Inspiring Christian Lives

Franz Jagerstatter, 1907-43

March 1943, Berlin A prisoner sits in a Nazi prison and awaits his execution. His name is Franz Jagerstatter. He was a simple Austrian farmer. He had refused to join the German Army on Christian principles. But Franz, had not always been a devout Christian. He had had a wild youth, but had since settled down and married a devout religious lady. His faith had grown stronger, such that he refused absolutely any co-operation with Nazism. He and his family knew where this would lead - prison and death. Against his family's advice, he stuck to his principles. From his prison cell he wrote letters to his wife: 'The true Christian is to be recognized more in his works and deeds than in his speech. The surest mark of all is found in deeds showing love of neighbour. To do unto one's neighbour what one would desire for himself is more than merely not doing to others what one would not want done to himself. Let us love our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for those who persecute us. For love will conquer and will endure for eternity. And happy are they who live and die in God's love." Peacefully, Franz went to the hangman's noose, where he was executed for treason. Meanwhile, the German Army was unleashing terror on a scale unimaginable on all fronts. The last person to see Franz alive, a prison helper remarked: "I can say with certainty that this simple man is the only saint I have ever met in my lifetime".