The Founder of Opus Dei, Volume II: God and Daring [Hardcover]

Andres Vazquez de Prada (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2003

This second volume of a new three-volume biography of St. Josemaria covers one of the most remarkable periods of his life: from the outbreak of the civil war in 1936 to his departure for Rome in 1946. In Republican Spain fierce anti-Catholic persecution led St. Josemaria to do his priestly work in secret, fully aware that if caught, he would be executed - as were 6000 other priests. This book recounts the saint's dangerous journey across the Pyrenees to the Nationalist zone, where he could exercize his priestly ministry more freely, his tireless labors to counter (with both heroic charity and determination) the slanders that threatened to overwhelm Opus Dei, and more. Here is an unforgettable picture of the saint’s activity during the years of crisis that threatened to obliterate his great gift to the church: Opus Dei.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andres Vazquez de Prada (1924-), a Spanish historian and embassy attache who lived and worked in London for more than 30 years, now resides in Madrid. He has published several studies on important figures in the English Catholic Church, including The Dream of an Old Man [El Sueno de un Anciano] (1954) on John Henry Newman and Sir Thomas More (1962). His other books include The Signifigance of Humor [El Sentido del Humor] (1976).

Vazquez de Prada studied at the Universities of Valladolid and Seville. In 1948 he received the national award for outstanding doctoral dissertation for his thesis on de facto governments.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 524 pages
• Publisher: Scepter Publishers (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889334855
• ISBN-13: 978-1889334851
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,232,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully written, well-sourced, and a fascinating read, October 22, 2003

By 

Jeff Cassman (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Founder of Opus Dei, Volume II: God and Daring (Hardcover)

This book was the second volume of Andres Vazquez de Prada's biography of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, canonized by His Holiness a year ago this month.

While this book isn't for the casual reader, it is engaging and deeply moving. Whether you are familiar with Opus Dei or not, Vazquez de Prada gives you an insightful and occasionally awe-inspiring look at an important decade in the life of Saint Josemaria and his efforts to establish Opus Dei.

Rarely do the faithful have an opportunity to follow a Saint in the making with such extraordinary detail. This masterfully written account is itself a testament to the meaning of Opus Dei; sanctification through one's everyday life, at work, at home, or at school. The reader cannot fail to recognize that the life of this 20th Century spanish Priest is a witness to this concept. Although his rare piety and charity are virtues most will have a hard time grasping, the childlike submission to suffering, persecution, and illness offer a practical example that any Christian could understand as a model for their own life.

Cynics and anti-Catholics looking for conspiracy theories and dubious affiliations will be greatly disappointed to discover that Opus Dei was opposed from the beginning by powerful forces inside the Church who feared the potent combination of a traditional faith and an empowered laity less dependent upon clericalism and more concerned with personal sanctity. Further disappointment for skeptics will be found in the revelation that Father Escriva and Opus Dei were persecuted by each end of the political spectrum in war-ravaged Spain for his failure to adhere to any political movement.

For those with a deeper interest in Escriva's correspondence and the particulars of the Canonical journey of Opus Dei, the book is well sourced, with extensive explanations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent again!, August 31, 2009

By 

Glenn Willard (VA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Founder of Opus Dei, Volume II: God and Daring (Hardcover)

If the details of a saint's life make a difference, this does it. St. Josemaria is the saint of the ordinary; the advocate for the materializing of our spiritual life. Read and change.