The Power and the Glory in the rear-view mirror
As you look back through the years, what do you see? And how do you pray?
Graham Greene’s whisky priest may seem like an unlikely companion. But you will find that travelling with him and meeting those around him, even for a few days, is a valuable experience.
If you first came across the book many years ago, it’s worth visiting again.
The novel is set in an unnamed Mexican state (based on Tabasco) during the 1930s when the local governor (Governor Tomás Garrido Canabal) is campaigning to suppress the Catholic Church.
You could read 1920s and 1930s persecution of the church in Mexico.
The protagonist is an unnamed “whisky priest,” the last remaining clergyman in the state who has evaded capture. He’s a deeply flawed individual, struggling with alcoholism and the guilt of having fathered a child.
The priest travels from village to village, performing his duties in secret while being pursued by a zealous police lieutenant. Despite opportunities to escape to a safer region, the priest feels compelled to stay and serve his people. He encounters various characters, including a mestizo who ultimately betrays him, and a pious woman who helps him.
The priest is eventually captured and executed, although, as he dies, he finds a measure of peace and redemption. The novel ends with the arrival of a new priest in the state, suggesting the perpetuation of Christian faith despite persecution.
What’s here for a Christian minister approaching the end of their public leadership role?
Legacy and impact: Reflections on the long-term effects of one’s ministry, even in the face of apparent failure.
Redemption and life review: The novel’s themes of a later-in-life sense of peace and perhaps contentment might resonate for some of us, even if we are not actually facing a firing squad.
Mentorship and succession: The arrival of the new priest at the end underlines the need to prepare the next generation of leaders, at a time when it is not clear where they are going to come from, or how they will be trained.
Resilience of faith: A lifetime in Christian ministry provides hard won wisdom as to how faith persists through cycles of opposition and release.
Reconciling past failures: The priest’s journey towards accepting his flaws might be helpful for a minister approaching the finishing line looking forwards, while learning to looking back.
Deeper understanding of grace: A lifetime of ministry provides a seasoned view of how grace operates through human imperfection.
Institutions and personal faith: The novel’s portrait of faith persisting without institutional support is likely to encourage prayer for those following on, who are facing a sustained period of institutional chaos.
The nature of spiritual growth: The priest’s end-of-life spiritual development encourages reflection on how faith evolves over a lifetime of ministry.
If you like this kind of reading, and you would like to read other novels where a pastor is a central character, there is nothing else like this book.
There is a valuable analysis of the novel, and some questions for thinking about: (1) The minister as a sinner; (2) The priest as a sufferer; (3) The priest as hero.
The novel functions as a mirror for ministers thinking about their own personal and professional failings. There is plenty of evidence of clerical unworthiness, and at the same time there are characters who are influenced for good, by the priest’s example and his persistent faith, in spite of his flaws.
’We need to reach our own conclusions as we put the two sides of the equation together.’1
You could think about whose power and whose glory
Leland Ryken, Pastors in the Classics (Baker Books, 2012), p. 77↩︎