The Founder of Opus Dei, Volume II: God and Daring

By Andrés Vázquez de Prada

Book Overview

This second volume of the three-volume biography of St. Josemar?a covers one of the most remarkable periods of his life: from the outbreak of the civil war in 1936 to his departure for Rome in 1946.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1889334855
• ISBN13: 9781889334851
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Scepter Publishers
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 1.64 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent again!

If the details of a saint's life make a difference, this does it. St. Josemaria is the saint of the ordinary; the advocate for the materializing of our spiritual life. Read and change.

Masterfully written, well-sourced, and a fascinating read

This book was the second volume of Andres Vazquez de Prada's biography of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, canonized by His Holiness a year ago this month.While this book isn't for the casual reader, it is engaging and deeply moving. Whether you are familiar with Opus Dei or not, Vazquez de Prada gives you an insightful and occasionally awe-inspiring look at an important decade in the life of Saint Josemaria and his efforts to establish Opus Dei.Rarely do the faithful have an opportunity to follow a Saint in the making with such extraordinary detail. This masterfully written account is itself a testament to the meaning of Opus Dei; sanctification through one's everyday life, at work, at home, or at school. The reader cannot fail to recognize that the life of this 20th Century spanish Priest is a witness to this concept. Although his rare piety and charity are virtues most will have a hard time grasping, the childlike submission to suffering, persecution, and illness offer a practical example that any Christian could understand as a model for their own life.Cynics and anti-Catholics looking for conspiracy theories and dubious affiliations will be greatly disappointed to discover that Opus Dei was opposed from the beginning by powerful forces inside the Church who feared the potent combination of a traditional faith and an empowered laity less dependent upon clericalism and more concerned with personal sanctity. Further disappointment for skeptics will be found in the revelation that Father Escriva and Opus Dei were persecuted by each end of the political spectrum in war-ravaged Spain for his failure to adhere to any political movement.For those with a deeper interest in Escriva's correspondence and the particulars of the Canonical journey of Opus Dei, the book is well sourced, with extensive explanations.