fuchs emil christ in catastropheaaa

7/29/2019 Fuchs Emil Christ in CatastropheAAA

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PENDLE HILL PAMPHLET 49

Christ In Catastrophe

Emil Fuchs

PENDLE HILL PUBLICATIONS

WALLINGFORD, PENNSYLVANIA


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An d t h en Chr is t h im self was in m y cell in prison,

saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .Blessedare the meek. . .Blessed are the peacemakers . . . I

h eard th e qu est ion, Is th at t ru e? An d I was a ble

to sa y in great joy a n d p eace, It is tru e.

Em il Fu chs

Copyrigh t 19 4 9 b y Pen d le Hill

Repu blish ed electron ically 20 03 by Pen dle Hill

h t tp: / / www.pendlehill.org/ pend le_h ill_pam ph le ts .htm

em a il: pu b lica tions @pen dleh ill.org


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Foreword

Emi l Fuchs , a man who has pa s s ed t h rough g rea tsuffer ing, has walked among us and l ived among us . He

spoke to u s with th e au th ent ic ity of one who ha s s een Tru th

an d h eard it an d felt it ; an d even wh en h e spoke of disa sters

h is face was s erene. Now h e ha s gon e ba ck to lab or in Eu rope,

leavin g th is writin g for u s; th erefore we set d own th ese words

abou t h im.

We sa w him a s a sh ort m an , fu ll faced, with white h airan d gentle probing eyes. He sm iled cons ta n tly, an d h is s m ile

was th a t of th e ch ild , the sa in t , the ma n who can bear th e

hardness of the world without losing his own softness of

spir i t . When he gave lectures to us , s t ressing always the

simp licity an d p ower of Tru th , he s poke with su ch in ten si ty

th at h is face sh ook. At oth er t im es, h e sh ar ed with selfless

h u m ility ou r trou bles of sp irit an d took joy in ou r h ap piness .Always th e sta m p of Tru th was on h im . To be in h is p resen ce

was to exper ience in some p ar t wh at h e h ad exper ienced.

He h ad fou n d s ometh in g so big th at h e was given com pletely

to it. An d s ome p a rt of wha t cam e to him s pilled over th rou gh

h is eyes an d h is voice to th ose aroun d h im .

E m i l F u c h s w a s b o r n i n G e r m a n y i n t h e t o w n o f

Beerfelden in 1874. He was a minis ter in various placesu n t il 191 8 a n d from th en u n t il 1921 in th e in du s t r ia l cen ter

of Eisenach. After 1921 he worked closely with the Social

Democrat ic Party an d with a grou p k n own as th e Religiou s

Socia lis t s , an d t ra veled m u ch a roun d Germa n y. He becam e

a member of the Society of Friends in 1925. In 1931 he

beca m e pr ofess or of religiou s s cien ce at th e tea ch ers college

a t Kiel.A p eriod of grea t s u fferin g followed. He was dism iss ed

from Kiel when the Nazi Par ty came to power . Shor t ly

th ereafter h e was im prisoned. After h e was r eleas ed, h e was

u nd er the cons tan t wa tch of the Ges tapo; bu t u n t il 1936 h e


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was able, together with his sons, to assis t the escape of

refu gees by operat in g a ca r h ire bu siness . Th e vehicles were

con fisca ted in 19 36 . His s ons fled Germ an y. His d au gh ter ,

a sen sitive pa in ter wh o h a d given h ers elf to polit ical work,

he lped her h u sban d escape , bu t sh e d id n ot kn ow wh ere h e

was or h ow sh e an d h er in fan t son could join h im , and sh e

began to su ffer recu rren t dis tu rba n ce of m in d. Fin al ly sh e

th rew hers elf from a m ovin g tra in to her d eath .

Of all th ese th in gs we kn ow lit t le, for Em il Fu ch s did

n ot talk of th em m u ch. We kn ow from h is l ivin g am ong u s

th at h e would somet im es awake a t n igh t an d th e t rou bles

of th e pas t wou ld come in to his th oughts . Th en h e would

ar ise an d s it in s ilence for some h ours , an d in th e morn in g

h e would greet u s s m ilin g and serene .

After a yea r of tea ch in g at Pen dle Hill h e h a s gon e ba ck

to Germa n y to work a s professor of eth ics a n d r eligion at

Leipzig u n ivers ity. Th is writin g which h e h a s left with u s is

ab ou t h is l ife an d experience in Germa n y, bu t it is a bou t al l

l ife and all experience. It is the witness of a man who is

both s a in t an d proph e t .

Eleven th Month , 19 49 Pen dle Hill


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Du rin g th e win ter of 19 32 , the las t h ar d s tru ggle wen t on inGermany against the r is ing power of Hit ler , against the

wors h ip of n at ion an d th e religion of ar m s. More an d m ore

it becam e dan gerou s to sp eak a loud for freedom an d p eace

an d r econ ciliat ion . You cou ld n ever kn ow when a m eetin g

would be ra ided by Storm Troopers a n d th e au dience an d

speakers misused, even ki l led. More and more we became

l o n e l y p e o p l e . M a n y p e r s o n s l e a d e r s o f c h u r c h e s ,professors , teach ers , pa stors becam e silent or wen t over

to Hit ler , n ot da rin g to sh ow friend sh ip to th ose who wen t

on s peaking again s t h im . Fr iend s warn ed u s . Th e Pres iden t

of ou r Aca dem y in Kiel sa id t o m e, Plea s e be s ilen t. Do n ot

give public lectures any more. Then perhaps we can save

you.

Th ere rem ained a s m all com pan y of m en a n d wom enwho knew that something of the fate of a nat ion more

th an th at , som ethin g of th e fa te of m an kin d was bein g

decided in this s truggle; that here the great quest ion was

pu t to u s , wh ether our n at ion sh ould become a s t ronghold

of peace in th e cen ter of Eu rope or wh eth er sh e wou ld open

th e doors of violen ce an d war again. It is a n eas y thing to

open th e doors of violen ce, bu t wh o th en will close th em ?In Mar ch 19 33 Hit ler cam e to power an d th e reign of

t er ror began . In th ree mon ths s ome hu n dred thousa n ds of

persons were ki l led, taken into concentra t ion camps , or

f o r c e d t o f l e e . M a n y w h o h a d s t o o d f i r m u n t i l t h e n

su ccu m bed before a da n ger th ey h ad n ever im agin ed possible

in law-abidin g Germ an y.

I was dismissed from my professorship in Kiel andim prisoned. My youn ges t s on h id h im self becau se h e h ad

been s ent enced to be lyn ched b y th e s tu den ts a t Kiel, wh ere

he had been a l eader of an t i -Naz i s . My e ldes t son and

da u ght er were in great da n ger. A h igh officia l of th e Min ist ry

of Ed u cat ion in Berlin tried to bu ild a golden br idge for m e,


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asking if I would not t ry to instruct myself bet ter about

National Socialism and show hope of joining. I answered

th a t I was qu ite clear ; it wou ld b e ab solu tely im pos sible for

m e to be con n ected with th e m ovemen t .

