Lent 2025 Day 13

Shūsaku Endō, Writer
Matthew 26:69075 | Psalm 105

Shūsaku Endō was one of Japan’s most profound Christian writers, exploring faith, doubt, and suffering in ways that continue to challenge and inspire believers. Born in Tokyo in 1923, Endō was baptized as a child in a nation where Christianity was a minority faith, often viewed with suspicion. His personal struggle with faith—especially in a culture that had historically resisted Christianity—became the foundation of his literary work. His most famous novel, Silence, wrestles with one of the most difficult theological questions: What does it mean when God seems silent in the face of suffering?

Endō’s work often centers on flawed, struggling characters who, like Peter in Matthew 26:69-75, experience failure, fear, and betrayal. Peter, despite his bold declarations of loyalty, denies Christ three times when confronted. His failure is devastating, yet his story does not end there. Jesus does not cast Peter away but restores him, entrusting him to lead the early church. Endō’s writings reflect this same tension—how faith can exist even in moments of failure and uncertainty, how God does not abandon even those who feel unworthy.

In Psalm 105, the psalmist calls upon the people to remember God’s faithfulness throughout history, even in times of struggle and doubt. Endō’s work embodies this call to remembrance, particularly for those who feel abandoned by God. His stories remind us that faith is not about never doubting, but about continuing to seek God even in the midst of silence. In Silence, the protagonist, a Portuguese missionary in 17th-century Japan, struggles with whether to renounce his faith to save others from suffering. Endō does not offer easy answers but instead presents a deeply human portrait of a faith tested by suffering, betrayal, and uncertainty.

Lent is a season where we, like Peter and Endō’s characters, confront our failures and our fears. It is a season where we ask hard questions, where we wait in the silence, trusting that even when we do not hear God's voice, we are not abandoned. Endō teaches us that grace is found not in perfect faith, but in a faith that endures even when tested.

Reflection:

• How do you relate to Peter’s fear and failure in Matthew 26? 
• Have you ever experienced a time when God seemed silent? How did it shape your faith? 
• What does it mean to trust in God’s faithfulness, as Psalm 105 invites us to do, even when we struggle to feel it? 

Breath Prayer: Inhale: Even in silence… Exhale: …God is near.

May this Lenten season remind us that God’s love remains, even when our faith feels fragile.
Amen.