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Nicolai
Posts: 1
Joined: Jan 2006
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January 01, 2006 4:54 PM
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I like the shot of the guy with outstreched hands. He seems to be saying, so here you are God, right in front of my face! He's definitely a happy guy. Just like hen Jesus did his miracles, people praised God and maybe raised their hands with great excitement. They we're full of wonder. We might think it amazing that he healed someone with blindness, or fixed a withered hand, but what really startled the Jews of Jesus' time was not so much the actual cure but the fact that this meant that God was actually very close to them. He had come down to be among them, and he was not up there where the stars shine. This was what really made them rejoice. There were plenty of other wonderworkers around, but this meant God was close. Isn't that what is happening when we consider the idea of being a contemplative in the middle of the world? Reviving a consciousness of God's presence when you're in traffic, waiting for a bus, sitting in front of the computer screen or just plain working, is a fascinating discovery. It gives such a sense of unity to life. That's the main thing I learned from the writings of the founder of Opus Dei. I hope this is what comes to be more the subject of wonder and amazement, not the silly myths that simply sidetrack you from the real key message.
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troubledgoodangel
Posts: 29
Joined: Dec 2006
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March 02, 2007 5:17 AM
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No one should dispute Josemaria Escriva's axiom that "[a Christian] is supposed to walk out of church for the same reason they walk in - to be in union with God." This is what Christianity has always been about: all Saints have lived in the real world, until they moved to Heaven! The question is, and the danger: How do we make sure that we do not embrace worldliness and cease to be Saints in consequence! To what extent can a worldling be "a contemplative in union with God"? Is a daily prayer or two enough? Nonetheless, I do think that the Opus Dei spirituality "of transforming secular reality from within" is a valid one. This seems to have been John Paul II's conviction, when he reminded in Laborem Exercens (opening words and art. 27), that "man is created in the image and likeness of God, [...and] is expected to subdue the earth through his work, [...] whose optimal fruits ought to be 'human dignity, brotherly community, and liberty'" (cf. Gaudium et spes, 39). The Holy Father further noted that, "when work is coupled with prayer, it participates both in the earthy progress and in the increase of God's Kingdom to which we all have been called by the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of the Gospel" (Laborem exercens, 27). It is therefore obvious that work in the world and Christianity are reconcilable for John Paul II, and are sanctity. But again, the only unanswered question that remains is when this sanctity becomes worldliness? This is a guestion we must continue to grapple with for this danger is always present. But the fact that the danger exists ought not to discourage the positive work that Opus Dei is doing!
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