Opus Dei and stuff......

[Cam42]

[quote name='avemaria40 @ Today' date=' 08:36 AM ']Cam42, can u tell me wat Opus Dei does? B/c i read about it in the Da Vinci Code, was shocked, then found out the stuff in the Da Vinci Code was a lie, and my aunt who's Catholic said they teach NFP and stuff. But wat are they about, and how do u become a member?[/quote]

Opus Dei is about spreading the universal call to holiness. One of the basic responsibilities of ALL Christians is to spread the Good News. Opus Dei encourages its members and all Christians to take this responsibility seriously and provides a sort of "framework" in which to do so. The work people do in service to the Gospel message is called "apostolate". In Opus Dei, the members' apostolate is a "directed apostolate." Opus Dei emphasizes that members are ordinary Catholics.

Apostolate is simply the activity one carries out in the service of the Gospel. It is being an apostle. While there may be some technical difference I'm not aware of, it is also known as "evangelization," and I use the terms interchangeably. Around Opus Dei you are more likely to hear the word "apostolate", but as far as I'm concerned, "evangelization" means the same thing.

Members of Opus Dei are encouraged to carry out their apostolate by continually looking for opportunities to impart the spirit of Opus Dei to their friends, family, and colleagues through conversations, doctrine classes, study clubs, retreats, evenings of recollection, etc.

Before being formally admitted to Opus Dei, prospective members are instructed that:

1. they must commit themselves to strive for personal holiness according to the spirit and practice of Opus Dei;
2. they will be under the jurisdiction of the directors of the Work and should obey them in all that pertains to the aims of the prelature, its government, spirit, and apostolate;
3. they should assiduously try to live the plan of life in its fullness, especially daily mental prayer, the Holy Rosary, and the frequent reception of the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion;
4. the spirit of Opus Dei encourages them to lead a life of intense work;
5. they should try to fulfill all the obligations that come with the type of membership (i.e., numerary, associate, supernumerary);
6. they should try to carry out an active apostolate under the supervision of the directors of Opus Dei which is primarily aimed at spreading the universal call to holiness;
7. they must provide for their own economic support; and
8. they should generously contribute financially to the apostolic works of Opus Dei according to their personal circumstances.

In return, members have the right to receive appropriate means of formation and the ministerial care of priests of the Prelature.

The Founder used to say that the vocation to Opus Dei is the vocation to be a "contemplative in the middle of the world", and as any Catholic can see, the practices in the plan of life will certainly foster a contemplative spirit.

There are three types of members in the men's branch: Numeraries, associates and supernumeraries. The vocation is the same for all 3 types. The distinction is in their availabilty to direct and assist in the apostolic activities of the prelature.

Supernumeraries are the third type of member. And that is what I am. We are the least available to Opus Dei. Supernumeraries may be married or unmarried. They live wherever they want. Most of the members are supernumeraries, and it is they who carry out the real apostolate in Opus Dei. It is in the supernumeraries that "the rubber hits the road," so to speak, because, as St. Josemaría used to say, the real apostolate of Opus Dei isn't the schools, the hospitals, etc. The real apostolate of Opus Dei is the apostolate carried out by its members among their colleagues, their friends, and their families.

Members of Opus Dei are encouraged to be active members of the parish in which they reside. Nevertheless, members of Opus Dei commit to assist the apostolates of Opus Dei and therefore often give more of their time and energy to Opus Dei than to their parish. This is the relationship members of Opus Dei have with their parish. It's the same as any other Catholic. They're subject to the pastor and local bishop in everything other Catholics are subject to them in. The jurisdiction Opus Dei has over them is in addition to any authority the local priest or bishop has, not in place of it, and extends only to those things that are the proper aim of the prelature: their personal spiritual direction and the apostolic aims of the prelature.

[Cam42]

Opus Dei members are encouraged to see their professional work as a means of sanctification. They're taught that they must do it to the best of theirr ability if they're going to offer it to the Lord as prayer. Naturally those who are particularly gifted may reach the top of their profession. The prestige they attain can be a genuine help in their apostolate.

