So this is a little research I did on the Catholic prelature, Opus Dei.
The Work of God
What sets a man apart from another in the eyes of God? Is it their deeds, level of devotion, a combination of both, or an entirely different concept? Men have always sought to glorify themselves in the eyes of God by relentless worship and performing opus Dei. When discussing the term Opus Dei, a person could be referring to the Latin translation, “the work of God,” or the Catholic prelature. Both meanings of the term are interrelated. (Barter, 10)
Saint Josemaría Escrivá founded Opus Dei in 1928 in
Madrid, Spain. It is a prelature of the Catholic Church specifically “called to make Jesus Christ known and to seek holiness in and through their daily work, family life, and social relations. They base their life on spreading the word of Jesus’ life and teachings.”(Message) One who truly believes in these principles would under no circumstances break a commandment given by God.
During the middle ages, monks “were required to perform opus Dei.” Opus Dei included such work as “feeding and housing the poor, attending church services, praying daily, and caring for the sick and dispossessed.” These men offer up their free lives to devote themselves wholly to God, with an eye single to his glory. That is what is expected of these “men who pray.” (Barter 10)
However not many members of Opus Dei are monks. Few of the members decide to lead a celibate or single life like the monks to better connect with God and focus on their mission. Most of the members are married. For the married members “the sanctification of their family duties is the most important part of their Christian life.” (Chmielinski) The interesting part is that not all members of Opus Dei are necessarily male. In 1930 Saint Josemaría Escrivá was preaching when “God made him understand that Opus Dei was for women too.” (Historical Overview) Now the membership is fairly balanced and made up of roughly 87,000 people.
There has recently been debate on the so-called hypocrisy of the faithful members of the Opus Dei. Their method of practicing Catholicism has often been referred to as “brainwashing.”( Introvigne) A recently popular book, The Da Vinci Code, featured a character that was a monk associated with Opus Dei. The character, Silas, was not of the traditional monk mold. He committed murder, broke laws (and commandments), and inflicted severe pain on himself. All this he did “for God.” He committed these crimes because he believed it was God’s will. Now, keep in mind that this is only a fictional book. Yet, something somewhere along the line sparked these ideas, which leads to the question of whether or not Opus Dei is truly corrupt.
The fact that Silas claimed that it was God’s will that he commit the crimes is blasphemy in itself. God would never command someone to break one of the commandments that he set forth. Not only would God not command you to do it, he wouldn’t punish you for doing it. If it was God’s will, then it couldn’t possibly be wrong. If God had asked you to complete the task in the first place, then logically no punishment would be required. Besides God is over all things, if the task needed to be completed, then God would do it himself.
People still argue that God gives these commandments to test the devotion of his servants. Yet again I ask, why would God tell you to break his laws? The answer is simple; he wouldn’t. Somewhere along the line was corruption and someone was misinformed. This is not how Opus Dei claims to function.
Now the ODAN (Opus Dei Awareness Network) releases the statement that the depiction of Silas was “accurate in [his]… blind obedience.” It is acceptable to be devoted to God, but when you begin killing people, you have crossed the line. God wants people to worship him, but within reason. The character portrayed by Dan Brown “demonstrates the absolute control and obedience that exists in the Opus Dei today.” Silas was obedient to the lies that the prelature fed to him and committed murder. So, does that mean that all members of Opus Dei should obey the promptings they get to commit murder? The Da Vinci Code portrayed Opus Dei like sheep, taking orders from someone in a higher standing than they are in, no matter how illogical. This may not be the case for all, but for Silas, it was his downfall. We can only hope that the Opus Dei is smart enough to realize that God is not a hypocrite, and would never inspire men to do such a thing as kill another man. (Opus Dei)
Immanuel Kant claimed that “the real morality of our actions is unknown to us.” (Kant 169) However we can all tell good from evil, right from wrong. We can claim that we can’t, or that we have no conscience, but that is a lie. Everyone knows that taking life from yourself or another person is wrong. Sometimes we just decide that our plan or our judgment is better than God’s and we know best. Opus Dei looks down upon harming others, but glorifies self inflicted pain.
Mortification was the main draw of Silas’ character. Mortification is “the voluntary infliction of pain or discomfort.” The difference between mortification and masochism is the pleasure or satisfaction that masochists receive from inflicting pain on themselves. Opus Dei have been known to keep two things close to them; a rosary, bible, and cilice. The Opus Dei does practice mortification, but not every member is as extreme as what the Da Vinci Code portrayed. Some only perform small acts of mortification “such as taking a cold shower, sleeping without a pillow or sleeping on the floor, fasting, or remaining silent for certain hours during the day.” (www.wikipedia.com)
There are other members that take a more zealous approach like Silas and flog themselves with whips. The most chilling of their practices is their use of a cilice. A cilice is a metal chain with spikes that they wrap around their thighs for two hours everyday except Sundays and other church holidays. Saint Josemaría Escrivá was known for using mortification as a disciplinary tool in his own life. One of those close to him recalled a time when he had flogged himself over a thousand times. He later exclaimed, "Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain. Glorified be pain!" (Testimonies)
Many argue that the form of mortification that is displayed by most Opus Dei members is borderline masochism. The main difference is that the mortification is used for disciplinary purposes. They inflict discomfort or pain on themselves to remind them of the pain that the Lord Jesus endured while he suffered on the cross. They use it to encourage positive and moral behavior. They have adopted the belief that virtue “comes to a man by taking pains.”(Plato 168) They believe the pain they inflict on themselves makes them better people and instills better moral values. The principle of mortification is to keep them humble and remind them that their sole purpose in life is to serve God. Very few begin to enjoy the pain and rather than learn from the discomfort, and they begin to abuse it and use it for pleasure.
