He Leadeth Me (Paperback)

~ (Author), Daniel Flaherty (Author) "On October 12, 1963, I landed at New York's Idlewild Airport after having spent twenty-three years in the Soviet Union and most of that time..." (more)
Key Phrases: rite mission, Soviet Union, Father Nestrov, Orthodox Church (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

He Leadeth Me is the deeply moving personal story of one man's spiritual odyssey and the unflagging faith which enabled him to survive the horrendous ordeal that wrenched his body and spirit to near collapse.

Captured by the Russian army during World War II and convicted of being a "Vatican spy," American Jesuit Father Walter J. Ciszek spent some 23 agonizing years in Soviet prisons and the labor camps of Siberia. He here 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. For, as Ciszek relates, the solace of spiritual contemplation gave him an inner serenity upon which he was able to draw amidst the "arrogance of evil" that surrounded him. Learning to accept even the inhuman work of toiling in the infamous Siberian salt mines as a labor pleasing to God, he was able to turn adverse forces into a source of positive value and a means of drawing closer to the compassionate and never-forsaking Divine Spirit.

He Leadeth Me is a book to inspire all Christians to greater faith and trust in God-even in their darkest hour.

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898705460
• ISBN-13: 978-0898705461
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,613 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Catholicism > Catholic
  #34 in	Books > History > Military > World War II > Personal Narratives
  #39 in	Books > History > Russia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to face persecution, December 26, 2000

By A Customer

Every Christian should read this autobiography. It will help you understand what you might expect and how you should react in future persecutions, which might come from the populace (as Hollywood and the media stirs public hatred against Christians, especially Catholics), expansionist totalitarian regimes (now that they have found easy access to so many of our military secrets), or militant religious fundamentalists (as they are in Africa and Malaysia).

Fr. Ciszek is being investigated for possible canonization. He would be a saint along the lines of St. Peter, rather than along the lines of St. Therese of Lisieux. He volunteered for service in Stalinist Russia. He had always wanted to do the will of God, until he was severely challenged by repeated interrogations in prison in Stalinist Russia. His realization of his weakness was the turning point in his life, much as St. Peter's was after he denied Christ.

What we learn from this book is that we should accept and rely on God's will, with our eye on the ultimate goal (union with God), even in our seemingly insignificant daily activities. Now that you know what you would learn, you may decide that you need not read the book. Don't be deceived. You will not learn the lesson from reading that one sentence but rather by reading Fr. Ciszek's own account of his failings, his humility, and his reaction to adverse conditions in prison and out. His experiences, and his insight into his behavior, will burn the lesson into your brain. We all experience the same challenges and frustrations, albeit to a lesser intensity. For example, we are all sometimes placed with people who are obnoxious and overbearing, but not to the intensity of Communist prison guards. You can see how Father turns such circumstances into an opportunity to accede to God's will.

Father will teach you much about life. He will convince you that people can become so imbued with sin that they feel that society owes them something, thereby justifying their actions against society. He will also show that all work, even forced labor, is ennobling; that suffering is good; and that elaborate surroundings are not necessary for a devout Mass. He will show you that keeping people busy is effective in keeping them from a spiritual life - a lesson we might apply to ourselves or to our media-swamped teenagers. He also shows that the atheistic Communists were able to devise an effective moral code by brainwashing everyone, from childhood onward, to believe that living for others is what is good. Their moral code was not far from the mark, being the second great commandment. If they had included the first, reason rather than brainwashing could have been used.

With this book, you will humbly see your human weakness in the awesome sight of God.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the most inspiring book I have ever read., July 14, 1999

By A Customer

Our parish priest referred to "He Leadeth Me" in his homily recently and I thought the book might be interesting. Little did I know that I would find Father Ciszek's message to be one of the most inspiring I have ever read. Throughout his terrible ordeal he never lost his faith in God. No matter what the Russian authorities attempted to do to him, Fr. Ciszek knew that by turning his life over to God and doing God's will he had nothing to fear. Fr. Ciszek found God where most of us would find only despair. I strongly recommend this book to everyone. I know you will be inspired by the message of God's love.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to become an ikon of Christ, July 14, 1999

By A Customer

Here are the reflections of an American Jesuit priest imprisoned in the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1963.He grew from a self-seeking creature into an inspiring priest. Early in his confinement he painfully learned how to pray. He learned how to be utterly submissive to God's will. This early experience transformed him and prepared him to dispense the forbidden Holy Mysteries to the Orthodox and Catholic "Church of Silence" imprisoned in the Siberian concentration camps. He became a true ikon of Christ! He fearlessly baptized and chrismated; heard confessions; celebrated the Divine Liturgy; distibuted communion; preached sermons, and prayed for the dead. Wherever he went, the people flocked to him. Very Orthodox and very American.