"I love music, I play the guitar, the harmonica and I hope to learn to play the Xaphoon that the Three Kings brought me.". Lucas Calonje Espinosa, 31, was ordained a deacon in Rome along with 23 other faithful of Opus Dei on November 20. He tells me that on that great day, with a bit of fear, the question came to his mind: "Lucas, but what kind of trouble are you getting into?". He was consoled by the thought that his vocation was a decision of God that he accepted, because he knows that he is in good hands: "He always delivers what he promises.".
Surrender to God
In his adolescence, he decided to give himself completely to God's plans as a numerary of Opus Dei. He studied for a degree in Economics and before the opportunity to go to Rome, he spent two years in two cities: Barcelona (two years) and La Coruña (three). He enjoyed them so much that he even composed a song for them.
It reminds me of how St. Josemaría defined Opus Dei, which he founded on October 2, 1928, as a great catechesis: "its members, especially the numeraries and aggregates, study philosophy and theology, combining it with our studies and professional work wherever we are.".
Going to Rome to study meant maturing little by little the possibility of the call to the priesthood within the vocation to Opus Dei. He arrived in 2013 and plunged into the study of theology. From 2015 until now he combined it with other assignments thanks to the CARF foundation that helped him finance a large part of his studies. From 2015 to 2018 he was in charge of the maintenance and care of Cavabianca, the headquarters of the Roman College of the Holy Cross: he managed workers, small renovations or part of the accounting. It was office work but with some adventure:"I remember when I literally had to go diving, dressed in a jacket and tie, to unclog a drain that almost flooded the house.". What he learned the most from this stage came from dealing with the workers: gardeners, bricklayers, painters, small businessmen. Lucas tells me that they were simple people ".who knows how to give importance to the important things, both inside and outside of work, something that is sometimes difficult for us.".
He spent the next three years almost fully involved in training young people. Lucas is optimistic: "it is an exciting job because it is very easy to sow good seed, even if it takes a long time for the soil to bear fruit.". She confesses as an undeserved gift that the children have wanted to entrust her with so many things of their soul: "I am very grateful to them.I have seen them cry, laugh, sing or fall in love.". Some came closer to God, others moved away. Of the latter he says that they will return to the right path, even if they do not know it yet.
So many experiences
I force him to summarize what he has learned during this time. He is a little reluctant at first: there are so many experiences! What has filled him the most is living with people who know how to fill with divine content the ordinary of every day: "I have learned to live with people who know how to fill with divine content the ordinary of every day.I have seen it incarnated in normal people, flawed like everyone else, but heroic.". As if that were not enough, his stay in Rome has taught him to be Roman, Catholic and universal: "I am a Roman Catholic.I have met seminarians, priests and consecrated persons at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, each one called to live the faith in the Church in very different ways.". He states that he was surprised to note that ".in spite of the differences in charisma or style, we all felt that we were looked at by Christ, which quickly generated a great harmony.". That is why he has often thought that "the lack of unity that unfortunately exists in the Church would disappear if we would remember that it is One who has sought us all out and called us all.".
May 21 is approaching, the day on which Luke will receive the gift of priestly ministry. He asks God to make him faithful: "I will be faithful to you.I would like to die an old man one day, if I ever get there, but in love with Him and happy.". In Rome he has been able to care for elderly priests who "when they lost their minds due to some kind of dementia, they said ejaculatory prayers, tenderly kissed a crucifix or caressed an image of the Virgin thinking that no one was watching them.". Lucas wishes to live always with that youthfulness of soul, looking with a clean look at everything noble and good that God gives him.
