Franz Jaegerstaetter

Today is the feast day of Franz Jaegerstaetter, a family man and farmer who, in 1943, gave up his life rather than serve the Nazi regime that so offended his faith. “Neither prison nor chains nor sentence of death can rob a man of the Faith and his free will,” he once wrote. And while he did ultimately endure prison, chains, and death, he never lost his free will. His difficult childhood and rough life forged in him an iron will. He grew up with the stigma of having been born out of wedlock, never knew his birth father who was killed in WWI. He grew wild and unruly, fathering a child out of wedlock while leading a motorcycle gang in the early 1930’s near his hometown of St. Radegund, Austria. His difficult years affected him in a surprising way. He was jailed due to a street brawl with his gang. Then, to support his daughter and her mother, he endured the strain and difficulty of  the iron mines. These, however, became an opportunity for grace and for his remarkable conversion, rather than for godlessness and waywardness.  After marrying Fraziska Schwaninger, a devout Catholic, on Holy Thursday, 1936, his faith became as strong as his will, a strength to be tested by the ferocious opposition of the Nazi’s. His refusal to serve in the Wehrmacht cost him his life, when he was executed by the Nazi’s Aug. 9, 1943. Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2007, declaring him a martyr of the faith.

Perhaps it’s easy for us to think we would do the same in the face of serving the Nazis. Yet, how often do we fear praying before meals in public, or fear showing our faith, morals, or support for the Church’s controversial teachings when they are under heavy attack? Or how often do we succumb to temptation due to peer pressure. It is in these moments we recognize our weakness and the need to bolster our faith. This is why Jaggerstatter is such a surprising inspiration. His daily life of meditation and study of God’s word with His wife transformed the difficult trials of his life, resulting in acts of faith and courage in the face of persecution. Franz valued His relationship with God over that of his own life. His love of God set the right priorities.