People who fe l l in to Nazi hands were t rea ted wi th

cru elty, an d I was in great a n xiety. On e nigh t I becam e nea rly

m a d. I s a w my ch ildr en , cru elly killed, lyin g before m e. An d

in th is h ou r of u t ter d espa ir I hear d a voice sa yin g, Wh at

do you want? Shall they save their l ives by losing their

conscience? I was able to say, They shal l keep thei r

con science. Peace cam e to me. From th at m omen t I cou ld

bear th e ha rdsh ips m y children h ad to go through.

An d t h en Ch rist h im self was in m y cell in pr ison , sa yin g,

Ble s s ed a re t he poor i n s p i r i t . . . B l e s s ed a re t hey t ha t

mourn. . .Blessed are the meek. . .Blessed are they which do

h u n ger an d th irs t a fter r igh teou sn ess . ..Blessed are the p u re

in hea r t . . . B l e s s ed a re t he peacemake r s . . . I hea rd t he

qu est ion , Is t h a t tr u e? An d I wa s a ble to sa y in great joy

an d p eace, It is t ru e.

One terr ible , b it te r qu es t ion torm ents u s wh en we see

the mighty success of what we believe is wrong, when we

see th at m illions of pers ons , hu n dred s even of ou r fr ien ds ,

go alon g with th is s u ccess . It is t h e qu estion: Are you a lone

right and all others wrong? Are you mad or are they? Are

th ose righ t who tell u s th at in t h is s in fu l world a polit icia n

m u st go th e way of clevern ess an d d eceit, fra u d a n d violen ce?

Even m y fr iend s pu t th is qu es t ion to me when su ccess

after su ccess cam e to Hitler. Year ly h is power grew. Is h e

n ot righ t? th ey sa id. Mu st a politician n ot u se th ese m ean s?

Look how the great men of other nat ions give in to him.

Again a n d a gain I would sa y to myself an d t o th ose dou btin g

people, How h igh m u st th e tower be from which we h ave to

fall? Th a t we wou ld h a ve to fall was certa in to m e from th e

h ou r Chr is t en tered m y cell.

Du rin g th e con tin u in g hou rs of an xiety an d fear , it was

m y on ly h elp th a t th e pres en ce of th e livin g Ch rist was with


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m e. I rem emb er m an y m eetin gs in s i lence with fr iend s a n d

m an y lonely hou rs in wh ich a Divin e Presen ce s tren gth ened

u s an d gave freshn ess an d in s igh t . Th en th ere came an h ou r

of deepest n eed. My eldest d au gh ter , worn ou t by wh at s h e

had endured for her convict ions, died a very bi t ter death,

an d in th e hou r of h er bu r ia l I went into the cha pel in u t ter

darkness of spir i t . But there the presence of God surged

arou n d u s . It was s o s t rong tha t a ll fe lt h im , even one m an ,

irreligious and a national socialist , who said to me, What

is this? In this hour I feel such a power as I have never

before felt in my life.

Was It Human Imagination?

Th at I sa w h im , tha t I h eard h is voice, th at m igh t h ave

been imaginat ion. But what cannot be imaginat ion is the

new l ife , the s trength and the insight which his presence

g a v e . N o m e r e i m a g i n a t i o n , n o i m p a c t o u t o f t h e

subconscious mind can give a fa ther the s t rength to face

da n ger to h is ch ildren an d rem ain certain a n d fu ll of peace

beca u se t h ey go th e way of th eir con scien ce. No im agin at ion

can overcom e the da rkn ess in which you l ive wh en a pers on

you love is h an dled with cru elty an d forced in to fits of fear

and despair of mind. You are hopeless; you must look on

while m in d a n d life ar e des troyed b y s u ffering. Noth in g wh ich

is of the imaginat ion only can ease revuls ion against the

m ea n in gless cru elty of fa te. Noth in g wh ich is of im a gin a tion

only can br in g ou t of th a t revu lsion pea ce: th e overpowerin g

a w a r e n e s s o f a n e t e r n a l l o v e w h o s e w a y s y o u d o n o t

u n d e r s t a n d , w h o s e w i l l y o u h a v e t o a c c e p t w i t h o u t

com preh ens ion, bu t wh ose reality you k n ow.

I kn ow th at I experienced in terr ible h ou rs th e real ity

th at th e disc iples exper ienced in th e resu rrec t ion, th a t Pau l

exper ienced on th e road to Dam as cu s . Th ey sa w an d h eard

h im . Th at m ay h ave been im agin at ion, vision , ha llu cin at ion.

But h is be in g, his rea lity touch ed them an d becam e a n ew


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s t ren gth in th em. So s t ron g was th is rea lity tha t th ey cou ld

cry out his message , not only wi thout the fear tha t had

h in dered th em, bu t a lso with a power th a t to ld oth er people

of th e sa m e rea lity.

I th in k th at we wh o ha ve to go thr ou gh terr ible t im es

of great catastrophe in the changing world have also this

gra ce from God, th at on ce again h e ma kes i t possible for u s

to see h is r eality clear ly, m ore clear ly th a n th e gen era tion s

before u s . Th e word of th e Epist le of J ohn is a gain t ru e:

Th at which was from th e begin n in g, wh ich we h ave hea rd,

which we ha ve seen declar e we u n to you .

Since a different kind of beginning, the beginning of

Hit ler , I h ad felt th at th ere was working in Nazism n ot th e

sp ir it of Chr is t bu t th e sp ir it of blasp h em y. Agains t th is I

worked . Now I had assurance and unshakable peace in

Chr is ts pr esen ce. I began in prison to set down a n accou n t

of th e New Testa m en t, b egin n in g with th e Gospel ofMatthew

a n d t h e S erm on on the Moun t. I wrote of Ch rist s gos pel a n d

of seeing in it our own sufferings. There were difficulties

an d da n gers , search in gs an d warn in gs , bu t it was p oss ible

to sen d th is writin g ou t. An d it was poss ible in lat er jou rn eys

th rough Germ an y to br in g it to fr iends , an d th u s to h old u p

Ch rists sp irit of resolu tion, faith an d h ope a gains t th e Hitler

propaganda and terror . That Chris t had given me a new

work to do, a n ew opportu n ity to car ry his mes sa ge seemed

to me th en a n d s eems to me n ow like an other m ira cle. Before

this i t had seemed as i f the ordinances of Hit ler and the

power of th e s ecret p olice m ad e im pos sible every work for

peace an d th e m essa ge of Chris t .

Was it ima gin ation th at ena bled p eople like m e to kn ow,

from th e begin n in g of al l th e propa gan da , tha t th e spir it of

Hitler was not of God? Why did so very many, very clever

and or thodox theologica l th inkers , scholars , pas tors and

leaders of churches not recognize evi l? Many churchmen

an d ch u rch people, libera l an d orth odox, wen t with evil u n til

evil wen t a gains t th em . With ou t th eir h elp Hitler wou ld h ave


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been imp ossible. Bu t th ey were worsh ipp ers of n at ion an d

lovers of ar m ies firs t , an d afterwards Chr is t ian s . Th ey h ad

Christianity as doctrine, very elaborate, very refined, very

t rad it iona l; bu t th ey h ad n ot tha t exper ience in which th e

livin g Ch rist , th e risen Lord, gives h is ca ll an d t a sk for th is

day and this t ime out of the same spir i t in which he

tau gh t h is d isc iples two th ous an d years ago.

