Back in the Garden of Eden

By Caminante from Puerto Rico in A Spiritual Journey. Caminante describes herself as: "60's and 70's generation, loving wife of a loving husband, mother of two, I love life, love God, love to pray, am Catholic, love the Beatles, Sade, Maria Callas, Andrea Bocelli, Raphael, Cezanne, Van Gogh, french lounge music, the Opus Dei concept of sainthood, Wayne Dyer, Paulo Coehlo, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra..."

When I mention that I feel a real affinity for the Opus Dei concept of sainthood, people look at me like I am crazy. Between the idea of saints dying these horrifying deaths and The Da Vinci Code no one wants to have anything to do with it.

But to any Catholic or to any Christian for that matter, the concept of achieving sainthood is extremely attractive if you take away the martyrdom. And that is what the Opus Dei does: it takes away the necessity of martyrdom from sainthood.

You can become a saint in your everyday life, you can become a saint just living your everyday life, in your work, in your marriage, as a parent. You do not need to be extraordinary for sainthood; live your life in chastity which means no adultery, with charity, in love, and you are on your way.

Love God above all things, love your family, be excellent in your work, with your wife or husband, with your children, do your best for your parents and your family.

Be humble, know that all your talents all your ideas and creativity come from God and use them as God would want you to use them in love and for the benefit of many, and that is all that is asked of you.

Does that sound so hard or so terrible? If we all thought that way what a different planet we would be living in; I believe we would be back in the Garden Of Eden.