The Controversial Opus Dei
Perhaps no other organization within the Catholic Church has generated more controversy over the years than Opus Dei. We’ll look at the foundations and purpose of this group and explore why it’s so controversial.
Challenging Traditionalist Criticisms of St Josemaría
Some traditional Catholics criticize the founder of Opus Dei for his views on the papacy and his apostolate’s lack of enthusiasm for the TLM. But are those criticisms legitimate?
Escrivarian Civics: Pax Christi in regno Christi
“To be ‘Catholic’ means to love your country, and to let nobody surpass us in that love.” — St. Josemaría Escrivá Josemaría Escrivá was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 2002. I marked the occasion by re-watching There Be Dragons, the epic film about his life during the Spanish Civil War. It’s … Read more
Friendship with God
I have an Evangelical friend (I’ll call him Tom) with whom I regularly meet for coffee to engage in friendly “debate” over our differing theological views. In one of our earlier meetings, beginning to explain the Catholic understanding of predestination against his more-or-less Calvinist view, I premised that God created man for friendship with him. … Read more
An Intimate Portrait of the Founder of Opus Dei
Opus Dei is a Catholic institution made up largely of lay people who believe that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The past forty years have seen several biographies of its founder, Monsignor Josemaria Escriva, who died in 1975 and was proclaimed a saint in 2002. By … Read more
The Escriva Option: An Alternative to St. Benedict
Nostalgia lurks always in the near corners of the human imagination. It often takes very little to bring it to life; a sunny day, the wind blowing the grass, a taste of food, a smell, a picture. They all bring us back to sweet and sweeter times, childhood, courting, weddings, childbirth. These are all nostalgic … Read more
St. Josemaría Escrivá: The Saint of Ordinary Life
June 26 is the Feast of St. Josemaría Escrivá. In his own life this saint was admired by Popes Pius XII, St. John XXIII, and Blessed Paul VI. Since his death, he has been admired by Popes John Paul I, St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, as well as our current Holy Father, Pope Francis, … Read more