Martin Luther

 

We catholics have a wealth of spiritual heroes within our own tradition, however, there exists great heroes beyond our structures as well, take Martin Luther for example.  In more recent times we  have begun to ditch the sterotypical images of Luther as a betrayer, destroyer of the Church etc., and have begun to see a man of great conviction and honour. What follows is a reflection from a Catholic Theologian regarding Martin Luther’s contribution to life and faith.

Catholic Theologian Todd summarized Luther in 1982 by saying: 

“Of Luther himself it is impossible to speak summarily. The complex and remarkable story of his life, the tally of his works, and the witness of a great number of friends, acquaintances and enemies are there. Many loved him, many revered him, some were frightened of him, a few resentful. No one accused him, with any semblance of justification, of double dealing, or of cowardice. My principal image is of a man driven, driven by a passion for the Divine, driven, too, by a horror of evil; convinced of its eventual futility, he was ever conscious of its threat, and his life was one of prayer. His friends remembered him standing by the window of his room praying, often aloud. Under the rumbustious lover of life lay sensitivity, intelligence and imagination, and a failure to come to terms with a world which was never good enough, a failure he found confirmed in the crucifix, but glorified in what followed. At the Wartburg he wrote: ‘They threaten us with death. They would do better to threaten us with life.’