m not a member of Opus Dei. And as I said, you will get solid catholicism as well as solid spirituality to help you sanctify your daily life.

Good point that I can still participate in meetings or activities of interest, without having to join. I might also enjoy reading the writings of St. Escriva, since I am interested in sanctification and dedicating what I do during the day to God…

Might I ask, do you know what membership actually entails? What would be the difference between an official member and someone who “picks and chooses” what activities they want to go to? Do Opus Dei members make vows of sorts?

 

[onegirlinchrist]

This makes sense, and is the same advice I got from a friend when I was in the process of conversion. There is so much to learn, expeireince, and absorb in just Catholicism itself and the first year or two might be best spent discovering the faith and findng your niche in your local parish and in “regular” Catholicism. Gettiing involved in another group isn’t a bad thing but it could end up overshadowing and distracting you from that.

That said, I have a ton of respect for Opus Dei and the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva were instrumental in my journey to the faith and in building my faith and life since becoming Catholic. If I lived in an area with more of an Opus Dei presence, I would look into joining in a year or two (only waiting because I’m still a pretty new Catholic myself and feel like I’m still working on the basics). You could still read “The Way” and other writings by their founder and incorporate pracitces like waking early and on time, making a Morning Offering, daily mental prayer, spiritual reading, rosary, etc, daily Mass if/when possible, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, an examination of conscience at bedtime, and
frequent Confession. Any/all of those are beneficial and could give you an idea as to if that sort of spirituality is a good fit for you and give you insight on how to fit it into your plan of life.

Opus Dei is simular to the 3rd orders that you asked about in some ways, but I will let a person with more knowlegde or expereince than me explain the difference between a Third Order, Personal Prelature, and Oblate because I don’t really grasp it yet. One main difference I do see is that Opus Dei is mostly laity, with only a small percentage od clergy, while Thrid Orders seems to be smaller groups of laity attached to or supporting (not sure of the right word) a larger group of Religious (monks, nuns, & priests).

As far as corporal mortification, Opus Dei is far from the only group to practice or allow it and it doesn’t seem to be required of all, especially not to the extremes you hear about in the lives of some saints. The more common advice for mortifications that I’ve heard of are things like getting up when the alarm rings instead of sleeping in, skipping salt on food or sugar in your coffee, being cheerful even when you are stressed or upset, and things like that. More strenuous would be things like sleeping on the floor or without a pillow. The use of other types of corporal mortifcation is allowed but everything I’ve seen stresses that it not be taken to extremes and performed with the guidance and permission of a good spiritual director.

Thanks for all that. I like the point about getting to know “the Basics” and all that Catholicism has to offer before settling into one particular group. Also, it’s fair to say that, in this infant stage, I’m very impressionable and quite ignorant. More to the point, I already have a tendency to scrupulosity and perfectionism, in a way that caused me to flee from Catholicism in the past (I was too terrified by the idea of mortal sins).

Ironically, I think a less strict approach is better for my spirituality right now…not a license to sin of course, but I need to learn to trust in God’s grace and not make mountains out of molehills. When it comes to “conscience formation” I need some work in the direction of lightening up; I tend to find sin where there really is none.(I probably should have been a tax accountant, I can spot that one little penny difference in a pile of numbers

I really appreciate everyone for explaining that, while Orthodox, Opus Dei is “conservative.” The woman I talked to seemed to imply that she was constantly praying throughout the day. Someone else mentioned that Opus Dei emphasizes confession…

Right now, I need to learn to go outside, enjoy the sunshine, and be okay with myself and trust that I’m in God’s care, just as I am

Any Catholic hippie groups?

 

[onegirlinchrist]

Great response and solid answers. And very reasonable questions.

I am a member of Opus Dei. I was attracted to it because of the solid formation freely offered to anyone (without membership, one doesn’t need to be a Catholic or Protestant to take advantage of the help offered by Opus Dei).

Meditations, talks on various practical topics, spiritual direction, Confession, retreats. All good stuff. Doctrinal classes.These are called means of formation.

My reaction initially was why has it taken me this long to find such good formation, all without strings.

“Membership” is about the last thing you will typically hear from any member when you begin to attend to the “means of formation” above.

Where will you hear a short practical talk on “using your summer well” (incredibly good and solid points for helping your family sanctify the summer).

Or a talk on “cheerfulness”. Great and practical things.

The best part is it gives you help on building a lively interior life with God. How to do this hour by hour.

That’s all good to know, thanks. What does membership involve, and how is it different from taking classes here and there? Do you agree with the assessment that Opus Dei is more “conservative”?

 

[onegirlinchrist]

IYou’ve gotten lots of good advice. I will add my suggestion to wait a bit before joining Opus Dei or any other such Catholic organization.

