Expression

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was born in Eisleben, Germany, the son of a copper miner who wanted him to become a lawyer. Caught in a terrifying thunderstorm at age 21, Luther vowed to become a monk, and entered an Augustinian monastery. He was tormented by a deep fear that he could never be good enough for a holy God; this anguish drove his study of Scripture, especially St. Paul's letter to the Romans, where he found the words 'the righteous shall live by faith.' Luther was brilliant, fearless, and a master of the German language — his translation of the Bible into German shaped the language itself, much as the King James Bible shaped English. He was also blunt, stubborn, and could be harsh; his later writings included bitter attacks, and his words against Jews are rightly condemned today. Catholics and Protestants now agree on much about Luther: he was sincere, he identified real abuses, and he never set out to start a new church — at first he hoped only to reform the one Church. But once excommunicated, the break could not be undone. A fair view holds both truths: Luther asked some right questions about God's grace and the Church's failings, even as the Catholic Church holds that his answers (faith alone, Scripture alone) departed from the fullness of the apostolic faith.

Before the Reformation, the music of the Mass was usually sung by trained clergy and choirs, often in Latin polyphony the people could admire but not join. Luther, who loved music and played the lute and flute, believed the whole congregation should sing — in their own language, with simple, strong tunes everyone could learn. From this conviction came the chorale: a hymn in the people's tongue (German), with a memorable melody and four-part harmony. Luther himself wrote the most famous of all, 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott' ('A Mighty Fortress Is Our God'), based on Psalm 46. This was revolutionary: music became participation, not just performance. The chorale became the seed of an enormous musical tree. Two centuries later, Johann Sebastian Bach (a devout Lutheran) would build his cantatas and his great Passions on these same chorale melodies, harmonizing them with unmatched genius. Meanwhile the Catholic tradition kept and renewed its own treasury of chant and polyphony (which we study next week with Palestrina and Victoria). The lesson: a theological idea — that everyone should sing to God — changed the very sound of Western worship and seeded centuries of music.

This week you write a balanced argumentative essay on a contested question of the Reformation (see the weekly writing assignment). The skill is fairness: a strong argument does not hide or mock the other side — it states the opposing view so well that the other side would say, 'Yes, that's what I think,' and THEN answers it. This is sometimes called 'steel-manning' (the opposite of attacking a weak 'straw man'). Today: (1) Choose your question — e.g., 'Was the Reformation mainly about religious truth or about politics and money?' (2) Write a one-sentence thesis stating your answer. (3) Make a T-chart: on one side, the strongest points for your view; on the other, the strongest points against it. Use this week's lessons for evidence (the indulgence abuse, the printing press, the German princes, Luther's sincere theology, More's witness). Watch your usage: their/there/they're, its/it's. You'll draft the full five paragraphs over the next few days.

Return to Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher. This week we saw a Church torn apart by real abuses, sincere disagreement, politics, and pride — a great wound that still pains Christians today. Against that backdrop, two men show what integrity costs and what it is worth: they kept their inner conscience and outer words whole, even to death. Pray briefly for Christian unity, that 'all may be one' (John 17:21), and ask the intercession of these saints for the courage to be undivided people. Then revisit your integrity resolution from Day 2: how did you do this week?