2006年VOA标准英语-Opus Dei: A Closer Look at the Orthodox Ca

By Amy Katz
Washington, DC
27 April 2006
 
watch Opus Dei report

The best selling novel The DaVinci Code has been made into a major Hollywood movie, which arrives in American theaters on May 19th. The Catholic group at the heart of the story, Opus Dei, is portrayed¹ as an evil force in the book and the film. The group, with a reputation for secrecy², recently released its own film to make their case of what Opus Dei is really about. 

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The image of Opus Dei that filmgoers will see when The DaVinci Code opens May 19th is of a secretive, sinister³, sometimes violent organization within the Catholic Church.

The image of Opus Dei that its leaders want the public to see is of Michael Barvick, the Executive Director of the Youth Leadership Foundation, a Washington, D.C. group that helps disadvantaged minority children with academic aid and character development.

He says Opus Dei provides its members -- who call their spiritual activities "The Work" -- with ways to incorporate faith and prayer into their daily lives. "Basically, what ‘The Work’ does is provide that reminder⁴, provide the coaching, those "norms of piety⁵" as they are called, that help us to remember that we have a vocation⁶, to be good men and women, to be imitators of Christ and to try and share that with people around us."

 
Micheal Barvick
  
Like Michael Barvick, many Opus Dei members are involved in education.  When children fill a Youth Leadership Foundation classroom on weekends and in the summer, the curriculum includes both academic subjects and character formation. It is Opus Dei members, or people trained by members, who conduct the character talks -- which focus on the importance of living a virtuous⁷ life.

It is much the same here at the Heights School just outside Washington, D.C.  The private, independent preparatory school for boys says its Christian⁸ orientation⁹ and spiritual formation are entrusted¹⁰ to Opus Dei. 

The organization has 87,000 members worldwide.  They come from all walks of life and are divided into three categories.  Ten percent are Catholic priests.  Twenty percent are called numeraries -- members who are not priests or nuns¹¹, but pledge themselves to lives of celibacy¹².  And the majority -- 70-percent -- are called supernumeraries -- many of whom are married with children.  All members commit to integrating prayer into all aspects of their lives. 

How did this highly religious group within the Catholic Church become so controversial?  

cilice  
  
The issue of mortification¹³ is one reason. It is the practice of pain on one's self to be reminded of Christ's suffering.  Until recently, every Opus Dei numerary was expected to wear a cilice -- a special chain with spikes¹⁴ on its underside -- on the thigh¹⁵ for at least two hours a day. Mortification is portrayed as extremely violent in The DaVinci Code.  Michael Barvick says that is simply not true and no one would ever be encouraged to be violent to themselves or someone else as part of mortification.

"Discomfort¹⁶ is the best way to look at it -- different levels of discomfort that someone might try to do in an attempt to unify¹⁷ themselves with the example of Christ, who did die a very violent (death) -- the whole idea is, suffering has a purpose," says Barvick.

Tammy Dinicola  
  
Another issue is control.  Tammy DiNicola is a former member. "It creates this atmosphere of: you are never alone, you are always watched."

Opus Dei leaders say their intention is only to teach and coach people -- not to control them.

Barvick says the way The DaVinci Code portrays¹⁸ Opus Dei and the Catholic Church does a disservice to anyone who reads the book or watches the movie.

"It is basically taking a 2,000-year history and turning it on its head and giving the impression, unfortunately, that it is fact.  I think that is the greatest disservice of the book.  It is a fiction book, but people are taking it as fact," he says.

The group's stated mission is to spread the message that work and the circumstances of everyday life are occasions for growing closer to God, for serving others, and for improving society.

Movie footage courtesy: The DaVinci Code -- Columbia Pictures

Other footage courtesy: Youth Leadership Foundation Video and Opus Dei

1 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

3 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 piety   

n.虔诚，虔敬

参考例句：

• They were drawn to the church not by piety but by curiosity.他们去教堂不是出于虔诚而是出于好奇。
• Experience makes us see an enormous difference between piety and goodness.经验使我们看到虔诚与善意之间有着巨大的区别。

6 vocation   

n.职业，行业

参考例句：

• She struggled for years to find her true vocation.她多年来苦苦寻找真正适合自己的职业。
• She felt it was her vocation to minister to the sick.她觉得照料病人是她的天职。

7 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

10 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

12 celibacy   

n.独身(主义)

参考例句：

• People in some religious orders take a vow of celibacy. 有些宗教修会的人发誓不结婚。
• The concept of celibacy carries connotations of asceticism and religious fervor. 修道者的独身观念含有禁欲与宗教热情之意。

13 mortification   

n.耻辱，屈辱

参考例句：

• To my mortification, my manuscript was rejected. 使我感到失面子的是：我的稿件被退了回来。
• The chairman tried to disguise his mortification. 主席试图掩饰自己的窘迫。

14 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

16 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

17 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

18 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》