Opus Dei?

[shinytoy]

anyone a member or thinking of entering?
how old are you?
why and whn did you know it was your calling?
what do you think of the depiction of the Opus Dei in Da Vinci Code the film? has this made more members?
do you go mass everyday and if so, how do you fit it in?
do you self harm as penance?
what are the people like there?
are there any young people?

 

[Richardine]

There are lots of young people that go to Opus Dei programs.
They do go to Mass everyday. That’s a big part of how they try to grow in faith.
I understand they don’t harm themselves, they do penance like Lent all year round like many of the saints did.
Some people say the young people that go to Opus Dei are part of the JPII generation and are interested in the Church in general.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Not sure if you need to go into it all at once.

Msgr Escriva did a lot of writing which is excellent.

The Opus Dei retreats are absolutely excellent. Very helpful to building one’s faith.

You can participate in some of their activities without committing fully.

Really, in my experience, Opus Dei serves as an enhancement to the “normal” daily Catholic life.

You need to start your faith quest with Daily Rosary and other prayers, Daily Mass to the maximum extent possible. Confession at least once a month. Some kind of daily religious reading … start a small library including the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Baltimore Catechism which is more simply written and in my opinion organized a little differently. Read the Lives of the Saints; get a copy of Butler’s.

Read “This Rock” magazine and browse through the on-line store here at CA.

Growth in faith is a gradual process.

Don’t feel that you need to plunge in to Opus Dei right away. It is a great organization and the priests who minister to the Catholics in Opus Dei are fabulous preachers and confessors.

But start your journey one step at a time.

Get on the mailing list for some of the Catholic book publishers and just read the reviews and brief descriptions. Pray a lot.

 

[shinytoy]

Not sure if you need to go into it all at once.

Msgr Escriva did a lot of writing which is excellent.

The Opus Dei retreats are absolutely excellent. Very helpful to building one’s faith.

You can participate in some of their activities without committing fully.

Really, in my experience, Opus Dei serves as an enhancement to the “normal” daily Catholic life.

You need to start your faith quest with Daily Rosary and other prayers, Daily Mass to the maximum extent possible. Confession at least once a month. Some kind of daily religious reading … start a small library including the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Baltimore Catechism which is more simply written and in my opinion organized a little differently. Read the Lives of the Saints; get a copy of Butler’s.

Read “This Rock” magazine and browse through the on-line store here at CA.

Growth in faith is a gradual process.

Don’t feel that you need to plunge in to Opus Dei right away. It is a great organization and the priests who minister to the Catholics in Opus Dei are fabulous preachers and confessors.

But start your journey one step at a time.

Get on the mailing list for some of the Catholic book publishers and just read the reviews and brief descriptions. Pray a lot.

thank you both for such great answers. i am already doing alot of daily reading, i feel very drawn to the Opus the more I read abut it. but i did a wiki search and it says most of them wear the ciclice, basically a barbed wire thing, around their leg for at least 2 hours a day. now i appreaciate Christs sufferings and everything, but self harm seems a little extreme to me. plus i met a guy, who isnt Opus but he did all those things and ended up having to see a psychologist because basicallly he became obsessed with God and couldnt talk about anything else to anyone, and would go up to randomers evangelising them all day long.

 

[JRKH]

thank you both for such great answers. i am already doing alot of daily reading, i feel very drawn to the Opus the more I read abut it. but i did a wiki search and it says most of them wear the ciclice, basically a barbed wire thing, around their leg for at least 2 hours a day. now i appreaciate Christs sufferings and everything, but self harm seems a little extreme to me. plus i met a guy, who isnt Opus but he did all those things and ended up having to see a psychologist because basicallly he became obsessed with God and couldnt talk about anything else to anyone, and would go up to randomers evangelising them all day long.

Well first of all since your reading indicates “most of them” where the ciclice, it is obvious that not all do and therefore it is not some sort of requirement. In addition, my understanding is that mortification should never be undertaken except under the care of a spiritual director and only then if it seems good to you to do so. So if this is not something that appeals to you, don’t worry about it.
Secondly - no matter where you go you can run into people who run off the rails in one sens or another. So I wouldn’t be too concerned that one person you know of. In fact, he might actually be an example of getting involved in something without proper guidance. By that I mean, if this person HAD been a member, perhaps he would have gotten proper guidance and not become sick.
In any sort of spiritual journey it is always wise to have a good spiritual advisor. Someone who can listen, advise, and act as a balancing influence.

Peace
James

 

[Edward_H]

Opus Dei exists for formation. Membership exists (and types of membership exist) to handle the varying availability of different people, that is, in terms of how available they are to support the Work’s activities.

Yes, you can attend various and certain forms of formation w/out being a member.

There are collective and individual means of formation.

Collective means would include attending retreats, recollections, workshops, and circles.

Individual means would include spiritual direction and chats, etc.

Opus Dei priests are in the confessional a lot. They are very encouraging, and simple. Forthright. They are self-less and smiling and giving.

But membership is really a vocation that has to be discerned over a period of time.

The mortification point is a part of the spirituality of Opus Dei, but the cilice and discipline is reserved for numerary (unmarried) members and priests, done under the specific direction of their Spiritual director. These means of mortification have been part of the Church’s history (Mother Theresa, etc) for many many years. They are not inventions of Opus Dei.

But mortification should be a part of all our lives, every day. Smiling when we don’t want to was offered by St Josemaria Escriva as one of the best forms of mortification. We can pour a half a glass of wine, or none at all, get up 10 minutes earlier, with vigor. We can work 5 minutes longer, giving a bit more love and attention to our work. Not working in an open ended fashion (deadlines), etc.

 

[PiousTemplar]

Where did you get the idea of self harm?
Oh, please, don’t tell me it was ‘The Da Vinci Code’!

 

[SisterSnowflake]

I just know that their high school religion books are by far THE BEST!