Opus Dei vs. Regnum Christi

[Fergal]

Hi Folks! Let me start by saying that I am a supernumary of Opus Dei.I grew up hearing my folks say things like “Oh those fella’s” and “Stay well clear of them lads” etc.
I grew up suspicious and ignornat of the organisation in a very similar way to the present state of our good friend “Holy Family”

St Josemaria was introduced to me as I lay in a hospital bed having 16 hrs a day of chemo drugs. I knew nothing about him except that he was the newest Saint in Heaven. His picture was given to me by a Diocesean Priest and it stayed on my bed side locker throughout the 3 months.

Only in 2003 did I start to look into Opus Dei and it has been a fantastic journey. I have to say that as I grew closer to ‘the Work’ I fell slowly in love with the wonderful plan God had revealed through St Josemaria for the laity and how they should respond to the universal call to holiness. I started to attend monthly recollections, loved what I heard, spoke to their Priests, loved what I heard, read St Josemaria’s book, loved what I read and on the 7th of April 2005 in St Peter’s Square, Rome I decided to go a step further and ask for admittance. They do not make it easy for you to join! I was made to feel like my desire was not being listened to or acted upon. Again from the suspicions / insecurities I picked up from my poor parents, I expected that I would have been gobbled up. NO!! I had to ask and ask again and it seemed that noone wanted to do anything about my desire. I could have given up but eventually after some months of persistance things started to move but move very slowly.

Then came the formation! I was given one on one lessons by a Priest of the Prelature right through the whole CCC and into Catholic Social Doctrine. Again a fantastic experience. I could ask what I wanted, stpe where I wanted and ask for clarification when I wanted. I found the Priests to be very learned men in all areas of Catholic Doctrine and beyond.

Through the months I got to know the other supernumary and numary folk who live about my town and firther afield. Again, some of the time the words of my parents came back to haunt me and I got a little worried about a lot of ‘what if’s’ that actually never materialised.

To cut a long story long (apologies folks ) I was admitted to the Prelature as a ‘Supernumery’ on Feb 2nd last and I am more and more amazed even on a daily at how wonderfully “Catholic” they are. I am so glad that God has put me on this particular path. It is a difficult path but one that proves to be most worthwhile to me in my role as father, husband, son, teacher etc…

Yes they are similar to Regnum Christi in that they have seperate recollections for different sexes and ages. My son and I are involved with the boys Youth Club here in Kildare that we (supernumary parents) started up last year.
At this very moment (saturday afternoon) 12 young lads aged from 9 to 13 (my son included) are visiting & entertaining the old folk in the local Hospice. My son brought his recorder with him so that he could entertain them with some music. Just before they leave the Hospice, they will pay a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament (which they do every week), have a short talk on some virtue that they are asked to try to absorb (tidy room, helping mom and dad, sharing, saying daily prayers etc…) and then they will have some hours of orienteering on the Curragh plains!! On other weeks they go Horse riding, make props for their upcoming movie, play soccer, have art lessons, go to places of educational, historical and religious importance (a lot of those here in Ireland) all the while doing everything for the love of God and one another.

Look the Church herself has its vehement detractors. If we are hated we must remember that Christ was hated first. If we are ridiculed for our vocation then rejoice and be glad for so is the Church.

I would be far more worried if we were seen to conform to worldly standards and receive little or no criticism by the ‘enlightened’ of this age. We will always have folks like ‘Holy Family’ and therefore all the more reason to multiply our prayers, our mortifications and our efforts to do all for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity.

 

[Kendy]

I am very happy because I am Opus Dei free and so too are my children. Pray for who ever you like.
We pray to Jose ourselves sometimes - it goes like this…

Dear St. Josemaria Escriva
The Church has found favor with you
And elevated you to sainthood.
You now know so well the sufferings
Of individuals and families involved in Opus Dei.
We therefore beseech you,
If it be God’s will,
To intercede for us and release our Brother/sister…
From the bondage of Opus Dei
And restore unity to his/her family.
This we ask through the Holy Family of Nazareth
Amen

One Our Father…one Hail Mary… One glory be…
for each person mentioned in the prayer.

What exactly is your complaint? What great suffering have you endured?

 

[Caesar]

My Spiritual Director is an Opus Dei priest. He is very intelligent and extremely orthodox.

