Since it was founded in 1928, Opus Dei has spread the message that all the baptized are called to holiness, through the fulfillment of their work and their daily duties.
"An essential characteristic of the spirit of Opus Dei is that it does not take anyone out of his or her place. Rather it leads each person to fulfill the tasks and duties of his or her own state, of his or her mission in the Church and in society, with the greatest possible perfection."
Opus Dei, with its essentially secular spirit, serves the Church and society by fostering individual holiness and apostolic commitment among the Christian faithful, helping them to discover and take on the demands of their baptismal vocation in the specific place they occupy in the world.
The following are some of the main features of the spirit of Opus Dei:
1. Divine filiation: The Christian is a child of God by virtue of baptism.
2. Ordinary life: The ordinary Christian can seek holiness in and through the ordinary circumstances of life.
3. Sanctifying work: The sanctification of ordinary work is like a hinge on which the whole spiritual life of the ordinary Christian turns.
4. Love for freedom: The members of Opus Dei are ordinary citizens who enjoy the same rights and are subject to the same obligations as any other citizen.
5. Prayer and Sacrifice: Prayer, daily Mass, sacramental confession, and reading and meditating on the Gospel. To imitate Jesus Christ, they make sacrifices, particularly those that help them fulfill their duties faithfully and make life more pleasant for others, as well as fasting, almsgiving, and renouncing small pleasures.
6. Charity and apostolate: Eagerness to make Christ known is inseparable from the desire to contribute to resolving the material needs and social problems of one's surroundings. Unity of life: Friendship with God, ordinary day-to-day life, and the effort to evangelize are all harmoniously fused into a "strong and simple unity of life".
