A deeply personal introduction to the biblical theology and spirituality of Opus Dei by the bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn.
To conspiracy theorists, Opus Dei is a highly secretive and powerful international organization. To its members, however, Opus Dei is a spiritual path, a way of incorporating the teachings of Jesus into everyday life. In __Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace__, Scott Hahn, a member of Opus Dei, describes the organizationвЂTMs founding, its mission, and its profound influence on his life.
Hahn recounts the invaluable part Opus Dei played in his conversion from Evangelical Christianity to Catholicism and explains why its teachings remain at the center of his life. Through stories about his job, his marriage, his role as a parent, and his community activities, Hahn shows how Opus DeiвЂTMs spirituality enriches the meaning of daily tasks and transforms ordinary relationships. He offers inspiring insights for reconciling spiritual and material goals, discussing topics ranging from ambition, workaholism, friendship, and sex, to the place of prayer and sacrifice in Christianity today.
Engaging and enlightening, __Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace__ is at once a moving personal story and an inspiring work of contemporary spirituality.
From Publishers WeeklyWith interest in the controversial group Opus Dei piqued by the popularity of the novel, __The____Da 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. JosemarГa EscrivГЎ. 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)__ Copyright В© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ReviewAdvance Praise for __Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace__В
“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 GodвЂTMs work in GodвЂTMs 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 HahnвЂTMs 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 hasВ 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, HahnвЂTMs prose is at its sparkling, insightful, crystal-clear best. ItвЂTMs a book that needed to be written, so that we all may understand.”
—John Allen, Vatican writer for the National Catholic Reporter an...
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