Book Review: He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek

I recently finished reading a powerful book.  If you have not read He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek, please click here and order it immediately.  You will be grateful that you did!  He Leadeth Me is a spiritual memoir of an American Jesuit priest who was arrested as a political prisoner by the Soviet Union during and after WWII.  Ciszek ends up spending 23 grueling years in prison, work camps and solitary confinement.  He describes in his memoirs how and why he managed to withstand despair and endure all of his hardships through prayer and by relying on God's providence.

“… every moment of our 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... For it means that no moment can be wasted, no opportunity missed, since each has a purpose in man’s life, each has a purpose in God’s plan. Think of your day, today or yesterday. Think of the work you did, the people you met, moment by moment. What did it mean to you- and might it have meant for God? Is the question too simple to answer, or are we just afraid to ask it for fear of the answer we must give?”

This book was deeply moving for me.  I am already rereading sections of it as I go through my day, and I have a feeling that I will be referring to it for the rest of my life.  This must- read and inspirational book provides hope to all Christians in our ordinary struggles and our darkest hours.