VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
“Our language is the most important part of our being. I think it is important to learn other languages, because it helps us to learn about other peoples and cultures. The most important one, however, that we can learn is our own mother tongue as this is one of the most basic parts of our identity. If we were to lose our own tongue, for example, if we were to grow up in a country which is not our own, someplace that is not our home, in my opinion, we would be losing a part of ourselves.” (Leonardo De Valoes, Frederick Community College)
As a missionary, I found the quote by Dr. De Valoes, professor of world languages, verbalizing the sentiments of my heart. Honestly, I never considered this aspect seriously until I spent my first few months in Hawaii. I had learned the English language in the Philippines and I was even an English teacher before joining the Carmelite Nuns in Gilmore Carmel. But I felt that I was still kind of missing something being in this new home. I just didn’t know what it was. I prayed, tried to identify it, and reflected a lot.
For me personally, the environment here in Kaneohe looks and feels like some parts of the Philippines. I have no problems with the food, weather, etc. One Sunday morning, however, I found myself being suddenly awakened as the Lord revealed to me what I was missing. A Filipina visited us and I found myself so excited as we conversed in Filipino. I felt so at home! That was it! I missed my language.
At the same time, I realized that is also very true in a parallel way when we talk about the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. When we do not hear so much about these virtues, when we rarely talk about them, when we rarely activate these virtues habitually in our lives, then we may also feel that something is missing or lacking within us.
I still miss my language. I still want to hear it over and over again. What keeps me going? Prayer. I have learned by experience to value my identity as a Filipino. Not just because I am a Filipino but because this is my mission: to be a Filipino Carmelite in the heart of the Diocese of Honolulu.
One’s nationality is a gift from God. It serves a great role in the church. That is why we are a universal church. That is why we learn how to respect one another. “And we, though many, throughout the earth. We are one body in this one Lord,” as the song “We are One Body” goes.
Finally, faith, hope and love are God’s gifts upon which our identity as Catholics is rooted. Regardless of our nationalities, these virtues in practice help us understand and respect one another. If we were to lose these virtues, as what Dr. De Valoes said about language, “we would be losing a part of ourselves.”
Sister Assumpta John Theresa of the Risen Christ is a Carmelite nun of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, originally from Carmel of St. Therese in Quezon City, Metro-Manila. She is 13 years professed and resides at Carmel of the Holy Trinity in Kaneohe.
