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 first focus should be on the title. There is a reason he uses the imagery of jailbirds. When one is thrown into prison, he is stripped of everything he owns or calls his. This includes his cloths, freedom and dignity. One does not even enjoy privacy. This is the nakedness referred to in the title and used to represent emptiness or lack.
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.
Priests and the church are supposed to take the vow of poverty. The minute they begin to amass wealth, they cease to resonate with the ordinary man who requires their attention. They will also lose focus on God and his requirements for his people. This book humanizes the priest to make him easy to relate with. He is seen as the link between those deprived of life and their salvation.
It is rare to think of prisoners unless you have a friend or relative incarcerated. The method of narration by Richard Shaw is a sharing of the experience behind bars. It becomes easier to understand the life and experience behind bar beyond considering everyone a criminal. There are humans with feelings and desires like me and you.
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.
This is one of the most entertaining and enlightening books about religious and prison life you will ever read. Once you get hold of it, it will be difficult to put it down. It also shows the passion that Shaw has for his vocation as a priest. You have an opportunity to appreciate the role played by different people in alleviating the lives of less privileged people in the society.
The first focus should be on the title. There is a reason he uses the imagery of jailbirds. When one is thrown into prison, he is stripped of everything he owns or calls his. This includes his cloths, freedom and dignity. One does not even enjoy privacy. This is the nakedness referred to in the title and used to represent emptiness or lack.
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.
Priests and the church are supposed to take the vow of poverty. The minute they begin to amass wealth, they cease to resonate with the ordinary man who requires their attention. They will also lose focus on God and his requirements for his people. This book humanizes the priest to make him easy to relate with. He is seen as the link between those deprived of life and their salvation.
It is rare to think of prisoners unless you have a friend or relative incarcerated. The method of narration by Richard Shaw is a sharing of the experience behind bars. It becomes easier to understand the life and experience behind bar beyond considering everyone a criminal. There are humans with feelings and desires like me and you.
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.
This is one of the most entertaining and enlightening books about religious and prison life you will ever read. Once you get hold of it, it will be difficult to put it down. It also shows the passion that Shaw has for his vocation as a priest. You have an opportunity to appreciate the role played by different people in alleviating the lives of less privileged people in the society.
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