2020 Summer Reading Recommendations:
With God in Russia by Walter Ciszek, S.J.
Father Walter Ciszek’s autobiography With God in Russia details his twenty-year confinement in the Soviet Union, beginning in the early days of World War II and continuing to the peak of the Cold War. A Jesuit from Pennsylvania, Ciszek desired to spread the Gospel in Communist Russia. He began his work at the Jesuit mission in Poland, eventually making his way into Russia as a laborer and making inroads with Catholics there. He was careful to guard his identity from Soviet authorities, lest it hinder future missionary work. Even so, when they discovered that he was a priest, he was arrested and charged with being a Vatican spy. Ciszek would spend the next several years going between different Soviet prisons and work camps, and was eventually allowed to work on his own, though under strict surveillance. Because he was considered a spy, he had no practical hope of getting out of the country, though he was eventually released to the United States in 1963 as part of a prisoner exchange. This autobiography displays Ciszek’s unwavering faith and trust in God during his captivity. His desire to serve as a missionary in Russia was indeed fulfilled, though the ways in which it happened were beyond anything he could have ever imagined. Ciszek’s faith in God also gives us valuable lessons about Divine Providence and our new life in Christ.
In the midst of persecution and turmoil, Ciszek remained strong in his faith. He never stopped trusting in God, but continued to live his vocation as a Jesuit priest, faithfully carrying out his responsibilities as much as he was able, given the circumstances. Though forced into hard labor, he would use his solitary time for retreat and meditation, while offering prayers (including the prayers of the Mass) from memory. When faced with situations where many would break down or cave to the demands of the oppressor, Ciszek remained strong. He believed that God was guiding him through these moments of torment, and that he would use this experience for carrying out his loving plan. Ciszek waited patiently for God’s Providence to unfold.
Such Providence is seen in the ways that Ciszek was able to become a missionary in Russia. While in prison, Ciszek would celebrate clandestine Masses and hear confessions for Catholic prisoners who greatly desired the sacraments. When living on his own after completing his prison sentence, he was able to serve as a secret chaplain in the town of Norilsk, offering Masses and baptizing the children of Catholics who longed to practice their faith openly. Throughout these experiences, Ciszek had an awareness that his desire to serve as a missionary in Russia was being fulfilled. It was not what he anticipated during his years of Jesuit formation, in which he envisioned going to Russia as part of a formal mission. Ciszek’s story shows us that God does not work according to our preconceived plans or expectations. Rather, he carries out his providential plan as he sees fit, in ways beyond our imagining. What he asks of us is our faith and trust in him. Ciszek trusted in the Lord, and the fruits borne from his missionary activity proclaim the wisdom of God.
Ciszek’s story is also a witness to the power of new life given to us in Christ. As communication was cut off with those back home, Ciszek’s family and fellow Jesuits thought that he had died during the War. Those who knew him were shocked to hear that he was still alive. Upon his return home, he was able to minister as a Jesuit priest for over twenty years until his death in 1984. This “new life” given to Ciszek points to the greater reality of the new life of grace that Christ gives us in His Resurrection. For those who trust in God like Walter Ciszek, who believe that Christ rose from the dead, pain and torment do not have the last word. God transforms our crosses, using them for the sake of His greater glory. By believing in Him, He who conquered sin and death on the cross also conquers our own pain and sufferings, restoring us to a new life in Him. Father Ciszek’s story speaks to this reality, and to the hope given us by the Risen Christ.
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Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (used with permission)
