... an organization created by a fascist and that my right wing morals will drive my children away, I have the following videos for you. I took the time to do this research for you, Mary Ann. I hope you will take the time to watch these videos.
As Bishop Fulton Sheen stated "Not 100 in the United States hate the Roman Catholic Church, but millions hate what they mistakenly think the Roman Catholic Church is." I think this quote could also be applied to Opus Dei and its members. If any of my other readers are not acquainted with Opus Dei, or worse, the only knowledge you have of it is from the Da Vinci Code; please take the time to watch these short and enjoyable videos. Each of these links will take you to a page where you will find numerous other videos, testimonies and writings. Enjoy...
Doug Hinderer
A corporate executive talks about growing up, finding Opus Dei, family issues, and misconceptions about Opus Dei.
to view video CLICK HERE
Ana Samuel
A political philosophy grad student talks about becoming a supernumerary, a typical day in her life, and the role of women in Opus Dei.
To view video CLICK HERE
Andrea Feehery
On the hospitality staff at Shelbourne Conference Center in Indiana, Ms. Feehery talks about her work as a numerary assistant, how she joined Opus Dei, and the reactions of her friends.
To view video CLICK HERE
For a taste of St. Jose Maria Escriva:
Click HERE
Click HERE
Click HERE
If, Mary Ann, after perusing these videos and writings you are still feeling so hostile towards Opus Dei and its members; at least you will know who and what it is you hate as opposed to who you think you hate. But please do not leave anymore hate filled comments for me to post as I will not inflict such angry and hate filled comments on my readers. May God Bless you Mary Ann!
2 comments:
Dear Mary Ann and Christi:
Not having seen thy comment Mary Ann - forgive any misunderstanding if this is out of context, as it is mainly addressed to thee.
I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and grew up Hicksite in that faith, one of the liberal expressions of a rather liberal faith. In light of that liberalism, we have carried in our history a few things of which we feel we can be proud as an expression of God's intention of love. An example of the degree to which our faith led many of us to service in the Underground Railroad. On the other hand, we also carry in our history some degree of pain in remembering the soft stand on slavery, which some might say was accomodationist of our founder George Fox, or the denial of membership to Black people in most meetings of our religious community long after the end of slavery.
God instructs the weak and the strong with the same voice. A friend of mine, a devote Catholic's devote Catholic mother told her when she was young, "go where you hear God's voice the loudest." For some, God's voice speaks the loudest to them through Opus Dei, others through other ways of listening -- but as a Muslim friend once put it, the voice of even the prophet, is not the voice of God, merely a reflection.
Many of our faiths share in common the story of the tower of Babel. I am always returning to it for light. When we try to build a single tower to reach God, God breaks it apart to remind us, in our many languages, in our many paths we must learn to look in family spirit to the one God whose voice is loudest to each of us, in our own path or language, but speaks the same words beginning with love each other and stop living in fear of each other.
Where that human part of us leads us to fear of each other, we forget to listen to that single expression of that still small voice of God in the other person, and in doing so, ignore that same voice in us which tells us step beyond thy fear and love.
Fascist is an ugly word, a powerful word. We Friends try not to call each other names. Once thee calls another a murderer, a liar, a thief, one brands the individual with the act, and looses the wisdom that we are not to fear, but we are to love each other. When one says, thee has killed, thee has not told the truth as I see it, thee has taken what I do not believe is thine, then there is a path to reconciliation and love.
When I was a child, on the way to Quaker meeting in the mornings, each first day, a Ukrainian woman would chant, "Jew Boy" at me. In her past, she supported the nazi government of her homeland. My mother is ethnically Jewish, though at the time of these events, she was Quaker. Now, this same Ukrainian woman is very old. For some forty years I have ignored her, long after she has stopped chanting "Jew Boy" at me as I pass. Last year, I saw her standing in front of her long high front steps with a shopping cart with a heavy load in it. As was my habit I walked passed without acknowledging her. I went about ten feet and could not go a step further. I was stopped in my tracks.
I went back and said to her, "You can't get up the steps with that."
She said, "It is OK, someone else will come along."
I laughed and said, "Well, I am here now," and lifted the cart up the steps for her.
At the top of the steps she touched my arm and said, "God bless you."
Several weeks later my mother told me she stopped my Mom on the street and said that she wondered why I, who was so friendly to all in the neighborhood, ignored her, and that my kindness the other day brought such joy to her life.
The love we share spreads, just as the hate we acknowledge spreads, makes the world a colder place, a place far away from God's plan for us. Stopping in our life, listening for God's voice, and doing so without fear of another will never drive children away. We may listen to that voice by other paths, some might even be led astray by human evils, but as long as we listen and love, as God teaches us, without condition or cost, we leave many towers of Babel behind us. Try to avoid judging others, it leads to the fear which separates us from each other as well as from God within thee.
Thine dearly in the light
Lorcan
Dear Christi:
¡Happy Easter to all this wonderful family!
I hope the problems with the Bank are finally right settled.
As a member of Opus Dei, I appreciated very much the way you answered your reader Mary Ann.
And I just want to point out that St. Josephmary used to say that to quarrel, you need two persons.
And in Opus Dei you will never find an opponent.
j.a.varela
Post a Comment