 

[Vianney]

Thank you for all the great responses! I was able to gather most of the answers I was looking for, and greatly appreciate it. I ordered Scott Hahn’s book on Opus Dei earlier this week and will dive into that as soon as I get a chance. Also, I recently realized that I own a copy of “The Way,” which was given to me by my parents probably 10 years ago : )

As soon as I’m in a better position to persue either a life with Regnum Christi or Opus Dei, I will likely contact a priest in the area about it for more information.

I should clairify also, if I were to join Opus Dei, I would become a supernumerary member.

To Holy Family: I’m sorry if in any way you have had a bad experience with Opus Dei on a personal level, and for this reason I can understand you wanting to warn others, however, please remember to do so respectfully. Maybe start your own thread next time?

Additionally, I would like to mention that if you dig beneath the secular horror stories, the positive support for the organization and St. Josemaria Escriva is overwhelming, from John Paul II and Pope Benedict, the vast majority of Opus Dei members including Scott Hahn, to the hundreds of thousands which were present for Escriva’s canonization.

That said, like the Church, Opus Dei is made up of sinners and in this sense neither are perfect. Likewise, I could be negatively affected by a sinful, or many sinful members of the Church (take the priest scandals for example), renounce the faith and make a Catholic Church Awareness Network website. Now, I’d hope you would agree, in this case, a few bad eggs does not make the Truth that is the Catholic faith suddenly false.

May God bless you all!

 

[Vianney]

Then came the formation! I was given one on one lessons by a Priest of the Prelature right through the whole CCC and into Catholic Social Doctrine. Again a fantastic experience. I could ask what I wanted, stpe where I wanted and ask for clarification when I wanted. I found the Priests to be very learned men in all areas of Catholic Doctrine and beyond.

Interesting! Is heavy catechesis part of the usual preparation prior to becoming a member of Opus Dei? Or were you not Catholic before joining?

 

[Fergal]

Interesting! Is heavy catechesis part of the usual preparation prior to becoming a member of Opus Dei? Or were you not Catholic before joining?

I was an everyday Catholic who lived a fairly good life with the little I knew then. I had of course absorbed / delved into a certain amount of the Catechism since its inception in 1992. It was certainly not taught to us in our ‘Catholic’ schools.

The Prelature of Opus Dei is most dedicated to the intellectual as well as the spiritual formation of all its members. I can now say I have been through the whole things once! Yes! We are encouraged to take it and other spiritual classics up and study them so that we may ‘Always be ready to give an account of the hope that is within us’ (1 Peter 3:15)
To be honest not only had I never gone near anything to do with the Cathechism of Catholic Social Doctrine, I never knew one existed until last summer. That was a mind blower! It was / is a most facinating journey.

Of course, at times, heavy going but there again so is any course a person takes seriously. There again, we were able to gloss over the parts I may have known well and then spend time on those i felt needed a little more explaination.

My intellectual / spiritual formation took 1 year and 6 months, exactly, and it was held once, sometimes twice, a week for an hour. I asked for admission August '05, had 6 months preparatory formation and then on February 2nd 2006 full formation kicked in for a total of one year. On February 2nd last, I was admitted to the Prelature, with a great sense, within myself, of the opportunity and great responsibility my Vocation placed before me.

We do not treat our response to the universal call to holiness lightly, nor do we think that admission to the Prelature if Opus Dei assures us of Heaven. If anything, personally speaking, the road i have chosen is the road I need since it contains more signposts along the way to Heaven. I am in great need of constant spiritual formation as I think you will agree we all are and what God has offered me through the Prelature suits me down to the ground…

Personal freedom is up utmost importance and this had been stressed to me time and time again almost to the point where it felt they were giving me an invitation to leave!!

To stay in Opus Dei is my choice totally and if I decide I have had enough (which with the grace of God I hope never happens) I just do not renew my oblation when it comes around.

 

[Holy_Family]

I was an everyday Catholic who lived a fairly good life with the little I knew then. I had of course absorbed / delved into a certain amount of the Catechism since its inception in 1992. It was certainly not taught to us in our ‘Catholic’ schools.

The Prelature of Opus Dei is most dedicated to the intellectual as well as the spiritual formation of all its members. I can now say I have been through the whole things once! Yes! We are encouraged to take it and other spiritual classics up and study them so that we may ‘Always be ready to give an account of the hope that is within us’ (1 Peter 3:15)
To be honest not only had I never gone near anything to do with the Cathechism of Catholic Social Doctrine, I never knew one existed until last summer. That was a mind blower! It was / is a most facinating journey.

