The Today Show (a current “sacred cow” at my house), has been exposing and interviewing leaders from various “mysterious faiths” (Mormons, Kabbalah, Scientologists, etc). This morning they took a peek into Opus Dei (”The Work of God”). Interesting stuff! Apparently deeply connected with the Catholic Church, they are sometimes labeled a cult because of their propensity to self-mutilation, their secretive tenets and worship practices.
I was honestly intrigued by this faith group. Their goal is to keep every person in their church active and engaged with the culture around them. Any faith that is based of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is only being truly lived out when its adherents are living a full life of worship and witness. As the Today show described their group, there was background footage of a woman on a treadmill, praying the rosary, others washing dishes and chanting hymns. A holistic life before God - that is what I look forward to living.
Dualism in our culture is rampant. We go to church on Sunday wearing our best dress (look our best for God?), put on our best smile, and do our best to remember the “bible answers” when called on in class. We go to church to “meet God”, but we forget that he does not live in a building made by human hands. Church buildings can get in the way of seeing God everywhere we go. God says in 2 Samuel 7 that his home “is a tent, moving from one place to another”. In 2 Corinthians, Paul says that “WE are the temple of the living God,” and that God would walk among us. That he did, as the incarnated Jesus. People didn’t show up to Jesus’ house for an hour and a half on Sundays and Wednesdays. He lived among them, showing them how to live the With-God Life as they walked their camels, brushed their teeth, and shared stories of the faithful with their children.
I believe our biggest challenge we receive from the people in Opus Dei is the challenge to decompartmentalize our humanity. Let everything we do be an act of worship, including our times of corporate worship in song and prayer. What does that look like? Try praising God by seeing his face in the eyes of every person you meet today. Try thanking God for 5 things as you wash your hands before a meal. Allow your conversations to overflow with the details of your personal walk with God as you witness to everyone you have a conversation with.
You might be surprised how challenging; and yet how rewarding the experience could be. All of a sudden you are no longer spiritually drained every time you come to church - rather, you are filled to the brim, exploding with life, like an acorn in the ground. That is the life to the full that Jesus spoke about so long ago. How easy it is to deny ourselves this life by hiding behind the masks we wear.
Thank you Opus Dei for reminding us of something much of the Christian world has forgotten. Christ is LORD of our LIVES!