Day 44

So as usual I left my Japanese reading until the very last minute!  Haha...I'm not sure why I always do this.  Anyway, I woke up at 4:30 am to finish a book called Silence by class at 11 am.  It was probably one of the most stressful experiences I've had this semester, but everything worked out.  Also, I learned a lot from this book by Endo Shusaku!  And it helped me recognize something that I am grateful for.

This book is about Catholics in Japan during the 1600s (I believe).  The Catholic people in Japan are having a very difficult time and are being persecuted constantly.  I couldn't ever imagine being put in their situation.  The Japanese Catholics and Catholic missionaries are not only mocked, but they are brutally tortured.  This is done to them mostly because the Japanese think that Catholicism is a threat to their country; it doesn't fit with their belief systems, especially that of worshipping the emperor as if he were a god.

Sometimes I used to think I had it hard being one of the few members of the church in my high school. Compared to the people in this book however, I had such an easy time.  The people at school never teased me or tortured me for my beliefs.  I am so grateful to live in a country that is founded upon principles of freedom of religion.  It would be extremely difficult if I could not practice my religion openly in my own country.  The Lord has truly blessed America.

The cover of Silence