Of course, at times, heavy going but there again so is any course a person takes seriously. There again, we were able to gloss over the parts I may have known well and then spend time on those i felt needed a little more explaination.

My intellectual / spiritual formation took 1 year and 6 months, exactly, and it was held once, sometimes twice, a week for an hour. I asked for admission August '05, had 6 months preparatory formation and then on February 2nd 2006 full formation kicked in for a total of one year. On February 2nd last, I was admitted to the Prelature, with a great sense, within myself, of the opportunity and great responsibility my Vocation placed before me.

We do not treat our response to the universal call to holiness lightly, nor do we think that admission to the Prelature if Opus Dei assures us of Heaven. If anything, personally speaking, the road i have chosen is the road I need since it contains more signposts along the way to Heaven. I am in great need of constant spiritual formation as I think you will agree we all are and what God has offered me through the Prelature suits me down to the ground…

Personal freedom is up utmost importance and this had been stressed to me time and time again almost to the point where it felt they were giving me an invitation to leave!!

To stay in Opus Dei is my choice totally and if I decide I have had enough (which with the grace of God I hope never happens) I just do not renew my oblation when it comes around.

Opus Dei love money. John Roache of ireland took them to court to get his money back. It was money that gave Jose a fast track to sainthood. Read Leopards in the Temple by John Martin. read read read read read - it is all out there.
‘Beyond the Threshold’, ‘Their Kingdom Come’ to name just two absolutely wonderful works exposing the truth behind Opus Dei. Who needs fiction such as the Da Vinci Code? the real story is far more interesting !

 

[Fergal]

Opus Dei love money. John Roache of ireland took them to court to get his money back. Read Leopards in the Temple by John Martin. read read read read read - it is all out there.
‘Beyond the Threshold’, ‘Their Kingdom Come’ to name just two absolutely wonderful works exposing the truth behind Opus Dei. Who needs fiction such as the Da Vinci Code? the real story is far more interesting !

They take nothing from me. I give a little whenever I can. My wife stays at home to care for our 5 children so believe me what I give is little. Again they have stressed to me that my primary vocation is as husband and dad and I am bound to care for their needs before anything else. So when there is nothing to give them it makes no difference at all. The care remains the same. What I give would never cover all that care and attention the Priests of the Prelature have given me over the past while.

 

[Kristen]

Fergal, may God bless you as you continue on your amazing journey in Opus Dei. Thanks for sharing it with us! Your patience with Holy Family’s uncalled-for barbs is a treasure; please be assured that you are an example of charity to us all.

Holy Family, must you insult every person who shares of him/herself on this thread?! Please think about how you would like it if something that you held dear and had given much of yourself to was held as base by someone else and thrown back in your face, as you have done with me, Fergal, etc.! I am truly sorry that you are so bitter; it must be hard to live that way. Perhaps you would consider not inflicting this bitterness on the other good folks here? Please be assured of my continued prayers.

 

[leonie]

I’ve noticed that Regnum Christi activities are usually expensive. I think quality programs cost money.

But, people pay a lot more for their kids’ sport programs, vacations, dinners out, movies, theater. It’s all a matter of priorities.

Though frequently, they offer scholarships.

 

[Chancellare]

Opus Dei exists only for the good of Opus Dei. Opus Dei DOES NOT work outside Opus Dei so how on earth can they rebuild the church.

Can you cite an event that specifically support your accusation against others? Are you really a catholic? Do you know you are treading on “Thou shalt not bear false witness…”

 

[Mannyfit75]

I two sisters are members of Opus Dei, I’m a former member… I find the men in the center in NYC very bias on social classes… considering at the time I was just a college students… while most of them were graduate and have current jobs…

I find the women of Opus Dei more open and friendly…than the men… This is my experience with the Men’s center of Opus Dei in NYC. My two other brothers are also ex-Opus Dei member…

The only thing I missed about Opus Dei is the Eucharistic Adoration, and I enjoy worshiping the Lord. Since it was the EA that drawn me into the Opus Dei…

I don’t hold anything anger towards the Opus Dei but the men who represent them who I know are not good examples for how male members ought to behave… towards their fellow man

The Opus Dei priests were great and offer great advice…

 

[Chancellare]

Thank you for all the great responses! I was able to gather most of the answers I was looking for, and greatly appreciate it. I ordered Scott Hahn’s book on Opus Dei earlier this week and will dive into that as soon as I get a chance. Also, I recently realized that I own a copy of “The Way,” which was given to me by my parents probably 10 years ago : )

As soon as I’m in a better position to persue either a life with Regnum Christi or Opus Dei, I will likely contact a priest in the area about it for more information.

