Silence by Shusaku Endo

I have just finished reading an historical novel by the Japanese author the late Shusaku Endo. I want to recommend it to any Catholic interested in the history of our church and persecution. I had previously read The Mass of the Early Christians by Mike Aquilina. That book ended with the Christians in ancenint Rome gathering for Mass in secret. someone brought the bread, another the wine and secretly splitting up to meet in a catacomb. This provided a fitting juxtaposition to Endo's historical novel, as the missionaries there had to meet in secret as well and suffered unspeakable persecution by the Japanese no dissimilar to Roman times when they were crucifying us and feeding us to the lions. And people today think we have it tough in the United States.
I know in my own state people are concerned about the judiciary superseding the will of the people by overturning proposition 8, and of course the tremendous media attacks in this country on our Pope and bishops. However, this is a far cry from the torture and persecution the early church as described by Aquilina and the persecution by the Japanese government as depicted by Endo.
Endo's book describes the lives of three priests from Portugal who are missionaries to Japan. The first Fr. Ferreira was the mentor of the other two priests. Fr. Ferreira left for Japan first, and had not been heard from. Rumors indicate he is either dead or has apotheosized. Neither of his two students can believe either story, and are thus feeling called to not only see about Fr. Ferreira, but also to join him in the missionary work in Japan.
In japan there is a thriving but small Catholic community. However as at the end of Auilina's book, they must be careful and meet for mass in secret.
And so it is that even after being warned not to go by their superior these to Jesuits head to Japan, where they are met by the Catholic community thriving in secret and thirsting for priests. The community has survived without the sacraments and with a few deacons. They welcome these brave priests with open arms, and of course keep their whereabouts hidden from the authorities.
Endo's book is a suspenseful journey of faith and service to our Lord in difficult conditions. In reading it I came away with a greater appreciation for our priests and missionaries who even today risk their lives to spread the faith. I also have a greater appreciation for the spreading of the faith, the gospel, the good news.
I would highly recommend both books. I could not put Endo's down. Aqulina's is a bit more academic but it is a book that all Catholics must read, especially during these times when we must defend our faith to those who do not understand the importance of our history of tradition. The Mass of the Early Christians is perfectly annotated and proof of the Christian Mass taking place complete with Eucharistic dating back to the first century. These days most of us Catholics have protestant friends who do not know or understand the truth, Aqulina documents it for them and for us.
I highly recommend both The Mass of the Early Christians and Silence.