5 September 2021
On Good Works
O
God, how blind, no, how insane we Christians have become! When will there be an
end of wrath, O heavenly Father? Our folly makes us mock, blaspheme, and
condemn the tragedy of Christendom, for which we are to pray when we are
gathered together in church and at mass. If the Turk destroys cities, country,
and people, and lays waste the churches, we think a great injury has been done
Christendom. Then we start complaining, and urge kings and princes to wage war.
But when faith collapses, love grows cold, God’s word is neglected, and all
manner of sin takes control, nobody thinks of fighting. In fact, pope, bishop,
priests, and clergy, who ought to be the generals, captains, and
standard-bearers in this spiritual warfare against Turks of a far deadlier
spiritual kind, are themselves the very princes and leaders of such Turks, of a
devilish army, just as Judas led the Jews when they took Christ prisoner. It
had to be an apostle, a bishop, a priest, one of the best, who began the work
of slaying Christ. And in the same way, too, Christendom is being destroyed not
by the Turks, but by those who are supposed to defend it. And yet they go on
being so senseless that they want to eat the Turk alive, and at the same time
they set fire to their own house and sheep stall and let them burn away, sheep
and all, and worry more about the wolf in the woods. That is how things are
nowadays! This is the reward we have earned for our ingratitude for the
unending grace Christ won for us freely with his precious blood, grievous labor,
and bitter death.
Martin Luther
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