This extraordinary little book is unlike anything else out there about Opus Dei. There are books that both vilify and support or endorse Opus Dei, but this book is about personal journey, the positive, transformative, life-changing effects that being involved with the work has had upon one man's life. Unlike the fictional Da Vinci Code, which portrays Opus Dei as the ultimate evil, or even the supposedly non-fiction books Their Kingdom Come by Robert Hutchinson or Michael Walsh's Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Powerful, Secretive Society Within the Catholic Church, this book is based upon a true story and personal experience.

In this book, Hahn has an openness and transparency about his personal life seldom seen in authors writing about spiritual matters. Hahn opens up areas of his life for us to see; he shares mistakes he has made and how through the guidance of others he has learnt and grown with the help of the spirituality of Opus Dei.

Dr. Hahn opens up the world of Opus Dei, through his coming into contact with a few men who were devout Catholics - men of faith and of the Word that influenced his spiritual growth in many ways. Hahn reveals the spirit/core/intent of Opus Dei in the order that he came to understand it.

In this compact 155-page book, Hahn provides lively and easily- accessible explanations of key aspects of Opus Dei, such as: "divine filiation", the idea that we are sons and daughters of God, the foundation of Opus Dei's spirituality. Also he explains how ordinary work is a way of imitating Jesus and a way to share in God's creation and the redemption of the world. He also explains Opus Dei as a "personal prelature", and how that works, as well as the role of Opus Dei in the Catholic Church. Dr. Hahn also shows the important role of genuine friendship in spreading Christ's message, and how some of those key friendships helped draw him into the Catholic Church, and Opus Dei.

Dr Hahn states: "Opus Dei was someplace where I could feel at home. What were those reasons?

First and foremost was its members' apparent devotion to the Bible.
Second was its warm ecumenism. Opus Dei was the first Catholic institution to welcome non-Catholics to cooperate in its apostolic labors.
Third was how upright the lives of members were.
Fourth was how ordinary their lives were. They were not theologians - they were dentists, engineers, journalists - but they were talking and living a theology I found attractive.
Fifth, they espoused a holy ambition - a devout work ethic.
Sixth, they practiced hospitality and gave their attention generously to my many questions.
And seventh, they prayed. They made time for intimate prayer every day - true conversation with God. This gave them a serenity I had rarely encountered." p.4, 5
Those were the reasons that Dr. Hahn was attracted to Opus Dei in the beginning.

Dr. Hahn also gives a number of different definitions of what Opus Dei is throughout the book. He states that one of his favorite definitions of what Opus Dei is, came from a prayer card in the 1980's. He states: "Opus Dei is 'a way of sanctification in the daily work and in the fulfillment of the Christian's ordinary duties.' It's not just a method or prayer, or an institution in the Church, or a theological school. It's 'a way' and that way is wide enough to accommodate everyone whose days are filled with honest work - at home with the kids, in a factory or an office, in the mines, or on the farm, or on the battlefield." p.5 One of the latter definitions we are give by Hahn is: "The spiritual life of Opus Dei is rich in devotional customs. I've heard its spirituality described as 'Trinitarian,' 'eucharistic,' 'christocentric,' and ' Marian.' It is all of those things - with a healthy dose of angelology thrown in - and it can be all those things because it boils down to divine filiation, a life of childhood. 'This unity of life built on the presence of God our Father, can and ought to be a daily reality,' in the words of the founder." p.110 Basically he says we are called to be children of God, and if we live that first and foremost the other things will fall into place.

Dr. Hahn states that he did not write this book to hold himself up as a model or to explain the specifics of Opus Dei. What he did was want to share how he has journeyed, and his journey overlaps with so many other believers. In that goal he did an excellent job.

Dr. Scott Hahn is a professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He is also an internationally renowned Catholic lecturer and apologist, and author. He has published numerous books including The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth and Lord Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession, Understanding Our Father and Letter & Spirit. You may be familiar with many myths and legends surrounding the movement of Opus Dei; this book will give you firsthand insight into how much good the organization can help produce in a person's life.

Even if you do not agree with Dr. Hahn's conclusions, this book will give you fresh insight and true and deeper understanding of a growing movement within the Roman Catholic Church. The book's firsthand perspective, filled with personal stories, is warm, charming and hard to put down once you begin.

(First Published in Imprint 2007-14-23 as 'Personal account shines a positive light on the Opus Dei'.)

Ofrece al lector una introducción personal a la teología bíblica y también al espíritu del Opus Dei. La perspectiva de un laico casado que habla de grandes temas como la filiación divina, la santificación del trabajo y de la vida ordinaria, el apostolado o la secularidad, resulta atractiva. Es útil para todos.

Interesting learning about how beautiful and practical Opus Dei is. How do you be a joyous and loving Christian in the secular world? Divine filiation... simplicity... humility... work... sacrifice... service... prayer.

Working for God's glory

I have often have God the glory for the work I did. This book has given me more reason to glorify God in all the little things that I do throughout my daily life. To God be the glory.

I always heard that Opus Dei was a very secretive organization. Scott Hahn tells about the spiritual journey he experienced joining Opus Dei, he also dispelled myths about it. I found the book very interesting. I always learn a lot from reading Scott Hahn's books.

This is a very clear and informative book about Opus Dei. Anyone who may have any misconceptions about the Work would walk away with something closer to the truth. No crazy albino munks lol.
Scott Hahn will continue to be on of my favorite writers on the Catholic faith.

As with all of Scott Hahn's books: a lovely and insightful read- don't I just love how he puns his titles: A Way With The World...( no others come to mind at the moment)and his wonderful use of Bible texts! And I think the best part of the whole book was when he says he 'got' The Work: that he had to tone down on the apologetics and turn up the romance with his wife Kimberly- and eventually he won her over to the Catholic Faith: and for me who is still in the process of 'getting' The Work it helped me further understand...well not quite...go deeper into the elements of The Work. So I would recommend it both to members of The Work as it helps you appreciate all you have and also to people interested in knowing more about The Work.

Wow!

A masterful work, inspirational and thoughtful. After reading this I have a greater appreciation and understanding of the affinity many have for St Josemaria.

Invaluable. Excellent in tandem with St. Therese of Lisieux's "The Story of a Soul."

While Hahn acknowledges his book is a mere stepping stone, a primer, for learning about Opus Dei and St. Josemaria Escriva, the insights and inspirations packed within cannot be unfolded in a single reading. Every page makes one ponder the importance of the seemingly ordinary and inconsequential details of life. But it is within the mundane that we can seize our greatest treasures. Every moment is an opportunity to say yes to God. In every patient smile, every resolution to work diligently though unwatched, every movement made to help another, we can find something to offer to God. The romance of life is in the love we show to others; not in grandiose gestures rehearsed many times over or replicated from novels and dramas but in the tiny acts that prove our self-giving. To always give our best, even if the best we can give seems so unheroic, is a path worth knowing, and a path worth following.

This is a short book that gives a good description of the spirituality of Opus Dei. Scott Hahn takes us with him into a his personal story, his conversion and what he came to understand and to believe. This is not a book about Opus Dei. It is a personal story, but a story in which we can come to see the spirituality of Opus Dei and learn about it.
It is a great book! I would recommend it to any person who wants to grow in spiritual life.

Hahn's insights are good but it wasn't as gripping as I anticipated.

A beautiful book about a deeply misunderstood movement. Saint Josemaria Escriva, please pray for us.