Martin Niemoeller, one of the prisoners, preached 1944’s Christian Eve sermon at Dachau Concentration Camp.
Feeling God-forsaken for sure
Pastor Niemoeller’s sermon’s closing paragraph:
And we, dear friends, who are cut off from the outside world, inactive spectators of all men’s battles and convulsions, we who have daily many hours to gaze inwardly and to understand ourselves clearly, we who often miss so painfully the peace of mind because we do not look at God and His word, but rather at mortals and their doings — should not our inward hearing be especially receptive to the tidings brought to us by the Christmas gospel? Should not the saying about the “great joy” concern us in particular, since we know fear—fear of death as well as fear of life? Let us therefore today, on this holy Christmas Eve, beseech the Lord Jesus Christ that He, who came as a Babe into a world alienated from God in order to save it, may enter also into us, bring us His salvation, and grant us His joy! Amen.
Amazing! How, HOW did he have the presence of mind to deliver such hopeful and inspiring words given where he was and given that he had been in a concentration camp for four years?
…we know fear—fear of death as well as fear of life
Chilling, statistics:
The Dachau concentration camp was open the entirety of Hitler’s reign of terror, 12 years, 1933-1945.
Cell block 26 at Dachau was reserved for clergy, later blocks 28 and 30 too.
In the years it was open Dachau imprisoned 2720 clergyperson. All male. A total of 2579 of those clergy were Roman Catholic priests, the vast majority Jesuits. Nuns were in addition to these.
Clergy executed at Dachau: 868. Nuns were in addition to these.