Two Thousand Years Ago And Today

I t is the great mystery of the his tory of men that the

Etern ally Creative speak s to u s in th e hu m ble poor carpen ter

of Na za reth . We do n ot kn ow very m u ch of h im . If we read

th e Gosp els, wh ich ar e only th e reflection of h im in th e m in ds

of u n lettered people, his s en ten ces look s im ple. It is as if a

chi ld had formed them. But then some of them begin to

speak to ou r m in d, to ou r con dit ion, an d th ey cha llenge ou r

in ward bein g. An d in ch al lengin g us th ey begin to lay a tas k

u pon u s: to be perfect even a s your fat h er which is in h eaven

is perfect. You r fa th er? How th a t u n fa th om a ble myst ery

h olds ou t a goal for u s p oor fin ite beings. More an d m ore its

challenging power becomes a changing power in our l ives,

an d we begin to experien ce, to live som e pa rt of th e creat ive

m yster y its elf.

Then we read the s tory of his suffering and death on

the cross. Helpless he is . He does not ask his followers to

defend h im , so they lose con fiden ce in h im an d in h is ca u se.

He does n ot try to flee or to avoid t h e tra ps of h is en em ies

by clever devices , an d h e does n ot den y the m ess age wh ich

is bringing him to death. Helpless he dies , only knowing

th at h e goes th e way of h im who called h im , wh ose pu rpose,

wh ose will h e accepts even th ough n ot u n ders ta n din g it .

It is rea lly a very bewilder in g story. Bu t a gain it b egin s

to sp eak to ou r con dit ion an d a gain it ch al len ges. We begin

to real ize that here a very s imple man, this carpenter of

Nazare th , chal lenges the author i t ies of th is world , th is


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society his t ime, our t ime those priests and scribes ,

th ese preachers a n d sch olars , those Caesa rs , th ese Hit lers

with al l their fai th in soldiers and weapons, devices and

money and a l l tha t i s used to oppress . He chal lenges us ,

poor fin ite person s th at we are, th at we ma y be m en , perfect,

pure in hear t , hungry for goodness , yearning for peace ,

denying of violence , and thus vic tor ious throughout the

earth . An d th e goal is s h own to u s n ot only for in dividu als

b u t f o r m a n k i n d . T h e r e s h a l l b e a u n i t i n g p o w e r a n d

ch a n gin g love, by wh ich we will be led to crea te th e society

of th e meek, wh o are s tron ger th an th e s tron g; th e society

of th e lovin g, who ca n n ot be b roken by force; th e society of

t h o s e w h o l i v e i n t h e t r u t h t h a t r e n d s t h e p o w e r o f

in sin cerity. Th e kin gdom of God sh a ll be b u ilt by th ose who

can su ffer a n d forgive a n d love, an d overcom e evil with good.

Th e d isciples h a d fled. They were wh olly discou ra ged

by h is s tra n ge in act iven ess before the m igh t of h is en em ies.

An d th en we do n ot kn ow exact ly wha t h ap pen ed. We ha ve

different s tories an d t h ey do n ot give u s one clear pictu re.

Most of them seem to come from the experience of later

t im es. Bu t s t i ll we kn ow th at t h e cha llen ge was again in th e

disciples m in ds , th at th eir in n erm ost bein gs were rous ed

and changed by i t . They were quite certain that he again

s tood bes ide them an d th a t h is word a n d be ing met th em.

So m igh ty was th e ch al lenge th a t th ey sa w h im an d h eard

his words. Visions and hal lucinat ions? Yes. But breaking

forth ou t of th em was th e live exper ien ce of th e power th at

touched and changed the i r inward be ing . They became

m essen gers, writin g down as well as th ey cou ld wha t m an n er

of cha llen ge h ad come in to th em .

And so it is now. In every generation, the challenge

comes to th ose wh o str u ggle to gra sp a m ean in g of life, even

am id t h e u gly, greedy, acqu isitive world a rou n d th em . Behold

today pathet ic men driven on by s tupid passions of greed

an d power to sp oil th eir own in n er pu rity an d th at of others

around them. But behold, also, the fresh chal lenge of the


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carpenter who lived in the creative power of God and who

died against the spirit of this world. So people are always

experiencing anew the resurrect ion; so fai th renews i tself

th rou gh th e cen tu ries, not th rough belief in outward m iracles

n o tale of old m ira cles ca n give you fa ith bu t th rou gh

th e in ward experien ce of a power livin g toda y.

Th u s t h e reality of h is r esu rrection b roke into m y life.

It broke in as a c lear , s t rong secur i ty in th e ha rdes t h our of

t r ia l an d s u ffer in g an d m ad e me s t rong, gave me p eace, an d

m ad e me a ble to work an d s peak in joy.

He s tood before m e. He s ta n ds b efore m an kind , as king

us a l l , asking the nat ions and the leaders of na t ions , the

sta tesm en a n d th e s im ple people, wheth er th ey will dest roy

th em selves or wh eth er th ey will give th em selves t o th e grip

of h is power a n d fin d t h ereby a n ew life in which love, n ot

greed or lus t for power, is th e n ew dyn am ic.

The Iron Yoke

In th e su m m er of 19 47 I sp ent s ix weeks in Switzerlan d

visit in g m y son wh om I h a d n ot seen for twelve year s. It was

th e firs t t im e I h ad been ou ts ide bewildered Germ an y s in ce

19 32 . Th en I retu rn ed h ome with a n ew eye for everyth in g.

Wh en I t ra veled on th e crowded tra in s or s treetcars , I sa w

with a n ew sh arpn ess th e express ion s on the faces a rou n d

me. I see them now: the offended faces, saying, How can

su ch h ard th in gs h ap pen to me, a respectab le law-ab idin g

person? The hard faces, saying, I will win again what I

h ave lost . I h ave no t ime to car e for others . Th en th ere are

the empty faces , the unfulf i l led eyes of this man or this

woman, who goes on doing his dai ly task and earning his

living, no longer seeing meaning or hope. There are blank

faces , too, behind which s tand evi l secrets , things that a

man hides from himself while sti l l he finds no rest . There

a re fa ces wh ich s a y, I will be h a pp y an d forget. Th ese faces

I see more and more as things improve and as more and


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m ore peop le try to b egin a h a pp y life of forgetfu ln ess of pa st

su ffer in g, pa s t despa ir . Bu t where i s th ere s t ren gth , where

rea l life in forget tin g?

I see these faces now, and somet imes among them I

see a face on wh ich it is writ ten th a t th is m an , this wom an

overcame suffer ing and despai r , tha t behind the face i s

seren ity, a con science a t res t a n d yet awake to love, t ru th ,

helpfulness . But when I see al l the faces , I suspect that

m an y of th em, pa rt icu larly in Germ an y bu t perh ap s in other

places, say, I am offended. I long and pray to give them

this one thing: that they may be able to accept their fate ,

a ccept th eir su ffering not tryin g to flee, to eva de, t o forget,

to h ide it from th em selves sim ply to accep t.