Imagine for a moment that you're an atheist. If you were to work with some Catholic who seemed like a nice enough guy, but wasn't particularly good at his work, you probably wouldn't take anything he says about Christianity very seriously. In the Work, members try to remember that their professional reputation can be either a great help or a great hindrance to their apostolic activity.

It is the explicit desire in Opus Dei to help people of all social classes and conditions, especially intellectuals and those at the top of their professions, to accept the teachings of Christ and to sanctify their work so that they may influence civil society according to the will of God.

I have never heard anyone in Opus Dei give a political position as part of any kind of Opus Dei activity. That isn't to say that I never discussed politics with other members of the Work. To ensure that Opus Dei never even gives the appearance of promoting one political position over another, the priests of Opus Dei are expressly forbidden to discuss politics. Of course, members of Opus Dei, including priests, are fully entitled to speak out, even in activities of Opus Dei, on issues like abortion and stem cell research - issues which have clear moral implications and where the Church has given clear guidance on what constitutes acceptable behavior for Catholics.

[philothea]

Very nice explanation.

Reading about Opus Dei always gets me depressed.

[Cam42]

[quote name='philothea' date='Sep 5 2005, 06:52 PM']Very nice explanation.

Reading about Opus Dei always gets me depressed.
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Why depressed?

[philothea]

[quote name='Cam42' date='Sep 5 2005, 05:55 PM']Why depressed?
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Opus Dei's intent starkly contrasts with my complete suckyness: no education, no friends, no career, no family (except my husband), and no hope of changing any of these. If I died tomorrow nothing would change in the world, and at a funeral I couldn't even fill a single pew.

But enough whining. It was a nice explanation.

[catholicflower]

Thanks Cam, I always wondered about Opus Dei. You explained what a supernunnery is. May I ask what Numeraries and associates are. Thanks

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

I know saint Josemaria escrive preffered the Old mass. Does opus dei as a whole have a prefrence?

[Cam42]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Sep 5 2005, 07:42 PM']I know saint Josemaria escrive preffered the Old mass. Does opus dei as a whole have a prefrence?
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No....he didn't. He embraced the Mass of the time. It is written as such in the by-laws.

Priests of Opus Dei say the Mass according to the new rite that came out after Vatican II. When they celebrate Mass in a center of Opus Dei they often say it in Latin, but sometimes it's in the vernacular.

Those who find this practice objectionable should note that Vatican II, while allowing the vernacular to be introduced into the Liturgy, actually ENCOURAGED the continued use of Latin. See Sacrosanctum Concilium for more information.

Aside from the liturgical reasons for saying the new Mass in Latin, there is the practical reason that centers of Opus Dei tend to have people living in them and visiting from many different countries. Having the common language of Latin used at Mass allows those attending to participate more readily. Mass is usually said in the vernacular during retreats and other public functions.

There's also the symbolic reason that Opus Dei, being spread throughout the world, and having a universal mission, more readily expresses that reality by the use of Latin.

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

cool.

[Cam42]

[quote name='catholicflower' date='Sep 5 2005, 07:32 PM']Thanks Cam, I always wondered about Opus Dei. You explained what a supernunnery is. May I ask what Numeraries and associates are. Thanks
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Numeraries are the most available of the three vocations. They live celibacy and give all their free time and money to the Work. As a general rule, they live in centers of the Work. They receive an intense formation in the philosophy and theology of the Church. Most of them hold regular secular jobs, but for some of them their professional work is to direct the apostolic activities of Opus Dei or to hold an internal position in the governance of the prelature. For most of those who hold internal positions, this is a temporary situation. The numeraries are the primary givers of spiritual direction to the rest of the membership, and the intense formation they receive prepares them for this role. They are at the disposal of the prelature and are ready to move wherever the prelature needs them.

Associates are the next type of member, in order of availability. Associates are similar to numeraries, in that they live celibacy, but they typically do not live in centers of the work. Their personal circumstances do not permit them to be as available to Opus Dei as a numerary. Perhaps they have an elderly parent they have to take care of, or they run a family business that would interfere with their ability to move to another city. There are a whole host of reasons they would be less available than a numerary. Associates also are involved in giving spiritual direction to other members of the prelature and to non-members, too. The prelate may also ask associates to become priests. They also remain free to say no. I am currently discerning this vocation, incidentally.

