Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5
Franz Jagerstätter (1943)
Executed by Nazis
“I can say from my own experience how painful life often is when one lives as a halfway Christian; it is more like vegetating than living,” wrote Franz Jagerstätter to his godchild. This view was one he would maintain for the rest of his short life.
Born in Austria, Franz was required to heed the call-up to the Nazi army. He managed to get out of his first summons in 1940, but in 1943 he was called up again. At the time he stated: “I believe it is better to sacrifice one’s life right away than to place oneself in the grave danger of committing sin and then dying.”
But he gave in to family and local pressure and reported for duty with the express wish of being able to serve in the medical corps and not in the regular army. This, however, was unacceptable to the Third Reich and Franz was imprisoned for his beliefs. He was executed aged 36 on 9 August 1943 for keeping firm to his Christian convictions.
Lord, I am willing to appear to the world and to all to have lost my life, if only I may have made it good in your sight.
Temple Gairdner (1873-1928)