Million s s u ffer t err ibly. Million s h a d to d ie, h a d to give

sons an d d au gh ters , the ir h ope for life an d fu tu re . Is on e

person a lone to be spared? Can h e wish to be spared? To

th e emp ty eyes, I wou ld s ay, Look a rou n d. Qu ite n ear is a

man, a woman, a chi ld , a human being suffer ing as you

suffer; t ry to be a comrade to them, help i f you can help

and, i f you cannot , be ful l of tha t sympathy that gives

strength. See, in so doing you will overcome helplessness

an d em ptiness an d a n ew m ean in g will com e to you . For in

th a t h elpfu l love you will experience th e ch a n gin g power of

th e etern al God.

An d to th ose ou t of whose eyes sp eak h idd en fears an d

secrets , I wou ld s a y, Accept, a ccept a n d look a t wh a t you

h ave don e in an evil h ou r. Accept i t an d ta ke th e cha llen ge

of h im who calls to a n ew life an d a deep ch an gin g of h ear t .

I say it again because it cannot be said too often, Accept

you r fa te, you r s u fferin g, a ccept i t as a call ou t of th e power

of God, who chal lenges both in happiness and suffering,

chal lenges us to overcome evil and suffering in t ruth and

love.

To those of my own nation who try to forget, I would

say, We have not the right to forget the disaster to which

we b rough t t he who le wor ld and t o wh ich we b rough t


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ours e lves . Forge t t i ng means t ha t we do no t ove rcome

ambition, servili ty, love of arms; the tragic background of

s o m u c h i n o u r n a t i o n , t h e t r a g i c b l o c k t o t h e g r e a t

possibili t ies we sti l l possess. We are in the situation of

J eremiah , wh o said to his n ation , Th u s s aith th e Lord: Th ou

h as t broken th e yoke of wood; bu t th ou sh alt m ak e for them

yokes of iron . We h a ve to bea r th e iron yoke a n d we h a ve to

bea r i t with ou r n a tion . All wh o try to pu t i t off from th eir

own n ecks on ly pu t it on th e necks of th eir n eigh bors .

I st ood agains t th a t evil which wa s in Hitler. Bu t I h a ve

to bear my part of the suffering of my nat ion. I take that

pa rt , forgivin g th ose of m y own people wh o ma de it so h a rd ,

an d forgivin g also th ose of other lan ds who m ad e it h ar der

th an it n eed h ave been . Th at m an h as n o need to forget wh o

knows what forgiveness is . Through i t something of the

redeeming power of the cross comes into his l ife. Out of

su fferin g an d sca rcity we create fellowsh ip an d peace a n d

h ap pin ess for ou r children a n d gran dch ildren .

You , wh a t will you do? Live on in selfis h n ess , forgettin g

the experiences of the war, shif t ing the burden from your

sh oulders to the sh oulders of others , c rea t in g anta gonism ,

h at red, s t r ife , war again a n d a gain? Or will you tak e you r

yoke on your own shoulder, not asking whether you or

others m ad e it h eavy, an d ch an ge it to a cross ?

Despair

The winter of 1941 was very cold. Hitler was at the

he ight of h i s power ; F rance was conquered , v ic tor ious

German armies were f ight ing in Russia . Two young men

cam e to me. Th ey h ad somet im es a t tended our m eet in g for

worship. More I did not know of them. They asked me

wheth er I cou ld come with th em. Th ey brou gh t m e to a lar ge

dining room of a private house where a score or more of

you n g people were as sem bled, som e officers, s om e soldiers,

som e civilia n s, s om e wom en , too. On e of th em s a id, All of


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u s h ave been en th u sias tic followers of Hitler. We volu n teered

for the army. Now we have just had leave and we have to

retu rn to ou r different places in th e arm y. Th is is our las t

m eetin g togeth er, an d we do n ot kn ow wheth er we sh al l see

each other again . Bu t du r in g th ese days a t h ome we ha ve

all realized that we no longer have faith in Hitler. We see

th at h is wh ole propa gan da is a lyin g an d d eceivin g device to

h old h im an d h is p ar ty in power . An d n ow we h ave n o hope.

Can you sa y som eth in g to u s th at will give u s h ope?

It could have been a t rap of the secret pol ice, but i t

was n ecessa ry to spea k.

Th ey h ad been rou sed by clever pas siona te propagan da

to a blind fanaticism for which the nation was the last

idea l, th e on ly va lu e in th e world worth dyin g for. Th ey h a d

been ta u gh t , an d th ey h ad accepted, tha t it was r igh t to lie

for th e n a tion, t o deceive, to trick, to k ill. Th en , slowly an d

terribly the suspicion had r isen that this las t ideal might

itself be a n u n tru th , a m ean s of deceit a lie fostered to

su pp ort th e power an d egotism of m en who lived in m igh t

an d s plen dor while oth ers went ou t to die .

Helpless an d em pty, thes e you n g people were goin g ou t

to fight , perh a ps to die. Wh at cou ld I tell th em ?

For ou tward greatness an d h ap pin ess , I can n ot give

you any hope or fa i th , I began . We a re rush ing to a

catas t rophe for our nat ion greater than we can imagine .

Th en I told t h em of a letter from a r efu gee, wh o wrote ou t of

very h ard exper iences , We h ad n ot thou gh t th a t our way

wou ld b e so h ar d. Bu t if we h ad to choose again, we wou ld

choose th e sa m e way.

What a difference, I said. Hitler and your cause in

splen did s u ccess a n d you lose fa ith an d h ope. An d h ere a

refu gee, in distr ess , writing, We wou ld ch oose t h e sa m e

way again. For this m an an d h is cons cien ce th e na t ion is

not the h igh es t measu re . He kn ows a bout m an an d th e valu e

of a m an . He kn ows of a world of t ru th an d ju st ice wh ich is


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high er than m an , and wh ich a m an can rea lize in h is work ,

an d, by h is work, in m an kind . He obeyed a call. So in h is

d is t res s h e ha s h ope an d fa ith .

In your very despair, this call is here for you today,

You will h ave to go th rou gh m ore h a rd experien ces. If you

come back f rom the war , you wi l l f ind a broken-down

cou n try: like you , fu ll of h opelessn ess an d m isery. Th en th e

qu est ion will be wheth er th ere is a h igh er s tr en gth in you r

life. Do you belong to those who in their egotism lament

th eir m isery an d p overty an d s eek to fin d a way ou t on ly for

themselves? Or do you belong to those who see a way of

h e lp for oth ers , wh o see th a t ou tward power an d a rm ies are

u n n ecess ar y to great th in gs? If you do, you will h ave a great

work to do, an d you r l ife will h ave s tren gth an d m ean in g.

It may be that some wil l not come back, that some

h a v e t o d i e i n w a r . I f t h e y h a v e o n l y d e s p a i r a n d

h opeless n ess , th eir l ife is lost in a lost ca u se. Bu t i f th ey are

ab le to hea r th e m essa ge of h ope an d give it on to a s in gle

friend in h is own d espa ir , th en life is in th em an d works on

after them, a part of that eternal l i fe which can never be

extinguished.