I should clairify also, if I were to join Opus Dei, I would become a supernumerary member.

To Holy Family: I’m sorry if in any way you have had a bad experience with Opus Dei on a personal level, and for this reason I can understand you wanting to warn others, however, please remember to do so respectfully. Maybe start your own thread next time?

Additionally, I would like to mention that if you dig beneath the secular horror stories, the positive support for the organization and St. Josemaria Escriva is overwhelming, from John Paul II and Pope Benedict, the vast majority of Opus Dei members including Scott Hahn, to the hundreds of thousands which were present for Escriva’s canonization.

That said, like the Church, Opus Dei is made up of sinners and in this sense neither are perfect. Likewise, I could be negatively affected by a sinful, or many sinful members of the Church (take the priest scandals for example), renounce the faith and make a Catholic Church Awareness Network website. Now, I’d hope you would agree, in this case, a few bad eggs does not make the Truth that is the Catholic faith suddenly false.

May God bless you all!

This may perhaps be a consolation:
In the wake of all sex scandals in the Church in the recent times, at no time was there a documented case involving an Opus Dei priest.

 

[Chancellare]

Hello again Vianney!

Since you will undoubtedly hear many other things about Opus Dei that aim to underscore the “secretive”, “dangerous” and “controversial” nature of the group, I will also add another post that I made on another occasion, fyi … hope it helps.

For example, you may have heard that the members of Opus Die practise different kinds of corporal mortifications. This is true. Members of the Work do practise different forms of corporal mortifications, and this is a source of controversy for many people.

Numerary and Associate members, for example, use a small spiked chain called a cilice, which is a small, spiked chain worn around the thigh under one’s trousers, for a period of time each day. I believe that it is not worn for more than two hours at a time, and I do not believe that it causes serious physical pain, more like discomfort.

Some members (the numerary members, I think, though I am not sure if this means all of the numerary members) also practise flagellation, using a discipline made of knotted cords, and sleep on the floor once a week.

You will find this all shocking or not, depending on your ideas about the value these forms of physical penance.

The members of Opus Dei do everything with the guidance of a spiritual director so, in theory at least, there’s always someone to keep an eye on things and make sure that the individuals performing these penances are keeping things in perspective, while encouraging other, less mature individuals to seek other forms of sacrifice and penance. We should hope so at least.

Our degenerated culture, which has a horror of discomfort and pain, and which sees no value whatsoever in suffering, is incapable of understanding or accepting these things. Opus Dei is not the only group that employs them however; they have traditionally been part of monastic life, and even contemporary holy men and women such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Padre Pio and Archbishop Oscar Romero have employed them too.

I will admit that I myself approach the topic of cilices and disciplines with more than a little caution… there is great potential there for emotionally immature individuals to do themselves considerable physical and psychological damage. And there’s always the danger of spiritual pride involved in these kinds of activities. One should never undertake these kinds of penances without the permission and guidance of a very wise and holy spiritual director. For most ordinary Catholics, they are not necessary… fasting and abstinence are much more prudent choices and much less dangerous for the person who wants to deepen the penitential dimension of his or her spiritual life.

IMHO, anyway…

I would not recommend talking about corporal mortifications to people who may have already acquired a wrong perception about the topic. The topic is better discussed by those who are placed in the right circumstances to tackle it. It’s like describing root canal procedure to someone who is does not enjoy the prospect of visiting the dentist, despite knowing the indispensability of the procedure to attain the desired dental cure.
Besides, the excellent spiritual directions and formation programs offered by Opus Dei are available to ALL who want to avail of them, regardless of membership status. Even non-Christians can be Cooperators. As a Cooperator, one receives all the benefits without taking a vow as a member, thus the topic of corporal mortification is irrelevant for that circumstance.
If after growing spiritually, the faithful decides to take on the topic of corporal mortification as a further step in his spiritual journey and the topic is discussed in the proper circumstances, I believe the faithful shall have already assumed a very different disposition by then.

 

[Catherine_Grant]

Warning:

I deleted numerous personal attacks and responses to them from this thread. The topic of the thread is a comparison of Regnum Christi to Opus Dei concerning spirtuality, practices, and organization.

Future responses may discuss the spirtuality, practices, or organization of one or both orders with respect and charity. Any other topics will be deleted without notice.

