Ex-member: I never encountered any conspiratorial non-sense

By Pat Delaney, answering allegations by someone against Opus Dei, at Greenspun. According to the accusations, life in Opus is allegedly "miserable" and Opus Dei's practices are allegedly "very far from Catholic orthodoxy". The text of Pat Delaney is the last piece in a series of posts and counter-posts at the Greenspun website.

Dear Atila,

I have known the Work for many years. In fact, I have previously been a member, and did in fact "whistle." I was an active member for five years before I decided it was not quite right for me about 8-9 years ago. Nevertheless, the people in the Work are still very much a part of my life in some ways. I have NEVER encountered any of the conspiratorial nonsense you allege. The types of things you allege cannot be proven otherwise as you allege they are done secretly.

What I have seen within the Work are many highly gifted people who live saintly lives, and less gifted ones who are willing to struggle with themselves. As with any human organization, there is an occasional idiot or two hanging around that everyone tries to be patient with in the hope that they will grow.

What I have also seen much of is something else. I have seen people who, when they see the opportunity for much sacrifice in their life, the sacrifices that will really need to be done to reform their spiritual life, will recoil in disgust after making an initial attempt. This often happens in the spiritual development of any person and is referred to as the "the dark night." Saint John and Saint Theresa of Avila refer to these periods as occurring twice along the path to great spiritual perfection. This path is well know and is defined by three phases: Purgative, Illuminative and Unitive and are separated by these dark periods. This is all explained quite well in "Spiritual Passages" by Father Benedict Groeschel (not in Opus Dei).

Many people when they reach these dark phases, or encounter some other great temptation, give in to the temptation and just stop trying. These people sometime find their way back to spiritual development, sometimes not. Unfortunately, rather than realize that this failure is the result of their own weakness, these people will try and blame their own personal decision on factors controlled by others.

I see this often among ex-members who wish to justify there own personal decision to leave the "Work." They associate the demands of growing in the spiritual life, with the rigors associated with living the "Norms" and other activities that EVERY person, in and out of the Work will eventually need to undertake if they are to develop themselves and grow to be a person of great virtue (i.e., a saint).

You have left the Work for your own reasons. That is fine. That is your personal freedom and your right. No one in the Work disrespects that. But you sin greatly by maligning those who, of their own freedom, choose to stay and use the Work as a vehicle for their own spiritual growth. That is all that Opus Dei really is. Its a service-provider and a vehicle for what can be great spirtual growth for those who wish to take that ride.

The LIBROS website you refer to is trash. It is set up by bitter people who wish to justify the unhappiness they have with their personal decisions by maligning others. It teaches attacks on the Church herself. It is full of relativism, skepticism and cynicalism. These are the marks of people who have turned their eyes from the truth.

I will pray for you Atila, as I'm sure your true friends in the Work regularly do despite your absence and attacks upon them. But in charity, I tell you that your present crusade is guided by none other than the Father of Lies.

-- Pat Delaney (pat@patdelaney.net), February 26, 2004.