I n J e s u s t h e f a i t h i n s u c c e s s t o w h i c h m i l l i o n s

su ccu m b is ch al lenged. Th is world, wh ich seeks sa lvat ion

an d life in selfish n ess , in clevern ess , in power a n d m oney,

sp len dor a n d p ride th is world is ch al lenged.

Th e m eek...s h a ll in h erit th e ear th .

Can There Be Happiness?

Wh en I live thr ou gh bea u tifu l sp rin g da ys or a s u m m er

su ch a s we h ad th is year , or wh en I h ave the opportun ity to

live in a happy family with children, I often think of the

youn g m other who lost h er child on e win ter, and when sp rin g

cam e, cried ou t b itterly, My child can n ot see i t .

Th ere ar e m illions in th is world t oday in whom th is cry


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lives , m illions for whom th e beau ty of n at u re in th e sp rin g

an d a ll th e h ap pin ess of other p eople are on ly terr ible pa in s ,

m ak in g desp air h ar der to bear . Have we an y r igh t to enjoy

anything, to be happy with our famil ies when we know of

th e m illions in desp air?

I not only say that we can enjoy; I say that we must

find again the s trength to enjoy but not by forget t ing

wha t we ha ve lost or wha t oth ers h ave lost , certain ly not by

forget t in g ou r sh ortcom in gs a n d ou r s ins . Th ere is a n other,

s tr onger way.

There was a t ime when beauty and happiness only

deepened m y own despair an d pa in . The sp r in g an d su m mer

of 1933 were good to look upon. But my chi ldren were

sca tter ed, m y fa m ily d est royed, m y lifes work br oken . My

fr iends were in danger ; some had f led; others had been

im prisoned; ma n y h ad been ki lled. An d a roun d m e was th e

success of what I knew was the power of destruct ion and

injust ice. I hated the beauty of that spring and I f led the

sigh t of fam ilies a n d t h e sou n ds of m u sic. Hiding its terrors

beh in d s pa rkl in g life m ad e fate s eem dou bly cru el.

Bu t th en cam e th e experience of Chr is ts p resen ce, an d

it beca m e stron ger a n d s tron ger in m y bein g. An d ou t of it

c ame aga in t he cha l l enge o f h im who was happy wi th

ch ildr en , who ca lls u s to en joy th e lilies of th e field a n d t h e

birds of the air . More and more i t came to me that al l joy

an d h ap piness ar e great gifts of God, h is greet in gs, sh owin g

u s s om eth in g of th e goal wh ich will be a ch ieved wh en love

an d t ru th are vic tor ious on ear th . In th e beau ty of n a tu re ,

in th e lively in n ocence of ch ildr en , in th e joys a n d p leas u res

of you n g people, I felt m ore an d m ore a h idd en pr esen ce. All

joy is h oly.

Becau se h e viola tes what sh ould be h oly, m an br in gs

suffering into this world. He loses and then destroys the

reveren ce owed t o all life, all h a pp in es s , all rea l joy. Can we

not save these for ourselves so that our suffering will be a


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m ean s of sa vin g th em for oth ers? On ly n ow perh ap s we kn ow

wha t joy really is , on ly n ow, ta u ght by bitter s u fferin g, wh en

we see the deep holiness of all l ife. Even when we do not

h a ve joy for ou rs elves, we can reveren ce it in oth ers .

Do n ot, th erefore, close you r eyes b efore th e s u fferin gs

of your neighbors . Do not fear that i t wil l destroy your

happiness i f you l ive in sympathy with them. This indeed

brings something l ike a shadow into your l i fe , and at the

firs t moment you feel you cannot endure i t ; so you try to

forget it. No. Hold it fas t; ta ke it in to you r life. Brin g it in to

touch with your own happiness and joy. All that is only

su per ficia l will van ish , bu t th e real h ap pin ess of fam ily, of

ar t an d s ong, of n a tu re an d fr iend sh ip an d d evot ion all

wil l grow and become more real unt i l they become that

h olin ess in which th ey ar e a p ar t of Gods p resen ce in ou r

lives.

Loves Great Help

My da u gh ter ha d died. Her h u sba n d was a refu gee. We

did not know where he was. All my other chi ldren were

scat tered through the world. I was alone with the boy of

fou r years who h ad lost h is m other. It was a t im e of h elpless

da rk n ess ou t of which on ly th e m ira cle of which I ha ve told

could have saved me. Life was so full of pain that every

h ap pin ess s eem ed s in . Bu t wha t wou ld b ecome of th e boy?

Mu s t I n ot live for h im ? An d if I lived for h im , s h ou ld I be a

sad empty-hear ted grandfa ther , never happy and never

bringing happiness? Oh, I knew that a chi ld wil l not ta lk,

will not even sit beside you if he does not find happiness.

But God gave me love for this boy, and I could be happy

with h im , more an d m ore h ap py, an d th rough h im a live to

th e joy of oth er p eople.

Is n ot fa ilu re to en joy oth er peoples h ap pin ess a very

real source of ha t red and unres t? There i s envy, because


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y ou fe e l t h e s u c c e s s o f o t h e r p e o p le s w o r k o r t h e

h an dsom eness of th e ir ch ildren or th e peace of th e ir h ome

or even th e h elpfu l sp irit by wh ich th ey try to m ak e you

h ap py. An im porta n t t ru th : if we can sh ar e oth er peoples

joys a n d h a pp in es s , we fin d a n im p or ta n t lin k u n it in g u s

with th em . If we can n ot , we will be s epa ra ted from th em

even if we do migh ty works to h elp th em in th eir n eed.

I t is a great thing to help others , to comfort them in

sa dn ess a n d to s t rengthen th em in deep su ffer in g. I often

say to people who cannot overcome their suffering: try to

fin d a person to wh om you can br in g h elp a n d s t rength in

h is life. Chr ist s love th en will greet you a n d st ren gth en you .

But th e sa m e is t r u e , perh aps m ore t rue , of sh ar ing joy. It

is pos s ible on ly if th e joy of oth ers is you r joy. How good is

th e experience of m an in deep s u fferin g, when , look, h e sees

before h im th e ch an ce to bring a s m all bit of joy to a ch ild.

When people have to go through real ly deep sorrow,

when s ome th ing o f t he fundamenta l s o f t he i r l i ve s i s

destroyed, they feel as if they walk and live under a great

glas s b owl. Th ey see an d h ear oth er people, bu t th ey seem

separ a ted from th em by an in tens e pain th a t others , even

th e m ost s ymp at h etic, can n ot feel. Bu t if love works its great

miracle, i t reaches through the invisible wall . You do notforget wh at you lost , bu t som etim es you th in k th at n ow for

th e firs t t im e you feel th e in n erm ost rea lity an d b eau ty of

joy, th e crea t ive power wh ich com es to you ou t of it .

