The Opus Dei (the
Work of God) was founded in Spain in1928 by Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer. It
had both lay members and priests, and its mission was to make people aware of
the need to make holiness part of their everyday lives and to demonstrate this
by personal example. Lay members remained under strict religious supervision
and followed a daily programme of readings, spiritual exercises and prayers.
There were numerous
Opus Dei rituals, and some members (belonging to the Numerary group, the
strictest level of membership) continued to engage in “corporal mortification”
at a time when this was generally frowned on in other religious communities.
With headquarters in
Rome, the organisation works in some countries and has about 80,000 members.
Its founder, Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, was canonised by Pope John Paul II
in October 2002, an honour that continues to raise much controversy.
As with all
religious organisations about which little is generally known, the Opus Dei has
often been the focus of criticism and unfavourable speculation, but it has
nonetheless endured and has also retained Papal support.
Its founder, Escriva
de Balaguer, was the author of a book entitled The Way in which he glorified
pain: “Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain… Glorified be pain.”
In The Da Vinci Code, Silas has taken this as his mantra.
Manuel Aringarosa
and Silas in The Da Vinci Code are both members of the Opus Dei. As a Numerary
of the Order, Silas continues to mortify his flesh via the lash and the cilice.
He is obsessed with the notion that self-inflicted bodily pain, using these two
particular instruments of torture, is spiritually cleansing. Hence his constant
reiteration that “Pain is good.”
He goes about his
deadly work secure in the belief that he is operating as a servant of God. He
acknowledges the savagery of his behaviour, but believes that he redeems
himself in God’s eyes through inflicting physical torment on himself. He is
actually at the mercy of forces beyond his understanding, but his devotion to
his “Teacher” blinds him to this reality.
Before the Prologue
in The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown describes the “Vatican prelature known
as Opus Dei” as a “deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of
recent controversy due to reports of brain-washing, coercion and a dangerous
practice known as ‘corporal mortification’”.
The seventeen-storey new headquarters of the Opus Dei at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York has no outward sign to indicate to whom it belongs. The Vatican Yearbook, reports author Simon Cox, reveals that there are some 3,000 Opus Dei members in the United States with about 60 Opus Dei residences scattered about the country. Many wealthy people are “Cooperators”, which means that they are not actual members of the Opus Dei, but lend support to the cause and make generous donations. Of the six membership classes, this is the only one where being Catholic is not a prerequisite.
Here are the answers to the 32 most asked questions about the Da Vinci Code
So here are the reusults of one years work!
However most people find it easier just to download
the eBook with all the answers.
EASY ... Click to place your SECURE order right now for the complete ebook.
The total cost of your transaction will be $5.00
Otherwise here are the answers !