Any influence Opus Dei may have at IESE is understated

Letter to the Editor of Financial Times. December 13 2010 05:25 | Last updated: December 13 2010 05:25

From Mr Chris Daniels.

Sir, I read with interest your article on the University of Navarra’s Iese Business School and its links with Opus Dei (“A matter of faith”, FT Wealth, Winter 2010 edition). However, I was rather disappointed with the lack of balance about Opus Dei’s influence that came across.

I am head of Iese’s UK Alumni Association, a voluntary position nominated by Iese Business School. Yet I am not a member of Opus Dei, nor even a Catholic. I chose Iese because it is a great business school with an interesting mix of people and a strong ethical stance.

In my two years there, at no stage did I get any pressure to be involved with Opus Dei – in fact quite the contrary – the international students asked for a talk on Opus Dei after the first term because its presence was so unpronounced and we wanted to find out what all the fuss was about!

As for the chapel being in the centre of the Barcelona campus – it took me a year to discover this fabled building, tucked away below ground level. I am sure Opus Dei has an influence on Iese, but all I saw of it was that it was understated, and
I only saw a positive in that it may give the school an extra ethical dimension.

It was great that the article did mention a lot of the unique and world-leading aspects of Iese, but to spend the majority of the article on something that was rather incidental to most MBA students, particularly those from outside Spain, seemed to lack the balance that the FT is famous for.

Chris Daniels,

London NW1, UK

Twins Celebrate 100 Years in the Priesthood

The theme for the celebration is: "100 Years in the Priesthood, Saviors With Jesus."

The interview with the Molaro brothers, of the Archdiocese of Parana, was suggested to ZENIT by Father Leandro Bonnin. He asked the twins about their vocational call, the secret to their perseverance, and other insights they have gained over the past 50 years.



Q: You have both had the occasion to take part in Church scenarios beyond the diocese, and experience the universal nature of the Church. What aspects of these experiences would you like to highlight?

Father Raúl: I have been greatly impressed seeing the multitudes that gather for the Pope's audiences in Rome, flocking with so much faith and love towards Christ's Vicar.

Also, I am impressed how the Holy Spirit has inspired numerous ecclesial movements of spiritual rebirth and apostolate that are renewing the Church, in the midst of so much trouble and of brothers who break away from God and the Church. These movements are the new yeast that is transforming the dough.

In relation to this last point, there is a very significant and important fact in my priestly life: the inner call of the Blessed Virgin to join the Institute of Diocesan Priests of Schoenstatt for many years now. This has marked my life deeply.

Father César: Relating this to the difficult years after the council, in Santa Elena, although at first I prayed a lot (I was there from 1965 to 1978), after 1968 or 1970, I stopped praying due to my activity, and I felt a great inner emptiness. In September 1976, I went to a retreat called by Monsignor Tortolo, which was preached by an Opus Dei priest: Father Fernando Lázaro. After that, he used to come every month from Buenos Aires to visit me and many other priests of the diocese. He invited me to join Opus Dei.

Over the years, I have seen that Opus Dei looks after you and looks after the priesthood. Once a week, you have fraternal conversation (spiritual direction), confession, and a formation meeting. It does not impose anything on you, while demanding more and more from you in your spiritual life, with all its requirements. There is no double obedience: to the bishop and to Opus Dei. One continues to be a diocesan priest and not a religious (Opus Dei priests are not religious), and one owes obedience to the bishop only.

In 1992, I had the grace of attending the beatification of Father Josemaría Escrivá. Although I wanted to, I was not going to the canonization because I had undergone a stomach operation on May 17, 2002, and the canonization was on Oct. 6. Opus Dei paid for my entire trip and lodging; on board the plane, there was a priest looking after me, while, at the canonization, the vicar of Opus Dei in Argentina, himself, was by me, looking after me.

Really, as the founder of Opus Dei used to say, it is a good place to live and to die. It pleases me to remember that I was able to go twice to Rome and see the Pope and the prelate of Opus Dei, in the center of Catholicity, to experience the universality of the Church: faithful from all over the world, taking part in the beatification and canonization.

Q: A lot of young people, immersed in the instability of present day life, are doubtful whether it is possible to remain faithful to a state of life for many years. What are the keys to fidelity and perseverance?

Father César: Nowadays, more than ever, there is that instability among young people, who do not want to undertake a lifelong commitment. They consider perseverance and fidelity very difficult.

However, thanks to God, there are still married couples who celebrate their golden wedding anniversary, and people who remain faithful. And marriage is more difficult, because he or she can fail. In the priesthood, there is one who does not fail, and that is Jesus. In other words, a priest has 50% assured.

If one remains faithful to the norms of piety, if one is obedient, and accepts one's crosses in an endeavor to follow God's will, with his grace, one perseveres in fidelity. I am pleased and I thank God, when some of the faithful say to me: "Thank you for your fidelity."

Father Raúl: These are certainly very difficult times, and more so for the young.

I think one key point is to know what one wants and where one is going; in other words, to have a very clear personal ideal in life. To ask the Lord, in prayer, that he show us his paths, what he wishes of us, his will. And then, trusting in the Lord's help, to decide to live that inconditional surrender, "without looking back," trying to be faithful in the small-great things of everyday life.

For perseverance, what has sustained me is having a considerable amount of personal prayer with the Lord every day, trying to discover there the "God of Life." To listen to what the Lord says to me, what he expects of me.

Without prayer, it is very difficult to persevere in self-surrender. Additionally, having a life group where, fraternally, we can help each other with our brothers in the priesthood.

Q: What could you advise the current candidates to the priesthood, and young people discerning their vocation?

Father Raúl: That if they are doubtful, for them not to continue! Vocation is a personal response, in love and self-surrender, to the Lord and to the Church, like someone getting married, who acquires the commitment with someone else to love them forever.

That they should believe that the Lord will not fail; he is always faithful! He does not abandon the task he has undertaken. We, poor sinners, can fail, but Jesus does not withdraw his love.

If you feel the Lord's call to love him and to give yourself to him, do not hesitate to take the plunge, and you will succeed in swimming.

Father César: That they should consider the fact that if they are in the seminary it is because Jesus "looked at them and loved them," and that he is calling them for this great vocation: the priesthood. It is an enormous gift and the light that illuminates the path.

That one is freer when, relinquishing everything, one wants to follow Jesus. One gains the hundredfold return and eternal life. What more can one ask for? Come on, and go ahead!

Q: Both of you have been very close to the Blessed Virgin during your ministry. What role does Mary play in the life of a priest, and what role did she play in yours?

Father Raúl: She is the mother and educator of Jesus the priest; she is also, according to the Lord's will, the mother and educator of the priest, who is another Christ.

As St. Pius X stated previously "the shortest, easiest, safest path to Christ is Mary." She is her Son's right hand in the work of salvation, and God wants her to be the right hand of those who are "other Christs," priests, in their priestly ministry.

Personally, I have to point out how much my alliance of love with the Blessed Virgin, within the Schoenstatt Movement, has meant in my personal life and in my life as a priest.

Father César: After Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary occupies an essential place in the life of a priest.

She is Jesus' mother and our mother, who cares especially for her sons in the priesthood.

If one gives oneself to the Blessed Virgin, one may go through troubles, but the Virgin does not neglect one. How important it is to trust in her!

On Oct. 12, the day of Our Lady of Pilar, it was 54 years since my vow of servitude of St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort. I was finishing the first year of theology. I have always felt that being in theology means that you are convinced you are going to be a priest. You cannot study theology if you are not sure of your priestly vocation.

I remember that once, at least, I went to the basilica of Our Lady of Lujan, to pray to the Virgin for my priesthood. I had occasion to touch and be very close to Our Lady of Lujan when Pope John Paul II came for the first time, in the midst of the Falklands crisis. Every day I rediscover how important the three Hail Marys are, the praying of the holy rosary, the scapular, in other words, that we should feel that we are Mary's sons.

Source: http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=zenit&id=31178

Lay Catholics in Asia: A sleeping giant that is waking up

By Asia News in SperoNews

Seoul - Lay Catholics in Asia have been likened to a "sleeping giant", held back by too many commitments within the clerical structures. It is now time to awaken them to their specific mission, which is to live in the world like a leaven, transforming it, showing the diversity of their life of faith so as to arouse admiration and questions in those who are non-believers . This is a summary of the contents of discussions and conversations held today, the second day of the Congress of Asian Catholic laity here in Seoul which has stressed the present moment as one of transition to an all encompassing lay mission, in family life, the workplace, media in politics.

An authoritative support for this thrust towards the world was founding the intervention of Mgr. Josef Clemens, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Thanks to his personal experience as a close collaborator of Josef Ratzinger until his election as Pope (he was his personal secretary), Mgr. Clemens highlighted many of Ratzinger's interventions in defense of a lay commitment "not in church structures, but as leaders in society", in contact with the world

He also outlined the continuing relevance of the Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles laici asking for its implementation, 22 years on from its promulgation.

But the contributions that have aroused most interest were those of the first two Asians to speak to the Congress.

The first, Mgr. Dao Dinh Duc, a professor at the Seminary in Xuan Loc (Vietnam) emphasized that any commitment of the Church that does not include the mission ad gentes (to non-Christians) is not a true ecclesial commitment. This commitment is borne mainly by lay people, who live in daily contact with the world. What is to be feared, he said, is to have lay people who "are only in the structures of the Church and are insignificant in society".

The mission in the world should not rely on abused slogans, but tend to enliven the faith in culture. For this, he added, it is not enough to "serve the poor": we must ensure that the Gospel reaches "even the rich, the powerful, the intellectuals, policy makers, university students because the fate of the poor also depends on them."