Thus to men and women s t ruggl ing amid the hard

sorr ows of life, th ere is given som eth in g of th e ch a rm which

J esu s m ean s wh en h e sa ys, Become a s l it t le chi ldren . It is

the secre t of serene old men and women who have cometh rou gh a l ife fu ll of sorrow an d h ar d work, an d wh o perh ap s

h ave to go on in m ore pain an d m ore toil. Su fferin g an d joy

are in a m iracu lous way con n ected with each other in th is

world of God.


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Can These Things Be?

How desperately people ask, How can God be love,when a l l s t i l l happens tha t has happened in the world of

m en an d will go on h ap pen in g in t im e to com e?

Th e sa m e world with th e sa m e his tory cries ou t to me

in a clear voice, God is love.

If God is love an d you h a te you r b roth er, you live with ou t

God . You live with ou t t h e on e crea tive power of life. Do you

wonder that you live in a world of death? Three or fourth ous an d years a go, a poet sa id:

Th ou sen dest forth th y spir it ; they are created.

Th ou h idest t h y face, they are t rou bled.

Th ou takes t away thy breath , they die ,

An d re tu rn to the ir du s t .

When men and whole genera t ions of men and wholenat ions and civi l izat ions seek their l i fe from wealth and

power an d oppr ession an d inju st ice, wh en th ey live with ou t

love in greed a n d h at e, they sepa ra te th ems elves from God

an d r e tu rn t o t he ir du s t .

When nat ions and civi l izat ions have to die , as in the

t im es we live in , a s trea m of deat h an d terror ru n s over th e

ear th . It is n ot becau se God is far a way, bu t becau se m anin his ha t red and se l f i shness does not reach out to him,

does n ot reach ou t to the creat ive power arou n d h im , even

with in h im . God a sks m ore from u s th an to be sm all, na rrow,

selfish , res pecta ble people goin g th e way of m on ey-getting

and t r ad i t i ona l r i gh t eous nes s . He a s ks us t o be s t rong

u pr ight p eople wh o da re to give h a pp in ess an d life for h im

an d for his k in gdom. He crea ted m an out of th e an im als bym ak in g him h ear th is ca ll, an d a s lon g as we h ear it , so long

do we live as m en, an d h is s t rength is in u s . Wh en we do

n ot hea r th is call, we are livin g in n othing better th an n ar row

selfishness . Great achievements and discoveries become


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Su ch people t ry to h elp th eir s u fferin g broth ers by figh t in g

again s t th ose wh o oppress th em. An d th ere are oth er ways

of t rying to join obedience to Chris t wi th obedience to

t rad i t ion . There a re the churches who t ry to speak h i s

message clearly, and yet tremble to offend the easygoing,

th e comfortab le a n d th e in flu en tial . Th ere ar e th e m illions

of m en who m in gle th e cha llen ge th ey h ear with an egois t ic

longing for a more comfortable l ife and for materialistic

s t r ivin g. But a t th e sam e t im e there is th e growin g nu m ber

of those, very often trembling like the disciples, who are

forced b y a d ivin e cha llen ge to s tan d a n d s tru ggle an d work

and speak , br inging people to a c lea r unders tanding of

Ch r is t s way an d to a c lea r d ec is ion be tween h im an d

tra dition , inju st ice, self-deceit an d force.

We m u st kn ow, al l of u s , th at we are figh t in g again st

h im in sofar a s we hind er an y of ou r br others from fin ding

his own constructive l ife. And we know that we stand for

h im a gain , all of u s in sofa r a s we sta n d for th e right s

of oth ers , for un derstan din g an d peace an d tru th an d ju st ice,

an d m ost im porta n t of al l in sofar as we ar e prepa red

to s acr ifice ou r com fort a n d ou r p rivilege for th e lives a n d

righ ts of ou r br others .

Experience And Authority

Again a n d a gain m en h ave tried to tell u s variou s th in gs

about God: how he i s and what he i s and how he crea ted

th e world a n d h ow J esu s b ecam e h is r evela t ion. Men h ave

pu t togeth er th eir a ccou n ts ou t of th e Bible or ou t of th eir

h eads , an d a gain a n d a gain we ha ve to recogn ize th a t God

is too great a m ystery for u s to com preh en d. He is dwellin g

in th e Ligh t u n to wh ich n o ma n can ap proach. Th e crea t ive

m ystery of th e world can n ot be kn own th rough m an -ma de

doctrin es an d teach in gs. God pu t in th e midst of h is tory a

s imple man, pure in hear t and s t rong in t ruth , g iving in


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him the message of wha t we sha l l be and wha t mankind

will be.

An d beh in d th is m an s ta n ds th e his tory by wh ich God

tau gh t a n a t ion to come to an u n ders ta n din g of a grea t goal

roused in the inward being of i ts prophets and leaders . In

this his tory the Bible tel ls us of Abraham, who had to go

ou t from h is fath ers h ou se in a h igher s earch ; of Moses,

who h ad to ta ke th e sh oes from off h is feet ; of Isa iah , who

sa w God in th e Tem ple; of Ezekiel, who s a w him by th e river

Chebar ; o f a l l the prophe t s and poe t s , who denounced

u nr ighteou sn ess an d san g redem pt ion .

Wh at al l th ese m en sa w of God a n d ca n tell of h im is

the image of the e ternal mystery in the human mind. We

kn ow th at th ey exper ienced h is ch allenge to th em a n d h is

call to their people; we know that the continuing reality of

h is self-revealin g lead s to J esu s.

So we read th e Bible, not to con str u ct doctr in es ab ou t

God or laws a bou t society, bu t to experien ce with m en an d

wom en b efore us th e way God s poke to them . We hea r h is

m ess age an d we h ear h ow th e word th e terrifyin g ch allen ge

came to them and how they obeyed, had to obey, and

h ow th e word beca m e an overpowerin g force in th eir l ives.

We do not h ave to dispu te with m en a bou t doct r in es , an d

we do n ot h ave to argu e wh ether th is or tha t chu rch or th is

or th at r eligion is r igh t ; non e of th at m at ters . Wh at m at ters

is th at people h eard th e word a n d tr ied to live obedient to

the l ight of truth, hope and love in which the l iving God

showed himself.

I like the song Lead kindly light amid the encircling

gloom . Wh en I sing it I feel th at th e m an who wrote it s ta n ds

before th e eterna l Ligh t a n d s eeks gu ida n ce as I seek it . Th is

m an was a card in al of th e Roma n Cath olic Ch u rch. He becam e

a Roman Cath olic becau se h e cou ld n ot fin d p eace and rest

in h is faith with out th e an cient sa cred a u th ority of th e chu rch

beh in d it an d beh in d h is experience of God a n d Ch rist .


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Very often people say to m e, How can you da re to st an d

so en t irely alone? We need t h e a u th ority of th e Bible an d

the author i ty of the church. Our own unaided exper ience

does n ot give u s th e s tren gth to r isk ou r lives goin g on t h e

hard way. But I had to go my way alone. When I was a

youn g pa s tor , Ch ris t s h owed m e the sp ir itu a l dis t ress an d

lon elin ess of th e Germ a n la boring people, people wh o cou ld

n ot hear th e messa ge of Chris t becau se th e ch u rch d efend ed

th e oppress ion u n der which th ey su ffered. So I h ad to s tan d

again s t th e ma jor ity of th e ch u rches a n d th e ch u rch p eople .

