Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is an institution of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The organization sees its mission as spreading the Christian message that every person is called to holiness and that every honest work can be sanctified. Opus Dei was founded in Spain in 1928 by Catholic priest St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer and was given final approval by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
Opus Dei offers spiritual guidance to its members to help them live out their Christian vocation in their everyday activities. It runs university residences, schools, and hospitals around the world and has around 90,000 members worldwide. While the organization has been controversial in the past due to its secretiveness and conservative views on issues like women’s rights, it has also received praise for its work ethic and commitment to Catholic social teaching. Here is a comprehensive overview of Opus Dei and what the Bible says about its principles and practices.
Mission and Principles
Opus Dei aims to help Christians sanctify their ordinary work and daily activities and spread the Christian message in society. Its official mission as stated by its founder is to promote “Christianization from within the world.” The main principles emphasized by Opus Dei are:
- Universal call to holiness: Every person, regardless of their occupation or social status, is called by God to become a saint. There is no dichotomy between the secular and sacred in Christianity.
- Sanctification of work: All honest work, not just religious activity, can and should be sanctified.
- Consistency between faith and life: There should not be a contradiction between one’s faith and everyday activities.
- Christian freedom and responsibility: Christians are free children of God but also responsible before God for their actions.
- Unity between life and vocation: Everyone’s skills and occupations are part of God’s plan and can serve a divine purpose.
These principles are rooted in the Bible’s calls to lead holy lives, serve God through one’s work, and unite all aspects of life under Christ’s lordship. Passages like Colossians 3:17 (“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord”), 1 Corinthians 10:31 (“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”), and Romans 12:1 (“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God”) emphasize living one’s entire life for God’s glory. Opus Dei aims to help ordinary Christians apply these principles through their daily work and activities.
History and Organization
Opus Dei was founded on October 2, 1928 in Madrid, Spain by St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer. Escrivá was a Catholic priest who started Opus Dei to encourage lay Catholics to make their work holy through sacrifice and dedication to God. The organization received initial approval from Pope Pius XII in 1950 and was made a personal prelature by Pope John Paul II in 1982. This means it operates as a diocese whose membership is not defined by geography but personal membership.
Opus Dei is governed by a prelate, currently Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, who is appointed by the pope. Under the prelate is a general council composed of both clergy and lay members. Opus Dei has around 90,000 members in over 60 countries. About 70% of members are married men and women while 2% are priests. Opus Dei members belong to either the lay category called Supernumeraries or the celibate category called Numeraries.
Supernumeraries make up 70% of Opus Dei’s membership. They are typically married professionals who strive to find holiness through their ordinary lives and secular careers. Numeraries, who make up 20% of members, pledge celibacy and generally live together in Opus Dei residences. Associados (10% of members) are celibate and do not live in Opus Dei centers. Opus Dei also has Cooperators, who are not official members but offer financial and prayer support to Opus Dei’s mission.
Opus Dei has been criticized for its use of secrecy and aggressive recruitment tactics in the past. However, the organization has responded to criticisms by reforming its practices to encourage transparency and reflect Catholic Church norms. While sometimes viewed as conservative, Opus Dei sees itself as non-ideological and focused only on the sanctification of its members.
Spiritual Practices and Disciplines
Opus Dei emphasizes various spiritual disciplines and practices to help members sanctify their daily work and live holy lives. Some key spiritual practices encouraged by Opus Dei include:
- Daily Mass: Attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist daily is considered very important. Opus Dei centers typically have chapels for Numeraries to attend daily Mass.
- Sacrament of Confession: Weekly confession to a priest is encouraged as a way of examining one’s conscience and growing in holiness.
- Daily prayer: Members are encouraged to develop a daily prayer routine such as meditating on the Gospels, praying 3 Hail Marys at noon, and saying the Rosary.
- Spiritual reading: Reading Scripture, writings of saints, and other spiritual works is recommended for growing closer to God.
- Mental prayer: Devoting time for silent inner meditation and conversing with God is emphasized.
- Bodily mortification: Small corporal penances like sleeping without a pillow or fasting are used to train the body and form holy habits.
- Cheerfulness and charity: Cultivating virtues of Christian joy and selfless service to others are viewed as important.
These spiritual practices reflect Opus Dei’s focus on nurturing an inner life of prayer and making small sacrifices to strengthen one’s relationship with God. The Bible does encourage discipline and dedication in the spiritual life (1 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:11). However, some see Opus Dei’s emphasis on corporal mortification as outdated. Overall, the goal is for these practices to sanctify ordinary life and work.
Roles of Men and Women
Opus Dei has been accused of promoting rigid gender roles with women expected to focus on domestic duties. Indeed, Escrivá’s early writings contain some traditional views about women needing to attend to housework and childcare as their duty. However, Opus Dei has evolved to support male-female equality while still seeing gender differences as divinely ordained.
Today, Opus Dei encourages women to pursue careers and emphasizes that the difference between men and women is complementary, not hierarchical. Still, some traditional gender expectations remain with cooking and hosting usually done by women in Opus Dei residences. While a bit outdated, these practices reflect common gender role assumptions in Catholicism until recently.
Critics argue Opus Dei needs to adapt its philosophy on women to reflect changing social realities. But many women members do not see Opus Dei’s approach to gender as oppressive and feel affirmed in their vocations as wives, mothers, and professionals. They point to Christianity’s call to serve one’s family dutifully as a service to God (Titus 2:4-5). Opus Dei could do more to promote egalitarianism, but its gender theology is not as regressive as some portray it.