The second person, the first Asian layman to make an address, was Jess Estanislao, who was actively involved in the world of politics, as a member of the Philippine government and former entrepreneur. A member of Opus Dei, Estanislao presented the scope of lay mission: professionalism and perfection in the workplace, commitment to family and life (he still battles alongside the Filipino Church against the law to control population that the government in Manila would like to see approved); freedom and personal responsibility in social decisions, fighting so that priests do not engage directly in political life, friendship with all; cultivating friends in the media. In this regard, as an example, he spoke of how important it is to maintain good relations with the authors of the television soap operas in the Philippines, full of sex, ambiguity and ignorance towards Christianity. "Only through these friendships - he said - can we help these authors to change their work and fill it with new values."

Every intervention stressed the importance of formation of the laity, placing of value on study and understanding of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Read the rest of the article at SperoNews.

Sandra Cassidy: It's an easy way of knowing you are doing penance

By Rebecca Hardy in Daily Mail

Sarah Cassidy is the sort of no-nonsense, capable woman you might expect to find as headmistress of a ­primary school. But Sarah doesn’t do children, and she doesn’t do husbands either.

No. Sarah is 43, single and celibate — and determined to remain so. Each night she fastens a wire chain, known as a cilice, around her upper thigh.

The device has sharp prongs that dig into the skin and flesh, though generally it does not draw blood. To most women, it sounds a peculiarly ­masochistic practice.

Yet Sarah says it serves a very different purpose: suppressing her desires and atoning for her sins.

Quite what those sins might be it is hard to imagine. For Sarah is not just good, but very, very good. She doesn’t drink, abhors drugs and has never had sex.

More than that, she is a senior female figure in Opus Dei, one of the most controversial forces in the Roman Catholic church. Portrayed as shadowy and sinister in Dan Brown’s international bestseller The Da Vinci Code, the group has been accused of obsessive secretiveness, elitism, misogyny and criticised for its methods of recruitment.

But it is the ‘mortification of the flesh’ — a ritualistic form of self-harming practised by many Opus Dei members — that has attracted most widespread condemnation.

Now, in a bid to correct false impressions, Sarah has agreed to meet me to discuss what it is that attracts women like her to what seems such an austere and, frankly, painful ­expression of faith. I meet her with fellow Opus Dei ­member Eileen Cole at the group’s £7 million London headquarters on Chelsea Embankment, where Sarah now lives.

First, though, some background. Opus Dei — Latin for ‘Work of God’ —was founded in Spain in 1928 by the Roman Catholic priest St ­Josemaria Escriva. Its doctrine focuses upon the lives of ordinary Catholics, who are neither priests, nuns nor monks yet who believe that everyone should aspire to be a saint.

Today, the organisation claims to have 87,000 members worldwide, about 60 per cent of whom live in Europe — among them, former Labour education minister Ruth Kelly.
Membership is divided into different categories.

About 70 per cent are so-called ‘supernumeraries’ — married men and women with normal careers. They contribute financially to Opus Dei, and though they are not formally required to practise ‘mortification’, many choose to do so.

The cilice is an easy way of knowing you’re doing penance. I wear mine above my thigh. If you go swimming, you don’t want to leave a mark from where it has been'

More committed, though, are ­‘numeraries’ like Sarah and Eileen, who pledge to remain celibate, generally live in special Opus Dei houses scattered around the world, and often work directly for the organisation.

Mortification is part of their daily routine, including use of the cilice and periods of fasting.

So every evening, just before she does the washing up, Eileen, 51, straps her strand of barbed wire round her leg and leaves it there for two whole hours, scratching at her skin and digging into the flesh.

It sounds agony, but she insists it’s ‘less painful than a bikini wax’. And besides, pain is the whole point.

‘It’s an easy way of knowing you’re doing penance,’ says Eileen, who lives in an Opus Dei centre in Ealing, West London. ‘I wear mine above my thigh. If you go swimming, you don’t want to leave a mark from where it has been.

‘To be honest, it’s the fasting I find most difficult.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1308090/Shes-respectable-intelligent---does-Sarah-attach-painful-barbed-chain-leg-hours-day.html#ixzz0yKwVGusv

Sainthood cause of Opus Dei priest opened in Boston

By Jim Lockwood in The Boston Pilot

BRAINTREE -- Rosemary Cook, of Pembroke, was driving in her car on a snowy day nearly 30 years ago when she passed a priest trudging through the snow.

Toting his suitcase, he was in the midst of a roughly five-mile walk from a bus stop to Arnold Hall Conference Center a North Pembroke retreat house.

The mother of nine was driving alone and asked the priest, whom she knew through her involvement with Opus Dei, if he would like a ride.

Cook estimated that when she saw the priest, he was about one mile from Arnold Hall. She said the priest refused the ride, saying he preferred not to get into a car with a woman driving by herself.

"I just remember being so impressed by that," Cook, now 71, said.

The priest was Servant of God Father Joseph Muzquiz, whose cause for canonization is now being opened by the Archdiocese of Boston.

Cook met Father Muzquiz when he came to the Boston area in 1981. She recalled his humility and pastoral presence.

"He was so incredibly wonderful but so unassuming and so quiet," Cook said.

"He did so much and you never would have known it," she also said. "There's no way he would ever put the spotlight on himself."

Cook's daughters, when they were teenagers, went to then Father Muzquiz for spiritual direction. They also worked at Arnold Hall during their high school years.

"He was like a grandfatherly type," Cook said.

"It's great to have your daughters, when they are in high school, getting spiritual direction from someone like him," Cook said.

Today, Cook prays for Father Muzquiz's intercession.

Father David Cavanagh, an Opus Dei priest from Cambridge and who is the postulator of Father Muzquiz's cause for canonization, said that he has prayed to him and received favors, like others he knows.

"We keep track of these," he said. "That's all pertinent."

However, Father Cavanagh said he is not aware of any first class miracles that can be attributed to him yet.

"This is normal," Father Cavanagh said. "The process is just getting underway."

In order to become a saint, a person must have two verified first class miracles attributed to them -- one to be beatified and another to be canonized.

Father Cavanagh discussed the process towards canonization, noting that Cardinal O'Malley has accepted Opus Deis' petition to open Muzquiz's cause. Bishop Emilio Allue, vicar of the archdiocese's Hispanic Apostolate, is spearheading the effort on behalf of the cardinal.

To read the rest of the article, see The Boston Pilot.

The story of Ray Santos

By Ray Santos. A story of a security guard and his vocation to Opus Dei, delivered at the International Congress "The Grandeur of Ordinary Life" in Rome, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. Josemaria Escriva, January 9th 2002. The speech received one of the warmest and longest standing ovations during the entire conference. Slightly edited to update blessed to saint.

My name is Ray Santos, a true blooded Filipino. But my name is a combination of English and Spanish. Ray means beam of light in English and Santos means Saints in Spanish. My name is just one of the ordinary Filipino names but lately I discovered the reason why God gave me this name. Whether this is by coincidence or not, I do not know but it sounds interesting to relate to you.

I am married to a simple woman and blessed with one lovely daughter. I spent most of my life working as a Security Guard for an Agency in the Philippines contracted to provide security services to companies of various sizes. Just to give you an idea of how much a Filipino security guard earns, my monthly salary is just enough to cover daily food, minimum clothing and basic public school education. I cannot afford to rent a house or apartment, so I stay in a 30 square meter house in a “ squatter area” at the heart of Metro Manila. Most of my neighbors are either unemployed or under-employed. I am lucky to be employed so I am grateful despite my meager income. In our country, more than thirty (30%) of our population live below the poverty line. Our neighborhood is just one of the hundred similar places in various parts of Metro Manila. For those of you who have visited the Philippines, your memories of our country will surely include squatters and street children all over.

My first encounter with the teachings of Saint Josemaria Escriva was when I worked in a big multinational company producing wires and cables named Phelps Dodge. The President happened to be a supernumerary member of Opus Dei. His surname was also Santos. The complete name was Ramon B. Santos. True to his name, he is another aspirant to become a “saint”. His dream is, just like any son of Saint Josemaria, to make sure, if possible, all of his employees will try to understand the value of sanctification in ordinary work. According to him, when the time comes that the first employee he meets at the gate greets him [with a special greeting of members of Opus Dei], then it would be a clear indication that that employee is one of the thousands happy followers of Saint Josemaria. That employee will surely “contaminate” with cheerfulness and sanctity the rest of his colleagues.

For this to happen, Phelps Dodge included in its corporate-wide human resource development program: doctrine classes, retreats, recollections and work values seminars. This type of development program was unique. It was a company benefit that was non-monetary and the positive effect on the employees and their families were real, albeit non-quantifiable.

To augment my income, I had to accept the special assignment of driving the officers and employees attending out-of-town activities such as retreats and work values seminars when my security shifts would allow. Mr. Santos, the President, trusted me a lot for this special assignment. His trust was not based on our similar surname. He never said a word but I could feel that he was proud of me being another hard working Santos in the company.

With the special formative activities as part of the benefit package, the company was blessed with many employees receiving a vocation to Opus Dei. Most of them were managers. This made me conclude that Opus Dei was only for the rich and for managers. I guessed that I should not even aspire to belong. I just performed my normal duties as best as I could.

As security guard-driver, I had no choice but to wait for the activities to end no matter how long they would take. So instead of doing nothing, once, the retreat coordinator encouraged me to attend and listen to the talks, meditation and classes.

As I listened, I started to discover my wrong doings. I realized that I had to change. With a small opening, the ray of light comes in. My name Ray--a beam of light--started to have a new meaning. You may call it a coincidence.

I realized that I had to start changing in dealing with my wife, fellow security guards and neighbors. My sudden turnaround was a big surprise for them. The first lesson I learned from Saint Josemaria was that sanctity is not just for the rich and the managers but also for a security guard like me.

Secondly, it was the first time I learned that marriage is not a second class vocation. It is a first class vocation and my wife should be my first apostolate. I admit here in public that my wife and I were separated for one year due to frequent and unbearable quarrels. She must have been the happiest person when I made a complete turnaround. I started to go home early every day. When I say early it means early in the evening not early morning the following day, which was my usual practice. We started to go to Sunday Mass together. Started helping in the household chores. In the Philippines, men believe that if you are the head of the family all you need to do at home is rest and command. Now I cannot afford to rest and I have to follow my wife’s orders. I have to fetch water from the common neighborhood pump. I have to help my wife wash clothes. And most especially, I have to make up for one year of lost time due to our separation.

Many of my friends tried to shy away from me especially when I gave up heavy drinking. Their common observation: “ I was a different kind of Ray now”. I told them, that time will come when they would understand me. I started to pray every day to Saint Josemaria using his Prayer Card for each one of my friends. It took them one year to realize that real friendship is introducing your friend to God since all of us should be friends of God.

In my work, I made it a habit to say spiritual aspirations as I go around inspecting the property. I tried to imitate Saint Josemaria’s practice of spreading Hail Mary’s praying for people all over without them knowing it. When I leave the company premises, I ask Saint Josemaria’s help to guard the whole property while I am out. True enough, one night, I received a radio message at 2:00 in the morning that the guards caught a robber inside the plant. I went to check the situation. Nobody was hurt. Nothing was lost. Saint Josemaria was at work while I was asleep. It has been tried and tested in several payroll hold-up cases in our company that seeking the help of Saint Josemaria always results in safety and security of lives. Robbers and hold-uppers are always alive and safe when caught.

I was promoted to the position of Supervisor of the Security Guards not because I and the President shared the same surname but because of dedication and performance. I had a big edge over the other security guards, especially when God called me to live my life as a supernumerary member of Opus Dei last December 26, 1997. This was God’s best Christmas gift to me. Now I had to be true to my surname Santos. Call it a coincidence, Ray Santos acquired a new dimension when I discovered the light of my vocation to become a saint.

The struggle to live my vocation in the environment where I came from was not easy. Daily life became more exciting because the nature of my job is to be “on call”, and I had to learn to squeeze out time to attend my formation activities and fulfill my spiritual plan of life. Saint Josemaria always took charge when I was out.

Eventually, Phelps Dodge closed down its Manila plant to transfer to Tarlac, 150 kilometers North of the city. Before it was transferred, I took the opportunity to show a big smile and to greet Mr. Santos with a warm hello [and the special greeting of members of Opus Dei] instead of a formal salute when he entered the gate one morning. It seemed like a silent meeting of minds. He knew that I had joined Opus Dei already. He may not have had enough time to convince all his employees to appreciate the teachings of Saint Josemaria because he was about to retire, but at least the first person at the gate, a security guard named Ray Santos now understood that it is possible to sanctify oneself in the middle of the world. According to him, I am another Santos trying to be a saint in the middle of the world.

After Phelps Dodge, I accepted the job as take charge guy of one of the biggest construction barracks in Metro Manila. This time I had to deal with 600 all male construction workers, mason, carpenters, security guards, laborers, steel men and helpers. Many of these workers had left their families in the provinces to earn a living in Metro Manila. My first concern was how to help them make good use of their weekends and rest days. The Catholics among them did not even go to Mass on Sundays.

This time, I was the only son of Saint Josemaria in a more exciting environment. I had to do my part to “re-christianize” that environment despite all odds. Firstly, I conducted Catholic doctrine classes and organized Sunday Masses in the barracks. Secondly, I organized sports festivals, fund–raising activities and credit cooperatives for the sick, injured and financially needy employees. Everybody was happy with the results. I am sure that Saint Josemaria really wanted me to pursue these apostolic works. That was why he worked harder helping me from heaven when I was working in the barracks.

Ladies and Gentlemen, being here in Italy speaking in front of you is another of God’s rewards. Never in my wildest dreams have I thought of traveling abroad. Never in my wildest dream have I thought of having a chance to deliver the stories of my life to such a distinguished audience. It really pays to be a Santos, a struggling saint in the middle of the world. God takes care of the rest.

There Be Dragons: You will not regret seeing this film. Not one tiny bit

By Marcel LeJeune, MTS

I am currently at the Theology of the Body Congress in Philadelphia. It is a gathering of many who believe in the power of the message of John Paul II's Theology of the Body. There are some real influential movers and shakers here including academics, leaders, catechists, priests, religious, bishops, laity, etc. from around the country and more than a dozen countries.

We were privileged to get see the first screening of There Be Dragons outside of LA tonight. It is a new movie which will be released in theaters this fall. It is a major motion picture and is currently in post-production, so we saw an unfinished version of the movie. Because of a confidentiality agreement, I can't give details, but suffice it to say - this one isn't your run-of-the-mill "Catholic" film that doesn't have the budget to put together a nice production. Rather, it is a major motion picture with a message for us all.

The film is based upon the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei (who, if you aren't familiar with him - he is a rock star of a Saint you need to get to know). It really brought St. Josemaria alive for me in a new way. It moved me. Once I am able, I will give details about the film. But, you should know this - you will not regret seeing this film. Not one tiny bit.

Roland Joffe is the director of the film. He also directed one of my favorite films of all time - The Mission - as well as The Killing Fields. He was nominated for the Oscar for best director for both films. He is top-notch and There Be Dragons nears the same level of film making.

More about the film from a recent press release:

New major motion film reflects on the life of Opus Dei founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá

View a trailer at www.ThereBeDragonsFilm.com

Hollywood, CA, July 28— Academy Award nominated director Roland Joffé returns to Hollywood with an epic film that explores the nature of humanity in his latest movie “There Be Dragons.” The famed director of the deeply Catholic film “The Mission” returns to a spiritual plot in his latest film, a powerful story of forgiveness and reconciliation woven around the figure of St. Josemaría Escrivá during the Spanish republic and Civil War in the mid 1930s. The film combines action, adventure, passion and romance with the extraordinary drama of human tragedy and Divine redemption.

Recently, more than 68 million Catholics in the United States and more than 1 billion around the world marked the feast day of St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. Without question, this controversial religious organization and the entire Catholic Church have been the subjects of much criticism and conspiracies. Yet, even during these challenging times, the life of this intriguing Catholic figure has inspired the making of a $35 million major motion picture.

Opus Dei: for the rich and the poor

Comments at Pinoy Exchange Forum. By Ziggyboy from Sydney. This is a slightly edited version of the original posts which can be found here and here.

I also studied in a PAREF school back in grade school and some years in high school. I did not graduated though ha ha.

Opus Dei is actually a "Personal Prelature", which is almost synonymous to a diocese; and definitely not to be compared to El Shaddai. It's actually the only personal prelature in existence. They have a bishop who heads them but that's for the whole of Opus Dei in the world. Unlike a diocese which is bound by geographical borders, a personal prelature has only their members as their limits. In effect, Opus Dei members worldwide recognize the Opus Dei bishop also as their bishop and not just (for example) the Cardinal of Manila.

Actually, there is a reason why Opus Dei somehow focuses on prominent people (although they would deny they do--they also have programs for the poor--they run a school for farmers too! Not to mention the Southridge Night School!). Opus Dei believes that one can achieve becoming a true Christian by just doing what you normally do without doing anything extraordinary...because everyday life can be a prayer in itself!

Somehow we get the notion that when you are rich, you're supposed to give away our riches to fully follow God; and when you're poor, you're more likely to enter Heaven. Touching the hearts of the rich and making them do what is moral and just will make more impact to more people because they are influential. For example: There is a cruel rich man with 50 workers in his factory. Evangelize the workers and they might end up sacrificing more or complain less, but evangelize the cruel rich man and you will also help the 50 workers as a result.

Well some of the ideas here are my personal point of views especially the last ones, so please, don't flame Opus Dei.

Opus Dei has programs for the poor, and the Southridge Night School is an excellent one. They offer scholarships for the top students of public schools only. Did you know that the night school actually has a better passing rate at the University of the Philippines more than the day school (the free night school has a higher rank in DECS NSAT compared to the day school and Woodrose, http://www.decs.gov.ph/topnsatncr.htm they are ranked number seven! They do better than Ateneo and Xavier high schools. But the Night School cannot operate without the existence of the day school because it is the "expensive tuition" of the day school that finances them. So by actually studying in Southridge you indirectly sponsor a night school student.

Night high school students use the same facilities and have the same teachers as day school and...for FREE! The only problem is that their grade requirements are very high and you have to come from a public school. Let's see a lowly financed school offer that quality of education to public school students. Would you think it would be possible to do all these without the help of the rich? To have most of their programs for the poor would shoo away the rich and will have dramatic loss of money. Who would fund the newly started programs for the poor? Remember that rich people would only fund organizations they do not benefit from only once in a while. But those they are a part of would benefit greatly from their generosity.

Let's see Ateneo, LaSalle GH/Zobel, Colegio San Agustin, Assumption, Poveda, St. Scholastia's or any religious-run high schools produce great public school student graduates and give it to them for FREE! To me, the night school of Southridge is the best chance that a public school student can ever have in this whole country!

Like parents of a large and needy family

By Wendy Petzall at Opusdeitoday. She replies to a query at Opus Dei today forum.

Question: I read in another website that Opus Dei numeraries give their income to the Work and receive a stipend. Does this also entail that they must surrender private property and accounts as well or do they own private property like other lay people?

Many numeraries choose to give all they earn for the upkeep of the house (and family = other members of the Work who live in that house), just like any parent in a family would do. And that should not surprise anybody.
At the same time, whatever money that particular person needs, s/he can use, again as any parent would in a "numerous and needy family" (the usual recommendation of St Josemaría to all who want to practise the virtue of Christian poverty): with great care! This means, thinking carefully of the needs of all members of the family BEFORE spending a dime on oneself, looking for bargains and sales, and giving up a lot of things in order to take care of the family, just as any parent would do, and putting all the money in the "common pot" [I really, really don't understand prenuptial agreements between Catholics!]

On the other hand, in one's own professional life, one is in charge of whatever resources are needed for that work. This might mean being the owner of a business or company, or of shares in a company, or the administrator, or... etc., etc., etc. And each one does with one's own money whatever one wants, with the limitations any person would have: if you do not own the company you work for, you have to keep and give account of whatever you use, as anyone would be expected to do...

I hope I'm not confusing the issue, but money has never been a problem for me in my 38 years as a numerary in Venezuela.

All the best,

Wendy

A feast for the soul

By Pablito de la Cruz. He is a pediatric neurologist in Terre Haute, Indiana, who came in contact with the Work in the Philippines while in med school at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. He has four children.


I admire the members of Opus Dei. The spirituality they evoke is very human and very ordinary--you might miss it entirely just by looking. However, it is as old as the early Christians and they genuinely practice it in their lives. The members of Opus Dei may seem elitist--I know many who are professionals-Doctors, businessmen and people in places of authority--but they practice their faith in the utmost humility. If you have a center of Opus Dei near you, I would highly recommend attending their retreats--it is a feast for the soul!

His usually spiritual joy: Fr. Ramon Salas, vicar of Opus Dei

By CNA/EWTN news

Coadjutor Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has written a letter bidding farewell to Fr. Ramon Salas Cacho, an exemplary priest who tragically died in a car accident on July 9. In his letter, the archbishop expressed his sympathy and hope in God, praising the courageous testimony of Fr. Salas and the priest's total commitment to his mission.

“For those who have faith, we know, as St. Paul says, that everything happens for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). There are events in our lives, however, episodes that remind us that accepting this truth is not always easy,” the archbishop wrote. “One of them has been the departure to Eternal Life of a priest friend, whose entire life was an affirmation of the Year of Priests we have just brought to a close: Fr. Ramon Salas Cacho, who completed his journey among us on July 9.”

The priest, who was the vicar of the prelature for Opus Dei in Mexico City, died at the age of 57. He had served as a priest for 25 years.

“Ramon, how are you?’ I would often ask him each time I had the chance to visit Mexico City,” the archbishop continued in his letter. “‘Will you come with me to the Villa to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe?’ I would invariably ask him. And the generosity of his response was equally invariable: ‘Absolutely! I’ll pick you up at the airport and we’ll go pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe.’”

“The last time we were together at the feet of Our Lady, he turned to me with his usually spiritual joy and said, ‘It’s so great to pray with Our Lady of Guadalupe',” the prelate recalled.

“His more than 25 years of priesthood were marked by a profound life of prayer, the devout celebration of the Holy Eucharist and untiring attention to the spiritual needs of so many men and women who came to him to be reconciled with God through the sacrament of Confession or to seek out counsel and wisdom through spiritual direction,” Archbishop Gomez noted.

The rest of the article is here.

My ideal is so great that only the sea could hold it

By Sergei, a 28 year old Russian Orthodox. He is a cooperator of Opus Dei.

The immense gift of life that God has given us is just the beginning of our journey. On our way to the Kingdom of God we are all the same, whatever family we were born into. That’s why it’s so important for us to ask, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?”

One day a friend told me: “When I finished my degree I thought that soon I would be an important person, that before long a big car would drive up and the head of some major firm would greet me, ‘We’ve been waiting for you; welcome to your new job!’ But as the days went by, no car showed up and many months passed before I found work. And then it wasn’t the job I had prepared for.”

Something similar happened to me. When I finished my studies in history, I found some part-time work for several years while writing my doctoral thesis. A few months before defending the thesis, I discovered the Christian faith. Since then I’ve been lucky to find steady work and can say that life hasn’t gone all that badly for me.

In any case, I realized that something was still missing. Rarely did I find any real satisfaction in my work. I thought to myself: “I can do greater and more interesting things than this, but my bosses don’t see it that way.” This dissatisfaction couldn’t last forever, so I started looking for something that could help me escape from this dead-end street and truly find myself.

One day, on the Internet, I came across some passages from a book by St. Josemaría. It was only a few lines, but it was enough to catch my attention and make me react. I had the impression that those words had been written especially for me: “That young fellow wrote to me: ‘My ideal is so great that only the sea could hold it.’ I answered: And what about the Tabernacle, which is so ‘small’? And the ‘lowly’ workshop in Nazareth? It is in the greatness of ordinary things that He awaits us!”

I’ve noticed with pictures of some people that the person’s eyes seem to be looking directly at you, and that if you change your position the eyes seem to follow you. That’s what happened to me. St. Josemaría didn’t write his books “for everyone,” but “for each one,” “for me.”

Finding meaning in any activity, even when boring or routine, could seem an obvious truth that’s been known for a thousand years. But when you read words like: “Before God, no occupation is in itself great or small. Everything acquires the value of the Love with which it is carried out,” then that truth becomes surprisingly relevant right here and now.

Once I changed my attitude to work, the quality of my work and the way I approached it started changing too. But most importantly, my understanding of “why” I was doing it changed. As I read more deeply in St. Josemaría’s books, it became impossible for me to work in a slipshod way or to do something just to get it done, since we are working for God. As Escrivá says, “It is no good offering to God something that is less perfect than our poor human limitations permit. The work that we offer must be without blemish, and it must be done as carefully as possible, even in its smallest details.”

This is how St. Josemaría has helped me to “find myself” and discover the meaning of my activities, and to carry out my work with peace.

Immersed in God: Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei As Seen by His Successor, Bishop Alvaro Del Portillo

In The Best SEO Checklist

This book is well worth its price. It brings to life Blessed Josemaria Escriva through the eyes of the man who was at his side for over 40 years. When reading the writings of Escriva one feels that they are indeed pious things to reach for, but this book shows that Escriva actually practiced what he preached.

How apt the title of the work is: Immersed in God. It paints a true picture of who Escriva was. Everything that he did, he referred to God. When reading this book you will discover this. When they had games to guess a number in the Father’s head, it would always be either 3 or a multiplication of 3, in honor of the Holy Trinity. When he used to read the newspaper, he would be praying for all the people and events to the Lord. When he would greet someone he would first mentally greet his or her guardian angel. He would always give up a better seat for someone else. He was a man who used every moment of his life as a sacrifice to offer to God. He was indeed a saint-he is the definition of one. Read this work--you will find yourself imitating him.

The First Priest of Xavier School

Interview with Fr. Jimmy Liao, Xavier School, posted 14-Jun-2005 8:20 AM

Fr. Jimmy Liao was the first Xaverian who became a priest. He graduated from Xavier School in 1966 and pursued BS Commerce in Accounting in De La Salle University. Then, he became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1970. Even though he had great qualifications in the field of Business, he still decided to follow his vocation and join the priesthood. He was ordained to the priesthood in Madrid , Spain in 1977, and soon after, he enrolled in the Doctorate in Sacred Theology program of the Universidad de Navarra in 1979 soon after his ordination.

What lessons, if any, did you absorb from Xavier School? I can never repay Xavier School for inculcating in me: seriousness in studies, religious piety, and service to others. I always remember Xavier’s motto: “Luceat Lux”, to let the light shine, specially the light of faith. The Jesuit formation values not only reason and logic, but also fosters high ideals.

As a priest for almost 30 years, are you happy with your vocation? Definitely very happy, with no regrets to being a servant of God.

How does your schooling in Xavier influence you to be a priest, if I may ask?

I would say that Xavier School prepared the ground for me to receive a vocation. The seed of the vocation to Opus Dei, a Personal Prelature composed of lay people and secular priests, was planted when I was at La Salle . My training and work as a CPA gave me a perspective to pursue spiritual bookkeeping and come up with income statements that show a spiritual profit. Material profits are transitory and ephemeral, while spiritual profit is lasting and forever. Material profits can never be equal to the spiritual profit of closeness to God.

What are your fondest memories of Xavier School? Fr Louis Papilla and the Sodality. Fr Papilla touched my life quite profoundly. In fact he was the one who endorsed me to be a scholar at La Salle , where I was introduced by a Xaverian classmate, Tony Chua, to Opus Dei’s activities and eventually joined it as a Numerary lay member in 1968.

What is your thought on minimizing conflicts between Islam and Christianity? I am not a deep thinker. But for my two cent’s worth, my opinion is: Love each other as I (Jesus) love you. Fr Rafael Cortina told one of our classmates that a Xaverian, a medical doctor and also a deacon of the United Evangelical Church, could be considered a good Christian since he visited quite often the Jesuit priests who were sometimes sick in the Jesuit House. This type of behavior of Christian love will certainly reduce conflicts among religions.

Off the record, how do you react as a priest to temptations of the flesh? Prayer, mortification, apostolic zeal and hard work. I remember what Fr Daniel Clifford advised us sometime in 1965 during Religion class: “For 1 minute of pleasure, why should you sacrifice eternity?” I would modify the above: For 1 minute of pleasure, is the risk worth it?

Given that all those belonging to batch 66 are likely in the age range of 5:30 , what advices can you give for them to face depression and mortality? I myself am already 56 years old. Another 10, 20 or 30 years, either I will be attending funerals of other classmates or my classmates will be attending my funeral. Life is short. Jesus died because of love for others. Some people died for money. Others for fame. Even not a few died without knowing why. How about dying for love? Given the shortness of life, my 1 peso worth of opinion: 1) What you do now, ask yourself: when you stand in the eternity of time, would you do it? This viewpoint of eternity of time will change one’s perspective, values and decisions; 2) I strongly recommend doing physical exercises to promote blood circulation, and also to protect the temple of God .

When you decided to become a priest, how did you handle the objections of your parents? Though they did object to my vocation, I prayed very hard and stayed firm in my decision. I missed their presence on the day of my ordination in Spain in 1977. Soon after, through the dealings of some Opus Dei members with them, my parents came to understand my calling and appreciate it a lot. In fact, my late father began to take up catechism classes and, upon my return from Spain in 1979, I baptized him with the name of Josemaria, as a sign of my devotion and gratitude to St. Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei.



Pastoral Ministry of Father Jimmy Liao

1977-79 Chaplain of Club Indar, Vitoria ( Spain ) while pursuing Masteral and Doctorate studies in Pamplona; 1979-81 Chaplain of Samar Study Center , Q.C., Philippines; 1981-85 Chaplain of Shiu Fai Cultural Center, Hong Kong; 1985-91 Chaplain of Cheng Jung Study Center , Taipei ( Taiwan ); Spiritual Director of Taipei Minor Seminary ( Taiwan ); 1991-96 Chaplain of Samar Study Center , Q.C., Philippines; 1996-2003 Chaplain of Tak Sun Kindergarten and Primary School, Hong Kong; 2003-2006 Chaplain of Heshan University; Residence, Taipei ( Taiwan; Professor/Spiritual Director of Taiwan; Regional Major Seminary, Taipei ( Taiwan ); 2006 - Present Chaplain, Stella Orientis Chapel, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pasig, Philippines

A remarkable path to Opus Dei: John Paul II and the Shins

By John Allen in Opus Dei

People find their way into Opus Dei in a variety of ways, but within that diversity, Louisa Shins, a Dutch supernumerary, followed one of the more remarkable paths. She was born in the south of Holland, where she attended a school for women looking to do domestic work. She met her husband while at school, and the two were married in 1961. They moved to Italy, where her husband pursued a career as a nuclear techni­cian. They lived about forty miles north of Milan, in a town on Lago Maggiore. They had three children, two boys and a girl, all of whom went to international schools and grew up speaking Dutch, Italian, and French.

When their oldest son turned eighteen, he decided to go to Amster­dam for university studies. After about a year, the son called home and said he had found an international residence that he liked very much, where he could be with young men from Spain, France, and Italy, as well as the Dutch. That residence, it turned out, was operated by Opus Dei. Then their second son headed off to Amsterdam and repeated the pat­tern. After one year he phoned his parents saying he too wanted to move into the Opus Dei residence. Shins said she didn’t know much about Opus Dei at this stage, merely that she had asked a Dutch Benedictine who had given Opus Dei a clean bill of health. After a while, however, she said she noticed changes in her boys, for the better. They didn’t argue with each other, and they seemed more focused, more responsible, more adult. Finally the daughter left for Holland, and she decided not to mess around, moving directly into an Opus Dei residence for university girls.

Not long afterward, the Shinses took a family vacation together in Spain. Louisa said she knew something had changed when one of her children proposed going to a weekday Mass, and the next day another pro­posed saying the rosary. Moreover, Shins said, she began to see changes in her daughter. She smiled more, she seemed content, and was always willing to help out around the house. “What a beautiful thing,” Shins re­calls thinking. At that stage she began attending Opus Dei retreats and get-togethers in Milan, despite having to travel some forty miles over foggy, dangerous roads.

At some point, she said, her children revealed to her that they planned to join Opus Dei as numeraries. She said she cried a bit and did not tell her husband because she didn’t want him to know yet that the children would not be coming home. At this stage, she said, she wasn’t quite sure what to make of Opus Dei, and her husband hadn’t shown any particular interest. Then, out of the blue, in 1987, one of the children phoned and proposed that the following weekend all five of them meet in Rome. Louisa got off work from her teaching job, and her husband, al­ready retired, was ready to go. When they met in Rome, two of the chil­dren took Louisa and her husband sightseeing, but the third said he needed to stay by the phone, because he had to call someone every hour. Shins thought that a bit odd, but didn’t make much of it. When they got back, the son announced: “Tomorrow we’re going to Mass with the pope.” Louisa said she didn’t sleep well that night with excitement, but wasn’t worried ... she had told the hotel manager that if they didn’t wake her at 4:00 A.M., she wouldn’t pay the bill.

The family went to the private Mass, and afterward everyone lined up to meet John Paul II. A Vatican aide told them they could make a bit of chitchat, so Louisa’s husband decided to ask a question out of professional interest. “Holy Father,” he asked, “what do you think of nuclear power?” It probably wasn’t the usual postliturgical fare, but John Paul was unfazed. “Research is always for the good,” he said. “We have to do a great deal of research. If something is clean and affordable, then it’s a good thing.” Her husband, Louisa said, was content with the response.

Then it was her turn, and Louisa decided to “pop the question.” Pointing to her children, she said: “Holy Father, we have three children in Opus Dei, and we don’t know much about it. We’ve heard some people with different opinions, some positive, some negative. Tell me what you think, because yours is the only opinion that really counts for me.” The pope looked at her and said, “These are your children?” Louisa said yes, and the pope turned and began speaking with the three of them. He chat­ted for a few moments, obviously developing a positive impression, then returned to Louisa and her husband.

Looking at the parents directly, the pope smiled and said: “And you’re not yet members?”

It was all downhill from there.

As a footnote, the next day the Shin family was in an audience with Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the prelate of Opus Dei. Again, they were told they could ask a question, and so her husband decided this would be the ultimate test. Addressing himself to Portillo, he asked: “Father, what do you think of nuclear energy?” When Portillo responded with virtually the same words that John Paul II had used, Shins decided that Opus Dei was good enough for him. He and Louisa became supernumeraries shortly thereafter.

We have a Father. We must not forget it

By Bishop Finn

Dear Friends,

Once again we come together in praise and thanks to God on this Feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, to thank God for the prayers and example of this simple priest – a man of our own time, who nonetheless is a saint for all ages.

I know that one of the primary things that has attracted me to St. Josemaria is his humble devotion, his fidelity to the Church at a time when there was much upheaval, and his simple plan to help us see all of our most everyday tasks and efforts, our daily work, as a path to holiness.

You know so well, you who have read the Way, the Furrow, the Forge, that these little bits of sage wisdom – always consonant with the Gospel, represent a thousand little ways to holiness in the midst of the world. St. Josemaria, as a young priest, prayed fervently, “ut videam!,” Lord, that I may see! And he was given such a profound God’s-eye view of the way that ordinary men and women, lay faithful, family men and women, and diocesan priests as well, could be holy in accord with God’s plan: not by leaving the world but precisely by living close to God in the world – and offering all that happens, and all they do as a gift to God for the end of sanctification.

The unique insight of our saint was that he knew quickly and with a supernatural resolution that all were called to holiness. We need not go to a monastery – though some may indeed be called by God to go there. We need not become ordained, though we ought not resist if God calls us to the clerical state. We can reach heaven surely and safely by being contemplatives in the middle of the world. This is so important because, in fact it is the vocation of probably 95% of humanity!

Yes, understandably we give a lot of prayer and attention to the vocations of priesthood and consecrated life. Please don’t stop praying for these vocations. But what is God’s plan for the spiritual transformation of the world? It is for all of us to live a way, a path, a ‘plan of life’ which constantly reminds us of God’s presence, steeps us in prayer, many small mortifications and loving sacrifices, interior conversion, sound direction, growth in virtue, life of the Sacraments, good reading of Sacred Scripture and other holy books.

Emblematic of the simplicity and depth of St. Josemaria’s vision for holiness is the truth that God is our Father. You recall perhaps the story of St. Josemaria, traveling on the streetcar after a long day with many challenges,

“In mid-October, 1931, while in a streetcar ‘I felt the action of God, bringing forth in my heart and on my lips, with the force of something imperatively necessary, this tender invocation: Abba! Pater! (‘Abba! Father!’). Probably I made that prayer out loud. And I walked the streets of Madrid for maybe an hour, maybe two, I can’t say; time passed without my being aware of it. People must have thought I was crazy. I was contemplating, with lights that were not mine, that amazing truth. It was like a lighted coal burning in my soul, never to be extinguished.’”

Dear friends, Jesus, of course, gave this to the world. One of His greatest revelations was that He has a Father, and that we can call Him “Our Father.” But in this moment the power of this light struck the Founder, and He could never be the same. But this truth is not for a few. It is for all the sons and daughters. It is for you and me. WE have a Father. We must never forget it. We must, again and again, surrender ourselves onto His lap, into His arms.

One of the virtues that St. Josemaria talks about frequently is “naturalness.” It is not exactly in St. Thomas Aquinas’ list of virtues, but it is a combination of humility and joy, detachment and generosity. We should live and work within the world, not thinking it evil, but desiring to make it holy. We don’t want or need any extravagant things, but always beautiful and well-ordered. We don’t cultivate any idiosyncrasies. We don’t want to appear odd or flamboyant. We are just quietly at home in doing our work, in caring for others’ needs, in reaching out in apostolate, in being cheerful and not giving in to self-pity or sadness.

Think about how you can grow in this virtue of naturalness so that God can use you without drawing any attention to yourself. In our holiness we must have zeal and piety, but never in such a way that we want to draw attention to our self. We are, as St. Josemaria said, Like God’s donkey, quietly pulling the load and doing the work.

Pope Benedict has used this same image in the bear tamed by St. Corbinian. An ancient tradition tells that the first Bishop of Freising, St Corbinian (died in 730), set out for Rome on horseback. While riding through a forest he was attacked by a bear that tore his horse to pieces. Corbinian not only managed to tame the animal but also to make it carry his baggage to Rome. Bishop Joseph Ratzinger placed this image on his coat of arms, saying he himself was that bear. The pack saddle is the burden of his Episcopate. You and I must be willing to carry the load for love of God and love of the Church. We are God’s pack animals, his donkey, St. Corbinian’s bear.

Our gathering for Holy Mass this morning is a joyful praise to God for a Godly man who taught so many everyday folks a way to work for God. His name “Josemaria” makes us think of the Holy Family, Joseph and Mary, who, in obedience to God’s plan, made a home for the Savior of the world. With the prayers of Mary and Joseph and of our patron St. Josemaria Escriva, may we persevere in whatever God asks of us. Let us renew our joy in doing always the Work of God.

St. Josemaria, pray for us!

Saint of ordinary life

By Eric Sammons in The Divine Life: Why We Were Created. Eric began his study of the Catholic faith in 1991 as an Evangelical Protestant, converting to the Catholic Church in 1993. He serves as head of evangelization at St. John Neumann parish in Gaithersburg, MD, and is cofounder of Little Flowers Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to assist Catholic families seeking to adopt children with special-needs.

June 26th is the feast of St. Josemaría Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. St. Josemaría died on June 26th, 1975 (thus making him the most recently deceased canonized saint) and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

St. Josemaría is of course best known for founding Opus Dei, but paradoxically that fact has in some ways worked to make him less well-known among “ordinary” Catholics, the very people he was most trying to reach. In my experience, many Catholics seem to think that you have to be a member of Opus Dei to have a devotion to St. Josemaría, or that you have to support every single thing Opus Dei has ever done. But the truth is that St. Josemaría is a wonderful teacher for all Catholics, and his teachings and spirituality are perfectly suited for Catholics of all stripes.

The reason St. Josemaría is a great saint for today is that he calls us to strive for holiness in the midst of the modern world. Forty years before Vatican II declared a universal call to holiness, St. Josemaría was preaching this belief throughout Spain, insisting that every man and woman can become holy in – and through – everyday, ordinary life. I am not a member of Opus Dei, but I have found his teachings and spirituality to be quite helpful in my own pursuit of holiness and I encourage everyone to learn more about this great modern Saint.

I am currently in the preliminary stages of writing a book about St. Josemaría and his spirituality that is intended to be directed towards non-Opus Dei members.

Escriva's Legacy to Opus Dei and to the World

By Prof. Bro. Dave Ceasar Dela Cruz, CCS in νέος λειτουργοὺς.

Liturgy is the source and summit of Christian life, it also points to the life of the Church. Spirituality is always rooted in the liturgy.

Saint Josemaria, during his priestly ministry, celebrated the liturgy in the most perfect way he can. He believed that when we celebrate liturgy, the spirituality of a Christian is enriched so that his life may be patterned on how the Church worship... perfect, holy - just as our Father in heaven is perfect and holy.

Many criticized the liturgical celebrations of the prelature as if they are so conservative or traditional. I can say, "hahaha". They may be conservative to the point that they really follow the liturgical norms. Traditional because they do what they already practiced before in their own local Church.

Opus Dei preserved the beauty and sanctity of the liturgy in the very best way we can. This is a challenge for the local Church and in every parishes.

If you will attend liturgical celebrations of the prelature, you can say that Christ is present because the liturgy is so solemn and perfect because Christ himself solemnly work on our lives and makes perfect everything on earth for the glorification of the Father. How I wish that every liturgical celebration be like that in our diocese and in our country.

Another thing I want to point out is their love for the beauty of the vessels and vestments. Our professors in liturgy, my classmate priest during his homily on the 1st Mass of a new priest of their order, and even some liturgical authors professed that the beauty of the vessels and of the vestments reflects the dignity and beauty of the liturgy and of the sacraments which they received.

I remember one time in my former work place, I pity all the sacred vessels because they are rusted and dirty... Never ever I used such vessels. The vestments, Oh my! Horrible! In every major celebrations of the institute were I work before, I tried to brought out every collections of antique vestments and vessels in my house for the use of the celebration. In every liturgical celebration, you teach the people on the beauty of the liturgy on earth that reflects the liturgy in heaven! Much more with the kids, while they are young, let them see beauty of the liturgy for it is the foretaste of heaven on earth!

Now that I am moving to my new and own house, one room is dedicated to be an oratory for my private use and for visitors of the office of the Vice Postulation. I really made a point that everything in the oratory be perfect and beautiful. It doesn't only reflect my love for liturgy, being a liturgist, but the presence of the perfect and holy God when I pray the liturgical prayers...

The Prelature of the Opus Dei and of the Holy Cross and the whole Christendom will celebrate the feast of Saint Josemaria on Saturday, June 26. I am very grateful for the spirituality that El Padre taught me through my spiritual fathers of the prelature. Never ever will I abandoned the teachings of El Padre for I knew his great love for the Church, the love that led him to sufferings, trials, and misunderstanding as a way of purification.

May Saint Josemaria be an inspiration for us all!

Opus Dei has been very unfairly maligned over the years

By CV in Perspective. CV replies to accusations against Opus Dei.

For those who believe that Opus Dei is a "right wing cult," just a little reminder that St. Josemaria Escriva is a canonized saint.

I have more than 10 years of personal experience with this organization. I participate in occasional retreats and evenings of recollection and have benefited a great deal, although I feel no personal vocation to "join" by becoming a lay supernumerary.

I'm here to tell you that the only thing Opus Dei is concerned with is helping lay people pursue the universal call to holiness (that's straight out of Vatican II, and St. Josemaria was championing that notion several decades before VII). In the retreats and evenings of recollection, you'll be encouraged to pray more, receive the sacrament of confession, try to attend mass more often (beyond once a week that is), and say the rosary. That's it, and that's simple Catholicism.

For a fair and balanced look at Opus Dei through the eyes of an outsider, I recommend John Allen's recent book. He writes for the National Catholic Reporter, which can hardly be considered a "right wing" publication.

While I admire Fr. James Martin's writing and think he's done a great deal to communicate the faith well, I really think he did a disservice to Opus Dei with that article he write many moons ago for America.

And hey, for what it's worth, I'm a registered Democrat :-) Go figure.

----

Well, I'm no expert on the Spanish Civil War, which was the climate in which Opus Dei took root and grew, but I'll just point again to what reporter John Allen discovered. This is from America magazine's review of Allen's book:

"..An illustration of Mr. Allen’s technique can be seen in his examination of the charge that Opus Dei’s founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá, was a pro-Franco fascist. Mr. Allen describes the accusations and fills in the historical background. “[I]t’s worth noting that in the context of the Spanish Civil War, in which anticlerical Republican forces killed 13 bishops, 4,000 diocesan priests, 2,000 male religious, and 300 nuns, virtually every group and layer of life in the Catholic Church in Spain was ‘pro-Franco.’” The author goes on to note that despite this fact, “there is no instance in which [Escrivá] either praised or criticized the regime” throughout its long reign. “In the 1930s and 1940s, when the overwhelming sentiment in Catholic Spain was pro-Franco, Escrivá’s silence was therefore often read to betoken a hidden liberalism; by the 1960s and 1970s, when Catholic opinion had shifted, that same silence was interpreted as masking a pro-Franco conservatism,” he writes. While he concedes that Opus Dei members served in Franco’s ministry, he notes that this was unusual—only eight served over the course of 36 years, in Mr. Allen’s careful account. He also describes how many Opus Dei members joined the anti-Franco opposition. “The overall impression one gets is that Escrivá strove to maintain neutrality with respect to the Franco regime, even if privately he felt some sympathy for a leader trying by his lights to be an upright Christian,” Mr. Allen concludes. “A charge of ‘pro-Franco’ cannot be sustained, except in the generic sense that most Spanish Catholics were initially supportive of Franco.... The most one can say is that Escrivá was not ‘anti-Franco’ either.”

Here is a good Q & A with Allen regarding Opus Dei:

http://www.zenit.org/article-14916?l=english

Regarding the role of suffering, by which I presume you mean corporal mortification practices, in Opus Dei, it's worth noting that these practices have been part of Catholic tradition for about 2,000 years. Opus Dei didn't invent these practices, and very holy people such as Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta were also known to appreciate the value of corporal mortification.

That said, in a society like ours, most people are inclined to strenuously avoid suffering in any way shape or form (myself included). Unless of course, it is suffering for personal gain or development such as running a marathon, or denying oneself ice cream and carbs, or undergoing plastic surgery. Then it's considered to be the kind of self-sacrifice to be admired.

I guess people who see the value in corporal mortification (fasting, for example) would say that the value of "no pain, no gain" applies to the spiritual life also.

I am sure I sound like an apologist for Opus Dei, but I speak as someone who had serious reservations about this group early on when someone close to me became involved. Since then, I have read every scrap of information I could find, positive and negative. I've read the ODAN website and books by St. Josemaria. Most importantly, I've had close contact with many, many extraordinarily humble and holy Opus Dei people, from priests to lay people (and I should also mention I've never been pressured to join, give money, etc. Some cult.)

Bottom line, IMO, they have been very, VERY unfairly maligned over the years, especially St. Josemaria.

.02 from a former skeptic.

Thoughts on Fr. Willie Doyle, by Saint Josemaria Escriva

In Opus Dei Today

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Josemaria Escriva. Instead of a message from Fr Doyle, we have a message from a saint, ABOUT Fr Doyle. From point 205 of St Josemaria’s The Way:

* We were reading — you and I — the heroically ordinary life of that man of God. And we saw him fight whole months and years (what ‘accounts’ he kept in his particular examination!) at breakfast time: today he won, tomorrow he was beaten… He noted: ‘Didn’t take butter…; did take butter!’
* May you and I too live our ‘butter tragedy’.

Yes, that’s right: the heroically ordinary “man of God” was none other than Fr Willie Doyle.

Alfred O’Rahilly’s biography caused something of a stir on its release, and all before the age of blogs and facebook and twitter and all the easy ways of manufacturing celebrity and hype that we have today. Within a few years the book had been translated into German, Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and Polish (and perhaps translations I don’t know about?). This heroically ordinary Jesuit priest from Dublin seemed to have quite an appeal for people from very different cultures.

St Josemaria read a Spanish copy of the book and was obviously deeply impressed if he held up Fr Doyle as an example of holiness for members and friends of Opus Dei. St Josemaria’s The Way first appeared in 1934 under the title Consideraciones espirituales. Over the years, more than four and a half million copies have been sold, and it has been translated into 43 different languages. That’s an incredible level of popularity for this book, and, even though he is only a very small part of the book, it’s an incredibly powerful anonymous influence on the part of Fr Doyle. How many people have copied his example of small mortifications thanks to this reference from St Josemaria?

Perhaps this is a fitting place to include some references from O’Rahilly’s book on the matter of Fr Doyle and his diet. In all of this it is very clear that Fr Doyle didn’t find these mortifications easy; they were, as St Josemaria said, a tragedy:

* He was systematically ascetic or heroic in little unnecessary points; every day he did many things for no other reason than that he would rather not do them; so that, when the hour of need and big-scale heroism drew nigh, it did not find him unnerved and untrained to stand the test. For most assuredly he was a man who daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition, and self-denial in unnecessary things. “Other souls may travel by other roads,” he once wrote, “the road of pain is mine.” He developed a positive ingenuity in discovering possibilities of denying himself. Thus he was always striving to bear little sufferings and physical discomforts were it only the irritation of a gnat without seeking relief; he tried to imagine that his hands were nailed to the cross with Jesus. He gave up having a fire in his room and even avoided warming himself at one. Every day he wore a hair-shirt and one or two chains for some time; and he inflicted severe disciplines on himself. Moreover, between sugarless tea, butterless bread and saltless meat, he converted his meals into a continuous series of mortifications. Naturally he had, in fact, a very hearty appetite and a keen appreciation of sweets and delicacies; all of which he converted into an arena for self-denial…

* We find him pencilling this resolution on the first page of the little private notebook he kept with him at the Front: “No blackberries. Give away all chocolates. Give away box of biscuits. No jam, breakfast, lunch, dinner.”
* …Just after giving a retreat in a Carmelite convent, he records: “I felt urged in honour of St. Teresa to give myself absolutely no comfort at meals which I could possibly avoid. I found no difficulty in doing this for the nine days. I have begged very earnestly for the grace to continue this all my life and am determined to try to do so. For example, to take no butter, no sugar in coffee, no salt, etc. The wonderful mortified lives of these holy nuns have made me ashamed of my gratification of my appetite.” That he by no means found this mortification easy we have many indications. Thus on 5th Jan., 1912, he writes: “During Exposition Jesus asked me if I would give up taking second course at dinner. This would be a very great sacrifice; but I promised Him at least to try to do so and begged for grace and generosity.”
* “A fierce temptation during Mass and thanksgiving,” he records a year later (18th Sept., 1913), “to break my resolution and indulge my appetite at breakfast. The thought of a breakfast of dry bread and tea without sugar in future seemed intolerable. Jesus urged me to pray for strength though I could scarcely bring myself to do so. But the temptation left me in the refectory, and joy filled my heart with the victory. I see now that I need never yield if only I pray for strength.”
* On the subject of butter there are many resolutions in the diary. Materially the subject may seem trivial, but psychologically it represents a great struggle and victory…It is in such little acts that man rises above the beast and fosters his human heritage of a rational will. So Fr. Doyle’s butter-resolutions are not at all so unimportant or whimsical as they who have ever thoughtlessly eaten and drunk may be inclined to fancy. “God has been urging me strongly all during this retreat,” he writes in September 1913, “to give up butter entirely. I have done so at many meals without any serious inconvenience; but I am partly held back through human respect, fearing others may notice it. If they do, what harm? I have noticed that X takes none for lunch; that has helped me. Would not I help others if I did the same?” “One thing,” he continues, “I feel Jesus asks, which I have not the courage to give Him: the promise to give up butter entirely.” On 29th July, 1914, we find this resolution: “For the present I will take butter on two mouthfuls of bread at breakfast but none at other meals.” To this decision he seems to have adhered.
* …This relentless concentration of will on matters of food must not lead us to suppose that Fr. Doyle was in any way morbidly absorbed or morosely affected thereby. For one less trained in will or less sure in spiritual perspective there might easily be danger of entanglement in minutiae and over-attention to what is secondary. All this apparatus of mortification is but a means to an end, it should not be made an end in itself…This persistent and systematic thwarting of appetite helped Fr. Doyle to strengthen his will and to fix it on God. He never lost himself in a maze of petty resolutions, he never became anxious or distracted.


Alfred O’Rahilly concludes his discussion of Fr Doyle’s eating habits with some wise advice for the reader:

* The armour of Goliath would hamper David. There are those whom elaborate prescriptions and detailed regulations would only strain and worry. And these best find the peace of God in a childlike thankful acceptance of His gifts, without either careless indulgence or self-conscious artificiality.

One amusing concluding note: Some translations of The Way refer to sugar instead of butter because the original translator couldn’t understand how anyone would want to give up butter on their bread. It’s unclear whether he thought the matter too trivial or too hard. In any event both translations are correct – Fr Doyle fought, and won, his battle against both butter and sugar.

Bo Sanchez: A story that inspired me so much

By Bo Sanchez

Let me tell you a story that inspired me so much.

One day, Lina wasn’t feeling well.

When she went to the doctor, they diagnosed her to have an acute rheumatic heart disease. Her heart valves were damaged so much, she needed an immediate heart surgery.

After what appeared to be a successful operation, she woke up with a terrible headache.

Thinking it was just an effect of the anesthesia, the doctors gave her oral pain killers. But the pain didn’t stop. The doctors gave her injectable pain relievers but they didn’t work too.

The headache persisted. This worried her doctors and ordered her to have a cranial MRI to find out what was causing the pain.

To the horror of her family, the doctors found a tumor in her brain.

Imagine this: After her open-heart surgery, Lina went home to prepare for a brain surgery!

Through all this time, Liza told me how much she prayed for her sister Lina. Her sister, Liza, texted all 500 names in her cell phone. She asked her friends in Opus Dei to ask for the intercession of Jose Maria Escriva.

Soon, Lina went back to the hospital to check if her heart was strong enough for a brain surgery. As she was being prepared for the operation, she noticed that she no longer had headaches.

On the day of the operation, doctors performed a few more tests and MRI’s. The operation was scheduled to start at 7am. But at 9am, the operation had not yet begun. “There are some complications,” the doctors explained to the family.

After lunch, the doctors called the family to tell them that all the tests showed that the tumor had disappeared! They couldn’t explain it. There was no need for an operation.

Ex-protestant ordained minister (a woman) attends Mass in honor of St. Josemaria

I read this post by Sandy Marshall, a convert to the Catholic Church, who was formerly an ordained minister in protestant churches. She converted along with her husband and daughter. She said that they "remain blissfully happy with our move."

The first paragraph of her post reads:

On Saturday, we attended a Mass at Christ the King parish. The mass was offered in honor of Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei. Bishop Kevin Farrel presided and preached with a dignity that could not mask his passion for this remarkable man. The music was exquisite, the interior of the building lovely, and all told it was a glorious morning. Because it was the 5th anniversary of our coming into the church, the mass had a particular significance for us, which we later remarked upon around the dinner table with friends.

Read the rest of her blog here.

G-20’s promises and deficits

By Fr. Antonio Cecilio Pascual in Business Mirror

‘There is no room for complacency,” so reads the draft G-20 document, as reported by Reuters, as the global recovery is “uneven and fragile.” This weekend in Toronto, the leaders of the developed economies are expected to come to an agreement on, among other things, reducing huge government deficits.

The World Bank has urged them in no uncertain terms to focus on long-term growth, “to help developing countries which rely on revenues from commodity exports, worker remittances, foreign direct investments and aid.”

For a while there, it sounded like they were all aware of, and pondering about P-Noy’s foreboding inheritance of a deficit in millions of pesos. In fact, if P-Noy’s plan of unearthing the real costs of debt and aid that the Arroyo administration incurred in her nine years yields larger figures than the estimates he is getting now, our country rating will probably take a worse turn than the current BB, even before his first 100 days are over.

Traveling around the nation, visiting government projects to see for myself their impact on the lives of our poor prior to the “Pinoy Ako” informercial I taped as part also of my last few days as private-sector cochairman of the Flagship Programs Committee of the Arroyo administration, I couldn’t help but feel the restlessness in the countryside. Agricultural lands being converted for commercial uses, rivers reclaimed for condominiums. “Alam n’yo po, Father, mabuti pang mamatay kaming lumalaban kaysa mamatay sa gutom.”

It made me recall one of the most important G-20 promises last year that Caritas Internationalis documented: 0.7 percent of their incomes are to be spent on overseas aid. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been tracking this and had earlier reported that overseas aid was actually short of $21 billion in 2009 of pledges made. Estimates for additional public financing for food security that will be further affected by climate change—like Ondoy and Pepeng—is already at $195 billion a year by 2020 to support only the poor countries to mitigate food crises and to develop sustainably. And then what to do with the commitment to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Centigrade when, to shrink budget deficits, we will most likely see unbridled industrialization—the better and faster to sell commodities to rich nations, while paying higher taxes.

Executive director Michael Casey of the Development and Peace/Caritas Canada said, “Faced with hunger in many parts of the world, Caritas believes that agricultural policies must promote the small farmer and local food production. G-20 countries must show the necessary leadership to reverse disastrous food policies of the past. Aid commitments must also be met. We need more aid, better spent. And we need to see effective action on climate change.”

The credo of Robert K. Greenleaf, founder and advocate of servant leadership, comes to mind: “This is my thesis: caring for persons, the more able and the less able serving each other, is the rock upon which a good society is built. Whereas, until recently, caring was largely person to person, now most of it is mediated through institutions—often large, complex, powerful, impersonal; not always competent; sometimes corrupt. If a better society is to be built, one that is more just and more loving, one that provides greater creative opportunity for its people, then the most open course is to raise both the capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new regenerative forces operating within them.”

