Road to the Unknown

Just because you don’t know where the road leads, doesn’t mean it is the wrong one.

By H. Thomas Dotterweich, Director of Lifelong Faith Formation Diocese of Great Falls-Billings

When I was a Postulant with the Franciscans and was really struggling with understanding what God wanted of me, my formators asked that I make a retreat. This retreat was to be self-arranged and self-guided and could not be at one of the local retreat centers. Seeing as I committed to submitting my- self to my formators, I agreed and began my search for a location.

It did not take long for me to find a reasonable rental property, set in the mountains just a couple of hours away from our formation house. I secure the location and set out the next morning for my discernment retreat. At one point during my drive, I found myself at an intersection where the pavement ran out. All that lay before me were dirt tracks leading over a hill into the desert. While my map told me to go forward, I sat at that juncture for quite some time attempting to convince myself that it was indeed the correct road. Eventually, I simply had to trust that just because I did not know exactly where the road led, did not mean it was the wrong road. After a few minutes on the “road to the unknown,” it became very clear that I was in fact still on the correct path to my destination.

Needless to say, this experience ended up dominating my prayer during my time away. Following the retreat, I ultimately discerned out of the formation program with the Franciscans and began to travel a new “road to the unknown.” While I truly had no idea what God had in store for me, I had to convince myself to trust in the promptings of the Holy Spirit. My mantra became, “Just because you don’t know where the road leads, doesn’t mean it’s the wrong one.”

Sometimes it takes great faith just to continue putting one foot in front of the other along this journey of life. While we like to have everything planned out with certainty, certainty is not what we are promised. God has promised that we will never find our- selves alone on the journey, but we must have great faith sometimes that God has us on the right path even when we cannot see where the road leads.

Eventually, my unknown road led to me reentering ministry, starting grad school, and finding my wife, all within a few months of leaving formation. I had no idea the road would lead where it has led, but ultimately, I trusted God, and have enjoyed the jour- ney. As we conclude the Liturgical Season of Easter, I cannot help but imagine the Apostles and other early Christians must have had the same kind of uncertainty after Pentecost. They were promised of Christ’s presence with them always, and were gifted with the Holy Spirit, but they could not have imagined where the road was about the lead. They, like us, did not have certainty in their lives as Christians, rather they, like us, had to have faith and trust.

Important Liturgical Dates

June 6 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 11 Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 12 Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
June 24 Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
June 29 Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
July 3 Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle
July 14 Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha
July 22 Feast of St. Mary Magdalene