During Lent, I have been reflecting on excerpts from the book "He Leadeth Me" by the Jesuit priest Walter J. Ciszek. Father Ciszek's life unfolds as one of the most incredible stories one could ever hear. At the age of 35, amidst the onset of World War II, he made the daring decision to covertly become a missionary priest in Russia. However, due to the Soviet Union's staunch atheist regime and animosity towards the Church, he was falsely accused of espionage, leading to five years of solitary confinement. Subsequently, he faced a harsh sentence of 15 years in a Siberian labor camp, enduring freezing conditions.

His spiritual reflections on the radical nature of surrender hold great significance for our Lenten journey, serving as a wonderful reminder of our need to surrender to our Creator, who loves us unconditionally. In "He Leadeth Me," he articulates this profound insight:

“In times of ease, it is remarkably easy for us to become dependent on our routines, on the established order of our day-to-day existence. We are surrounded by friends and possessions, with one day seamlessly flowing into the next, marked by good health and overall happiness. We may not actively desire the worldly riches, yet we unconsciously find comfort and well-being in them, trusting them as our support – and taking God for granted. Somehow, God must break through these routines and remind us, akin to Israel, that our ultimate dependence lies solely upon Him. He has created us, destined us for a life with Him throughout eternity, emphasizing that the things of this world and the world itself are not our lasting city. We belong to Him, and we must turn to Him in everything.” (p.21)

Paul Sammut
Director of Catholic Identity and Mission