At breakfast today, June 26, the feastday of St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, I had a light talk with Winnie, a numerary who works in the catering department of one of our centers here in the province. We were commenting how, in a recent article, Opus Dei was tagged again as a 'strong' conservative group of the Catholic Church, with the word 'conservative' bearing more negative hues than positive.
Has the word conservative evolved into something to be embarassed about? Has it become an uninspiring idea to be conservative in the 21st century? Is it a nightmare to be one?
To be conservative is taken to mean the following: to be traditional, conventional, conformist, unadventurous, old-fashioned, a disciple of the old-school, as opposed to being liberal, modern, experimental, or avant-garde, a follower of the new school.
While it may possibly have its downsides, being conservative has its 'upsides' to it as well.
As there is much talk now on thinking critically, may I invite you to practice it now by also considering why conservatives are the way they are? This, assuming that you have more leanings on the liberal way of life, which, by the way, is not something negative to begin with.
This article attempts to explain why Opus Dei is conservative.
It is my spiritual family. And I feel that some light must be shed on this today, the feast of my spiritual father.
Based on my personal way of looking at things, Opus Dei is really conservative for just one reason:
Our Founder, St. Josemaria, had a great love for our Holy Mother, the Church. He taught us, his spiritual children, to be faithful sons and daughters of our good Mother, for whom he suffered so much and offered his entire life for.
Opus Dei, as a Catholic institution, conserves the Catholic way of life in loving fidelity to our Holy Mother, the Church.
And what is the Catholic way of life?
It speaks of the beauty of family and friendship, the way God has designed it.
It speaks of respect and regard for life, in all its forms.
It speaks of faith, hope and charity, for all mankind.
It espouses an active sacramental life.
An active prayer life.
A life in the state of grace.
According to Bishop Alvaro, St. Josemaria's first successor, our Father can be regarded as a martyr on the day he passed away. This is because he had been actively and repeatedly offering everything --- his life --- for the good of the Church while he was nearing his last days on earth. He saw how the Church was suffering in the 1970s, and for this, he embarked on daring apostolic and pastoral journeys in many countries in South America. All for love and defense of the Church, which, until now, is suffering a lot to make us want to be with God forever.
The Church teaches us how we can stop hurting ourselves --- how to protect ourselves from harm. To fight to win heaven not just for ourselves but for others. To make sure we all enjoy a happiness that lasts.
The Church has deposits of faith which have to be safeguarded and passed on in its purity to the next generation of Christians. She is a guardian of treasures entrusted to Her by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
For us who have faith, we see these deposits of faith as something good --- as something worth preserving for the good of future generations. It holds the key to humankind's eternal joy.
And so, if you have something good that is worth preserving, wouldn't you yourself be a 'conservative' ?
Has the word conservative evolved into something to be embarassed about? Has it become an uninspiring idea to be conservative in the 21st century? Is it a nightmare to be one?
To be conservative is taken to mean the following: to be traditional, conventional, conformist, unadventurous, old-fashioned, a disciple of the old-school, as opposed to being liberal, modern, experimental, or avant-garde, a follower of the new school.While it may possibly have its downsides, being conservative has its 'upsides' to it as well.
As there is much talk now on thinking critically, may I invite you to practice it now by also considering why conservatives are the way they are? This, assuming that you have more leanings on the liberal way of life, which, by the way, is not something negative to begin with.
This article attempts to explain why Opus Dei is conservative.
It is my spiritual family. And I feel that some light must be shed on this today, the feast of my spiritual father.
Based on my personal way of looking at things, Opus Dei is really conservative for just one reason:
Our Founder, St. Josemaria, had a great love for our Holy Mother, the Church. He taught us, his spiritual children, to be faithful sons and daughters of our good Mother, for whom he suffered so much and offered his entire life for.
Opus Dei, as a Catholic institution, conserves the Catholic way of life in loving fidelity to our Holy Mother, the Church.
And what is the Catholic way of life?
It speaks of the beauty of family and friendship, the way God has designed it.
It speaks of respect and regard for life, in all its forms.
It speaks of faith, hope and charity, for all mankind.
It espouses an active sacramental life.
An active prayer life.
A life in the state of grace.
According to Bishop Alvaro, St. Josemaria's first successor, our Father can be regarded as a martyr on the day he passed away. This is because he had been actively and repeatedly offering everything --- his life --- for the good of the Church while he was nearing his last days on earth. He saw how the Church was suffering in the 1970s, and for this, he embarked on daring apostolic and pastoral journeys in many countries in South America. All for love and defense of the Church, which, until now, is suffering a lot to make us want to be with God forever.
The Church teaches us how we can stop hurting ourselves --- how to protect ourselves from harm. To fight to win heaven not just for ourselves but for others. To make sure we all enjoy a happiness that lasts.
The Church has deposits of faith which have to be safeguarded and passed on in its purity to the next generation of Christians. She is a guardian of treasures entrusted to Her by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
For us who have faith, we see these deposits of faith as something good --- as something worth preserving for the good of future generations. It holds the key to humankind's eternal joy.
And so, if you have something good that is worth preserving, wouldn't you yourself be a 'conservative' ?
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