Witnessing to the faith

By Fr. Alex MacDonald, S.F.M.
September/October 2009

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As a missionary priest in a parish in Japan there was one thought constantly on my mind: I’m here as a shepherd to look after not only the Catholics, but everybody in the parish. The Catholics in Ichinomiya in the Diocese of Nagoya numbered 1,000 souls, and those not Christian numbered 249,000 souls. What could I do to bring Jesus to the 249,000 who do not know him or his teaching? In my homilies I urged parishioners to speak about their faith to their non-Christian relatives and friends and invite them to the church. I held English classes at the church; many Japanese were interested in learning English so the classes presented an opportunity to make friends among non-Christians. The parishioners and I also took to the streets and passed out religious tracts. These efforts, too, produced some fruit.

Fr. Alex MacDonald in Japan where he was missioned for 52 years

But the most effective witness to the faith was that given by an elderly Catholic lady by the name of Mrs. Kojima. Mrs. Kojima was dying of liver cancer and was in a public ward in the city hospital. On her bedside table she had placed a crucifix and a statue of Our Lady, and she frequently said the rosary with the beads in her hand.

One day when I brought her Holy Communion she mentioned that the woman in the bed beside her wanted to talk to me. There was a curtain drawn around the woman’s bed. I peeked inside the curtain and saw that she was undergoing treatment by a doctor and a nurse. I told Mrs. Kojima that the woman was busy undergoing treatment, so the next time I brought Holy Communion I would speak to her. The woman overheard me and from behind the curtain said, “Please do not go away. I want to speak to you today. The treatment will soon be over.”

I waited until the doctor and nurse had left, and then the woman and I spoke. She told me that she was a Buddhist but wanted to become a Catholic. Her problem was that when she died the family would insist upon a Buddhist funeral. I assured her that this was not a problem. In Japan the Catholic church leaves all funeral arrangements in the hands of the family.

“Why do you wish to become a Catholic?” I asked. She pointed to Mrs. Kojima. “It’s because of her,” she replied. “She’s dying of cancer and so am I, but she is always peaceful and happy while I am frequently sad and depressed. I know that she is happy because of her religion; she often talks about the wonderful hap-piness awaiting her in heaven. I want to become a Catholic so I can be happy like her and go to heaven.”

Every week from then on I sat beside her bed and taught her the catechism for an hour. After about three months I noticed that her physical condition was deteriorating so I said to her, “You know a good deal about Jesus and his teaching. Would you like to be baptized?”

“Oh yes, please, there is nothing I would like more than that,” she said.

The next week I baptized and confirmed her, and she received her first Holy Communion. Upon leaving I told her that from now on she and Mrs. Kojima would be able to receive communion together. That was the last time I saw her. The next time I brought Holy Communion her bed was empty. She had died a few days earlier. Mrs. Kojima told me that her family gave her a Buddhist funeral. A few months later, Mrs. Kojima also joined that woman in heaven.

What wonderful consolation to have been a missionary priest. To know that Mrs. Kojima and her friend and so many others are in heaven praying for me and waiting to welcome me there some day.

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