VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Before one elevated feast day, I remember gathering with the youth and young adults of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace to clean the cathedral. Underneath the pews we found a lot of gum which we were then tasked with scraping off. You could even smell the different flavors of the gum. The kids said that we should have buckets where people could spit it out before coming to church. The work was hard, but it was fun because we were present together. Being in the moment is how I witnessed their joy and love which helped me to see what God wanted to share through me.
We also went caroling in Waikiki one Christmas. As all the kids are talented and very gifted in music, we just walked around, stopped somewhere in the crowd and began caroling. It was neat seeing us minister to the tourists and locals passing by. While some people might think this is a crazy idea and not want to even entertain the kids’ suggestion, I think the important thing is to involve yourself and just be present to them. Sometimes we need to move out of our comfort zone and just be with others in their activities.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Hawaii this summer with my mom in celebration of my 25th jubilee of profession. Although I was away for five years, it was wonderful to reconnect with friends and to experience again the openness, love and aloha of the people of Hawaii. Hawaii really is my ohana. It was also beautiful to see how the kids and their families have grown in their faith, respect and culture. Their commitment to the church and to the values of family is inspirational.
As I reflect over my life, I believe my journey as a person and as a religious is really rooted in the Lord and in devotion to the Blessed Mother. My family’s journey from Vietnam to the United States took a lot out of us; it was a matter of life and death. Rootedness in God comes through praying, through deepening our relationship with God through the Scriptures and the Eucharist, and in relationship with others. The cultivation of this relationship is important to the spiritual life. It begins with opening yourself and not being selfish. Even if you don’t go to church, be open to nature and to discovering your gifts and talents. Those are the gifts that God has given you. Inevitably when you look at those gifts, it will lead back to the Creator, the giver of life.
God is always inviting us to be with him in the moment. We are called to love one another, to forgive and to be reconciled and let Christ be in our midst. I would like to share the following lyrics from the song “Ubi Caritas” by Audrey Assad that was sung during my jubilee celebration in Boston.
Where charity and love are, God is there. /Christ’s love has gathered us into one. / Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. / Let us fear, and let us love the living God. / And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Sister Gioan Linh Nguyen is a Daughter of St. Paul, stationed in Hawaii from 2004 to 2011. She is now the manager of the Pauline Book and Media Center in New Orleans. She is pictured above with her mother, Nha Nguyen.