June 14, 2007

{     The Keys Of The Kingdom     }    

I really enjoy the calming effect of sitting in bed and opening a good book and just turning off the surrounding distractions of TV, cell phones, and music, but as I entered into my first year of law school reading became so much a part of my life that I couldn’t bear to continue the activity for another 2 hours each night. However, with the constant pushing and prodding of my wonderful mother I began to read one of the most compassionate and compelling stories in my life called Keys to the Kingdom. This story of one mans trials and tribulations kept me eagerly awaiting each development of his tremendous endeavor, and gave me some faith that there truly are good people in this world. As with any story there is a fine line between giving the whole plot away, and giving you a good reason to dive in so I will try to be as vague as I can without leaving you lost (I have a really bad habit of quoting movies too much, usually giving away the best parts). Written in the 1940’s this is a story of one man's struggle to find himself and be true to his faith as he is shipped to China on a mission trip for the Catholic Church. What is so wonderful about this book is the priest’s refreshing view of what religion is supposed to be…loving, compassionate, accepting, and forgiving. Every step of the way he deals with terrible adversaries, many coming from the hierarchy of a religion he is meant to serve. However, with every painful set back he manages to use his ‘unconventional views’ and ‘frowned upon’ methods to bring followers; not by force or bribes, but through self sacrifice.

I showed all emotions through this book, anger, hate, and sympathy, but was ultimately humbled by one man’s selfless sacrifice to live as a servant to others…a true man of the people. Though set in an earlier time period this book easily relates to many of the problems facing humanity in today’s settings, and just shows you how little we have really changed. This book gave me a lot to think about and I strongly encourage anyone that loves a good read to pick it up, because in my eyes it is truly a classic.