I haven't seen or read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code but by all accounts it is such poor literature that Stephen Fry once described it as "complete loose stool-water. It is arse gravy of the worst kind." (I have been waiting ages to use that quote) Moreover this 'arse gravy' has sold millions of copies throughout the world and possibly formed an particular image of Catholicism and Opus Dei in the minds of the general public. In short people might be stupid enough to think that the book is based on fact. And there is a plentitude of stupidity out there. Rather than go down the whole 'was Jesus married to Mary Magdelene' road, I am better qualifed through experience to write about what Opus Dei is really like. To the best of my knowledge, and probably much to the disappointment of many people, they are not Catholic assassins protecting the integrity of the Church at any costs, even to the extent of murder. Having read an response by a member of Opus Dei on the internet it seems that there is much fabrication in the book regarding this Catholic organisation. One example is that Dan Brown portrays Opus Dei members as monks who indulge in corporal mortification. Opus Dei are made up of lay men and women and diocesan priests who live and work in the secular world. Some take a vow of celibacy and live in community together but they don't wear robes or pray all day or withdraw from the world. But that's about the extent of my defense of Opus Dei. When in my late teens I visited the men's house in Glasgow and started to get involved in some of their organised activities. I was attracted to Opus Dei at first, being at a stage in my life when I was trying to find my place within the Catholic Church. But over time I started to feel uneasy and unhappy about certain aspects of Opus Dei and finally decided to stop all contact with them. One of the main reasons behind this decision was their elitism. They are very selective about who they welcome into their folds. They want to recruit middle-class men and women who have professional jobs, like doctors and lawyers for example, and people of a good intellect who are very conservative in the practise and belief of their Catholic faith. This behaviour flies in the face of what Opus Dei is supposed to be. The founder, Jose Maria Escriva, wanted Opus Dei to help men and women OF ALL jobs and social status and intellect to be witnesses of God's love in their workplace and daily lives. At some point along the road Opus Dei has lost sight of this and become an elitist, ultra-conservative Catholic instution mainly for the middle class and professionals. They might welcome a working class person like myself but as long as they are reasonably smart. Whenever I met a member or associate of Opus Dei one of the first things they would ask me is what grades I got at school. This happened to me on a number of occasions. Another thing I was not happy about was the intensity of their spirituality and the value placed on being intellectual. I felt under pressure to be a certain person and talk in a certain way and hold certain views. In short I couldn't be myself. I even felt I had to dress in a certain way to fit in. Recently I was at mass and afterwards I chatted to a couple of friends outside the church. A smartly dressed man wearing a tie and blazer joined our group but right away I knew that he was a member of Opus Dei, just from the way he dressed, and I was right. He was a nice guy, that is the thing. With a couple of exceptions all the members and associates of Opus Dei I have met have been really nice and sincere. It is only fair to mention this and I don't want people to thing this blog is a bitter rant against Opus Dei, it's simply my point of view based on my experiences. The idea of Escriva was fantastic and Opus Dei could be a great Catholic organisation but unfortunately it is not. To quote from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the USA "Opus Dei is for people who have a vocation to live their Christian faith in the middle of secular society." That should read ALL people, regardless of job, social standing and intellect.
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