PERSPECTIVES
ecoming a religious sister
Words Sister Yen Thi Bui | Illustration Denisse Hernandez | Design Denisse Hernandez In 2007, one year after I graduated from Luong Son High School in Phu Tho, Vietnam, I had a difficult time persuading my mom to allow me to become a religious sister. I believed that if God wanted me to follow Him, He would change my mom’s mind and guide me on the journey. One beautiful evening, I walked alone in the wild, flowery garden near my house. The sun was shining in my eyes and on my long black hair. I followed a colorful butterfly waving her tiny yellow-black wings around wildflowers in the garden. Suddenly, she perched on my left shoulder. I tilted my neck slightly toward the left with my whole body still, worrying she might fly away. However, she remained on my shoulder, waving two glowing wings up and down. Very gently, I took her and ran home to put her in a big jar and stared at her. I really enjoyed watching her play. As usual, I sank into prayer in order to discern God’s will for my life. I knelt on the carpet and looked at an image of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross; the scent of the candles and flowers seemed to bring me to a dream that I had been thinking of since I was in secondary school. It was to enter the convent; I was 22 now, and I still played with the thought in my mind. I asked myself whether God was really calling me to live a consecrated life. I recalled my difficult time in December 2005 when I first mentioned my wish to enter the convent to my mother. Mom, I want to join the vocation class in the parish, I said. Are you kidding me? Mom replied. Where did your idea come from?”
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I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you my intention, I answered. I was inspired to live a consecrated life when I saw photos of some religious sisters serving the children in the center working at Nhat Hong Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Sai Gon. My mom continued, I don’t know. I want you to become a teacher. Don’t you remember? Coming closer to her and grabbing her hands, I said, I know, Mom! But I didn’t dare to talk to you. You make me sad. I’m waiting for you to become a teacher who can make money and support the family, my mom said. However, I need time to think about this. Late night when everyone was sleeping, I was alone on the porch and saw a meteor flying off in the sky. I paused and prayed, Dear Lord, if you want me to follow you, please help me! The meteor flew fast as if there was something very special for the one who just saw it. I folded my hands and prayed, My dear Lord, please bless my dream to become ‘a beautiful star’ in the convent. The sky seemed to become lighter. I softly opened the door and went to my bed, full of thoughts in my mind. Please convert my mom’s thought, Lord! I continued praying as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual. I went out to the garden and took a water pipe to water the cabbage garden. The sun was shining, covering the cabbage garden, making it fresh with tiny dew drops that seemed to be visiting the leaves. I felt refreshed at the moment of a new day as I listened to the chirpings of sparrows in the trees around my house. While I was almost blown away by the beauty of nature, my mom walked closer to me and said, “My
