Word: opus
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...Inside Opus Dei the daily activity revolves around frequent prayer and meditation, what members call "norms of piety," or rituals performed every day to remind themselves that God is around them. For Anglada, who is assistant director of the residence, his day began at 5:35 a.m. when he climbed out of bed, dressed and prayed for 30 minutes in his chamber. This prayer is known as the morning offering. Next he attended a mass in the chapel connected to the residence. After that he spent about 10 minutes reading (usually something by Aquinas or Augustine). By that time...
...chapel for more meditation and prayer. One of the fellows recited prayers in Latin, and at 6:30 came the reciting of the Preces, which fellows call "the universal prayer of the work" - or the blessing of everyone from the Pope to Virgin Mary to the prelate of Opus Dei. This includes prayers from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Next came an act of humility - or kissing the floor. A priest then began a reading in which he concluded, "We have to follow the doctrine of our Lord to have success in the world." Then...
...meals are cooked and prepared by "ladies of the work" (some are Opus Dei members and some are not), who also clean the residence. "They keep the place like a house," says Anglada, "with fresh flowers and things like that. They are not servants, but they do not socialize or eat with us." In fact, social contact between women and the celibate numeraries is all but forbidden. When the ladies of the work arrive to clean, they place barriers at the entrance to the residential chambers and all the men clear out until they are finished. "We live apostolic celibacy...
...down in his office. He has a dark thatch of hair and dark eyebrows, and is dressed in a blue blazer and khaki pants. "We are not trying to convert kids to Catholicism," he says. "Kids won't learn doctrine if they don't want to." Smyczek joined Opus Dei at age 24 when he was working as a professional engineer, driven by the feeling, he said, "that there's got to be more to life than this. I wrote a letter to the prelate of Opus Dei. You make a verbal commitment. You don't take vows. Nothing else...
...Thelen is the top director at the Opus Dei Center. He has silver hair, wire-rimmed glasses and an intense gaze. "Our philosophy is that lay people are in family life, social life and professional life, and we have to make a difference there. Opus Dei gives you a regime to keep in shape, tells you how to do it, and tells you how to help other people do it." But Thelen does not shy away when we ask him why Opus Dei is associated with conservative politics and a secretive agenda. He denies that Opus Dei has any interest...