Romana

Ediciones Cristiandad has published the book Christians in the 21st Century, an extensive interview with the Prelate of Opus Dei. In its pages, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz responds to the questions posed by the philosopher and theologian Paula Hermida about some of the challenges of our day and age. Topic include the spread of information technologies and their influence on human relationships, the life-giving task of the Church in today’s world, emotional wounds and the role of spirituality, the values and aspirations of young people, dissatisfaction in a consumer society and the precarious labor market.

Offering personal reflections, with the experience of the decades spent with Saint Josemaría and his successors, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz speaks about the role of the laity in the Church’s mission and its dialogue with the contemporary world.

In the conversation, the Prelate of Opus Dei offers a hopeful vision, echoing some words of Saint Josemaría that he recalled shortly after being chosen as his third successor: “Every generation of Christians needs to redeem, to sanctify its own time. In order to do this, it must understand and share the concerns of other men and women – their equals” (Christ Is Passing By, no. 132).

In the face of new and old challenges, the book also wishes to be, in the words of the Prelate, a tribute to those “committed to fostering the common good and social justice, and so many people who in their daily lives offer a valuable witness of faith and Christian life. Perhaps they do not make much noise or their presence is not so conspicuous, but we can be sure they are a source of hope for the Church and for the world.”

The book is available in Italian under the title, Radici antiche, germogli nuovi: Conversazione con Mons. Fernando Ocáriz, Prelato dell’Opus Dei, Milano, Ares, 2020, 1st edition, 144 pp.