Wh en I was in d is tr ess a n d d id n ot see wh at t o do, th e livin g

Chris t was th ere, an d h e sh owed me th e next s tep, the one

s tep needed.

I had to go through many s t ruggles agains t church

au th ority, t ra di t ion a n d pr eju dice. No words of th e chu rch ,

no explanat ions of theologians made my way c lear . He

h im self sp oke to m e. J esu s of Nazareth becam e the m essa ge

of God for m e today. He tau gh t m e to accept m y cross ; he

m ad e me cer ta in of h is resu rrec t ion; he m ad e me s t ron g to

st a n d a lon e. After a life of h a rd sh ip, lon ely str u gglin g an d

difficu lties, ca m e th e rea l decisive qu estion , wheth er I cou ld

sta n d when al l th e fou n da tions of life seemed to brea k a n d

dea th was im minent .

Not the ch u rch , not th e poor pa stor who vis i ted m e in

prison , n ot an yth in g of au th ority was m y help, bu t th e livin g

Chris t . He ma de me clear th at h is goal is th e t ru th . He ma de

m e cer ta in th a t for me a n d m y chi ldren it was b et ter to take

suffering than to deny conscience. He makes me certain

again today when , in disa pp oin tm ent , I sometim es a sk , For

wha t d id we su ffer if th e people are a gain goin g th e wrong

way?

I do not deny that people l ike Newman, the cardinal ,

can fin d th e rea lity of Light wher e I did n ot fin d it . I do n ot

deny fellowship to those who follow Christ in other words

an d d octrin es, an d wh o feel called to oth er ta sk s. Bu t I often


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th in k t h at very ma n y do n ot com e to th e fu ll real ity of God

because , be fore they f ind i t , they res t in au thor i ty . In

catastrophe everything is changing. For millions of people

th e t rad it iona l words an d doctr in es an d im ages of God a re

meaningless . How can we bring them the message if we

ou rse lves a re boun d u p in t rad it ion an d can n ot show them

Gods p resence , as i t cam e to us , in words th a t m ak e them

u n d e r s t a n d ?

We will never come to a full strength in God if we do

not acknowledge the sin of our l ives. But, for many goodChris t ians , fa i th i s so bound up wi th t radi t ion tha t they

never real ize the deep s infulness of custom. Luther, for

in st an ce, was so d omina ted b y in h erited feelin gs of reveren ce

for mighty men and pr inces tha t he never rea l i zed the

egotism of th e princely revolu t ion th at dest royed Germ an y

an d m ade h is own work an in s t ru m ent for en s lavin g su bject

peoples.Again an d a gain th e ch u rches h ave been th e las t to see

the in jus t i ces of t rad i t ion . Capi ta l i s t o rganiza t ion and

tech n ical d evelopm en t br ou ght growin g welfa re for m illion s

while at t h e sa m e tim e it crea ted s la very for oth er m illion s.

Th e ch u rch es h a ve been very slow. It is h id from th eir eyes

th at t ra di t ion is n ot su fficient t o give t ru th an d in sigh t , th at

once more we must s tand before God a lone and hear his

voice.

Th ere ar e m illions who a re fu ll of pea ce an d s t r ength

becau se th ey h ave foun d God in t rad it ion a n d a u th or ity.

Th ere a re m illions whose lives go on with ou t con sciou sn ess

of n ew n eed. But th ere are a lso m illions who h ave los t th e

ab ility to live in old wa ys. Th e eth ics of th e pa st h a ve becom e

lies to them, i ts laws injust ice, i ts fai th deception. And

th ere a re th ose wh o see th is fac t , th is n eed , an d a re ca lled

to seek a n ew fou n da t ion for m an s life an d work. Th ey ar e

th ose people to whom God s ays t oday, Get th ee ou t of th y

cou n try, an d from th y kin dred, an d from th y fath ers h ous e,

u n to a lan d th at I will sh ow th ee .


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He leads them through despa i r and lone l iness and

doubt an d e r ror an d even throu gh s in an d h e lp lessness a nd

darkness . But he gives them new vis ions , new thoughts ,

new out looks and perhaps the power by which e ternal

truth again overwhelms the inward being of the mil l ions.

Not by might , nor by power, but by my Spiri t , sai th the

Lord.

At th e end of a ta lk I gave in a Germ an town , a m an of

perh ap s fifty years cam e to m e sa yin g, I m u st sp eak to you

in privat e. We wen t a s ide, an d h e sa id t o m e with tears in

h is eyes, For m an y years I h ave longed, Su n da y by Su n da y,

to go to chu rch to h ear th e old h ym n s a n d to serve God, bu t

i t has become impossible for me. When I come near the

church, I see s tanding in the door the f ield chaplain who

was with u s in th e war , an d I h ear again th e words h e sa id

to u s in 1 91 4 wh en we were you n g men wait in g for our firs t

at t ack. He sa id, Sh oot th em , beat th em , kill th em . Win th e

at t ack. So I can n ot go in to th e chu rch .

Wh en th e ma n h ad left I as ked who h e was , an d I was

t o l d t h a t h e w a s a w e l l - k n o w n m a n , c h a i r m a n o f t h e

Communis t par ty of tha t dis t r ic t . In tha t moment I knew

th at th e livin g Chris t s tood beh in d th is m an wh en h e spoke

to me, an d th at in th is m an is a ch al lenge to al l Chr is ts

fol lowers . Here is a man who cannot go into the church,

cannot come to the worship of God because between him

an d th e ch u rch is th e war cry of a Ch ris t ian pa s tor .

He is one of mil l ions who cannot hear the message.

Th is m an , longin g for wh at is etern al, wen t to the Comm u n ist

Par ty. He lon gs for a world of ju s tice, of pea ce. He lives in a

w o r l d o f h a t r e d a n d p r i v i l e g e a n d o p p r e s s i o n . I n t h e

Communis t Par ty he hears a loud voice promis ing him a

world of jus t ice , peace and love in which proper ty and

economic an tagon ism can n o longer se t m en a gains t m en.

He is a ware of th e m essa ge of Chr ist th at violence a n d h atr ed

are not the r ight way. But a t the same moment he sees


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Chris t ians prepare for war to defend their privi leges and

the ir domin a t ion . An d th en , sad a t h ear t pe rhap s , he h ears

a l ike f rom Chris t ian pas tors and Communis t leaders the

sam e hope less t eachin g: man is s u ch a wre tch ed , su ch a

sinfu l, su ch a greedy bein g tha t h is p as sion s will n ever be

overcom e. Always h e will figh t b efore givin g u p d om in a tion,

pr ivilege, n at ion alist a m bition .

From both s ides the same gospel of despair : in this

world you m u st figh t , fight even for th e h igh est p u rposes .

Chr is t ian s b elieve th at th ey h ave n ot on ly th e r ight bu t also

th e du ty to us e th in gs like th e atom ic bom b to rea lize ideals .