I certainly don’t mean to imply there are any problems with Opus Dei. But I would suggest you go slowly with ANY Catholic practices or spiritual exercises that are not required for Catholics.

Just as there are multiple ways that people can exercise physically, there are many “spiritual exercises” that Catholics practice. Someone who is just beginning an exercise regimen might want the freedom to explore hiking, swimming, playing basketball, and weight training rather than immediately structuring her life around practicing for a marathon. It’s been my experience that devotees of certain forms of exercise cannot fathom why you don’t think their way is the only way worth pursuing. That attitude can show up in Catholicism too.

God may have placed this woman in your life because Opus Dei IS the route for you. But it will still be there after you’ve had some time to grow in your new Faith.

Excellent reasoning. Different kinds of physical exercise is a useful comparison.

I mentioned this in response to another poster…

My personality tends towards the scrupulous side, and I think my conscience is actually “disordered” (to use a new Catholic term I’ve learned!) in that direction.

Perhaps the reason why Catholicism offers different spiritual approaches is that different souls have different needs? We all need to be “balanced out” in different ways? The idea of the soul being “in order” is a very Catholic concept, I find it intriguing and useful.

 

[onegirlinchrist]

Thanks to all who have responded thus far! I appreciate all the feedback.

 

[Sabacthani]

-In that general regard (both do good works, both have conspiracies attached to them) than you are correct in the comparison. In a less “big picture”/general regard the comparison is faulty for the reasons I stated.
-It is a Catholic site, but not one I use based on my personal views regarding the orthodoxy of the content on the site. As for the whole site being good or bad or for others to use or not use it, I’m not qualified to speak on that.

Thank you. Glad it’s a Catholic site – I would have been embarrassed if it wasn’t.

By orthodoxy do you mean the general content or the persons running the site? My understanding is that this site actually has persons of the cloth supervising/administrating; is that correct?

 

[oldcatholicguy]

Thank you. Glad it’s a Catholic site – I would have been embarrassed if it wasn’t.

By orthodoxy do you mean the general content or the persons running the site? My understanding is that this site actually has persons of the cloth supervising/administrating; is that correct?

I do not wish to engage in a discussion about the site due to my previously stated lack of qualifications to do so and I believe such a discussion would either be against the forum rules or the spirit in which the rules were created. The only reason I even mentioned my personal feelings of the site was because you specifically asked me to read an article from it. It would have been rude of me to tell you I wouldn’t read the article with out telling you why. Please don’t let my personal and uneducated (I have zero religious training) views about the site determine how you view it.

 

[robwar]

I know little about either group; that’s just the comparison that I’d heard from other Catholics. catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php?topic=1151957.0 Can you fill me in on the difference? What’s your response to the linked article. Thank you!

that is just the rantings of someone that is hard core over the top traditionalist. It is an opinion blog and nothing more.

 

[Boy_Wonder]

Those things you hear relate only to people who are what they call numerary members. It’s rare and doesn’t occur much now.

The best thing any layperson can do is to attend Opus Dei sponsored events. There are retreats, monthly recollections, etc. The priests of Opus Dei are outstanding confessors. You get a great ascetical and doctrinal formation combined with a spirituality that’s geared to the lay state. Try it.

 

[Edward_H]

That’s all good to know, thanks. What does membership involve, and how is it different from taking classes here and there? Do you agree with the assessment that Opus Dei is more “conservative”?

If you mean conservative in the sense of love of the Church, love for the Pope, strong support for Life, traditional family…yes.

But I know members who work for environmental groups…but they tend to take their profession soberly, professionally. I know democrats and democrats.

St Josemaria said that God wants a handful of faithful in every type of job.

We should have faithful, hard working Catholics working for the New York Times, and the Washington Times. Because their are souls in those places who Jesus is counting on us to do apostolate in all of these places.

 

[Petaro]

Opus Dei is a completely orthodox group within the Church with their own Canonical status. Loyal to the Pope and world-wide in influence for the traditional teachings of the Church, it sets up retreats, formation groups and teaching groups with a special emphasis on the increased sanctification of the ordinary lay man and woman through their family and professional lives.
Many of my friends who I consider some of the best Catholics I know are members of Opus Dei which have several levels of commitment to the work.
However they do demand a fairly intensive involvement in the church and as a beginner I would advise you to crawl before you walk as some of these are sprinters.
It is based on a Spanish form of spirituality and one that I found is not for me, however that is more me than the movement.

 

[Marysann]

I have been an Opus Dei cooperator since the year 2000. Opus Dei is a spirituality for lay people where we sanctify ourselves and the world through our ordinary daily work. I have have never been pressured by anyone to become an “official” member. If you are interested in learning more about Opus Dei, go to one of their evenings of recollection which will be held separately for men and women once a month in parishes around the dioceses where the group is active. You will be able to listen to talks by priests and have a chance to go to confession. This will give you an idea of the spirituality of Opus Dei, and then you can decide if you like to pursue it further.