A former member of the Opus Dei, Sharon Clasen, shared her controversial views about mortification. She explains the practice of mortification and that officials pass it off as if it were a workout program to “[get] the body in shape for a marathon.” She then explains the that she believes true purpose of mortification is eventually martyrdom by mortification. They do this because they believe that “the body is an obstacle between the soul and God.” This is all to eventually achieve communion with God. (Clasen)
Opus Dei “claims to be a lay organization yet at all of its higher levels of authority it is run by the priests.” (Introvigne) A lay organization is one that the people or members run, not a higher order. But there is much evidence that Opus Dei is not people freely governing themselves. It is a society in which the only freedom you have is choice. They can choose between doing what you have been told, or you can do what you are told to do. It’s a situation in which little freedom actually exists. The expectation for most is to do what the officials tell them, and do it with a smile.
A good attitude is important because it exemplifies the attitude of Christ. They strive to portray Christ in their daily attitude and actions despite any adversity. This is evident in Agustina López’s account of her memories when she first joined Opus Dei. She explained that is was very difficult to get used to wearing a cilice at first, especially when someone bumped into her and caused more intense pain. She was told the most important thing to remember is to keep up “all manner of naturalness, without losing your smile, which is your very good spirit.” (Clasen)
Now Silas isn’t the only off-color portrayal of a corrupt member of the Opus Dei. There have been many accounts that claim corruption throughout the prelature. One of the most chilling accounts is one of Saint Josemaría Escrivá and his mortification. There is an account given that claims when he whipped himself he “drew so much blood that he spattered the walls and ceiling with it.” (Introvigne) This could be a possible source that would lead to misconceptions about Opus Dei whether or not it is true. Many people claim to have belonged to Opus Dei, when all they are really seeking is their time in the spot light.
When hearing stories like that is it so surprising that character’s like Silas come to be? The only difference between Silas and other members of Opus Dei is his blatant disregard for the fifth commandment. Dan Brown’s display of mortification among the Opus Dei members appears quite accurate. The controversy seems to have aroused fear among the corrupt officials. In response they scrambled to make up excuses for their actions and make everything seem perfect to onlookers, when it is anything but normal.
Barter, James. A Medieval Monk.
Farmington Hills: Lucent Books, 2004. 10-11.
Chmielinski, Piotr. "Opus Dei - Struggle for Holiness." Sunday Catholic Weekly. June 2006. Sunday Catholic Weekly. 21 Feb. 2007 <http://sunday.niedziela.pl/artykul.php?nr=200409&dz=swiat&id_art=00047>.
Clasen, Sharon. "Making Modern-Day Martyrs Using." ODAN. 14 Apr. 2005. Opus Dei Awareness Network. 21 Feb. 2007 <http://odan.org/tw_making_modern_martyrs.htm>.
"FAQ." Opus Dei. 2007. Opus Dei Information Office. 14 Feb. 2007 <http://www.opusdei.us/sec.php?s=494>.
Introvigne, Massimo. "Opus Dei and the Anti-Cult Movement." Cesnur.
2005.
Center for Studies on New Religions. 21 Feb. 2007 <http://www.cesnur.org/2005/mi_94.htm>.
Kant, Immanuel. “Of Pure Reason.” The Critique. 1790. The Great Books.
Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982. 168-69
"Message." Opus Dei. 2007. Opus Dei Information Office. 19 Feb. 2007 <http://www.opusdei.us/art.php?p=12224>.
"Opus Dei, the Da Vinci Code and ODAN." ODAN Opus Dei Awareness Network. 10 May 2006. Opus Dei Awareness Network, Inc. 14 Feb. 2007 <http://www.odan.org/davinci.htm>.
Plato. “Protagoras.” Dialogues of Plato. 1790. The Great Books.
Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982. 168-69
“Priory to Cultivate Catholic Liturgy.” New York Times. 25 Mar. 1917, sec. E: 3. ProQuest. 05 Feb. 2007.
"Testimonies and Other Writings." ODAN. 9 June 2006. Opus Dei Aware. 21 Feb. 2007 <http://odan.org/testimonies_and_writings.htm>.
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