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The love of my life

Following God is a grace and priceless gift that cannot be bought with money
Sister Therese Nguyen Thi Giang (third left) and other sisters at their final vows ceremony on June 4 in Ninh Binh province

Sister Therese Nguyen Thi Giang (third left) and other sisters at their final vows ceremony on June 4 in Ninh Binh province. (Photo: phatdiem.org)

Published: June 30, 2022 10:27 AM GMT
Updated: June 30, 2022 10:28 AM GMT

In life, everyone has romantic love for one or some persons and they enter into marriage with one of them.

I also enjoy a romantic relationship with a man named Jesus. He is the love of my life and changes my life by his love that is so strange, strong and extraordinary that there cannot be a second person in this world because he is the absolute and only love.

It is he who comes, calls and draws me to sing "Lord, the God of my salvation, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence."

I was born and raised in a non-Catholic family. I did not know about Jesus as few Catholics lived around my home in a northern province of Vietnam, and I only saw character actors as nuns and priests on television.

When I finished ninth grade and was 15, I had to leave home and work to support my family in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I worked for a local company for two years using my sister's name as I was not old enough to make my resume.

I still had a burning desire to study further and wanted to be a teacher to work with children in disadvantaged areas. One day, the boarding house’s owner introduced me to his sister who was a nun. She invited me to assist her in some work during the day and attend high school at night.

At first I was intensely irritated by the convent's regulations. I had been free outside and not known God, but I then had to maintain discipline, needing permission before going out, getting neatly dressed and such like

I was full of the joys of spring with the good news but my parents refused to allow me to study further for reasons of their own.

After I declined her offer two times, she visited me and I accompanied her to her convent. I did not inform my parents about my decision.

At first I was intensely irritated by the convent's regulations. I had been free outside and not known God, but I then had to maintain discipline, needing permission before going out, getting neatly dressed and such like. It was terrible for an 18-year-old woman like me.

I felt almost isolated from the outside world and my friends. My classmates advised me to go out to live so that they could easily contact and talk with me about studies. They also promised to find a proper boarding house and better job for me, yet I never seemed to leave the nuns. I knew the nuns really loved me and God held me there. Living with them, I was attracted by their loving care for all people regardless of their backgrounds. I was deeply impressed and moved by their life.

I liked to look at the stars on clear nights as my enjoyable hobby. This was an opportunity for me to think about my life, the sisters and the voice whispering in my heart. I met full deep love among the people I had not understood. God was their main motivation.

Being fascinated by their good life, I decided to take catechism courses and embrace Catholicism. I did not tell my family about my conversion until the day before I was baptized in 2008. My mother said: "Yes, if you have any sin, wash it all as many times as you want." God let me follow him through such easy acceptance of my family.

My parents might not have understood my religious conversion but I think God really did that for me.

All events are gifts and lessons are open to me to grow up. Without the courage to accept and learn them, we will have no personal experience with God in his will

After I finished high school, I wanted to go into religious life so that I could be like the nuns. At that time, I had no direct experience of God and had not met him yet.

I was sent to the Lovers of the Holy Cross in Phat Diem and my vocation to the consecrated life really began to grow. Although I encountered various difficulties and challenges from many sides, thanks to God's grace, I have still been in the congregation. I took my final vows on June 4.

During 13 years of being Catholic, I have been well tended by God in terms of faith and human aspects. For me, following God is a grace and priceless gift that cannot be bought with money. It is not only hearing and seeing but touching God like in Job's story in the Scriptures.

All events are gifts and lessons are open to me to grow up. Without the courage to accept and learn them, we will have no personal experience with God in his will.

Prayer and silence are my weapons and strength to overcome challenges and obstacles. Looking up to God, I am peaceful and happy and feel loved. I see that Christianity is the religion of love and of people who love one another. The strength of our faith is love and if we lose the taste of love, we lose our religion's character. It is this love that impresses me.

Following God is not easy. As a Lover of the Holy Cross nun, I must let God trim and sharpen my life. I am happy to suffer from great pain according to his will.

It is not a very simple choice, but I am sure that after that choice there will be deep joy and perfect peace thanks to God's silent support

If people enter religious orders to look for honor, comfort and advancement, they have chosen the wrong place. Whoever has gone into religious life and chosen that lifestyle, they are at the wrong address.

I no longer look to other people I admire since that also distracts and disappoints me because no one is perfect. I realize my own weaknesses and I trust in Jesus and follow his example to live a more perfect life.

It is also because of choosing God that I have to bend and deform myself to get through the eye of a needle. I accept only deformation, not degeneration, to give off the delicate fragrance of love of the cross.

It is not a very simple choice, but I am sure that after that choice there will be deep joy and perfect peace thanks to God's silent support.

Another comfort that sustains my life is God's Word, from which I find understanding and strength. I believe that his word is never wrong. Despite many trials and tribulations, I am not ashamed and regretful that I have chosen the Lord to be present in my life.

My love story with him is long and I cannot speak of everything as it is a personal experience. There are many things I do not understand but one thing I am sure I know well: He is real. He loves me and I long to love him. Dedicating our life to him is a precious and priceless gift. Thank you, Lord, my strength.

* Sister Therese Nguyen Thi Giang is from the Lovers of the Holy Cross congregation of Phat Diem, Vietnam. This article was summarized and translated by a UCA News reporter from a Vietnamese article published by phatdiem.org here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

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