Questions on Opus Dei

Red Meg of Catholic Answers Forum replies to questions on Opus Dei


Quote:
Originally Posted by AveSantaMaria
What is a supernumerary?

A supernumerary is a member of Opus Dei who has a vocation to marriage and raising a family of their own. We keep to the same "plan of life" as other members (numeraries and associates) like Mass, prayer, Rosary, etc. but we live in our own homes to take care of our families. Numeraries, on the other hand, remain single and normally live together in a center. They do this so they have the time & energy needed to give formation & spiritual direction.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rafaela
Though I have not experienced anything negative, and I sort of buy into their message, I still wonder why they need to be in front line of marketing their group in internet etc.

Opus Dei has one major website dedicated to explaining the organization, another one dedicated to sharing the writings of St. Josemaria, and I think there's one more, not nearly as extensive, that is "about" St. Josemaria. I'm not too sure what their goal is, exactly, except maybe for historical or scholarly use?

Anyway, I guess I don't see a problem with using the modern means of communication to explain who we are. Some people feel much more comfortable accessing information that way, while others (who would rather watch paint dry than spend time on the internet) would probably do better to just knock on the door of a center, sit down and have a cup of tea with someone and discuss things. I don't see the issue with either approach-- the goal is to help people see that God calls everyone to be a saint, and if using a variety of means to communicate that is what works, than go for it...

Quote:
Another fact I am concerned with is, why there seems to be relative amount of people online, with their web pages, whom seem to be totally normal, and they are very radically against OD, some calling it even 'cult'.

I can't speak to everyone's experience with the Work-- I can certainly say, though, that it isn't for everybody, just as everybody isn't called to the cloister or a third order or whatever. I can say, however, that I have encountered nothing 'culty' in my dealings with people in Opus Dei. Nothing. We place a huge, huge emphasis on freedom, because we are children of God, not slaves. Anything done in the Work needs to be done freely, as an adult.

That being said, I have encountered one person in the Work who is by nature an incredibly pushy woman who will not take no for an answer. I have to imagine she has rubbed some people the wrong way over the years. But that is quite clearly her own defect that she needs to work on, not something to be attributed to Opus Dei, any more than my horrible sloppiness and poor housekeeping should be...

I would definitely encourage you to poke around the www.opusdei.org site further if you are interested-- a lot of material is covered, and explained with more writing skill than I possess. You can, of course, ask me, too, but I am subject to family demands.

Also, there were two books published recently that present an interesting look-- one is from an "insider," the apologist Scott Hahn, called "Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace;" the other is from an outside perspective, by the journalist John Allen, called "Opus Dei." They are both from Doubleday, which is apparently seeking to cash in on all aspects of controversy, since they also published "The Da Vinci Code" and St. Josemaria's "The Way."

Hope this helps,

Margaret