Opus Dei

[AveSantaMaria]

Sorry to take a while in getting back to you. I’m trying (trying!!) to spend less time online for Lent…

Truthfully, I simply don’t know what to make of that woman’s claims. They are so completely far-removed from what I have experienced that it kind of defies explanation. It’s almost like that old Star Trek episode where Kirk ends up in a parallel universe where things are kind of the same, but twisted and wrong. Some of the stuff-- like the tolerance for wife-beating-- I find zero correspondence to in my experience. Some of the other stuff-- like spiritual direction-- has a few of the superficial details correct, like meeting every other week, but gets the whole heart and soul of it totally warped.

I’m sorry I can’t say more about it-- the whole account just leaves me kind of dumb-founded, it is simply that different and contradictory from what I’ve found and seen in Opus Dei.

As far as your professional career question goes-- there are plenty of successful “career women” in Opus Dei and there are plenty of homemakers like myself. All honest work is equally valued, and we are all encouraged to work our very best for the glory of God. The one thing I will say as a mother of a large family is that it is very, very nice to have a place where no one will look down on my brood as somehow being beneath a woman of my education, which I have absolutely encountered from some of my “feminist” friends.

I hope this helps some. I will be trying (again!) to stay offline as much as possible in the coming weeks. PMs are fine, but I will probably not jump into this thread again…

Best regards to all, and a Happy Feast of St. Joseph!!! :bounce:

Margaret

Lovely! Thank you!

 

[Wampa]

I’d be curious to know to what extent the “old-fashioned” types exist and how it would impact one to be a woman in Opus Dei who had a professional career.

I’d also suggest checking out the John Allen book, even though I’m only 1/3 of the way through it so far. He speaks to this quite a bit. Given the focus OD seems to place on sanctification of the world via one’s professional work (I know it’s not just professional careers, but it seems to be the most common situation), it seems truly odd to me that anyone in the organization could possibly have a problem with a “professional woman”. At least that’s what I’ve gathered from the book so far.

 

[jdarment]

I’m interested in knowing what the requirements are for joining a monestary and if there’s an official site for requirements and for Opus Dei and if there are any truly facist Opus Dei groups or orders, not that I want to be facist, just a question. Can anyone help?

 

[Red_Meg]

I’m interested in knowing what the requirements are for joining a monestary and if there’s an official site for requirements and for Opus Dei and if there are any truly facist Opus Dei groups or orders, not that I want to be facist, just a question. Can anyone help?

No clue on monastery requirements. Best to inquire with one, I think, unless there are some cloistered brothers running around on CAF?

The “official” site for Opus Dei is www.opusdei.org

Fascists-- I can’t speak to this topic in huge detail because frankly I don’t understand it very well. A few things come to mind. First, I would say that the early members of Opus Dei who fought in the Spanish Civil War did so on the Franco side. The big reason for that is because the other side, the communists, were literally sacking and torching churches and convents, and executing priests, nuns and practicing laity en masse. Without claiming to understand the political implications, I know which side I would have been on, too…

Second, I think that the fascist/Opus Dei claims have largely arisen because there were something like two or three numeraries who served high up in the Franco administration, some time in the 50’s or 60’s. My details grow very fuzzy here, but IIRC, they were economists who were trying to modernize the Spanish economy into the twentieth century. I think there was also a member of Opus Dei during the same time period who was jailed for his newspaper pieces criticizing Franco’s regime.

Lastly, to his credit, St. Josemaria bent over backwards to keep politics out of Opus Dei. He was adament that there could be no “party line” in the Work. Obviously, members are bound to the teachings of the Church, the same as any other Catholic-- there is no question on issues concerning abortion, gay marriage, etc., precisely because we are Catholic. But beyond that, for someone to try and claim an “Opus Dei” position on, say, the “correct” policy towards affordable housing for the poor, or the “proper” allocation of military spending or some such, would be totally out of line. Those kinds of questions are left to the prudential judgement of the people involved.

I hope that helps a little bit? I’m sorry I can’t remember more. I think I gleaned a lot of this from reading the really big, three-volume biography of St. Josemaria. Obviously, politics was not a primary or secondary focus of the book, but it did come up in passing to explain the different situations that arose in his life.

And, yes, I am breaking my “no more posting on this thread during Lent” idea, but since the question had sat idle for several days I felt compelled to jump in…

Best,

Margaret

 

[jdarment]

Margaret, I thank you for your reply and very informative message at that. I’ve often heard of Opus Dei and of several Catholics who joined monestaries ad simply wanted to know more. So, I thank you for helping. I shouldn’t have any questions about Opus Dei from here on out. The one thing I’ve often wondered about is requirements for achieving entrance into a monestary. I guess I have some researching to do. Thanks again. I appreciate the time you put into answering my questions. God bless.