From the Library of Deacon Mike:
Another treasure in my library is a book that has withstood the test of time and may be familiar to many of you. It is the autobiographical work of Fr. Walter J. Ciszek entitled "He Leadeth Me". If you have read it before, read it again. If you have never read it, you are in for a treat. "He Leadeth Me" is the deeply personal story of one man's spiritual wanderings and the enduring faith that enabled him to survive an ordeal that nearly brought him to emotional and physical collapse.
Captured by a Russian army during World War II and convicted of being a "Vatican Spy, " Fr. Ciszek spent 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. He recalls how it was only through an utter reliance on God's will that he managed to endure. He tells of the courage he found in prayer - a courage that eased the loneliness, the pain, the frustrations, the anguish, the fears, the despair. In his spiritual contemplation Fr. Ciszek "recovered the light and found the capacity to understand what was beyond explanation" - he found the inner strength and serenity to accept even the inhuman work of toiling in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God. In this emotional story Fr. Ciszek tells how he came to learn that every moment of life has a purpose, that every action of ours, no matter how dull or routine or trivial it may seem in itself has a dignity and a worth beyond human understanding. No matter what the world or family or friends or strangers may think, no persons works - no persons life is insignificant in the eyes of God. I cannot begin to fully explain to you how this book "He Leadeth Me" has called me to a greater trust in God - even in my darkest hour. What I will say is that by sharing his story Fr. Ciszek has simply asked me: "What can ultimately trouble my soul if I accept every moment of every day as a gift from the hand of God? Nothing, not even death, can separate me from the love of God. Is this too simple, or am I just afraid really to believe it, to accept it, to live it?" For me that is the ultimate question of faith, and every day I must answer it in the quiet of my heart, in the depths of my soul. But I tell you to answer it in the affirmative is to know a peace, to discover a meaning to life, that surpasses all understanding.
Enjoy!!!!!!!
Mike
Select here to return to Mike's Book Nook