And oppressed men conclude tha t they have not only the

righ t bu t th e du ty to figh t in th e sa m e way for th eir idea ls .

Both are so s t rongly dominated by unhappy exper iences

with other men, so involved in dis trust , that they cannot

see the h u m an be in g in the ir oppon ent the h u m an be in g

wh o wou ld h a ve n o idea ls or lon gin g for love an d fellowsh ip

were not the image of God in his innermost being. Such

m en dar e n ot t ru s t in th e power of God. Th ey h ave not th e

cou ra ge to sp eak t o tha t of God in m an , tha t of God in th eir

antagonis ts . That i s why they are helpless to overcome

ha t red .

Dis t ru s t of m an is th e essence of th e ou tward h is toryof man. History shows clearly that man defends privilege

violen tly a n d t ries violen tly to free h im s elf from opp res s ion .

Bu t for Ch ristian s can th at b e the reality of m an an d h istory?

I h ear th e cry of J esu s ou t of th e mou th of th a t Comm u n is t .

I h ear h is ch al lenge from a ll th e helpless m en a n d wom en

who s ee n o h ope for th em selves except in force an d fight in g.

Bu t I see great d an ger wh en s u ch h elpless , fai thless peoplecall th em selves Ch ris t ian s . J esu s d id n ot as k h is followers

to figh t for h im . He did n ot as k h is h eavenly Fath er to sen d

him twelve legions of angels . He went to the cross and

suffered, certain that suffering love would overcome the


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world. An d yet Ch rist ian ity iden tifies its elf with on e opp osin g

power or an oth er, n ot seeking ju st ice bu t followin g tra dition .

Let u s h ear th e cha llen ge of Ch ris t . Th ere ma y be h ar d

disa ppoin tm ent an d b it te r su ffer in g on th e road h e poin ts

to. He never promised quick or easy victory. Only by our

suffering can we overcome prejudices bred in millions of

people by th e in ab ility of Ch ris t ian s to sp eak to th eir t im es.

Mah atm a Gan dh i led a grea t n a t ion a long his way of t ru th

an d cam e to a great crea tive su ccess . Wh en will th e Christian

c o n s c i e n c e b e s t r o n g e n o u g h t o u n i t e t h o s e w h o c a l l

t h e m s e lve s a ft e r J e s u s i n t h e b u ild in g of a w or ld o f

brotherhood? When wil l we be ashamed to cal l Chris t ian

th ose wh o tru s t in th e sword?

Is God Real? Are We Real?

Th ere were ma n y good Ch ris t ian s , am ong them pa storsan d ch u rch leaders , who told m e wh en Hit ler cam e to power,

I can n ot lose m y position s in ce I m u st car e for m y ch ildr en ,

and they have to continue their educat ion. Or they said,

My son ca n n ot lose h is ca llin g. He m u s t s a y, Heil Hitler.

Wh a t will h e do if h e loses h is job? Th ey all th ou ght th at

mater ia l exis tence was more important than conscience .

Wh at was th eir God? Th ey h ad an idea of God, bu t th e realityto wh ich t h ey tru sted t h eir lives was m oney an d th e get t in g

of m on ey.

I sp eak of Germa n y. Th ere are toda y good Ch ris t ian s ,

pas tors and church leaders , who in sermons , ar t ic les and

pamphle ts excuse themselves and thei r na t ion. From al l

h is tory they search ou t th e evil deeds of others an d p oin t to

every mistake and injustice of other nations. Look, theysa y, th ey ar e no bet ter th an we ar e. Wh en th ey sp eak of

th e terr ible gu ilt which th e Germ an n at ion brou gh t on itself

dur ing the las t century, they look a t others and compare

th em selves. Th ey do n ot s ta n d b efore God, an d th ey do n ot


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t ry to bring th eir n at ion t o s ta n d b efore God. It seem s to m e

th at one of th e decis ive tas ks of Chr is t ian s in Germ an y is to

bring people to realize the reality of God. If God is reality,

th en I kn ow th at I will n ever fin d a good way in th e fu tu re,

n ot ha pp in ess , n ot s t ren gth , u n t il I fin d h is forgivenes s a n d

h is sp ir it to begin an ew.

So lon g as God is a n idea in which we believe on ly with

th e m in d, wh ils t in real life ou r ch ief aim is earn in g mon ey

and winning influence and power, we will never overcome

th e in ward weakn ess th at is ser vility. We will never overcome

th at outward weak n ess , n a t ion alism , so long as it is m ore

im portan t to defend th e h onor of a n at ion a gain st a ccu sa t ion

th an to fin d th e r igh t relat ion t o God in ou r cons cien ce. An d

it m ay be tha t wha t is tru e of Germa n y is tru e of all m an kin d.

Wh en we th in k of th e fu tu re of ou r n at ion s, do we tru st

in God or do we t rus t in weapons and armies and a l l the

clever ar ts which h ave noth in g to do with h im ? Is h e real to

u s a t a ll if, in im port an t p roblems of life, we do n ot tru st in

him? What does i t mean, th is t rus t ing in God? I th ink i t

m ean s t h a t we ar e cer ta in th a t sp ir i tu a l power is l ifes

precious foun da t ion. It m ean s th a t we are ca lled as n at ions

an d a s in dividu als to take a great ta sk , to lose ou r lives a n d

to f ind the l i fe and power which overcomes dis trust and

h atred a n d coward ice.

We look back to those whom catastrophe destroyed,

those who could not l ive out their l ives, those who gave

them because they could not submi t to tha t which was

agains t th eir con scien ces. Th ey gave th eir l ives b ecau se th ey

h ad h eard Chr is ts ch al len ge. Th ey h ad to obey. Someth in g

of h is eter n ity lived in t h em a n d m a de th em forever h is fellow

workers , even th ou gh we can n ot real ize it n ow.

For n ow, when ou tward imp rovemen t com es, gu ilt an d

suffering are zealously forgotten. It seems as if poor and

emp ty people will again win lead ersh ip an d a s if th e n at ion s

will again ru n th e way of m omen tar y power an d s u ccess . It


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is u tter da rkn ess if ou t of th e catas troph e not on ly in dividu als

bu t whole n ation s go on as poor a n d em pty of spirit a s before.

B u t t h e c h a l l e n g e o f t h e l i v i n g C h r i s t i s b e h i n d

cat as troph e; it is in i t , beside it , th rou gh it . We h ad to su ffer

an d r isk ou r lives , an d we h ave again to su ffer an d r isk ou r

l ives in confronting more catastrophe. But by hearing his

voice, hea ring it in th e m ids t of ru in , obeyin g h is voice, tak in g

ou r t as k in su fferin g, forget t in g ou rs elves a n d becomin g his

in str u m en ts th u s we becom e real. His victory com es in to

ou r l ives b ecau se we try to do his work. Et ern ity is in ou r

lives overcom in g fear an d h atr ed, an d givin g u s th is great

vision: th a t we are Ch rists fellow work ers on ea rth , u n ited

with h im in h is etern al bein g.

La s t u pd a te: 0 5 / 17 / 0 3

fuchs emil christ in catastropheaaa

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