Simple Wisdom for Difficult Times

Father Walter Ciszek’s spiritual classic gives Leigh Ann Roman a deeper understanding of God’s grace.

He Leadeth Me: An Extraordinary Testament of Faith

by Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.
Published by Image Books

It can be so easy to become overwhelmed by life, especially all of the things one cannot control. From the grouchiness of the store clerk to the unexpected rainstorm on your lunchbreak, life can seem full of inconvenience and struggle. Add to that a family member’s chronic health issues, and the burden may feel heavier than one person can bear. Is this really what God wants? 

I consulted Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., for the answer. His famous book, He Leadeth Me, describes the spiritual growth that sustained him during 23 years in the Soviet Union, most of it in prison or slave labor camps. During that time, the American-born priest developed his simple philosophy of taking every event of his life as directly from God’s hand. 

Father Ciszek went to Russia to serve as a missionary but was captured and kept in solitary confinement for five years before being sent to a labor camp in Siberia for 15 years. Initially frustrated by all of the obstacles to mission work, Father Ciszek later recognized that his disturbance came from his inability to work as he thought God wanted him to in that situation.

Ultimately, we come to expect God to accept our understanding of what his will ought to be and to help us fulfill that, instead of learning to see and accept his will in the real situations in which he places us daily. (p. 39) 

Our role in the world 

Surely, God doesn’t want us to be imprisoned or harmed. Of course not. God doesn’t create evil, but evil exists in the world. Our role is to transform the world through God’s grace, if only we would access it and rely on it. 

The section of the book that struck me most strongly was the chapter titled “The Kingdom of God.” It says, in part,

Our primary responsibility, then, the main object of all our efforts, must be the transformation of ourselves, of our hearts and our lives. Insofar as we succeed at this, we promote the spreading of God’s kingdom, for by doing this, we are at the same time disposing ourselves to help others and contribute even further to the spreading of the kingdom. What this means in the concrete is that each of us must faithfully fulfill the duties of our daily life. (p. 168) 

How simple. Faithfully fulfilling the duties of daily life is a direct route to changing the world. It would have been wonderful for me to read this about 12 years ago, when I was just beginning a long seven years as my mother’s caregiver. We moved her to Memphis to provide support during her declining years, but I could never have imagined how difficult it would be — especially while working full-time and raising children. Those years were marked by multiple hospitalizations due to Mom’s progressing Parkinson’s Disease, falls, mental health crises, and congestive heart failure.  

Understanding that meeting the daily demands could have broader implications than just that day would definitely have encouraged me in this difficult but not unusual situation. So many people have gone through or are going through the same thing. We are not called to any easy life; we are called to a life transformed by grace. 

God in his providence does not leave men at peace until they are converted in a crisis that, sooner or later, must come to every heart. God’s grace demands the total transformation of man, for man belongs to God. (p. 168) 

Relying on God’s grace 

God’s grace is always available, but it doesn’t come easy. Instead, it demands sacrifice and the renunciation of self-will, Father Ciszek writes. Knowing how often I do not accept God’s grace, it makes sense to see how often it is rejected by others. The rejection of that grace is a source of continued sin and unhappiness in the world. 

In this way, we come to understand, too, why there yet exists so much evil, sin, violence, wars, hatred, immorality, persecution of religion, and denial even of God himself in the world today. These things must follow, so long as men refuse to accept God’s grace and do his will. (p. 169) 

Today, I understand that my experience as a caregiver to my mother was a gift. My years as a caregiver and my life as a Catholic have confirmed for me that my life is not about me. It is ultimately about the kingdom of God and how I can bring that to the world each day in my limited, human way if I only accept God’s grace.  

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Copyright 2024 Leigh Ann Roman
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