{"id":2020,"date":"2006-12-14T02:19:49","date_gmt":"2006-12-14T07:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2006\/12\/14\/opus-dei-1\/"},"modified":"2006-12-14T02:19:49","modified_gmt":"2006-12-14T07:19:49","slug":"opus-dei-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/12\/14\/opus-dei-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Opus Dei 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I suspect that most of us became aware of Opus Dei (Latin for \u201cwork of God\u201d) through the DaVinci Code book or movie. In both it was caricatured in order to ridicule and other. This is why a book like Scott Hahn\u2019s, Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace<\/em><\/a>, is important. I\u2019ll take a brief (and incomplete) look at Opus Dei by posting twice about this book.
\nWhat have you learned about Opus Dei?
\nI\u2019ve written about Scott in my article on why evangelicals become Catholic (and he did) in my article \u201cFrom Wheaton to Rome\u201d (sidebar under studies I have online). We have become friends as a result of that conversation even while we remain disagreement partners in matters theological. A few points now:
\nOpus Dei is about sanctifying all of work, especially that of lay folks, to the glory of God. The founder, St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, wanted to see ordinary Christians become saints. The focus was on lay folk instead of priests. There are 85,000 or so \u201cfaithful\u201d in Opus Dei today.
\nThe secret to Opus Dei is \u201cdivine filiation\u201d \u2014 that we have been made children of God and we now call God \u201cAbba, Father.\u201d They try to let all things flow from this.
\nOpus Dei might be the organization that has most concentrated on the Catholic Work Ethic \u2014 by the way, Scott\u2019s books are loaded with puns. St. Josemaria was intent on breaking the \u201cdouble life\u201d: the spiritual vs. the ordinary\/workday lives. Faithfulness and hard work and doing your best at all you do is central. They practice a \u201choly ambition\u201d and aim high.
\nOne of the elements of Opus Dei is the attempt to have an organization that breaks down some of the barriers often noted about Catholicism between priests (the religious) and laity.
\nFinally, Opus Dei \u201cfaithful\u201d \u2014 and there are different levels \u2014 practice a life of daily prayer and Sunday observance. St. Josemaria was worried about \u201cprofessionalitis\u201d \u2014 not just workaholism but a life devoted to nothing but the profession. Worship orders life, and Scott learned to make \u201ca little Sunday in every day\u201d and that practicing set prayer at set times \u201cmultiplied my time.\u201d (I don\u2019t know how many have told me this since I wrote Praying with the Church<\/em>.) The Mass figures prominently, and most of my discussions with Scott have included a comment by him of where he last had Mass.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I suspect that most of us became aware of Opus Dei (Latin for \u201cwork of God\u201d) through the DaVinci Code book or movie. In both it was caricatured in order to ridicule and other. This is why a book like Scott Hahn\u2019s, Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace, is important. I\u2019ll take a brief (and incomplete) look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[476],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"yoast_head":"\nOpus Dei 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I suspect that most of us became aware of Opus Dei (Latin for "work of God") through the DaVinci Code book or movie. 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