Surprises Never Cease

As people of hope, we face the uncertainties of the future knowing that the God of our Blessed Pasts will turn our limitations into possibilities

By Fr. John Carten, S.F.M.
January 2004

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Last May I returned to Canada after serving many years in Japan. As I reflect on those years of missionary work, I am amazed at how God continued to surprise me. One of the biggest surprises is that I stayed in Japan, for my time there began with a rocky start. Rather than feeling excited about entering a new land and culture, the differences that I experienced when I first arrived hit me hard, especially knowing that this was to be my mission placement for many years.

After the first two years I returned to Canada; I had had enough. But God kept pulling at my heart, saying quietly each time I prayed, "Why don't you trust me? If I can make you happy as a priest in Canada, I can make you happy as a priest in Japan." So I decided to trust in the Lord and set out for Japan once again.

Now, 25 years later, I look back in amazement at how deeply I grew to love the Japanese people, their food and their culture. Moreover, I remember with fondness different times and ways that God spoke to me through people and events. For instance, in 1988, I returned to Japan after five years in Canada. I took a refresher course in Japanese and all the while felt God saying, "When the time comes I will open a door for you." I did not know where I would end up working.

One night, when I was fed up with language studies, I put the books aside and prayed, "Okay, Lord, it is now time to open a door." The next day the Bishop of Yokohama, whom I had never met, contacted me through one of our priests, wondering if I would go to work in the parish of Totsuka.

My heart sank the first time I climbed the hill and saw the tiny little church, hemmed in on all sides, with no parish hall and a two-room rectory. I wondered if I had made a mistake believing what I thought had been God's quick answer to my prayers. I had hoped for a large, vibrant parish, and on first sight this church did not seem to fit my expectations. I was bitterly disappointed.

The following Sunday I met the parishioners and I received a renewed burst of energy to make the best of the situation. "Lord, use me here," I prayed. "Work through me." And the numbers of those coming to study for baptism grew. Soon the church could not accommodate all the people. On a typical Sunday, there were more people standing than there were seated.

So our parish community prayed to God to help us acquire land to build a larger church. Within one year from the time we started to pray for this intention, a neighbour approached us about selling us a piece of his property. Surprisingly, we were able to raise the money in that first year and within three years we were building a new church.

However, we still faced one big problem. We had nowhere to meet for Sunday worship while the church was being built. Again we prayed, "Lord, help us to find an affordable place where we can worship." A few Sundays later, a new person came to the church to study to become a Christian. He heard this intention during the Prayer of the Faithful and said, "I know a place." Sure enough, it was large enough to accommodate the whole congregation, at a cost we could afford, and close to the major train station.

I was blessed to spend 12 years with those wonderful Japanese Christians. The fruits of our labours were far greater than what I had thought remotely possible when I first climbed that hill and saw the tiny little church. Anything is possible for God.

Over the years, God has answered prayers and changed the direction of my life. And the surprises still continue. Three years ago I spent a sabbatical in the Holy Land. While making an eight-day retreat on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, I felt a nudge to trust Christ and cross the lake. Indeed, I felt that the real invitation was for me to make a larger crossing-to leave Japan and return to Canada.

Not quite ready to listen to this gentle call, I headed back to Japan after my sabbatical. But the first several months of re-entry were difficult and I was ready to give up. So I prayed again, "Lord, if you really want me to return to Canada, help me to leave Japan content and happy about my time here." I did not want to leave out of discouragement.

Within a short time, the Bishop of Yokohama invited me to fill in at a parish whose pastor had died suddenly. Six wonderful months followed when I thoroughly enjoyed being a pastor in Japan once again. But in the midst of this happiness, the feeling of being nudged to return to Canada deepened.

So now, the journey continues but on this side of the ocean. Who knows where the path will lead? As I struggle to adjust to being in Canada, I know that God will surprise me again with new experiences that far outshine the possibilities that I can see for myself. Reflecting on my past journeys and God's incredible help and guidance at each step along the way, I am challenged to trust as I move along these new roads that at present seem clouded in fog.

This is the challenge for all of us... to be people of hope as we face the uncertainties of the future; to trust that the God of our Blessed Pasts will surprise us again, turning what we see as stark limitations into things we never thought possible.

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