Whose heaven, whose earth?

by Thomas Melville

303 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Kayla Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling yet unsurprising indictment of the Catholic church’s involvement (or lack thereof) in the Guatemalan-US political conflict in the late 20th century. Well-written and informative, it will have you examining your own involvement in current US foreign policy.

[Phyllis Gauker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few decades ago I worked with a woman who told a joke in which a "timid missionary lady" was a character. I had to interrupt her and say, "that's impossible because missionaries are the bravest people I know of, and being timid just does not go along with the job." Think about it. They leave everything familiar and are sent into a new culture. So regardless of the age of someone who thinks he's been called to serve, there is going to be spiritual development because of the unknowns. When one tries to rely on the church's stance, to save souls, and keep out of their country's politics, it becomes a quagmire of contradiction, because, being so immersed in the lives of those you serve, you cannot help but see their needs. This is the story of two people who met after having served in a religious order in Guatemala for 10 years, and discovered they were of one mind concerning the plight of the Mayan peoples. The setting is during and right after vatican II which turned the catholic church upsidedown and inside out because suddenly they had to think differently, or with a different emphasis, shall we say. Their spiritual development coincided and they decided they could not just save souls, but bodies as well. I had read the former priest's book, Through a Glass darkly, and am about to read the former nun's book, Twice a Minority. I went to Guatemala after both had been expelled from there, but knew some of the people mentioned in their books, so I am not totally impartial. I found the book to forthright and honest, and really wish all catholics would be moved to read it.

[Thomas Ray]

BX4705 M4847 A3 1971 Memorial Library