Cathedrals, kings, and the 'cult' of Opus Dei . . .

Today I worshipped at the Catholic Cathedral in the Diocese, St. Jude the Apostle (St. Jude is both a Biblical writer and the patron saint of 'lost causes . . .')

As I worshipped in this 'Magisterial' edifice it brought back memories. Memories of Fr. Lau the handsome young priest whom the congregation adored back in the 1970's (I guess Fr. Lau is probably around 70 now!).

I also remembered quite vividly my first sacrament of reconciliation. As a second grader I boldly confessed that when I was 4 or 5 years old I had intentionally stole a pack of gum from my next door neighbor Jay. I confessed this sin (at like age 8 or so!), received absolution from the priest, made my First Holy Communion (complete with a late, thrown-together-at-the-last-minute Holy Communion party at our former house in St. Pete) and since then I have never looked back. One confession of stolen gum was all it took to never commit the act of thievery again!

What can you say, Catholic penitential practices actually work in training us in Virtue!

Now, as a 35 year old man (soon-to-be- 36! Ay Dios mio . . . soy viejo! :-) I am continuing the Work of sanctification that I started so long ago.

B.A. in Religion from #10 ranked Davidson College (where Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary attended as a philosophy major!).

M.Div. and Th.M. (under Stanley Hauerwas and Geoffrey Wainwright) from #4 ranked Duke University (where Grant Hill and Christian Laetner "attended" ;-)

Ph.D. studies (in Ethics) from the University of Notre Dame, a place caught between apostasy among some, and virulent STAUNCH CATHOLIC conviction among others (e.g. Current Department of Theology Chair, John Cavadini, a good friend and a man whom I respect greatly).

In all things, I have excelled.

Then why is it that those of us with STRONG religious convictions are so often literally demonized by the secular media?

Religious is often the first word that is included with the phrase "Religious Fanatic ..."

Similarly, although STRONG SCHOLARS such as Scott Hahn of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio or Lawrence Cunningham of Notre Dame are affiliated with the radical Catholic conservative Group Opus Dei, they to are similarly demonized.

To be Opus Dei in some quarters is to literally be the self-flagellating monk Silas from the movie (and book) The Da Vinci Code . . .

Even before the book and movie phenom (something I read back in 2004), Notre Dame (yes "the" Catholic University in America!) literally banned Opus Dei from even meeting on campus, and this at a Catholic School and with a group that is a Personal Prelature of the Pope himself.

To be Opus Dei, or it seems to even be reverent, is akin to being a 'fanatic' or even a member of a 'cult . . .' For example, in a recent interview to teach Ethics at a local state school, the Ethics Director, an Evangelical Protestant (Church of Christ) rather insultingly asked me about my tie which had the LORD's Prayer written on it, and whether or not I would be able to "separate my faith from my teaching?"

To this rather insulting show of bravado (especially coming from someone of much inferior academic mettle), I responded graciously and as an Academic (which I am!) and told him that I view attempts to teach secular ethics as nothing other than a part of Catholic Natural Law thinking and as such, I am not going to overstep any such mythical boundaries between 'separation of Church and State' and that I follow Catholic Teaching on this subject (when I referenced Pope John Paul II's encyclical on the matter, Fides et Ratio, or "Faith & Reason" I could sense a HUGE "gulp" on this young man's part because he quickly realized that I am much more read on the topic! Not to mention my role as an Army reserve Chaplain and how we are pretty much the Federal Government's 'specialists' concerning Freedom of Religion issues . . . again another "whoops" on this fellow's part).

So, whenever anyone questions your Christian Faith, be bold and do not back down! St. Peter stood firm for Christ (and was even crucified upside down by the pagan roman rulers of the day), but the end result is that now "the Church at Rome" is the largest branch of Christianity, headquartered in Rome itself and boasting literally 1 billion members worldwide . . .

Also, if you are into things like "self-flagellation," praying the rosary, buying icons at the local Russian art store, smoking incense in your home or any of the other myriad of ways that we are to be Christian, besides from steering clear of the psycho- therapeutic police who like to imprison good Catholics, Evangelicals, Orthodox, etc. just for believing in Jesus (Freud himself labelled all religious belief as 'delusional' . . .), I also recommend that you hone your intellectual skills. Read writers such as Marcus Grodi, founder of the Coming Home Network (http://www.chnetwork.org/) and regular host of the EWTN Catholic Television show "Journeys Home." Also, read writers such as Scott Hahn, himself a "self-flagellater" Opus Dei man (with a PhD in Biblical studies mind you!). Finally, read extensively throughout Christian History.

Blessings in Jesus, King of kings and LORD of lords,
Rob J King, Political Candidate for Jesus and member of the Work in heaven, and friend of it here on earth . . .