The Personal Journey and Vocation of Kevin Lee, S.J.

 

I started to notice God’s gentle nudge on my heart towards religious life in college. I was not always sure that I would even practice my faith. But in my first year of college, I felt something was missing. There was a gap in my heart. 

This led me to attend church and engage with the Catholic Student Ministry, which helped me understand the Catholic faith and connect with Jesus Christ. The thought of joining religious life would occasionally pop up throughout college, but I often brushed it aside. I was scared of the unknown path that it would lead me down. However, God persisted. He continued to invite me deeper into a relationship with him. 

In my third year of college, I went on a mission trip to Honduras for one week and visited some rural villages in the mountains with a group called the Missioners of Christ. The Missioners of Christ talked to the village youth about the importance of taking ownership of their Catholic faith. I could see a fire lit in their young eyes. The hope the Catholic faith brought to these villages also lit a fire in my heart. That was when I knew God was inviting me to religious life. It still took time to let that realization settle within me. 

I knew two loves within my heart were given to me by God. First, I love to study God’s creation through math and physics. And second, I love to serve God’s people. As I looked around and continued to discern God’s invitation to religious life, these two loves led me to join the Jesuits.

 

I have been a Jesuit for six years now. In the first two years as a Jesuit, you are called a novice and spend your time in the Novitiate. These years are spent learning about and living the Jesuit lifestyle and spirituality for the first time. You spend a lot of time in prayer, as it’s the time to develop your prayer life and deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ. After two years in the Novitiate, the novice is invited to take his First Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. This is when he can start to put S.J. after his name. 

If, as in my case, the Jesuit plans on becoming a priest, he is missioned to study philosophy for three years. I was missioned to study philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY. After that, a Jesuit transitions to a stage of formation called Regency, where he works at a Jesuit institution for two to three years. This is the stage that I am in right now. I have been missioned to Bellarmine as my Regency. I am informed about how one lives, acts, and works within a working Jesuit community. Finally, a Jesuit will be sent to study theology for three years, and at the end of those three years, he will be ordained a priest in the Catholic Church.

This journey has been wonderful for me! One of the things that has surprised me most about my formation process is how many amazing people, Jesuits and non-Jesuits, I have met along the way. God has really established a home for me everywhere I have gone. From New York City to Guadalajara to Los Angeles to Tacoma, I feel that I have close friends, for which I give thanks to God constantly.

 

 

I have been active in Algebra 1, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Physics classrooms, as well as in the ACE. Also, I tutor just about every math and physics class. This year, I was the Chair of the Justice Summit about artificial intelligence. I enjoy accompanying students through the beautiful yet challenging world of mathematics, physics, and technology. I believe that math and physics are the study of God’s creation. I do my best to convey the sacred nature of our studies to the students. 

An important aspect of Ignatian Spirituality is that God communicates with each person uniquely because they are a sacred and unique child of God. This understanding translates to the classroom as well. Everyone has a unique way of viewing the world. As a teacher, I am trying my best to understand how students see the world to best communicate with them and teach them the subject matter. This is why building relationships with students within and outside of the classroom with students is crucial to teaching.

 

High school students bring a lot of energy and are full of so much potential. What I love about working with high school students is accompanying them in realizing their potential. Watching students become more confident in who they are and what they can do is wonderful.

 

 

Nurturing my spiritual life is not that different from nurturing my relationship with other people. I show up. 

Every night, I go to the Jesuit community chapel and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. As I sit there, thoughts of the students, faculty, and staff I engaged with that day go through my mind. Often, I feel the love that God has for them. As I think about them, I offer a prayer for them to God. This process is part of my Examen at the end of the day, which is essential to deepening my relationship with Jesus and my vocation as a Jesuit. I review how I can be a better Jesuit, teacher, and person with Christ. Some nights it is easier to pray and be with the Lord. And some nights it is hard to stay focused. But I show up. 

Deepening our spiritual life does not require long, extended hours in focused prayer. All it requires is showing up and doing our best to be present. God will take care of the rest.

 

As I watch and talk to young people today, I find a deep desire for connection. Young people want relationships in which they are seen, understood, appreciated, and valued. I believe this desire comes from God, because God is love and relationship. God desires to be in relationship with us so that he can show us just how much he loves us, and he wants us to be in relationship with each other to build a community that is the Kingdom of God.

 

 

I hope that, if nothing else, a student at a Jesuit school takes away the understanding that they are unconditionally loved. Each student is valuable as they are. From this security of love, one can begin safely and confidently challenge oneself and grow. That is what Jesuit spirituality is all about. God loves us more than we can imagine and always will. Therefore, we can strive for greatness in serving God and others, knowing we will still be loved and accepted even when we make mistakes. By taking in this love for ourselves, we can see how this love is also given to those around us. 

The love of God brings us together in one community. We are all striving together to be the best versions of ourselves.

 

 

Right now, I hope to be a good teacher. I hope to never stop learning different ways of seeing the world to better understand, communicate with, and teach my students.

 

As a mathematician and physicist, I am inspired by the Jesuit, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard was a scientist and wrote many books about how he saw the world imbued with God's infinite grace. In his view, God permeates everything from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy. In studying the world, Teilhard truly believed that he was growing closer to God. I find myself resonating with that viewpoint.

 

Talk to someone you trust about it. Spiritual life is extremely personal, but it is very tricky to navigate alone. Every religious vocation has what is called a spiritual director. This is someone with whom you can explore your relationship with God. Talking about your prayer life with someone else can be very illuminating. Even people who do not plan to enter religious life would benefit from a spiritual director. However, whether you find a formal spiritual director, talking to someone you trust and feel comfortable with is crucial.

 

 

Many of my hobbies revolve around using my mind to problem solve. I enjoy playing video games and board games for this reason. They are fun exercises where I use my brain to strategize and execute a plan. Occasionally, I edit videos, thinking about how to present a story. Regularly, I boulder at a climbing gym. In bouldering, there are different routes that I view as puzzles. How can I climb the wall with these particular holds? It is a fun challenge in which the mind and body must work together.

 

I do not really have a Jesuit quote or motto, but what keeps me grounded is the image of walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). I love the image of Peter walking on the water in a storm towards Jesus. It is crazy to even think about! However, Peter’s relationship with Christ allows him to do the impossible and walk on water. Whenever life seems chaotic and overwhelming, I return to this image. It reminds me of the importance of my relationship with Christ, which is at the core of my life.

 

My favorite Jesuit College is Loyola Marymount University. It is not a better college/university than any other Jesuit College, but because the Jesuits of the West Province often gather there for different celebratory events like the Ordinations and First Vows of Jesuits. Therefore, I fondly remember being with my Jesuit brothers at LMU. 

My favorite saints are St. George and St. Francis Xavier.