I hope you weren’t expecting more whips and chains, because I have something else in mind.

‚ÄúMany who would let themselves be nailed to a cross before the astonished gaze of thousands of spectators, won’t bear the pinpricks of each day with a Christian spirit!
“But think, which is the more heroic?”
The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva (point 204)

‚ÄúFrom time to time I have wondered which kind of martyrdom is the greater: that of the person who receives death for the faith, at the hands of God‚Äôs enemies; or the martyrdom of someone who spends his years working with no other purpose than that of serving the Church and souls, and who grows old smiling, all the while passing unnoticed…
‚ÄúFor me, the unspectacular martyrdom is more heroic… That is your way.‚Äù
The Way of the Cross, St. Josemaria Escriva (station VII, n. 4)

To me, the most troubling thing about The Da Vinci Code’s portrayal of Silas‚Äôs use of the cilice and discipline isn‚Äôt the exaggerated and inaccurate descriptions of the scenes. Rather, it‚Äôs the grossly distorted impression that these scenes foster of what might be called the “Opus Dei approach” to corporal mortification and penance ‚Äì an approach which does exist and is quite interesting but has nothing to do with the cilice and discipline, which are simply part of the common patrimony of the Church‚Äôs ascetical tradition.

There are groups, after all, in the Church whose members all use the cilice and discipline, because it is something essential to their vocation. This is not, however, the case in Opus Dei. Most members of Opus Dei do not use the cilice and discipline; within Opus Dei, these things are, in a sense, the exception rather than the rule. Nor are they the most important thing for those who do use them. The truly distinctive “Opus Dei approach” to mortification ‚Äì something that is, by definition, expected of everyone with a vocation to Opus Dei – is lived in the tiny unnoticed sacrifices that one makes throughout one’s ordinary day. The statutes of Opus Dei are quite clear on this point: ‚Äúthe spirit of penance proper to Opus Dei ‚Ķ is more to be sought in small, ordinary things and in orderly, constant, daily work.‚Äù

So, in a way, it’s the exact opposite of what you might gather from the novel, and it’s a pity that readers aren’t really allowed to see that.

And, just as clearly, this ordinary daily mortification is what captured the imagination and heart of St. Josemaria. In The Way, referring to the life of an Irish Jesuit priest named Fr. William Doyle who was killed in 1917 in WWI while serving as a chaplain, he writes:
‚ÄúWe were reading – you and I – the heroically ordinary life of that man of God. And we saw him struggle whole months and years (what an ‚Äòaccounting‚Äô he kept in his particular examination of conscience!). One day at breakfast he would win, the next day he’d lose…. ‚ÄòI didn’t take butter… I did take butter!‚Äô he would jot down.
‚ÄúMay we too – you and I – live our…. ‚Äòdrama‚Äô of the butter.‚Äù
The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva (point 205).

It’s natural that this should be the case. Opus Dei is about sanctifying ordinary life. It’s about trying to be a saint and an apostle in the middle of one’s ordinary actvities, and that includes one’s practices of mortification. As a consequence, the spirit of mortification characteristic of Opus Dei is mortification in the course of ordinary life. Above all, it means picking up one’s cross daily, fulfilling one’s duties in work and familiy life, selflessly serving others in countless little ways. The sad thing is that, by focusing on the whips and chains, The Da Vinci Code gives you no hint of what is truly distinctive about Opus Dei’s approach to mortification.

As a matter of fact, St. Josemaria was not only enthusiastic about ordinary everyday crosses, but also quite wary of any approach to mortification and penance which stressed extravagant gestures.
“Now you realize how much you have made Jesus suffer, and you are filled with sorrow. How easy it is to ask his pardon and weep for your past betrayals! Such is your longing for atonement that you cannot contain it in your breast!
Fine. But don’t forget that the spirit of penance consists mainly in the fulfilment of the duty of each moment, however costly it may be.”
The Way of the Cross, St. Josemaria Escriva (station IX, n. 5)

One point from The Way even makes a specific and rather skeptical reference to the “disciplines” as an index of Christian holiness.
‚ÄúYou don’t conquer yourself, you aren’t mortified, because you are proud. You lead a life of penance? Remember: pride can exist with penance.
“Furthermore: your sorrow, after your falls, after your failures in generosity, is it really sorrow or is it the frustration of seeing yourself so small and weak?
‚ÄúHow far you are from Jesus if you are not humble… even if new roses blossom every day from your disciplines!‚Äù
– The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva (point 200)

Finally, in the book of homilies called Friends of God, St. Josemaria offers a very complete expression of his view of Christian penance. Friends Of God 138-139

138: Penance is fulfilling exactly the timetable you have fixed for yourself, even though your body resists or your mind tries to avoid it by dreaming up useless fantasies. Penance is getting up on time and also not leaving for later, without any real reason, that particular job that you find harder or most difficult to do.

A spirit of penance keeps us from becoming too attached to the vast imaginative blueprints we have made for our future projects, where we have already foreseen our master strokes and brilliant successes. What joy we give to God when we are happy to lay aside our third-rate painting efforts and let him put in the features and colours of his choice!

139: I could continue pointing out a multitude of details (I have just mentioned those that came immediately to mind) which you can take advantage of during the course of the day to come closer to God and to your neighbour. But here let me emphasise that, in giving you these examples, I am not in any way disparaging great penances. On the contrary, they may prove to be very good and holy, and even necessary, when Our Lord leads you by that road, always assuming that they have been approved by the person who directs your soul. But I warn you that great penances are also compatible with great falls, which are brought about by pride. On the other hand, if you continually wish to please God in the little battles that go on inside you ‚Äî a smile, for example, when you don’t feel like smiling; and I assure you that a smile is sometimes more difficult than an hour’s worth of cilice ‚Äî then there is little room left for pride, or for the ridiculous notion of thinking we are great heroes. Instead, we will see ourselves as a little child, who is hardly able to offer even the merest trifles to his father, but who then sees them received most joyfully.

So, does a Christian have to be mortified always? Yes, but for love.