Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace: My Spiritual Journey in Opus Dei (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: divine filiation, personal prelature, holy ambition, Opus Dei, Ordinary Work Extraordinary Grace, Jesus Christ (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With interest in the controversial group Opus Dei piqued by the popularity of the novel, TheDa Vinci Code, a book by a member who purports to tell his "personal story" is bound to attract attention. Unfortunately, this latest work from author and Catholic convert Hahn consists mostly of a didactic treatment of the theology of Opus Dei, containing little that is compelling about its relationship to Hahn's life. The author was drawn to Opus Dei after meeting several of its members at a time when he was pondering whether to join the Catholic Church. Disappointed in the lack of zeal he had found among other Catholics, he was pleased to discover in Opus Dei members a lively faith that was closer to what he had known among fellow evangelical Protestants. "Opus Dei," he writes, "was someplace where I could begin to feel at home." Other than this brief personal vignette, Hahn remains in the role of teacher and biblical theologian, expounding on the group's tenets as formed by its founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá. Hahn's book is useful as an introduction to Opus Dei for those seeking to learn about the organization and its spiritual foundations, but it could have benefited from greater personal reflection. (Oct. 3)
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Review

Advance Praise for Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace 


“Only a few years ago, Opus Dei was seen as alien, secretive, and sinister. Then some writers began to take a closer look. Now Scott Hahn has given us a lively and readable account of the joy he and thousands of others have discovered in doing God’s work in God’s world.”

—(The Rev.) Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things


“If you want the real story about Opus Dei, Scott Hahn will give you the shocking truth—the shock of a Gospel life lived effectively in the midst of the world. Like all his other books, this one will challenge your view of the Christian life.”

—Father Benedict J. Groeshcel, C.F.R., author of Arise From Darkness
 

 “Scott Hahn’s abilities as a scholar, teacher, and writer are already well known. But the story of his journey to Opus Dei that emerges here, and his portrait of The Work remind us that each of us, no matter what our vocation or state of life, is called to holiness. This is compelling reading.”
—Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver


“In the vast ocean of literature on Opus Dei, what we have not had until now is a book written by an insider but accessible to outsiders. Faced with the popular myth of a militant, foreboding society, the average person has been left to ask: What in the world might attract someone to this? Scott Hahn provides the answer. He opens up the spiritual core of Opus Dei, explaining why tens of thousands of thoughtful people have seen it as their pathway to holiness, and to the holiness of the world. In these pages, Hahn’s prose is at its sparkling, insightful, crystal-clear best. It’s a book that needed to be written, so that we all may understand.”

—John Allen, Vatican writer for the National Catholic Reporter an... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385519249
• ISBN-13: 978-0385519243
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,598 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Truth About Opus Dei, October 9, 2006

By	Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Whenever I have a question about the Catholic Faith, be it doctrine, dogma, or just Catholic culture I always find myself turning to Dr. Scott Hahn for answers. Whatever the subject, Dr. Hahn seems to have written about it and I feel that I can depend on him for honest answers written in a context that I or anyone else can easily understand. This book written from the perspective of an insider is no exception as the author explains the theology of the supposedly menacing and dark Opus Dei.

As one reads this book it is easy to see the influence of Opus Dei on Dr. Hahn and his previous writings. One of the central tenants of the order is Divine Filiation (God our Father, Christ our Brother, all of us as part of one Holy Family) and that same emphasis is a major part of Dr. Hahn's writings. Other important facets of the order are daily prayers, reading of scripture, and Mass attendance. In other words, Opus Dei is an organization that promotes the living of a Holy life in our daily living. This is indeed an important teaching since we all too often forget about God except on Sunday.

The most important and central point of the teachings of Opus Dei however seems to be that all that we do should be done for and in honor of God. According to Dr. Hahn our work should be done in the absolute best way that we can and then offered to God as a sacrifice such as the sacrifices offered up by the Israelites in the Old Testament. These sacrifices were required to be the best available and thus our work should also be as perfect as possible. This teaching makes sense but would also seem, like the Protestant work ethic, to be a teaching that could be used by employers as an excuse for taking advantage of their workers.

Whether you agree or disagree with the teachings of Opus Dei however this book will certainly enlighten you as to the basics of that personal Prelature. (To find out just what a personal Prelature is you will just have to read the book) Dr. Hahn not only explains the basic teachings of Opus Dei but he also gives us its basic history and explains its organization. This certainly isn't a long book but it seems as if everything of real importance is at least touched upon. As usual Dr. Hahn does this with a clear and easy to grasp writing style that makes what could well be a dull subject into a very interesting book. I would advise anyone who might be curious about Opus Dei to read this book. It's honest, clearly written, and very enlightening.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Highly Reccommend, November 20, 2006

By	Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE EXTRA-ORDINARY "OPUS DEI" REVEALED BY AN INSIDER!, October 3, 2006

By	RBSProds "rbsprods" (Deep in the heart of Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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Five BIG Stars!! Dr. Scott Hahn, the awesome Christian author and idealogue, reveals the theology and inner workings of the supposedly 'mysterious' Opus Dei organization by showing it's impact on his life. Dr. Hahn, a former Protestant minister and a Catholic convert, is the author of numerous religious books and recordings, a college theology professor, and makes frequent theological teaching appearances on the worldwide Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). This is not a hard-hitting investigative or historical book, but a quick but deep religious examination of Opus Dei's "biblical theology and biblical spirituality". Opus Dei is directly translated as "God's Work".

The Opus Dei depicted here is a rather benign, "ordinary" organization of very dedicated and religious men and women who are focused on quietly living a daily holy life and doing their daily work, indeed all activities, in honor of God. But even more, it is "a way" to seek sainthood for everyone: beyond organization or a prayer ritual. It appears to be made up mostly of ordinary workers we would find anywhere: engineers, bus drivers, lay teachers, shift workers doing their daily jobs among us, but with a singular purpose behind the ordinary work: its all for God. To Dr. Hahn, Opus Dei is a beacon leading to the deep Christian life that he sought to live. The members are prone to carrying small bibles for daily readings and reference, to carving out a daily period for prayer, amid the bustle of life, and daily Mass. All of which he claims has resulted in extraordinary graces from God being dispensed on individuals and the Opus Dei organization. Dr. Hahn cites eight reasons for feeling welcomed into the group, among which are devotion to the bible, ecumenism with non-Catholics, the upright lives of the members, a devout work ethic, and intimate daily prayer to God.

Apart from it's deep religious trappings, this book can be read to get at the truth of this quiet religious organization, founded by Saint Josemaria Escriva', beyond what was incorrectly presented by the fictional bestselling book "The Da Vinci Code" and the eponymous movie. Opus Dei includes priests, religious, and lay persons of both sexes and apparently is open to anyone within the faith (Catholics and non-Catholics) with a deep desire to lead a daily holy life. Terms like "lights" and "daily filiation" abound to give us a deeper view into the thinking and experiences of the founder.

This book also includes actual prayers of St. Josemaria to allow one to see the mental mindset of Opus Dei members when praying or to use on our own. And Dr. Hahn reveals the "secret" of Opus Dei. Even so, the members swimming the deep spiritual waters of Opus Dei have been the subject of suspicion, claims of elitism, and controversy from those within and outside of the Catholic Church. Judge for yourself. Highly recommended, with a heavy religious slant. Five DISCURSIVE Stars!!!

(Hardcover, 156 pages)