A year ago, I worked with the autobiography, “ To turn back, mark of God’s grace” of Atsuko Azuma. In looking back at your life, one can always see marks of God’s holy grace.
My religious life has already been for more than 40 years, and I can feel deeply that every step, one by one, has been preparing for this, ever since I was a child. Before I went to school, I experienced two deaths…. My young brother died and my mother who was in deep sadness, and then only a year later, my mother was gone. Those two experiences taught me firmly the meaning of only one life.
I was a “ sad child without mother”, and had only been reading and writing a little… During the war and post-war time, in the experience of thoughts confusion, I suddenly was given the Catholic faith.
My first encounter with the Bible was such a joy that no other literature counted any longer. ( Telling the truth, I could hardly understand the beginning of the gospel by Mathiew or John) . My heart got such a fresh impression when reading the autobiography of St. Theresa of Lisieux.
I
wondered whether God would not call someone like me to the religious life.
Am I not outgoing enough to preach ? I would so much like to make others know
about the joy of faith.
One of those days, suddenly again, I came across a pamphlet about the Daughters of St. Paul.
The founder said: “Let us increase the Word of God by printing machine, and deliver it to all people!” At that time, there was only publication, but the founder already had dreams about all the communications by media in the following century.
“Dear God, please call me!” Praying, I went straight to this vocation. Now that almost half a century has gone, I think “ I am not good enough, but this was indeed the way God wanted me to follow. I am so happy !