Through the tumultuous late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Lu Zhengxiang—a devoted disciple of both Confucius and Christ—served his native China as a leading diplomat and statesman for more than thirty years. He entered the Catholic Church in 1911 and became a Benedictine monk in 1927.
In 1942, during the German occupation of Belgium, the elderly monk, now known as Abbot Pierre-Célestin Lu, O.S.B, answered a divine call to bear witness to how God had guided him through challenging times—from the political upheavals in both Asia and Europe to the untimely death of his beloved wife.
Originally delivered as a series of talks to brother monks, this book tells the extraordinary story of Lu's life and reveals how he sought to transmit the fruits of the religious life to his fellow countrymen, believing that Catholicism was the fulfilment of Confucius' teachings.
The historical and spiritual riches of Chinese Christianity have barely begun to be tapped in the West. Lu's story is a true treasure, embodying the challenges and the triumphs of the Christian communities in the Far East. Lu truly lived out the unity of East and West, testifying to the real catholicity of truth and goodness. His powerful story—furnished with an introduction and footnotes by Professor Joshua Brown—is essential for remembering the glorious past of the Church in China and hoping for its bright future.
