Martin of Erfurt, born in 1483 of German peasant stock, was a monk (more
exactly, a regular canon) of the Order of Saint Augustine, and a Doctor
of Theology. In his day, the Church was at a spiritual low. Church
offices were openly sold to the highest bidder, and not nearly enough was
being done to combat the notion that forgiveness of sins was likewise for
sale. Indeed, many Christians, both clergy and laity, were most
inadequately instructed in Christian doctrine. Startling as it seems to
us today, there were then no seminaries for the education of the clergy.
There were monastic schools, but they concentrated on the education of
their own monks. Parish priests, ordinarily having no monastic
background, were in need of instruction themselves, and in no way
prepared to instruct their congregations. Brother Martin set out to
remedy this. He wrote a simple catechism for the instruction of the laity
which is still in use today, as is his translation of the Scriptures into
the common tongue. His energy as a writer was prodigious. From 1517, when
he first began to write for the public, until his death, he wrote on the
average one book a fortnight. Today, his criticisms of the laxness and
frequent abuses of his day are generally recognized on all sides as a
response to very real problems. It was perhaps inevitable, however, that
they should arouse resentment in his own day (Brother Martin, and for
that matter many of his opponents, had controversial manners that my high
school speech teacher and debate coach would never have tolerated!), and
he spent much of his life in conflict with the ecclesiastical
authorities. The disputes were complicated by extraneous political
considerations on both sides, and, as one of his admirers has observed,
each side was at its best when proclaiming what the other side, well
considered and in a cool hour, did not really deny. Brother Martin, for
example, was most ardent in maintaining that salvation was a free gift of
God, and that all attempts to earn or deserve it are worse than useless.
But he was not alone in holding this. When his followers met in 1540 with
Cardinal Contarini, the Papal delegate, in an effort to arrive at an
understanding, there was complete agreement on this point. The Cardinal,
by a study of the Epistle to the Romans, had arrived in 1511 at the same
position as Brother Martin in 1517. So had Cardinal Pole, the Archbishop
of Canterbury (who had, ironically, been appointed to combat Brother
Martin's influence). So had the Archbishop of Cologne, and so had many
other highly placed Church officials. In Brother Martin's own judgement,
his greatest achievement was his catechism, by the use of which all
Christians without exception might be instructed in at least the
rudiments of the Faith. Some of his admirers, however, would insist that
his greatest achievement was the Council of Trent, which he did not live
to see, but which he was arguably the greatest single factor in bringing
about. While the Council's doctrinal pronouncements were not all that
Brother Martin would have wished, it did take very much to heart his
strictures on financial abuses, and undertook considerable reforms in
those areas. It banned the sale of indulgences and of church offices, and
took steps to provide for the systematic education of the clergy. Putting
it another way, if I were arguing with an adherent of the Pope, and I
wanted to point out to him that many Popes have been, even by ordinary
grading-on-a-curve standards, wicked men, cynically exploiting their
office for personal gain, I would have no difficulty in finding examples
from the three centuries immediately preceding Brother Martin and the
Council of Trent that my opponent would have to concede. If I were
restricted to the centuries afterward, I should have more of a problem.
And this is, under God, due in some measure to Brother Martin's making
himself a nuisance. Thanks be to God for an occasional nuisance at the
right time and place.
Behold, Lord
An empty vessel that needs
To be filled.
My Lord, fill it
I am weak in the faith;
Strengthen me.
I am cold in love;
Warm me and make me fervent,
That my love may go out
To my neighbor...
O Lord, help me.
Strengthen my faith and
Trust in you...
With me, there is an
Abundance of sin;
In You is the fullness of
Righteousness.
Therefore I will remain
With You,
O whom I can receive,
But to Whom I may not give.
-Brother Martin Luther of Erfurt (1483-1546)
O God, our refuge and our strength, who didst raise up thy Servant Martin Luther to reform and renew thy Church in the light of thy word: Defend and purify the Church in our own day and grant that, through faith, we may boldly proclaim the riches of thy grace, which thou hast made known in Jesus Christ our Savior, who, with thee and the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever.
Almighty God, who hast in every age sent faithful men and women To recall the Church to its task, and to renew its life: raise up, we beseech thee, in this our day, prophetic heralds and evangelists, whose voices, like that of thy servant Martin, will give strength to thy Church, that thy will may be done and thy name be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.
O God, our refuge and our strength, who raised up your servant Martin Luther to reform and renew your Church in the light of your word: Defend and purify the Church in our own day and grant that, through faith, we may boldly proclaim the riches of your grace, which you have made known in Jesus Christ our Savior, who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.
Almighty God, the sender in every age of faithful men and women To recall the Church to its task, and to renew its life: raise up, in this our day, prophetic heralds and evangelists, whose voices, like that of your servant Martin, will give strength to your Church, that your will may be done and your name be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever.