An Eastern Catholic on Opus Dei

By Taylor Black, an Eastern Catholic writing for The Gonzaga Witness

In recent years, Opus Dei has often been under attack for a number of different practices that people either attribute to it or misunderstand about it. As an Eastern Catholic who has attended many Opus Dei activities and has many friends who are Opus Dei members, I thought I would share my experiences as answers to some common misconceptions.

One of the first misconceptions of Opus Dei is that it is somehow promoting a fascist philosophy. One of my good friends, whom we shall call Hank, is a numerary (a celibate member of Opus Dei). He grew up in Cuba under the socialist regime that was taking over at that time. He remembers family members and friends being shot to pieces in front of his eyes. His own father was shot after he and his mother escaped to United States and became legal immigrants. This same Hank helped run a summer course that I and about 30 other boys from around the West Coast attended called "Leadership for America."

In the four years that I attended the camp, we looked at the leadership philosophy of Abraham Lincoln, Henry V, Saint Thomas More and many others. We also played a lot of football, watched some John Wayne classics and went to Mass and confession. I never heard mention of anything that sounded like fascism. We were all having good, old-fashioned American boy fun and learning about good, virtuous democratic leaders.

Many other misconceptions that abound about Opus Dei concern the lives of the members. There are rumors that they live the lives of monks, that they whip themselves, that they are held in psychological obedience to their superiors and that they look down on women. All these misconceptions center on the novelty of a person who is dedicated to God, living in the world and making it a better place.

Escriva believed that a person didn't have to become a monk or a nun to be holy. He believed that each and every person can become a saint simply by living a holy life by sanctifying and offering to God their daily work and lives. This is the very beauty of Opus Dei. It is the beauty of God's calling any person, wherever they are in their lives to a life of holiness.