What Do The Opus Dei And Housework Have To Do With Each Other?
It’s sexism
Silas, the Opus Dei monk of the Da Vinci Code, self-flagellates with a whip and wears a cilice around his thigh to mortify his flesh. He is also so driven by his devotion to his faith that he murders in his quest to find the Holy Grail. Perhaps non-Opus Dei members can sympathise with his desire to gain the Holy Grail, but most of us would baulk at whipping ourselves to purify our bodies.
When the Da Vince Code was published, the Roman Catholic church was very quick to deny any connection with Dan Brown’s antagonist. To be fair, Silas is not a real Opus Dei monk (the Opus Dei have priests but not monks) but a fanatic who wishes to be a part of that organisation. The Opus Dei was also quick to deny that their members are required to practice corporal mortification. If you’re going to whip yourself, it should at least be because you get off on it.
I grew up in a very strict and conservative Catholic family and have an uncle in the Opus Dei. I only met him twice but I remember him being very sexist, in an old fashioned paternalistic way. My uncle is not a self-flagellator. If he is, he has kept it well hidden. Despite not ‘mortifying’ his flesh to purify his soul, he has taken a vow of chastity and a vow of poverty. His work as a teacher at an Opus Dei school could earn…