There is another type of member in the women's branch called "numerary assistant". Numerary assistants attend to the domestic needs of the centers of Opus Dei, both for the men and for the women. They run Opus Dei's conference centers. They do all the cooking and cleaning. They take care of the chapels (actually, they're called oratories). St. Josemaría used to call the work they do the "apostolate of apostolates" because it is they who imbue the centers with the family spirit that characterizes Opus Dei, and their work frees up the other members to devote more time to giving formation.

Numeraries are completely at the disposal of Opus Dei. They are ready to move to another city, or even another country, according to the needs of the prelature. Many people who understand this level of commitment for a priest or nun see this as more appropriate for members of a religious order than for "ordinary lay people." But there is no reason a lay person can't be as committed to the particular apostolate of an organization as a religious!

I will dispose of some "myths."

Women numeraries are supposed to sleep on a board, and male numeraries to take a cold shower in the morning, offering up these mortifications for the prelate. While these practices have been common in the contemplative orders, most ordinary lay people don't do them. (As an aside, before you recoil in horror, I know for a fact that the Discalced Carmelites in Port Tobacco, Maryland, did these same mortifications as recently as the early 1980's. So Opus Dei is NOT the only institution in the Church that still practices corporal mortification.)

All members of Opus Dei are bound to obey the directors in all that relates to the spirit of the Work, including their spiritual life and apostolate. Many people feel this smacks of the obedience required of members of religious orders. But how can ANY organization, continue to function if its members, employees, or subordinates are not required to submit to authority? In my job I'll get fired if I don't follow my superior's instructions. Still, members of Opus Dei, like all Christians, must refuse to obey if they are given an instruction that is immoral!

The cilice is a chain or strap with small spikes in it. Numeraries and associates wear it around their thigh for 2 hours a day. It has also been described as a wire mesh, with the ends of the wires pointing inward. Sometimes the points are filed down.

The discipline is a cord with knots in it. Once a week numeraries and associates use it to strike themselves with.

Jesus invites all Christians to help him carry the cross. It's true that for most of us there are plenty of crosses in our daily lives, and we don't need to invent new ones. Nevertheless, it's a good and longstanding Christian practice to deny ourselves some simple pleasures in order to fortify our will, remind ourselves of the passing nature of this world's goods, unite ourselves to the sufferings of the Lord in his passion, and to offer atonement for our sins. This is the purpose of the ancient practice of fasting and abstaining from meat, for example.

It's interesting that many people understand the need to deny themselves sweets and excessive amounts of food and to get up early in the morning, regardless of the weather, to run miles and miles, enduring great physical pain. They will submit to painful operations and medical treatments, even to the point of injecting poisons (chemotherapy, botox) into their bodies. They do all these things to preserve or restore their physical health, or even just their beauty. Yet they recoil at the idea of doing things that cause far less physical discomfort if the motivation is spiritual in nature. These are the people who don't understand and are horrified at the practice of corporal mortification.

While supernumeraries are not encouraged to use them, there are some that do. They must receive permission, as well, from the prelature.

[avemaria40]

Thanks Cam, that was a great help I also don't understand why ppl say, "o they do corporal mortification, they're a cult" or something but they are so hard on themselves, as u pointed out.

[Old_Joe]

Thanks Cam. I think I may have to copy this and send it to some of my fallen away siblings.

[jp2_rules]

cam, just wanted to let you know that i was thinking about you when i was visiting an opus dei church in vienna over the weekend. it was a beautiful church. unfortunately, i went to 4 churches that day, and i can't remember the name of this one...
peace,
chris

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Cam42' date='Sep 5 2005, 08:01 PM']Numeraries are the most available of the three vocations. They live celibacy and give all their free time and money to the Work. As a general rule, they live in centers of the Work. They receive an intense formation in the philosophy and theology of the Church. Most of them hold regular secular jobs, but for some of them their professional work is to direct the apostolic activities of Opus Dei or to hold an internal position in the governance of the prelature. For most of those who hold internal positions, this is a temporary situation. The numeraries are the primary givers of spiritual direction to the rest of the membership, and the intense formation they receive prepares them for this role. They are at the disposal of the prelature and are ready to move wherever the prelature needs them.

