Easy to laugh off criticisms

By Gladys in Helium. About herself, she says: "My friends call me quirky, crazy and just plain weird. I'm not sure they're compliments. I'm passionate about a few things in life; namely jazz, food, travelling, my trusty piano and God. Always looking out for a chance to make a positive difference, no matter how small. We only live once anyway."

As a person who participates actively in Opus Dei's activities, it's easy for me to laugh off some of the criticisms and accusations so often leveled at the organization. I'm not an Opus Dei member, but I've had the chance to interact and observe its members now for almost 5 years. Opus Dei members have to be some of the most ordinary and civilized people around. Most of them hold normal jobs like many of us, they go to work 9-5 and they eat normal meals like us. While they lead ordinary lives, what is extraordinary about them is the way they lead their ordinary lives.

You see, Opus Dei's mission is to call all Catholics to find holiness through their normal everyday work and activities. We so often find a huge gap between work and God, and many people often complain about how work seems to take them away from their relationship with God. Opus Dei attempts to bridge that gap by bringing people closer to God THROUGH their work.

Members are taught to put in so much love into their work that it becomes a form of prayer and glorification to God. Order and attention to details are some of the little things that are given importance but the end result is people who are extremely dedicated to living their lives extraordinarily well for God and with God, and to spread that belief to their friends and family.

I've learnt so much about my faith since attending Opus Dei's activities (which by the way are open to all). Not only do I have so much more in-depth knowledge about the Catholic faith, but my relationship with God has deepened and grown. The environment at Opus Dei is really beneficial for anyone who wants to improve their relationship with God, or to just find out about the faith.