 

[Moneo]

I would not recommend talking about corporal mortifications to people who may have already acquired a wrong perception about the topic. The topic is better discussed by those who are placed in the right circumstances to tackle it. It’s like describing root canal procedure to someone who is does not enjoy the prospect of visiting the dentist, despite knowing the indispensability of the procedure to attain the desired dental cure.
Besides, the excellent spiritual directions and formation programs offered by Opus Dei are available to ALL who want to avail of them, regardless of membership status. Even non-Christians can be Cooperators.

Hello Chancellare,

I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. Thanks to the Da Vinci Code, the ODAN site and other sources, the practice of corporal mortification among the members of the Work is an open secret at this point and is in fact one of the many clubs used to beat them over the head and allege that there is something freakishly unhealthy about them. It nearly always makes its appearance in any extended conversation about Opus Dei and its practices, so better just to head that particular horse off at the pass was my attitude.

Anyway, my comments were directed toward Vianney, who seems well-disposed toward Opus Dei and Regnum Christi and who appears to have a sincere interest in knowing more about them and their spiritual practices. Well, this is in fact one of them and anyone who might be interested in Opus Dei and considering the possibility of a vocation to the Work ought to know what things may be involved. Transparency is a good thing, imho.

So my points vis-a-vis corporal mortifications were simply a) it is not something unique to Opus Dei since the practice does exist in some monastic orders, b) nor is it something that belongs the medieval period (the implication being that medieval=ignorant and superstitious, which we know is patently absurd) since many contemporary holy men and women of the 20th century have also employed it as a means of penance, and that c) contemporary discussions of it, as well as the distorted idea that modern people generally have of the value of suffering and physical penance, is coloured by our culture’s horror of pain and suffering of any kind.

In other words, all the sensationalistic rubbish that goes on around it (think Da Vinci Code here, among others …) is just silly.

None of which makes the practice either good or bad, of course. Whether or not the practice has always existed, originated in the Middle Ages, or exists now is irrelevant to the question of whether or not it is a good thing. And our culture may indeed be adverse to such practices, but that is hardly a condemnation of it in and of itself. And finally, the fact that Mother Teresa or Padre Pio were good and holy people who practised corporal mortifications of this kind does not mean that the mortifications in themselves are good, nor that every Christian therefore ought to consider doing it. Hence my cautionary comment expressing my personal opinion that, in fact, I think one must be very careful indeed about undertaking such practices and should never, ever do so without the the permission of a wise and holy spiritual director who knows the person well.

Besides, the excellent spiritual directions and formation programs offered by Opus Dei are available to ALL who want to avail of them, regardless of membership status. Even non-Christians can be Cooperators. As a Cooperator, one receives all the benefits without taking a vow as a member, thus the topic of corporal mortification is irrelevant for that circumstance.
If after growing spiritually, the faithful decides to take on the topic of corporal mortification as a further step in his spiritual journey and the topic is discussed in the proper circumstances, I believe the faithful shall have already assumed a very different disposition by then.

I’m sure that this was an unintentional error on your part, but no member of Opus Dei—super-numerary, numerary, associate or cooperator—ever takes a vow. They make a commitment, but not vows. That is one of the principal points of their charism as a lay apostolate and they are quite insistent about that when you speak to them. Vows are proper to religious institutes and monastic and conventual life, not to the vocation in Opus Dei.

I hope that last bit doesn’t sound like nit-picking; I’m sure you already knew that but they consider it an important point, so I though I should underscore it.

GOD BLESS!

 

[bluerose]

When we formed a Regnum Christi group in our area (my brother-in-law is a Legionary priest and my husband and I and his parents became incorporated into the RC when he was ordained in Rome in 1991), we were concerned how to work out the men and women meeting separately… mainly because we were living in a semi-rural area and many of the members had to drive in from quite a distance. We finally designated a few members’ homes (those that were big enough for the men and women to split into two groups and meet in different rooms) as our meeting places and we rotated “hosting” duties. This worked really well, since we were able to come together for some fellowship after our meetings and then hubby and I had a lot of food for thought on the way home. Another plus was that whenever we had a Legionary priest come through town (a rare occurrence, since our diocese isn’t very welcoming to the Legion), he was able to meet with all the RC members.

