My brother, my hero

By JazzGlades on September 04

Come 15 Sept, my brother will be leaving home to join Opus Dei.

Yes, perhaps you've heard of Opus Dei (which is Latin for Work of God), made famous, or infamous by that infamous book Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I'm not going to be writing about all the inaccuracies misrepresented in that book. In short, Opus Dei is an organization under the Roman Catholic Church. Its sole purpose is to help all Christians and non-Christians live their life well so that no matter what profession one is in, be it a teacher or a janitor, a lawyer or a nurse, one could turn everything one did into a form of prayer. Opus Dei to sum it up, helps one to find holiness through his everyday work.

There are 2 kinds of members. The 1st group are those who dedicate their lives to helping others through Opus Dei, who willingly give up a life of marriage, and choose to be single. Accordingly they leave their homes and join the Opus Dei centers so that they are able to carry out their mission better. The 2nd group are married, or see themselves getting married in the future. Both groups are still ordinary people, in the sense that they hold jobs like everyone else. My brother has decided to join the 1st group.

I remember when he first told us about his decision nearly 3 years ago. I can't say that my mother and I were surprised, considering his regular visits to the Opus Dei center and the fact that he had steadily progressed into a marvelous person of character and spirituality. But there was still a strong feeling of emotion on our part. I was close to him, my mom even more so. When he broached the subject to my dad however, my dad's violent objections 'postponed' his decision to move out. For the next 3 years, we went on as normal - although my brother's frequent absence from home often drew strong comments from my father.

2 weeks ago, my brother decided that it was the right time to bring it up to my dad again. This time, his reaction was much less violent - he still objected, but conceded that he would not stop my brother. Our relief was strong but it was still painful to know that my brother would be leaving very soon in the middle of this month. Even now, writing this, my heart aches to know that I won't be seeing him at home so often very soon.

I'm happy for him of course. His serenity in the face of his tremendous workload, his courage in holding firm to his convictions despite the obstacles, and his obvious generosity when helping others is a real joy to behold. What a nice growth from when he was a naughty, mischievous and irritating younger brother. I still remember us bathing together when we were really really young, and my banging my brother's head against the wall for irritating me.

Today, I could certainly learn a lot from him, in particular his spirit of self-giving and his constant cheerfulness. I'm proud to call him my brother. My hero. May God continue to bless you. And I'll miss you...