“THE FATHER” OF LIES
Opus Dei as Divine Revelation (2016) by E. B. E.
The book demonstrates very well that Opus Dei is an intransigent source
of manifold inconsistencies and contradictions, which the organization has been
able to maintain by means of a multilayered Masonic secrecy, among other cultic
practices. Almost all the documents cited by the author are inaccessible to the
public. Some, it is alleged, have been destroyed by Opus Dei because of their
incriminating content, a plausible claim. Opus Dei's inconsistencies and
contradictions, it is further said, are the source of harm, damage, and
destruction to thousands of the Roman Catholic faithful, principally former
numeraries, and we know from many documented sources that this allegation is
true.
Jesus asks the crowd whether the authority of John the Baptist is from
God or man. When we apply this question to Opus Dei, we very reasonably respond
that the beliefs and practices of Opus Dei are the product of both God AND man.
God is not inconsistent, contradictory, or incoherent. He is truth. He does not
directly harm people while insisting that the evil that has been inflicted on
them is the same as their spiritual well-being and advantage.
The book supports well my statement that Saint Josemaria Escriva, “the
Father,” is also “the Father” of lies. It further supports my claim that Opus
Dei is the work of the devil. In important respects, it is a “work of man”
causing much harm, damage, and destruction, and in this respect, Opus Dei
colludes with the devil in inflicting harm and evil on others and is therefore
indeed the work of the devil.
I suppose one day Roman Catholic authority might do something about the
incoherence of Opus Dei beliefs and practices and the evil wrought thereby, but
based on the track record of the past several decades, I am not particularly
hopeful.
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| Saint Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975) |
Photo of Pinocchio is in public domain.
ReplyDeletePhoto link: https://pixabay.com/p-595453/?no_redirect
Photo of Saint Josemaria Escriva courtesy of Father Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Photo link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/14324916937/
Gonzalinho
THE GURU’S CAT
ReplyDeleteWhen the guru sat down to worship each evening
the ashram cat would
get in the way and distract the
worshipers. So he ordered that
the cat be tied during evening
worship.
After the guru died the cat
continued to be tied during evening
worship. And when the cat
expired, another cat was
brought to the ashram so that it
could be duly tied during evening
worship.
Centuries later learned treatises
were written by the guru’s scholarly disciples
on the liturgical significance
of tying up a cat
while worship is performed.
In Anthony de Mello, S.J., The Song of the Bird (1984), page 63
Gonzalinho
Private Revelation Does Not Guarantee Truth or Rectitude
ReplyDeletePosted on Amazon.com on September 7, 2000
Minor editing on original post
It is more accurate to say that Opus Dei is a mixture of what is good and holy, along with beliefs and practices that are not only questionable but arguably immoral. No one can quarrel, for example, with the value of prayerful devotion or the practice of Christian asceticism. However, the outright deception of parents in the name of the virtue of prudence clearly transgresses the eighth commandment against lying. The practice of taking parents’ possessions and transferring them to the Opus Dei centers without the parents’ knowledge, a practice that during my stay in Opus Dei was encouraged directly in writing by Father Alvaro del Portillo, citing “the example of our holy Founder,” the then deceased Msgr. Josemaria Escriva, also transgresses the seventh commandment against stealing. What are patently immoral practices can only be justified by misguided casuistry.
The notion that Opus Dei ideology and praxis is entirely the product of divine inspiration is, in my opinion, theologically insupportable. Much of Opus Dei ideology and praxis originates from Blessed Escriva, if we are to believe historical testimony as well as the practice among Opus Dei directors of citing Blessed Escriva to justify what is often called the Opus Dei “spirit.” Yet we must acknowledge that the source of this spirit is Blessed Escriva’s claim to private revelation, which belongs to a very different category of truth from the depositum fidei of the Church. Indeed, in many cases it seems that Opus Dei beliefs and practices, as is evident from Ms. Tapia’s account, may just as well be the product of human judgment, preference, and opinion.
Father Escriva’s beatification and probable canonization do not alter this equation because the papal act of beatification does not necessarily sanction Blessed Escriva’s claim when he was alive that he, as the Founder of Opus Dei, is the sole source and arbiter of a divinely communicated system of belief and practice. One has only to read the history of the Church and peruse copies of original documents to realize that in notable instances, the saints made mistakes that in the context of current knowledge and modern mores might very well be regarded as disgraceful. Some of the saints’ mystical writings also show them to be recipients of private revelations that turned out to be false.
Instead of assuming that what has been passed on from Blessed Escriva is divinely inspired in its entirety, I believe that it is a more accurate theology to recognize that the truth and value of private revelation is manifest in its effects: “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). It goes without saying that systemic aspects of Opus Dei ideology and praxis have had very negative effects on individuals who joined the organization under the impulse of unknowing idealism, including Ms. Tapia.
Therefore, to cite or criticize the negative aspects of Opus Dei does not necessarily constitute “slander,” an emotionally charged word that tends to obfuscate the issues raised by what may very well be legitimate criticism. Insofar as Ms. Tapia testifies to harmful aspects of Opus Dei that are consistently confirmed by many former members, including myself, she is simply telling the truth.
To be continued
Private Revelation Does Not Guarantee Truth or Rectitude
ReplyDeletePosted on Amazon.com on September 7, 2000
Minor editing on original post
Continued
I emphatically attest that numerous beliefs and practices of Opus Dei have worked to the harm, at times severely damaging, of many former members, including Ms. Tapia, as well as their families, and that this abuse is insupportably justified by invoking a divine mandate. In consequence, it is my sincere desire that Opus Dei reform itself in specific aspects, for the sake of many aggrieved persons and for the protection of the next generation. Reform entails the rejection of important aspects of Blessed Escriva’s idiosyncratic legacy. I earnestly hope that the little I have written will work toward enlightenment and genuine reform. We should not have to wait as long as Galileo did for rectification.
Gonzalinho