VIRIDITAS: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Our motherhouse in Boston has several communities. There is the provincialate community, the novitiate community, the infirmary community and the main community which is called the Damascus Community. The Damascus Community is the largest and consists of over 40 sisters who help take care of the motherhouse, work in the publishing house, run errands, etc. Returning to Boston will be like a learning process as everything will be new to me. Although the sisters are very good at filling in for one another and doing things — even to running the snow plows and shoveling — I am planning on doing a lot of prayer and depending on God.
Praying to God consists of having a lot of heart-to-heart conversations with God. God knows my heart. He knows everything. God doesn’t want lip service, but wants us to tell him everything, and to listen as well. When we realize that he wants us to draw closer to himself, then we will discover how much he wants to be a part of our lives and we begin to see through all the little ways and little graces that he is with us throughout each moment of each day. The more we pray, the more we become accustomed to being with God and letting him be that close to us.
How do we do this? We are all busy and need to concentrate on the different works we do. Prayer does not have to be some long, involved thing. Take a moment to stop at the beginning of the action you are about to perform and bring God into the conversation.
For example, say, “God, this is my study.” Or, “I am washing the dishes, be with me.” Or, “I am sweeping the floor; driving to pick up someone; etc. Be with me.” When you see a beautiful flower, or hear the song of a bird, simply say, “That is beautiful! Thank you, God.” Or, “Hi, God! I love you!” Or, “Hi, God! Thanks for …” In anything that gives you joy, thank God the Creator of all.
Even when another person offers you kindness such as when you are driving and someone lets you in, or when you are walking and someone holds the door open for you, recognize God’s goodness in all those things and thank him for it. As you cultivate your prayer in this way, it will grow and become more frequent. God is with you and is pleased with you. The more too, you will find the workings of grace in the moment followed by a sense of peace.
Whatever God asks of you to do, He also gives you the grace to do it. Grace doesn’t come before, or too late, it comes just when you need it. When I arrived in Hawaii six months ago from Boston, for example, it took a bit of adjusting to get used to the warmth of the climate here. But there is a beautiful openness to God of the people here. And because of the warmth with which they received me, I have really grown to love them. I will always remember their love.
Sister Patricia Mary Maresca is a Daughter of St. Paul. She is 34 years professed. She is returning to Boston to be the superior of the Damascus Community.