 

[SMHW]

If you mean conservative in the sense of* love of the Church, love for the Pope, strong support for Life, traditional family.*…yes.

Opus Dei is a completely orthodox group within the Church with their own Canonical status. Loyal to the Pope and world-wide in influence for the traditional teachings of the Church, it sets up retreats, formation groups and teaching groups with a special emphasis on the increased sanctification of the ordinary lay man and woman through their family and professional lives.
Many of my friends who I consider some of the best Catholics I know are members of Opus Dei which have several levels of commitment to the work.
However they do demand a fairly intensive involvement in the church and as a beginner I would advise you to crawl before you walk as some of these are sprinters.

I think these posts summarize why I would caution a new Catholic from getting deeply involved in ANY particular form of Catholic spirituality.

Those of us who grew up Catholic --and even those of us who were non-Catholics but who grew up in nations where the culture had been heavily shaped by Catholicism-- learned how to be a Catholic before we learned* what* it means to be a Catholic. In my opinion adult converts are best served with a different path. They are better off learning the “whats” first and the the various “hows” later on.

You can’t love the Church and love the traditional family until you know what that means for a Catholic. And it can be hard to separate the Catholic culture from the required Truths of the Faith. (There are far too many born-Catholics who are unclear about the differences.) Catholic devotions, prayers, and penitential practices are often puzzling to a new Catholic and it can be better not to take on too much too soon.

I would love for converts to take advantage of any instruction Opus Dei or any other Catholic movement can teach you about the Truths of Catholicism. But as suggested above, converts should be careful not to let the sprinters of Catholicism distract them from learning to crawl.

 

[Edward_H]

I think these posts summarize why I would caution a new Catholic from getting deeply involved in ANY particular form of Catholic spirituality.

Those of us who grew up Catholic --and even those of us who were non-Catholics but who grew up in nations where the culture had been heavily shaped by Catholicism-- learned how to be a Catholic before we learned* what* it means to be a Catholic. In my opinion adult converts are best served with a different path. They are better off learning the “whats” first and the the various “hows” later on.

You can’t love the Church and love the traditional family until you know what that means for a Catholic. And it can be hard to separate the Catholic culture from the required Truths of the Faith. (There are far too many born-Catholics who are unclear about the differences.) Catholic devotions, prayers, and penitential practices are often puzzling to a new Catholic and it can be better not to take on too much too soon.

I would love for converts to take advantage of any instruction Opus Dei or any other Catholic movement can teach you about the Truths of Catholicism. But as suggested above, converts should be careful not to let the sprinters of Catholicism distract them from learning to crawl.

Love for these things, I don’t consider vices.

Opus Dei’s focus is helping the lay develop a stronger and more constant and lively interior life by “using” the occurrences of ordinary life to find Christ.

Take “mortification”…the preferred approach or spirit of mortification for Opus Dei is to not look for extraordinary means. Instead it’s to “squeeze out” of the ordinary events…the annoyances of the day, the setbacks, the red lights, the bad tempered boss, the dirty diapers…and CONVERT those things into a lively and tender dialog with God, that is into prayer. So a spiritual director might ask a person not to seek extra mortification, but instead encourage a person to better use the ordinary…to turn the ordinary into extraordinary with God’s help.

No crazy fasts…but to instead “take ones struggle down to the little and to find God in the little of the day”.

I totally agree with you. The “sprint” point is great. Take it slow…but make sure ones interior life is growing, daily, in little ways.

 

[onegirlinchrist]

Thanks all, these responses were super helpful. I think I’ll get involved in my local parish, and then revisit Opus Dei down the road as I grow in the faith. Thanks for dispelling concerns, and giving me good reason to check out Opus Dei in the future!

 

[andrewstx]

Hi All,

I’m looking into Catholicism and have really enjoyed the journey thus far. Have not yet been through RCIA. Started attending weekday morning mass and was approached by a very friendly woman who started talking with me about Opus Dei. We’ve exchanged phone numbers and she wants to meet up with me outside of mass to discuss her positive experience in the organization and get me connected with other Opus Dei members. She sort of implied that Opus Dei is seen by some as not being totally orthodox, so she assured me that recent Opus Dei leaders have been sainted. I was very interested in the concept of dedicating my ever day profession to God; apparently, Opus Dei is all about helping lay people consecrate their time and talents to God.

The official website looks wonderful…

But then I saw other things online which scared me a bit. Some see Opus Dei as a secretive organization, with “cult like” tactics of expanding and retaining membership. Something about corporal mortification raised alarm bells!

How concerned should I be?

I come from an originally Mormon background and am extremely sensitive to any religious denomination that makes use of “secrecy” in any way. I’ve already given my heart to too many denominations since (floated about Protestantism for awhile), it’s safe to say that I’m spiritually exhausted, and am looking for a completely safe and orthodox spiritual experience.