We need not just servant leaders, but servant leaders who can turn institutions into institution-servants—neither institution-regulators who seek compliance at any cost, nor institution-witchhunters who ferret out culprits at any cost. Would a corrupt-free institution be possible? A deeper question: Would a corrupt-free institution be a caring institution, a true institution-servant?

Stephen Covey, sheds some light on how institutions can transform to institution-servants: “You’ve got to produce more for less, and with greater speed than you’ve ever done before. The only way you can do that in a sustained way is through the empowerment of people. And the only way you get empowerment is through high-trust cultures and through the empowerment philosophy of leaders that turns bosses into servants and coaches. Based on practice, not talk, [it] will be the deciding point between an organization’s enduring success or its eventual extinction.”

Today, as we also celebrate the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, I recall how in the 1950s, the Holy See approved the idea of the Opus Dei accepting non-Catholics and non-Christians as cooperators to assist in projects and programs without being members. For decades, we saw the mushrooming of agricultural-training centers, hospitals and clinics, primary, secondary and professional schools.

The deficit problem is really an attention-deficit disorder: we have not focused attention on the heart of the global recovery; we cannot let other countries and sectors of populations to grow at the cost of asking other nations and sectors to step on the brakes or tighten their belts to their bones. The truth of this path that St. Josemaria has lit up is the fact that we are all in this together—and because we are, more good becomes possible.

Let us reflect, with Pope Benedict XVI, as he calls attention to the chalice and paten in every Mass: “Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s Cross.... As we proclaim the Cross of Christ, let us always strive to imitate the selfless love of the one who offered himself for us...the one in whose person we speak and act.”

José Manuel Casas Torres, eldest member of Opus Dei, deceased

A translation and posting by Encarnita Ortega Pardo in Opus Dei Today.

Professor José Manuel Casas Torres, 93, creator of modern Spanish geography and a professor at the Universidad de Zaragoza and Universidad Complutense in Madrid, passed away on May 30, in Madrid. He was also a professor at the Universidad de Navarra. In his lectures he promoted the “region” as a space linking the State and the province, and had a key role in modernising Spanish cartography.
Casas Torres was born in Valencia on October 26, 1916. He dedicated most of his life to teaching and research, and many of his students consider him one of the masters of Spanish geography.

He was a Director at the Institute for Applied Geography [Instituto de Geografía Aplicada] of the Superior Council for Scientific Research [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas] and also the Geography Departament at the Universidad Complutense, where he worked from 1965 to 1983. He combined his retirement with research and a generous availability to his students. He was a member of Opus Dei since 1939, and the eldest living member of the Work at the time of his death.
He met St Josemaría Escrivá in July 1939 and became a member of Opus Dei on July 14, 1939. St Josemaría’s teachings about the universal call to sanctity, the consideration of work as a means of service to society and of helping people reached him, and he felt the call to this endeavour in Opus Dei.

At the Universidad de Zaragoza he created the studies in Geography, and was the founder of the Geographica review, at the same time heading the Department of Applied Geography and being the Vice-Director of the Institute for Pirenaic Studies [Instituto de Estudios Pirenáicos].

He specialised in applied Geography, and in local, urban and population Geography, and occupied the first tenured position in that speciality. Manuel Ferrer Regales, who was one of his students at the Universidad de Navarra, stressed “the generosity of his teaching and research, and his concern for the anthropological and doctrinal content of his topics, which led him to concentrate his studies in population and demographics”.

I'm not a member of Opus Dei but I know many people who are

Comments on the article titled "Gilles Duceppe owes an apology to Catholics" in the National Post.

I find it interesting that those who are ignorant of the facts are also the most intolerant of those who have different views. Perhaps if they did their research and met with members of Opus Dei, they would find them to be very hardworking, generous and happy people, who are trying to live their Christian faith in the ordinary circumstances of their family, social and professional lives.

I look at all the wonderful work that the Catholic Church, of which Opus Dei is one of many lay movements, is doing around the world and in Canada and I say "THANK GOD!!" (By Jo K)

I'm not a member of Opus Dei but I know many people who are. I'm always impressed by their devotion to their faith, family, work and society in general. They have an energy and a willingness to put themselves at the service of others which is remarkable. I also think that many people comment about Opus Dei in ignorance. They really know nothing about it except what they have heard in the media or read in third rate fiction. (By Rachel Clare)

I have known Opus Dei for the better of part of my whole life (now 41 y.o. age). I once thought I was being called to be a celibate member of Opus Dei, but was told that that way was not for me (which my husband and my now 5 kids would agree with). It is rare indeed to find people who truly wish to help each individual find God in their own circumstances and help them courageously give meaning to all they do while rendering service to all those whom they come into contact within their daily lives. (by Anonymous)

Why is it OK to pick on Christians?

By Ezra Levant, National Post. He has been described here as "one of the foremost fighters on the Canadian scene for recovering fundamental civil rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. When publisher of the now defunct Western Standard, he was one of the few in North America who had the courage to reprint the famous Mohammed cartoons. For his trouble, he faced human rights complaints from a Calgary imam that he fought and won, but not without it costing about $100,000. Ezra is also quick to defend Christians who have been taking a beating in the public square, most recently the Catholic lay movement Opus Dei."


I have never told him this, but I was tremendously disappointed when I first met Monsignor Fred Dolan, the Canadian vicar of Opus Dei.

It was about six or seven years ago, around the time The Da Vinci Code was published, and frankly I was hoping that he would be a dark and conspiratorial figure -- someone who would fit the words "ultraconservative" and "shadowy." I didn't quite want him to be an assassin, like the Opus Dei priest was in the book and film, but I surely wanted someone who was mysterious and secretive and powerful.

Like if the Pope had a CIA agent.

I admit it: I wanted an Opus Dei friend so I could shock the liberals in my life, and perhaps seem like I had a few exotic secrets of my own. And I thought it would be nice to have a friend who was more right wing than me.

To my regret, Msgr. Dolan is just a mild-mannered priest and worse, Opus Dei doesn't have any secret handshakes or midnight meetings. I don't want to sound lazy or selfish, but joining Opus Dei sure looks like a lot of do-goodery and just plain work (I asked Msgr. Dolan for a brochure and I read it carefully, even looking for hidden clues). I already had enough pro bono commitments and I didn't need any more. (As a Jew, I could join Opus Dei as an associate member).

I've stayed in touch with Msgr. Dolan since then and we're friendly. I admire his charity and his ecumenicalism. He sends me notes from time to time, about Passover or Holocaust remembrance, and he always asks when I'll be in Montreal again. In seven years, he's never tried to put the shadowy moves on me, and I'm starting to worry that he never will.

Pat Martin worries, too. Oh, does he worry.

Mr. Martin is the NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre. And his secret sources told him that Msgr. Dolan met with a dozen or so MPs in the Parliamentary dining room last week. (Actually, every MP received an invitation, and not even in invisible ink.)

Mr. Martin didn't attend. But he sought out reporters to tell them that Opus Dei members "give me the creeps."

That's fine, if rude. Though someone ought to tell Martin that The Da Vinci Code is not a documentary.

But then Mr. Martin went further: he criticized MPs for even meeting with Msgr. Dolan. "I can't imagine why a member of parliament would invite [Opus Dei] for a meeting on Parliament Hill," he said. "I certainly wouldn't attend anything associated with them."

Mr. Martin wasn't the only one worried that Msgr. Dolan might wave a wand and turn him into a newt. Gilles Duceppe, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, actually asked about it in Question Period. Duceppe named two Conservative party volunteers who apparently are members of Opus Dei, noted that "a Conservative" invited Msgr. Dolan to the dining room and demanded that the Prime Minister "admit that his policy is influenced" by such people.

Neither of the women named by Mr. Duceppe works for the government in any way, and neither was known for their religious views-- until Mr. Duceppe took it upon himself to discuss their private lives in Parliament.

A reporter asked Mr. Duceppe if he wasn't being "a little Mc-Carthyite"; Mr. Duceppe brushed off the accusation and went further: Opus Dei members should not be allowed to participate in political life--even as volunteers --if they identify "as a group."

Stop for a moment and try that sentence out again, substituting the words "gay" or "Jewish" for "Opus Dei members." Jews shouldn't be allowed in politics if they "identify as a group." Sikhs shouldn't be allowed in politics "if they identify as a group." How does it feel?

Mr. Duceppe then went a little Dan Brown himself, claiming Opus Dei "have people in place ... so a lot of things prove that something's going on." He really said that.

Try our substitution experiment again. Gays "have people in place." Gays have "something going on." How does that sound?

Sounds to me like Mr. Duceppe is channelling a bit of Jacques Parizeau's "money and the ethnic vote" xenophobia again.

So what do we have here?

The obvious: Anti-Christian bigotry remains an acceptable form of intolerance in Canadian politics, and this bigotry has infected the parties of the left.

The mainstream media, and indeed the rest of the political establishment, ignores or even approves of this (CBC's Evan Solomon being a noteworthy exception).

Like Marci McDonald's book about Christians, Mr. Duceppe's comments are error-ridden and hysterical. For example, Duceppe implied that the meeting was for Conservatives only. But one of the MPs who attended is Mario Silva -- a Liberal MP who just happens to be gay. Lemme guess: That just proves how diabolical Opus Dei's master plan must be!

It's one thing for Messrs. Martin and Duceppe and Ms. Mc-Donald to dislike Christians. But what's new -- and disturbing -- is that this once-passive intolerance is becoming active: There is a concerted effort to name Christians and drive them out of office, to delegitimize the very idea of Christians participating in public life.

It's an attack on Canada's pluralism and religious freedom. It's unfair and it's un-Canadian. We'd never accept it if it were targeting any other religious group. So why is it OK to pick on Christians?