Associates are the next type of member, in order of availability. Associates are similar to numeraries, in that they live celibacy, but they typically do not live in centers of the work. Their personal circumstances do not permit them to be as available to Opus Dei as a numerary. Perhaps they have an elderly parent they have to take care of, or they run a family business that would interfere with their ability to move to another city. There are a whole host of reasons they would be less available than a numerary. Associates also are involved in giving spiritual direction to other members of the prelature and to non-members, too. The prelate may also ask associates to become priests. They also remain free to say no.  I am currently discerning this vocation, incidentally.

There is another type of member in the women's branch called "numerary assistant". Numerary assistants attend to the domestic needs of the centers of Opus Dei, both for the men and for the women. They run Opus Dei's conference centers. They do all the cooking and cleaning. They take care of the chapels (actually, they're called oratories). St. Josemaría used to call the work they do the "apostolate of apostolates" because it is they who imbue the centers with the family spirit that characterizes Opus Dei, and their work frees up the other members to devote more time to giving formation.

Numeraries are completely at the disposal of Opus Dei. They are ready to move to another city, or even another country, according to the needs of the prelature. Many people who understand this level of commitment for a priest or nun see this as more appropriate for members of a religious order than for "ordinary lay people." But there is no reason a lay person can't be as committed to the particular apostolate of an organization as a religious!

I will dispose of some "myths." 

Women numeraries are supposed to sleep on a board, and male numeraries to take a cold shower in the morning, offering up these mortifications for the prelate. While these practices have been common in the contemplative orders, most ordinary lay people don't do them. (As an aside, before you recoil in horror, I know for a fact that the Discalced Carmelites in Port Tobacco, Maryland, did these same mortifications as recently as the early 1980's. So Opus Dei is NOT the only institution in the Church that still practices corporal mortification.)

All members of Opus Dei are bound to obey the directors in all that relates to the spirit of the Work, including their spiritual life and apostolate. Many people feel this smacks of the obedience required of members of religious orders. But how can ANY organization, continue to function if its members, employees, or subordinates are not required to submit to authority? In my job I'll get fired if I don't follow my superior's instructions. Still, members of Opus Dei, like all Christians, must refuse to obey if they are given an instruction that is immoral!

The cilice is a chain or strap with small spikes in it. Numeraries and associates wear it around their thigh for 2 hours a day. It has also been described as a wire mesh, with the ends of the wires pointing inward. Sometimes the points are filed down.

The discipline is a cord with knots in it. Once a week numeraries and associates use it to strike themselves with.

Jesus invites all Christians to help him carry the cross. It's true that for most of us there are plenty of crosses in our daily lives, and we don't need to invent new ones. Nevertheless, it's a good and longstanding Christian practice to deny ourselves some simple pleasures in order to fortify our will, remind ourselves of the passing nature of this world's goods, unite ourselves to the sufferings of the Lord in his passion, and to offer atonement for our sins. This is the purpose of the ancient practice of fasting and abstaining from meat, for example.

It's interesting that many people understand the need to deny themselves sweets and excessive amounts of food and to get up early in the morning, regardless of the weather, to run miles and miles, enduring great physical pain. They will submit to painful operations and medical treatments, even to the point of injecting poisons (chemotherapy, botox) into their bodies. They do all these things to preserve or restore their physical health, or even just their beauty. Yet they recoil at the idea of doing things that cause far less physical discomfort if the motivation is spiritual in nature. These are the people who don't understand and are horrified at the practice of corporal mortification.

While supernumeraries are not encouraged to use them, there are some that do.  They must receive permission, as well, from the prelature.
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Can this post be kept somewhere in an Apologetics file?

[Oik]

[quote]No....he didn't. He embraced the Mass of the time. It is written as such in the by-laws.[/quote]

What did the aesthetics of the Mass that Saint Escriva said look like? From what I heard, it sounds like there was at least a deeper appreiciation of the Aesthetics for the Old Mass. I am of course juxtaposing this with the NO's of our time.

I guess what i'm saying is, did they look like(and sound like) the Masses at St. Agnes?