VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Keeping my soul green is a walk in humility. I give my life to God in regular prayer, service and community. But as I grow, I learn that I never “arrive” at a plane of greenness, instead God finds me in my little and sometimes broken experience of being human. God takes my life and gives it love and meaning. I cannot manufacture a spiritual or faith-filled path, because ultimately God knows the path that I am on much better than my plans and guesses.
As a Marianist lay person, I minister at Saint Louis School, teaching grade 11 religion. It is a joy to teach the young men here, helping them to recognize their giftedness and resolve to make our world a better place. They bring wonderful questions that dive into the Gospel and encourage me to walk more deeply into the mysteries of life with God. Their maturity with these questions reveals that their hearts are yearning for truth, justice, and to responsibly create God-filled communities.
These realities can be difficult for young people to see in our era of individualism and instant gratification. But when they experience the truth, justice and responsibility that affirms in them a sense of belonging, and when they recognize that sacrificing for true honest love is what they were made for, they begin to crave a mature sense of faith, and start to become lighthouses guiding their peers to peaceful waters.
They make a new narrative of responsibility “cool,” and then virtuous relationships and prayer become contagious. Their new sense of community creatively responds to issues relevant to them in ways that are inspiring and that I could never imagine!
There are a few ways that I can be attentive to the nudges of the Spirit. I love praying on my balcony, watching the sunset over Kalaepohaku and the Waianae range in the distance. For prayer, I try to just sit and listen, and try accepting the Father’s immense love for me and others, even those with whom I might be struggling. The psalms are powerful prayers that warm in me the attitudes of Jesus.
Lately, I have been reflecting on Blessed Chaminade’s “System of Virtues” as compiled by Marianist Father Quentin Hakenewerth in his book “Growing in the Virtues of Jesus.” It is unlike other spiritual exercises in the way it invites the reader to be attentive to the whole self and gradually give over everything to Jesus in the journey of life.
The Spirit tugs at me in other ways too. It brings me joy to listen to the people who come into my life in an intentional and accepting way. I also love to hear the laughter of children, discovering joys that are simple and innocent and right. They can be so spontaneous and unashamed, being at the same time so simple and so present to the delights and challenges of life. I also love experiencing and getting to know the aina here, through hiking and spearfishing. God has created beautiful people and a beautiful place here in Hawaii.
Joseph Nugent is a Lay Marianist. He formerly professed his vows as a Marianist brother in 2018. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, he is the second oldest in the family. He keeps in touch across the time zones often teasing his parents, older brother and five younger sisters who continue to live in Canada. He can be reached at Saint Louis School.
