VIRIDITAS2: SOUL GREENING
Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Hawaii Catholic Herald
It has now been several years that I have been working at St. Theresa School in Honolulu. I teach social studies in the middle school and work in the office. Staying in the field of education, especially with all that has been encountered since COVID-19, has been most challenging.
From a period of lots of restrictions, to the now coming out of the pandemic, it is only by the grace of God that we can do what we need to do. For myself, this requires daily surrender to the Lord.
My prayer life helps me center myself personally first. It then affects my vocation as a teacher, including my work in the office. If I do not pray, my day just doesn’t go.
Daily Mass is a must for me. Sometimes it is difficult to attend depending on what time it is. I tried to attend Mass online before, just to say that I went to Mass, but it is just not the same. Unless I am physically present and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, there is nothing that hits the mark. That is what you aim for.
Another aspect of my prayer life is my focus on my novenas. Right now, I am praying a novena to Our Lady of Hope. There is a phone app I use called “Pray More Novenas.” The app has a lot of novenas that it suggests for you, and once you begin, it sends you daily reminders for each novena prayer for nine days. This helps me in my prayer. The novena pops up on my phone and I make the effort to set aside time to pray. Which I do not necessarily do in the morning when I go to Mass, but throughout the day.
This is helpful as sometimes people ask me and others for prayers. There is one couple of friends who were told that they would not be able to conceive a child. I prayed a novena for them, and they were blessed with a baby. Others ask for prayers right there and then. During Mass, when the deacon or priest asks for personal intentions, I try to remember all of those in my mind. Little things that go a long way. God has been good.
It takes a lot of discipline and silence on my part to allow the connection with God to happen. Most times when we pray, we ask for something. But when it comes to receiving or adoring Jesus in the Eucharist, we need to be silent and listening. Of course, you always want to ask for something, but sometimes it is better just to listen. That is a part of prayer too — not just asking but listening.
I take time to sit and just take in what I feel might be the answer. Sometimes, I just sit there in silence. A lot of times, that is all you need to do. God takes care of everything that you need. And, when you leave Mass or adoration, you are not the same person. That’s how I connect. It takes a lot of faith. In our Catholic faith, we believe that Jesus is there. It takes a lot of prayer and a lot of faith.
