Priests are viewed as the representation of what God wants of man towards the poor and less privileged in the society. Richard Shaw in Naked as a Jailbird gives an account of his life as a priest and the lessons it has taught him. He narrates his experiences and expectations of the church and its leaders regarding the treatment of the poor.
The message is clearly captured in the title. This title is an imagery of what happens in jail. Immediately one gets to prison, his clothes are taken away, leaving him naked. He has no title and his dignity is also gone. He does not enjoy even mere privacy. This is the nakedness referred to in the title. It refers to lack or the emptiness that comes with imprisonment.
The author shines light on the lives of people, both prisoners and officers behind bars. Despite these prisoners being human, they have nothing to cover their nakedness. All their lives are bare and confined to routines. It is interesting to learn about this life as an adult despite him thinking that he has learnt everything that he is expected to learn. His encounters in prison are a new lesson in life.
Shaw is also interested in how the church and its leaders treat wealth. In his opinion, the church should not have more than 85cents in its accounts or that of the priests. The church acts as a channel through which resources get to the poor. Holding on to these resources means that they are not getting to those who need them.
Poverty should be a principle that religious leaders commit to. This has been a challenge for churches and their leaders. It becomes a distraction that will cause them to lose sight of their noble role of helping the poor. The vow of poverty by priests must be maintained for the sake of the down trodden.
It is rare to think of lives of prisoners unless you have been on or have a relative or friend incarcerated. The manner of narration, setting and presentation gives you an idea of what the people in prison experience. The narrative is vivid and explicit. It will make it easier to relate with their situation. It gives their lives and thoughts such that if you viewed them as criminals, your perception will change.
Jails are not made of prisoners alone. There are people working in the environment and tasked with keeping it as strict and almost in human as most people know it. Shaw gives an account of the lives and thoughts of these prison warders and the officers who come into contact with them. Read the book to know the impact this system has on their lives.
The book narrates about the intersection between prison and religious life. It is difficult to put the book down once you begin to read it. It is a demonstration of the passion with which Shaw has held his priestly vocation and how he is using it to transform the life of people he comes into contact with. The author calls on readers to recognize the contributions of different people in alleviating the lives of down trodden persons in the society.
The message is clearly captured in the title. This title is an imagery of what happens in jail. Immediately one gets to prison, his clothes are taken away, leaving him naked. He has no title and his dignity is also gone. He does not enjoy even mere privacy. This is the nakedness referred to in the title. It refers to lack or the emptiness that comes with imprisonment.
The author shines light on the lives of people, both prisoners and officers behind bars. Despite these prisoners being human, they have nothing to cover their nakedness. All their lives are bare and confined to routines. It is interesting to learn about this life as an adult despite him thinking that he has learnt everything that he is expected to learn. His encounters in prison are a new lesson in life.
Shaw is also interested in how the church and its leaders treat wealth. In his opinion, the church should not have more than 85cents in its accounts or that of the priests. The church acts as a channel through which resources get to the poor. Holding on to these resources means that they are not getting to those who need them.
Poverty should be a principle that religious leaders commit to. This has been a challenge for churches and their leaders. It becomes a distraction that will cause them to lose sight of their noble role of helping the poor. The vow of poverty by priests must be maintained for the sake of the down trodden.
It is rare to think of lives of prisoners unless you have been on or have a relative or friend incarcerated. The manner of narration, setting and presentation gives you an idea of what the people in prison experience. The narrative is vivid and explicit. It will make it easier to relate with their situation. It gives their lives and thoughts such that if you viewed them as criminals, your perception will change.
Jails are not made of prisoners alone. There are people working in the environment and tasked with keeping it as strict and almost in human as most people know it. Shaw gives an account of the lives and thoughts of these prison warders and the officers who come into contact with them. Read the book to know the impact this system has on their lives.
The book narrates about the intersection between prison and religious life. It is difficult to put the book down once you begin to read it. It is a demonstration of the passion with which Shaw has held his priestly vocation and how he is using it to transform the life of people he comes into contact with. The author calls on readers to recognize the contributions of different people in alleviating the lives of down trodden persons in the society.
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