On OPUS DEI

[caption id="attachment_78955" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Opus Dei"][/caption] I bet all of you have got familiar with the name "Opus Dei", particularly in Dan Brown's best-seller novel The Da Vinci Code. However, what is Opus Dei actually? Opus Dei literally means "the work of God". It is an organisation within the Roman Catholic Church founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá in 1928 [this year, anyway, reminds me of Indonesian's Youth Oath, Sumpah Pemuda]. Over ninety per cent of its members are laypersons while the rest are priests. John L. Allen, the author of the book Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church, claimed it as the most controversial organisation in the Catholic Church. That's why I'm interested to take a deep insight into this very organisation. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="140" caption="St. Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975)"][/caption] Firstly, I'd recount what I have read from Opus Dei's official site. Among many features it has, I consider three of them as the most quintessential ones, i.e. (1) the divine filiation, (2) the ordinary life, and (3) the sanctification of work. The term "divine intervention" implies the awareness of being a child of God. That's why Opus Dei offers a way of life that is fully consistent with the Catholic faith. However, to live that way does not mean that we ought to retreat from this earthly world and dwell in such a secluded and cloistered life. Rather, it is this very ordinary life in which an Opus Dei member should put into practice a righteous life. Indeed, every occasion in everyday's life is a great opportunity to sanctify ourselves. We are called, as the Second Vatican Council stated, to "the universal call of holiness". Regarding its place in the Hierarchy, Opus Dei is the only personal prelature of the Catholic Church. A personal prelature is founded to carry out a special task or mission among the people of any race and nation. In this case, Opus Dei aims to invite the faithful to live according to the Church's teachings and doctrines. In addition, all Opus Dei's members still belong to their local dioceses. None of the Opus Dei branches may be established without prior permission from the bishops. Okay, so far there seems nothing wrong with Opus Dei. This organisation, however, has been criticised as a nefarious secret society, particularly as depicted in The Da Vinci Code. Well, even though Opus Dei is not that evil, it still gains some controversies. I'd mention some of them: *From the very beginning, Josemaría Escrivá targeted top students at universities; no wonder it was regarded as a group of elitists. This kind of recruitment was criticised as overbearing. There is even an organisation dedicated to counter such method--Opus Dei Awareness Network. *The canonisation of Escrivá occured only twenty-seven years after his demise. This "speedy" canonisation was suspiciously owing to the chief admirer of Opus Dei, Pope John Paul II. Some critics said, "It was a scandal". They would argue that the Catholic Church never fully investigated Escrivá's bad temperament and even violent behaviour. *Criticism was also conveyed on the status of Opus Dei as the only personal prelature of the Catholic Church. This special-and-privileged status implies that Opus Dei is seemingly very independent and does enjoy a kind of "extraterritoriality". Many of its adherents obey to the Opus Dei's bishop rather than their local bisops.[] Sources: Opus Dei's Official Site "Let There Be Light: A look inside the hidden world of Opus Dei" by Paul Baumann