Transcript SEEK THE TRUTH! The Da Vinci Code film

The Da Vinci Code film
SEEK THE TRUTH!
The Priory of Sion
according to the DVC
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A real organisation founded in 1099 to
defend the bloodline of Jesus and
Mary Magdalene
Persecuted by
the Catholic Church
Dedicated to the
Sacred Feminine
The Priory of Sion
– in fact
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Invented by Pierre Plantard in 1956 (a
conman recently out of prison)
Planted documents in National Library
of Paris
Admitted to be a hoax on TV by its
founder
How much else is true?
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How much of what DVC says about
Opus Dei is true?
Hardly anything
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How much of what DVC says about
the Catholic Church is true?
Hardly anything
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How much of what DVC says about art, architecture,
geography, literature, is true?
Hardly anything
THE DVC IS A WORK OF FICTION!
What the DVC claims
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Jesus Christ was not God: this was
invented by people later
Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene
and they had a child
The Catholic Church exists to keep this
secret from people, and is ready to kill
people to do this: the Church is a big lie
Opus Dei is the Catholic group that does
the dirty work (like killing or stealing)
The Christian faith is false, a delusion
Turn it around
It’s a book about
Christ
 It’s a unique
opportunity to
talk about Christ!
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The real Opus Dei
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A part of the Catholic Church
A very simple message:
Everyone is called to holiness
What is holiness
Sanctification of work
Vatican II
Saint Josemaría Escrivá
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Born: 1902
Founded Opus Dei:
1928
Died: June 26, 1975
Canonized: 2002
Some quotes follow…
Work has a spiritual
meaning
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“God waits for us every day, in
the laboratory, in the operating
theatre, in the army barracks,
in the university chair, in the
factory, in the workshop, in the
fields, in the home and in all
the immense panorama of
work.”
“In God’s eyes there are no
second class jobs. All of them
are important… Which job is
better? Whichever is done with
greater love for God.”
Discovering the greatness
of ordinary life
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“Understand this well:
there is something
holy, something divine,
in the most ordinary
situations, and it is up
to each one of you to
discover it.”
“Holiness does not
consist in doing ever
more difficult things,
but in doing them each
time with more love.”
Sanctifying family life
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“Love which leads to
marriage and family,
can also be a
marvellous divine way,
a vocation, a path for
complete dedication to
God.”
The majority of members of
Opus Dei are married and
live with their families.
Bringing others to Christ
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“When you launch out into the
apostolate, be convinced that it
is always a question of making
people happy, very happy:
truth is inseparable from true
joy”
“As we work at out job, side by
side with our colleagues,
friends and relatives, and share
their interests, we can help
them come closer to Christ”
Members of Opus Dei
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Men and women, young and
old, lay people and priests,
single and married
Of every occupation and
social level
Numeraries, associates and
supernumeraries
Priests of Opus Dei
Women in Opus Dei
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Women and men have same status
Women can do any job they like, including
looking after a family
Women run their activities
independently of the men
Some women look after
the centres
Commitments
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Spiritual formation
– Weekly circle
– Monthly evening of
recollection
– Annual retreat and course
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Spiritual commitments
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Daily Mass
Reading of Scripture and spiritual books
Time for prayer
Examination of conscience
How Opus Dei is
organised
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Prelate in Rome
Two councils in Rome (one
for men and one for women)
Two councils in each country
A local council for each
centre
This is the least important
aspect of Opus Dei
Joining Opus Dei
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It’s a vocation from God
All members of Opus Dei have the same
vocation: to seek holiness in their ordinary
lives
Any lay Catholic can ask to join
Time for discernment before asking
18 months before commitment
People join by choice and are free to leave
Freedom of members
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No outward change in their lives
Free to tell of their membership to whoever
they like
Free to hold whatever opinions they wish in
political, economic or social matters
Freedom and personal responsibility
Apostolate
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Main apostolate is personal
Corporate works
– What they are
– Examples
– Finances
– Role of Opus Dei
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Activities for young people
Netherhall House
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Inter-collegiate hall of
residence for students
100 students
From 30 countries
A quarter are British
and another quarter
European
About half are Catholic
The Da Vinci Code and Opus Dei
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How much about Opus Dei in the Da Vinci
Code is true?
Hardly anything
So what’s wrong?
A) Neutral
 Members of Opus Dei
are not monks
 Lifestyle descriptions
are not accurate
 Opus Dei’s HQ is in
Rome, not New York
B) Damaging
 Allegation about the
Vatican and money
 Brainwashed killer
monks
 Distortion of corporal
mortification
Corporal mortification
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Context: prayer, fasting, good works
Traditional in the Church – and other religions
Most mortifications are very small
Examples of corporal mortifications: sackcloth and
ashes, walking barefoot, hair-shirt, cilice, sleeping
rough
Motivation: reminder, moral training, solidarity
Secular motivation: dieting, sports training
The Prelature
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Opus Dei established as a personal
Prelature by John Paul II in 1982
Envisaged in Vatican II
Suitable for an organisation of
ordinary Catholics
Working together with the bishops
Opus Dei in the Church
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Opus Dei only exists to serve the
Catholic Church
Fully approved by all the Popes
Serves the Church with its particular
charism
Can run parishes but it’s not its main
activity
Opus Dei worldwide
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Africa: 1,600
Asia:
4,700
America: 29,000
(USA: 3,000)
Europe: 49,700
Total:
85,000
Asia
7%
America
34%
Europe
57%
Africa
2%
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Priests: 1,800
Women: 42,000+
Opus Dei in Britain
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There are about 500
members in Britain.
There are centres in
London, Manchester,
Glasgow and Oxford.
SEEK THE TRUTH!