Our group has dwindled to a handful of members for various reasons (health issues, military transfers, jobs and kids moving out of state, etc.), but those of us that remain still meet, albeit more informally. I used to run the ECYD program for girls–daughters of the RC members (we never seemed to have enough boys to start a boys program) until the girls outgrew it. We never pushed for any to become religious, only to follow God’s call to whatever vocation He had in mind for them, and to do it for His greater honor and glory.

That is what I have to offer. Good luck on discerning where you belong, Vianney!

 

[Vianney]

Thank you for the insight!

I guess that’s part of the reason I’m attracted to either organization, because of their integration with the family life.

 

[Caesar]

I like the work that Opus Dei does, and it’s spirituality. Like I said before, my spiritual director is a priest of the Opus Dei prelature, and he is a extremely intelligent and orthodox.

However, I am somewhat wary of Regnum Christi. There are many reasons to be cautious of both Regnum Christi and the Legionaries of Christ, who run Regnum Christi.

 

[Chancellare]

Hello Chancellare,

I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. Thanks to the Da Vinci Code, the ODAN site and other sources, the practice of corporal mortification among the members of the Work is an open secret at this point and is in fact one of the many clubs used to beat them over the head and allege that there is something freakishly unhealthy about them. It nearly always makes its appearance in any extended conversation about Opus Dei and its practices, so better just to head that particular horse off at the pass was my attitude.

I don’t relish the idea of getting guidance from ODAN concerning Opus Dei. It’s like asking for the opinion of Kim Il Sung about the Western World’s concern for nuclear arms proliferation. People who practice corporal mortification decided to do so on their own volition and for their own profit. I cannot imagine somebody taking umbrage of something I do to myself that is completely private and holy at that.In a society of ‘mind-your-own-business’, this phenomenon is something worthy of curious study.
Anyway, my comments were directed toward Vianney, who seems well-disposed toward Opus Dei and Regnum Christi and who appears to have a sincere interest in knowing more about them and their spiritual practices. Well, this is in fact one of them and anyone who might be interested in Opus Dei and considering the possibility of a vocation to the Work ought to know what things may be involved. Transparency is a good thing, imho.

In your opening paragraph you unwittingly admitted that this practice is an open secret. I don’t understand the logical value of the above paragraph.
So my points vis-a-vis corporal mortifications were simply a) it is not something unique to Opus Dei since the practice does exist in some monastic orders, b) nor is it something that belongs the medieval period (the implication being that medieval=ignorant and superstitious, which we know is patently absurd) since many contemporary holy men and women of the 20th century have also employed it as a means of penance, and that c) contemporary discussions of it, as well as the distorted idea that modern people generally have of the value of suffering and physical penance, is coloured by our culture’s horror of pain and suffering of any kind.

In other words, all the sensationalistic rubbish that goes on around it (think Da Vinci Code here, among others …) is just silly.

On the other hand, thanks to DaVinci Code, more people now factually verified what the real Opus Dei stands for, that the real Silas is an upright citizen in New York who could not hurt a rat and the good things it offers to people who are seeking to sanctify their daily lives in the midst of their daily grinds and the possibility the God actually meets you where you are standing.
None of which makes the practice either good or bad, of course. Whether or not the practice has always existed, originated in the Middle Ages, or exists now is irrelevant to the question of whether or not it is a good thing. And our culture may indeed be adverse to such practices, but that is hardly a condemnation of it in and of itself. And finally, the fact that Mother Teresa or Padre Pio were good and holy people who practised corporal mortifications of this kind does not mean that the mortifications in themselves are good, nor that every Christian therefore ought to consider doing it. Hence my cautionary comment expressing my personal opinion that, in fact, I think one must be very careful indeed about undertaking such practices and should never, ever do so without the the permission of a wise and holy spiritual director who knows the person well.

I’m sure that this was an unintentional error on your part, but no member of Opus Dei—super-numerary, numerary, associate or cooperator—ever takes a vow. They make a commitment, but not vows. That is one of the principal points of their charism as a lay apostolate and they are quite insistent about that when you speak to them. Vows are proper to religious institutes and monastic and conventual life, not to the vocation in Opus Dei.

Being a layman, I used the word ‘vow’ in a non-technical sense which means ‘promise’. Yes it was unintentional and a bit ignorance on my part that highly technical meaning was expected of it.
I hope that last bit doesn’t sound like nit-picking; I’m sure you already knew that but they consider it an important point, so I though I should underscore it.

GOD BLESS!

Thanks for your insights. I apologize if some part of my reply could be construed as rather uncharitable on my part, which I did not intend.