Thursday, July 9, 2015

Life and Love are the Most Important Things

Why don’t the citizens’ tears reach the rest of the country?


On July 6th, I was extremely surprised to see Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto on television along with a public announcement that the evacuation order for Naraha will be removed on September 5th. In my blog entry from June 29th, I wrote about the anguish and reality of the situation of the residents of Naraha. The area has still not been sufficiently decontaminated, mice have taken over the houses, and mold covers the interiors of buildings that have now been empty for four-and-a-half years.


Almost all of the houses need to be either reconstructed or restored, and all of the furnishings and furniture need to be disposed of as well. However, there are not enough construction materials or carpenters at the disaster site. Because of this, the victims cannot return home.


Even though we’ve heard that recovery housing will be built for the sake of Naraha victims whose homes were washed away by the tsunami, work has not been completed. Stores, hospitals, and other buildings necessary for daily life have also not been re-established.


Temporary accommodations for the thousands of workers who have come from other parts of the country to decontaminate the area have been built. This has caused concern because of increased crime and made it so that some residents don’t feel safe in their homes. In my most recent blog post I wrote about this.


Why aren’t the victims’ tears, grieving voices, and pleas for help reaching the rest of the country?


Please listen to the word of God


Who controls our lives? Isn’t life the greatest gift that every human being is given? No one, no matter how powerful or influential, should ever impinge upon this gift that has been bestowed on each and every one of us.  Today I have decided to talk about my experience as a Catholic Nun.


Others have kindly written about me on the internet, but today, I would like to talk to you about my own personal experiences relating to “The Word of God” and what God wants from us in the world today.


I entered a Catholic convent at the age of 22, and left at age 54. I had a revelation that God wanted me to go and make a place to help heal other’s souls, so I left the Catholic order where I had spent 32 years of my life. At that time, God said to me, “I only want one thing from mankind:  that you love one another and respect life. Beyond that, nothing is of importance.” Then, just when I was passing through the gate to leave the convent, God spoke to me again. He said, “You will come to experience many things. Through those experiences, you will make true friends.” God changed my life by telling me those things. It was as if I had been reborn. God also told me, “From now on, you do not need to promote the teachings of the faith. Please just focus on making your home a place where others can find solace and healing, so that they may leave with newly acquired strength and energy.”


Once I understood that life and love were the most important things, my soul felt free. I began to sense the preciousness of life in even the smallest beings and to feel a communion with everything; not only people, but even insects, grass, stones, and the wind. I began to think of all living things as my dear brothers and sisters. Then I started experiencing something unusual.  My heart became truly able to greet everyone that I met equally, regardless of race, nationality, religion, social status, or even how well I knew them.  Also, even though I tend to be shy, I became brave enough to say the things that I felt needed to be said. This is because I understood what God meant when he said:  “The most important things are life and love, nothing else is as important.”


God, who gave each one of us life, loves us more than anyone else, and values each individual life. Therefore, he is more saddened by our pain than anyone else could ever be. So he says to us: “Why do you treat life with such disrespect? Don’t you care about the suffering of others? I am the one who gave you life. To me, every person is an irreplaceable son or daughter.” Also, “Please do not be vain. Be modest.” “Who will be judged favorably? To the weak, debased, and oppressed, my repayment will be manifold. Those who suffer in this world will triumph and become radiant. However, those who show no compassion and do not value life will be required to take responsibility for their actions” “Treat the small and weak with kindness and respect” “Do not turn a blind eye to the victims of Fukushima. They are bravely paying the price for sins caused by others, just as Christ did when he died for the sins of humanity. Please work together to help the victims of Fukushima get their lives back. Learn from their patience, strength and modesty.  Restore this world to one of “peace and happiness”, rather than one of destruction. Let the world be reborn as a place of peace, respect, kindness and love.”


The above are God’s messages for all of us. God also sent me this final message: “Every person in this world who is suffering or oppressed - victims of war, refugees, all the downtrodden - you are like Christ, because you are also paying for humanity’s sins.”


What Each and Every One of Us Can Do


It is up to each and every one of us to make a better Japan (and world). Government representatives are only human too. Humans make mistakes; they have their limits. Even wise men are sometimes naïve. But there is also greatness inside of seemingly “insignificant” people.  Even humble individuals can do great and brave things. We need to ask ourselves: “ What is happiness for humanity?” Won’t you please reevaluate and change your lives, change Japan, and change the world? Business and money are not all that is needed for happiness. Life and our time on this Earth are precious and irreplaceable things. If everyone worked towards respecting and caring for each other, a new system would naturally arise from this way of thinking -  a way of living that would make everyone radiant, and envelope each family, society, country, and finally the whole world in happiness. Don’t you agree?


In order to help the victims of the nuclear accident in Fukushima, you must acknowledge the reality of their suffering. From there, please spread your knowledge of the situation to others. You do not have to do anything too big. In my next blog post, I would like to offer you more ways to help.


It is currently very humid, which can easily cause health problems to arise. Please take care of yourselves.


[For questions about how to offer help]


Momoko Fukuoka
Mobile:  f.mom.1941@ezweb.ne.jp      080-5547-8675
Fax:  047-346-8675


(I would like to request that calls be made between 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM
local time in Japan.  Depending on my health, it may take some time
for me to respond, but I promise that your call will be returned)