Q&A 54
Q. First of all, what's the difference between a good Catholic who prays daily and frequents the Sacraments nini nini and one of you guys in Opus Dei?
A. Through the ministry of the bishop and of the priests of the diocese they live in, both have access to the Sacraments and the spiritual wealth of the Church to know and love Christ.
Over and above that, the member of the Work has personalised, rigorous and regular spiritual guidance to achieve the same knowledge and love for God.
It's like 2 cars: one with 3 gears the other with 5. Both gear systems achieve the same thing: moving the car from A to B. The second car - the member of Opus Dei - has more and finer-tuned means to get the car to move. St. Josemaria would prefer using an analogy of two street lights, one lit the other not. Both function to light the road, but the lit one - the member of the Work - has everything he requires to be and remain lit.
Q. Are all members of Opus Dei single or celibate?
A. Nope. Actually they're the minority: about 30%. Most members the Work are either married or planning to get married.
God's plan is to fill heaven with as many souls as possible for which reason in His Church He grants the majority of people the vocation to marriage so that through raising as large a family as they can manage, they collaborate with Him in this great desire He has.
Q. So there are different kinds of members then?
A. Yes. There are the ones who are married or plan to get married - the supernumeraries; then among those who are not married (or planning to get married) you have those called associates and those called numeraries.
Between associates and numeraries, the difference is essentially one of availability: for reasons of health, or the job they have or their family situation, associates tend to be less available than numeraries.
6thDecember 2015