Thoughts or advice?

I completely understand OnegirlinChrists reticence about joining Opus Dei myself. See I too am an ex-Mormon the temple rites are extremely hush-hush, complete with blood oaths even.

If I were she I would avoid Opus Dei. Millions are Catholics without being OD members. And OD might bring back unhappy memories. In your case I would suggest avoiding OD at least until you have been Catholic for a few years.

I too had convert fervor when I first became Catholic, not content with just being Catholic and frequenting the sacraments I joined everything. Legion of Mary, charismatic prayer group (very popular at the time) being the sponsor of a youth group even though I was only 20 myself. I began writing to reliegous communities. IOWI went whole hog and was exhausted within a year.

 

[onegirlinchrist]

I completely understand OnegirlinChrists reticence about joining Opus Dei myself. See I too am an ex-Mormon the temple rites are extremely hush-hush, complete with blood oaths even.

If I were she I would avoid Opus Dei. Millions are Catholics without being OD members. And OD might bring back unhappy memories. In your case I would suggest avoiding OD at least until you have been Catholic for a few years.

I too had convert fervor when I first became Catholic, not content with just being Catholic and frequenting the sacraments I joined everything. Legion of Mary, charismatic prayer group (very popular at the time) being the sponsor of a youth group even though I was only 20 myself. I began writing to reliegous communities. IOWI went whole hog and was exhausted within a year.

Oh wow, thanks for that perspective. Yes, it’s true, anything “secret” is a red flag to me!

So you can confirm that those blood oaths were part of the ceremony? I was horrified when I read the pre-1990ish temple transcripts, before they removed. (There are still oaths of secrecy though, just not sure if Mormons still swear on penalty of their lives.) It was beyond troubling imaging my parents mimicking their own throat slitting and disembowelment, etc. I was one of those people who left the church before ever going through the endowment, and I am eternally grateful for someone who posted the temple ceremony online so I could actually see what my loved ones are up to. Needless to say, I was shocked; and seeing that ceremony helped me identify Mormonism for the false religion that is. They never teach any of that stuff out-in-the-open in Sunday School, so as a child and teen I spent years in the Mormon Church wondering why other people thought Mormonism was so strange. Turns out you gotta go to the temple to see the false doctrines in full bloom. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. I never want to be part of anything secretive again!

Good point about pacing. Glad to meet another survivor who made it out of the Mormon Maze.

 

[andrewstx]

Oh wow, thanks for that perspective. Yes, it’s true, anything “secret” is a red flag to me!

So you can confirm that those blood oaths were part of the ceremony? I was horrified when I read the pre-1990ish temple transcripts, before they removed. (There are still oaths of secrecy though, just not sure if Mormons still swear on penalty of their lives.) It was beyond troubling imaging my parents mimicking their own throat slitting and disembowelment, etc. I was one of those people who left the church before ever going through the endowment, and I am eternally grateful for someone who posted the temple ceremony online so I could actually see what my loved ones are up to. Needless to say, I was shocked; and seeing that ceremony helped me identify Mormonism for the false religion that is. They never teach any of that stuff out-in-the-open in Sunday School, so as a child and teen I spent years in the Mormon Church wondering why other people thought Mormonism was so strange. Turns out you gotta go to the temple to see the false doctrines in full bloom. Sunshine is the best disinfectant. I never want to be part of anything secretive again!

Good point about pacing. Glad to meet another survivor who made it out of the Mormon Maze.

Yes, the blood oaths have been changed, but as a man who got ‘endowments’ back in the late 70s I remember them well.:bigyikes:

 

[onegirlinchrist]

Yes, the blood oaths have been changed, but as a man who got ‘endowments’ back in the late 70s I remember them well.:bigyikes:

Oh my gosh, awesome screaming smiley.

Thank you for verifying…

I am surrounded daily by family who claim that the temple is a super edifying, beautiful, peaceful place. It amazes me how intelligent and otherwise normal people can be so deceived!

I think the phenomenon of people falling for Mormonism has quite a lot to do with the tremendous power of the adversary in authoring the Book of Mormon; a reason not often enough discussed imo. I know people who feel like they “have” to convert to Mormonism because the BoM is so long and complicated. There’s no way that a “farm boy” could have written it, so they feel compelled to join, assuming it’s an irrefutable miracle. Then, they’re compelled to swallow everything else the Church teaches, including the outrageous temple ceremony. It’s incredibly tragic; I know of many people who deep down would love to leave Mormonism, but, since they can’t explain away the Book of Mormon, they feel trapped.

The only way I could refute the Book of Mormon definitively was understanding that Christ established a permanent church in the Catholic Church. If anyone produces special books or claims unorthodox visions, I can know where they really come from.