The Power and the Glory

This book was fascinating and mysterious, and it kept me wondering what would happen next. It is a fictional novel about a priest in Mexico during a time of anti-Catholicism when Catholicism was outlawed. This priest had been on the run for years, and the police had been unable to catch him. We start in the story by being introduced to different people, and it is unclear what is happening. However, as we progress through the pages, the story starts to focus on the priest, known as the whisky priest. We learn he has many moral struggles and is pulled between certain vices or sins and his higher calling.

It is indeed a thriller novel. Throughout the book, I wondered where the story was going, what was his reasoning for staying in Mexico, and whether he would give up the drink and would be able to confess and get himself back on the right path. Despite his struggles, he still pursued his priestly duties, his higher calling. We see this moral contention, and it allows us to ask these moral questions to discuss. Every time the priest did something good, I was cheering him on.

I would vouch to say a few things about the whisky priest. He kept his vocation, even if he admitted to being a bad priest. He was self-aware of himself and his sins and faults. In the ways that he kept his vocation, he preserved his dignity. He rejected the evils of the state. He fulfilled his priestly duties, particularly in celebrating mass and giving confessions. He struggled with his sins.

I am glad to have read this book and enjoyed it. It was very engaging and thought-provoking. I recommend it to those who enjoy reflecting on moral dilemmas and fans of thrillers who appreciate a suspenseful narrative set against the backdrop of religious persecution.