Viriditas2: Soul Greening
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Holy Spirit chooses us. Love chooses us. Ang pag-ibig ang siyang pumipili sa atin.
That truth is both comforting and challenging. When God’s love truly touches our hearts, we are never the same again.
To receive this love, however, we must begin with humility. Humility opens our hearts to the grace of docility — the openness to listen, to be led by God. One cannot exist without the other.
As I’ve come to learn in my own vocation, there can be no docility without humility. It was humility that made Mary ready to receive the angel’s message and become the mother of God. In the same way, when we are humble, we become receptive to the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance.
Docility allows genuine love to grow within us. Without it, the Holy Spirit finds no home in our lives. This grace is not only for priests or religious — it is essential to every vocation.
Whether you are a parent, a student, a teacher, a catechist, or someone quietly living out your faith in the workplace, docility to the Spirit allows you to love more deeply and serve more faithfully.
In the Scriptures, Jesus promises that he will send us the Holy Spirit. Like the first disciples, we need the Spirit to help us understand the deeper meaning of Jesus’ life, words and mission. No matter our age, education or background — whether clergy, consecrated or lay — there is always more to discover about living in Christ’s love.
That’s why, each Sunday, we profess in the Nicene Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.” The church fathers remind us that although Christ is no longer physically present, the Holy Spirit continues his presence among us.
Practicing humility and docility keeps us open to this reality. Without humility, docility becomes a kind of false listening. And when we neglect both, we risk hurting not only ourselves but those around us.
St. Paul writes that the Spirit places charity in the “heart of hearts” (Gal 5:5). He is the source of all true life in God. The Holy Spirit is also our pathfinder — leading us through darkness, uncertainty and change, and always pointing us toward something more beautiful.
As a church, we are called to celebrate the many graces God has given us — our vocations, our families, our parishes, our communities. The Spirit teaches, reminds and accompanies us through the life of the church: through the sacraments, the communion of saints and the loving intercession of our Blessed Mother.
And at the heart of it all is the Holy Eucharist — the greatest of all gifts. In the body and blood of Christ, we are nourished with divine life. It would be ungrateful to treat it as anything less than the center of our lives.
In the end, everything is grace, because everything is a gift from God. Thank you, Jesus.
Father Manuel Hewe is a diocesan priest and pastor of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu. This is his 27th year of priestly ordination.