Opus Dei and Vatican II
As a prelature of the Catholic Church, Opus Dei is bound by the reforms and directives of the Second Vatican Council held from 1962-1965. Vatican II enacted major liberalizing reforms in the Church, such as using vernacular languages for Mass instead of Latin, affirming religious freedom as a human right, and promoting ecumenism with other Christians.
Opus Dei welcomed Vatican II’s teachings and made appropriate adaptations to its practices. Escrivá endorsed the conciliar reforms as the guidance of the Holy Spirit. However, some see Opus Dei as resistant to the progressive spirit of Vatican II with its continued promotion of traditional piety and social conservatism after Vatican II.
Defenders of Opus Dei argue that Vatican II did not mandate all groups in Catholicism must adopt liberal views. Faithfulness to Vatican II means accepting its doctrinal teachings, which Opus Dei does. Vatican II allowed room for diversity in how Catholic groups foster spiritual renewal. So Opus Dei can still promote its traditional mission without contradicting Vatican II, though modern critics may understandably desire it to be more progressive on issues like women’s equality and ecumenism.
Controversy and Criticisms
Opus Dei faced heavy criticism and accusations in the past related to its recruitment tactics, alleged authoritarian leadership, and involvement in right-wing politics internationally. Some accusations included:
- Aggressive recruitment and indoctrination of young members
- Excessive control over members through coercive methods
- Promoting right-wing political causes aligned with Fascism and Francoism
- Demanding unrealistic financial donations from members
- Cult-like worship of the founder and isolation from outside views
Many criticisms came to a head in the 1980s with the publication of ex-member testimonials. Opus Dei defended itself by saying detractors misrepresent life inside Opus Dei. It denied using coercion and said members are free to leave anytime. Opus Dei also cited support it has from Pope John Paul II and many bishops.
Opus Dei has taken steps to improve transparency and accountability in recent decades. It no longer uses aggressive recruiting tactics and admits mistakes were made in its early expansionist zeal. Critics argue Opus Dei still lacks sufficient oversight being a personal prelature. But the group has made genuine efforts at reform while maintaining its core mission and identity.
Opus Dei’s Charitable Works
Aside from its mission of sanctifying work, Opus Dei engages in many charitable activities globally through its membership. Some prominent Opus Dei social initiatives include:
- Education: Opus Dei runs several universities, high schools, and youth clubs focused on character development and service.
- Healthcare: Numerous Opus Dei hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries provide affordable healthcare to underserved populations internationally.
- Community development: Opus Dei supports development projects worldwide that assist impoverished communities with agriculture, microfinance, education, and youth initiatives.
- Emergency relief: Opus Dei volunteers and donors have provided vital assistance during disasters such as the Fukushima nuclear accident and Hurricane Mitch in Central America.
Opus Dei emphasizes the Christian call to charity and stewardship. Its charitable efforts have benefited thousands worldwide, reflecting Jesus’ commands to care for those in need (Matthew 25:35-40). However, critics argue Opus Dei uses schools and hospitals for subtle prostelytism and influencerather than pure service. But its charity work has objectively provided vital aid to many vulnerable groups.
Opus Dei in Popular Culture
Opus Dei received increased attention in popular culture through the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The book portrayed Opus Dei as a sinister and dangerous cult, which sparked enormous interest in what Opus Dei actually is.
Numerous scholarly reviews noted the extreme inaccuracies about Opus Dei in The Da Vinci Code, with its depiction bearing little resemblance to reality. The sensationalized portrait appeared aimed to scandalize rather than objectively assess a Catholic group the author disliked. Opus Dei leaders urged people to view The Da Vinci Code as fiction, not fact.
Other fictional works like the 1991 book Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church have presented more balanced pictures of Opus Dei, highlighting both legitimate criticisms and discernible positives. Overall, The Da Vinci Code offered a uniquely distorted image that fails to reflect the complex, nuanced reality of Opus Dei and its members.
Pontifical Approbation
Despite past controversies and criticisms, Opus Dei has consistently received approval from the Vatican and grew rapidly under Pope John Paul II’s personal support. Key Vatican endorsements of Opus Dei include:
- 1950: Pius XII grants Opus Dei the status of Secular Institute, the first step in recognition.
- 1964: Paul VI grants Opus Dei final approval as a Secular Institute.
- 1982: John Paul II establishes Opus Dei as a personal prelature, appointing its leader and granting jurisdiction.
- 1992: John Paul II canonizes Opus Dei’s founder St. Josemaría Escrivá as a Catholic saint.
- 2002: John Paul II reaffirms the importance of Opus Dei’s mission in the Church.
This consistent papal endorsement, especially from John Paul II, establishes Opus Dei’s legitimacy. It signifies the Vatican believes Opus Dei is doctrinally orthodox, faithful to the Church’s mission, and a force of renewal for Catholicism. While critics may disagree with Opus Dei’s conservatism, the Vatican views it as a licit—if controversial—group that has a valid role in the Church.
Conclusion
Opus Dei is a personal prelature of the Catholic Church that aims to help everyday Christians sanctify their work and live holy lives. It was founded in 1928 by St. Josemaría Escrivá in Spain and emphasizes the universal call to holiness, sanctification of daily activities, and consistency between faith and life. While controversial for its conservativism and past accusations, Opus Dei enjoys Vatican support as an organization that authentically, if imperfectly, furthers key Christian principles.
