Download Opus Dei and the Jesuits: The History and Legacy of the Roman Catholic Church's Most Famous Orders AudioBook Free
Because of Dan Brown's best-selling novel flipped blockbuster mega-hit, The Da Vinci Code, in which audiences were presented to Silas, the villainous, self-whipping monk, corporal mortification is now a term most often associated with Opus Dei. A creepy, deranged, and blood-thirsty albino monk, Silas is most remembered for viciously whipping himself with a nail-embedded cilice. For added suspense, various falsehoods of the real-life order have been propagated by the literary masterpiece; in fact, the character of Silas consists of one of the primary bloopers, as there have been never any monks in the order. Hollywood magic aside, the Opus Dei describes itself as a Catholic-based business made up of "ordinary" Religious laymen and a tiny small fraction of priests who have dedicated their lives to growing the word and love of God. Its creator, Josemaría Escrivá, has since been inducted in to the sainthood. Though some have taken the sinister portrayals of the Opus Dei in good laughter, much the way similar conspiracy theories hound the Freemasons, the depiction of the order has remaining a bad taste in the mouths of several, including the Opus Dei themselves. Customers of the powerful Catholic business have risen to their own protection. With that said, while there are indeed a trove of glittering boasts that can be quickly disproven, some of the scandals the group has found itself involved with have left a great deal of folks stroking their chins. On top of allegations of links and unfair favoritism from the Vatican, chronicles of tales from former customers have continually surfaced over the years. Out of all the important Catholic men and women who've been venerated over the last 2,000 years, one of the faith's most popular and influential men also lived one of the very most unique lives.
