Mercedes: I believe that the vocation of an assistant numerary is to serve in order to bring souls to God. So, with the little you do, make them happy. And bring comfort to the spirit as well.
Concha: What we do is create a home. Welcome people so that when they arrive, it feels like a place where they can rest, enjoy what they have: a clean, tidy home.
Mercedes: No one ever suggested to me that I join Opus Dei. One day the Lord said to me, “Hey, what are you doing?” And I made my decision. At first, it’s like… I think it’s like courtship, you know? I had a friend—I remember we met up one day, and she’d just had her boyfriend declare his feelings. I was going to talk about other things, but she went on about her boyfriend, the shirt she’d bought him… All day, nonstop, nonstop. And that really struck me. It stayed with me, and I thought, “Goodness, do I love the Lord like that?” I didn’t know if I spoke that way about the love of my life. I wasn’t sure, and I thought, “I need to love the Lord like that!”
When you arrive at the oratory, you know, you want to immerse yourself more and more, see? The Mass means a lot; centering everything on the Mass. Offering your work and saying, “This is it, this is what I have to give.” And saying, “Well, this thing that’s hard for me, I’ll offer it in the Mass.” That has great power. And then it’s true that the Lord enters in and gives you light. Sometimes just a little, other times a lot, and sometimes a really big one.
"When I joined the Work, I moved to Madrid. That’s when I realised how much I loved my natural family, and I felt bonds that were very strong. Those bonds have never been broken."
When I joined the Work, I moved to Madrid, at first I went to live in Madrid. That’s when I realised how much I loved my natural family, and I felt bonds that were very strong. Those bonds have never been broken. I’m in Opus Dei, and I have my siblings. Now my siblings need me because they started falling ill. First one, then another, then another. It happened gradually. My parents died when I was 30, and we found ourselves facing a situation we hadn’t expected.
Concha: They have spastic paraplegia, with spasms. And so they gradually became paralysed. For example, my brother José María can’t speak anymore. We’ve had four like that. And I want to say that I’ve always, always had the support of people so that I could have
Mercedes: …the time needed to help them. I’ve never been stopped from going to the doctor with them or sorting out paperwork at Social Security.
Concha: I’m retired as well. My life now doesn’t have the demands, perhaps, that it did when we were at full capacity. One moment I’m ironing, the next I’m off to help in the kitchen. What I’m not doing is sitting still. And then, on the other hand, like her, I’m also involved in the formation of others. You know? One day I go to Gandía, another day to Alzira. For example, I have a friend who's not a believer. She and I have a lot in common. I really like art, and she loves painting too. So, when we meet, that’s what we do: she gets to know me, I get to know her. There are topics we don’t touch on, because otherwise we’d get into arguments, so we focus on the things that unite us. Affection comes first.
Mercedes: I believe all work is a form of service. Even that of a comedian. Imagine that! Ours isn’t much more of a service than that. Or that of a doctor. My siblings have two caretakers helping them, and I am incredibly grateful for the work they do. They are their hands. Sometimes even their voice. I consider service work, household work, one of the best kinds of work, because it’s at home that a person is truly formed.