At one point, Fr. Gereon is in a prisoner of war camp and observes:
And who is praying? An inquiry revealed that hardly five percent would admit that they prayed; those who prayed did so from force of habit, and their prayers were mostly the prayers of children. For most of the men, prayer was a burden or merely a habit; in any case, it was an unpleasant thing, and for a man and a soldier it was considered an embarrassing occupation.
And isn't this the case and a fundamental problem of our society?
Fr. Gereon goes on:
That this (prayer) is not merely something for women and children, but that first and foremost it is for the man, the head of the family ..... (emphasis added)
And isn't this the fundamental solution to the problems and "innovations" we are seeing in our society?
I was reminded today of Thomas Jefferson's statement:
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
It is my contention that we are now "any other." Men must lead; lead their own prayer lives; lead their family in their prayer life; and thus lead the country to God.
Oremus pro invicem!
2 comments:
This is an excellent book of faith, hope and the inestimable power of prayer. It is the story of Father Goldmann, a seminarian, soldier and priest, who despite, the evils of his time, achieves his goal of becoming a priest through the prayers of many.
It also shows the evils of propaganda on both sides which tries to paint the enemy as all evil and that all must be dealt with harshly. Yes, the Nazis were evil and their plans and goals were evil. They were merciless to their enemies. We see also that the Allies were not the "knights in shining armor" as portrayed in our history books. They often acted in the same manner as the Nazis. Above all this book shows what the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity can do. It shows, above all, the mysterious workings of God and the power of prayer and sacrifice. This book is highly recommended for all.
In light of all the controversy surrounding whether Pope Pius XII did enough for the Jews, and on the recent Papal apology for the past sins of the Church comes a book that demonstrates the actions of some in the face of Nazism.
This true story follows the experiences of a young German seminarian, Gereon Goldmann, drafted into Hitler's SS in the beginning of World War II. The story tells how Goldmann, in the face of evil, was able to continue his training for the priesthood and minister to others.
This is the best book of 2000!
Post a Comment