After having read your article on Opus Dei last Sunday, I would encourage the reporter to delve deeper into Opus Dei and its programs. While “The Da Vinci Code” is fiction, so too, is its portrayal of Opus Dei. Rather than focusing on former, bitter members of Opus Dei, how about focusing on current, happy members of Opus Dei?
The disciplines and corporal mortifications you cite are reserved for celibate members of Opus Dei, which comprise a small number of its members. The typical sacrifices encouraged by Opus Dei are quite small and are aimed at strengthening the interior.
It would be necessary to have an intimate relationship with Christ to understand the desire to want to suffer for Christ. In its absence, confusion and misunderstanding arise. Mortifications increase one’s fervor and love for Christ, rectify intentions and safeguard purity–all admirable and noble.
Imagine what suffering one goes through for cosmetic surgery or how an athlete suffers to increase endurance.
