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

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)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
–This text refers to the

Hardcover
edition.

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 and author of Opus Dei

“Scott Hahn is one of our finest spiritual writers, and in Opus Dei he has found a subject worthy of his gifts. This is a book that everyone can ponder and pray over with profit.”

—Russell Shaw, author of Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church and Personal Vocation