Jesus Christ be praised!

Barely a week ago in St. Mary?s Cathedral, the upper Austrian farmer Franz Jaegerstaetter was beatified.I have looked forward to this day for 40 years.I first read of him in a book as a student in 1967.The American sociologist and historian, Gordon C. Zahn, who worked in the area of the Christian resistance to national socialism (Nazi-ism) and through this work encountered this far-reaching unrecognized Christian faith witness, wrote the first biography of him, In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jaegerstaetter, 1964).Today Gordon C. Zahn is aged and deathly ill.But he could sense and absorb the news of the beatification of Franz Jaegerstaetter. From the beginning this figure has fascinated me, in that he is the living page of the Gospel.The Gospel is not o­nly an authoritative report of that which was taking place at that time in Galilee and in Jerusalem, it is the living book, which is readable today.Franz Jaegerstaetter was and is for me a/(the most) concrete and illustrative commentary of the Beatitudes that we have ever heard.

What has fascinated me from the beginning is his vision and his wisdom.This man who o­nly had an elementary school education, saw more clearly than many educated people, in that the National Socialism is radically and deeply irreconcilable with the Christian faith. His decision of conscience was clear from the beginning.He was the o­nly o­ne in the area who municipality who voted no to joining them. At the same time Franz Jaegerstaetter was never a fanatic; even up to the last letter from prison, he is always quite concrete.He concerns himself with the work of agriculture, he asks about the family, he is practical, down to earth and he is an incomparably/unparalleled loving husband, blessed with an incomparably/unparalleled loving wife.I was fascinated by his unconditional love of Christ, and the readiness/willingness and the longing to literally follow Christ to contempt, rejection, persecution and also to death, all of which derived from it [that is from his love of Christ].

I was fascinated by his clarity, which he never condemned. Over and over again even to the present time is the following question posed:Then are all who have rendered military service, damned (judged) by the church through this beatification of the o­ne who refused military service for Hitler?Should some believe that, it would be a great misunderstanding, because Franz Jaegerstaetter had given a clear answer himself:"I have been given the privilege, to recognize that, thus I must follow my conscience,? he said.Repeatedly he said clearly, "It is not for me to judge others.?He had even searched for all possible reasons to understand why others didn?t follow his path, could not or would not; he went without judgment or condemnation against others. He had become the o­ne judged; He understood that he was to be the misunderstood o­ne o­n his lonely path as o­ne part of his orders and his mission.

Dear brothers and sisters, o­n today?s feast of all saints, it is my purpose, to thank God for this new beautified o­ne from our country.I am convinced that he is a great gift for our nation.Therefore I would like to let him?not me?speak today. Thus the lay sermon is most appropriate for this occasion.He wrote much and recorded his thoughts up until the last days of his life, not knowing what would become of them.After his death sentence in prison in Berlin with his hands bound he even wrote little notes, (in a notebook) called Notebook 4 which has been preserved.The 200 thoughts which he wrote down are of such clarity and depth that I do not hesitate to say here speaks a great master of the Christian life. It lies before us, brothers and sisters, that (in) this new beatified o­ne whom I hope will also soon be canonized, we have received a treasure here, who is really precious to the church and to our land, whom we should really get to know.We have now received generously a quite special treasure, the complete correspondence between Franz and Franziska.At first she wanted to have her letters to him published o­nly upon her death, and in light of the beatification, she has now agreed that her letters can also be published.Thus we have the entire correspondence and the writings from Franz up until the last records from prison. I believe our church is entrusted with a precious treasure here, that we should get to know, which perhaps says more than many sociological and psychological studies over the further direction of the Church in our land.So I have picked out twelve dicta, which I would like to simply read, those which Franz wrote with bound hands, already sentenced to death, in the expectation of the last and final encounter with his beloved Lord.(Quoted from: Franz Jaegerstaetter.The Complete Exchange of Letters with Franzisca.Records 1941-1943.Collected by? Erna Putz)

1. The o­ne who understands how to console the best is the o­ne who has gone through deep suffering and come closer to the cross along the way
   
   
2. All external suffering and persecution cannot break the inner resistance of o­ne in whom Christ lives and works.If o­ne directs o­ne?s look to the eternal, temporary tribulations lose their terror
   
   
3. Opponents mocked him when Paul went wild in unbridled zeal of the Spirit.?Just don?t overdo it? was always the saying of those who are not led by Christ?s love, but who instead are led from a calculating self-love and who because of thatfear that life can become uncomfortable.
   
   
4. Where o­ne sees Christ in another, it is not difficult to subordinate o­ne?s self, at the very least in o­ne?s marriage and family.
   
   
5. o­n marriage:The husband is the image of Christ, the Redeemer, of his body the Church. The wife is the image of that devotion of Christ?s beloved Church?the bride of Christ.They were not brought together by their own self desire, but rather the will to mutually sanctify o­ne another. o­ne will become the second "I? for the other.This o­neness in this twoness is incorporated into the supernatural life partnership with Jesus.Marriage is therefore infinitely more than a? worldly thing?
   
   
6. Christ has suffered o­n the cross enough to redeem all of humanity.But because every Christian is a member of the mystical body of Christ, God has also earmarked a specific amount of suffering for him or her.Because in the life union with the mystical Christ there will be suffering, it may also be termed the "suffering of Christ? or the "tribulation of Christ?.It benefits the church, which is indeed the mystical body of Christ, and which will o­nly first be complete, if the suffering and quarrelling church is triumphantly merged (united).From this deep mystical suffering grows joy in suffering for others.
   
   
7. o­ne wonderful brief saying that we can all remember quite easily: "Love is like the outer garment, the ?uniform? of the disciples of Jesus. They will be recognized by it.?
   
   
8. Parental authority may not be misused according to mood.Misunderstood children and those who are treated unjustly will become intimidated or embittered.
   
   
9. The connection to Christ does not protect us from earthly suffering, but gives us strength to prevent suffering with respect to eternal retribution.
   
   
10. "At no time may o­ne form the image of Christ after his or her own taste, else it will be falsified.?
    
    
11. As the wayfarer, the worker and the fighter gird the long wide robe around their hips, in order to be able to move more easily, so should Christians equip themselves for work or struggle in the service of the Lord, and strip away all that hinders them from achieving that goal. They must be mentally sober, that is, free of the reeling of sin.
    
    
12. A saying that says very much about his own path, about his marriage to Franziska, whom he unendingly thanked, and about us all too?The apostle expects more from the influence of a pious, chaste and always good wife upon her husband, than from the sermon of the missionaries.

Brothers and sisters, I expect more of the sermons of this new beatified o­ne than from many of our priest- and bishop-sermons.

Today let us thank God for this new witness to the beatitudes.

Amen

Translated by Julie Boswell