“Greetings in God, dearly beloved husband!“
“Greetings in God, most beloved wife and mother!“
Have you heard of the 2019 movie A Hidden Life? Written and directed by Terrence Malick, it tells the story of Franz Jagerstatter, an ordinary Austrian farmer who was caught on the wrong side of WWII. When Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938, young Franz was called away to military duty by the Nazi regime. During the months of military training and later imprisonment, Franz and his wife Franziska exchanged several letters. Following his training, the time came for Franz to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler and the Nazi regime. Franz courageously followed his conscience and refused to sign the oath, even though he knew his decision meant certain death for him and much suffering for the young family he was leaving behind. Ultimately (spoiler alert), Franz was martyred for his beliefs in 1943. Franz is currently on his way to becoming a canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church.
Thankfully, the letters written during the months of training and imprisonment, right up to his day of execution, have been preserved and are now available in the book Franz Jagerstatter: Letters and Writings from Prison. As soon as I found out about the story, I purchased the book for my husband for Christmas (but really I bought it for me). I had read in the movie reviews about Franz’ ordinary beginnings, his extraordinary courage and the faith that sustained him through his ordeal, all the way to his martyrdom. All of that captivated my interest and attention; there’s nothing quite like reading the words of a modern-day saint or martyr to inspire me to live a better life, and give me strength to make the right choices, regardless of the pressures of the world around me.
Franz and Franzsiska were humble farmers who were thrown, along with the rest of their community, into the most harrowing of circumstances. For people of faith, this would have resulted in the greatest of trials: how to survive and make the best of a bad situation without compromising all they knew to be right and true? Franz and Franzsiska were excellent examples of making the right choices during the worst times: they tried their best to protect their family and honor their country, but when the time came to choose between their political leader (Hitler) or God, the decision was a no brainer -even if it meant death and much suffering on this earth. A sweet bonus of the book is the inclusion of the essays that Franz wrote during his military leaves, which described in detail his philosophy and the reasons for his eventual refusal to sign the Nazi oath. For a humble farmer who only received an elementary education, one can almost feel the inspired wisdom of the Holy Spirit in his writings. Only a person deeply connected to God could be capable of such intellectual and spiritual depth, in my humble opinion.
There were other beautiful aspects of life that came through the letters – the bucolic Austrian countryside, the village’s Christian traditions, how the community members banded together during the increasingly difficult times. The movie beautifully portrays the idyllic and simple life of this farming community. My soul somehow yearns for that life, even if I know very little of it.
As I read the book, what moved me the most was the honest portrayal of a marriage lived right. At times their letters were highly relatable: they discussed the children’s behavior, the farm chores, how a relative as faring with an illness, the insurance bill that needed to be paid. Franz and Franzsiska were normal people, just like you and me.
As the story progresses, the reader witnesses the spiritual growth that this couple experienced as the world around them peaked in its madness. At the beginning of their correspondence, while Franz was undergoing his military training, Franzsiska would be quite forthcoming in sharing her daily struggles (“the children are still not behaving any better“). I completely relate to that. But as time wore on and they realized the severity of the situation, and the difficult choice that they would soon have to make, both spouses tried to cheer the other on, and they often hid from the other the hardships they faced, so as to not aggravate the already terrible burden borne by each. By the time Franz made the decision which he knew would lead to his execution, his wife supported his martyrdom, an ultimate act of love for him. Their love for God and for each other had graduated to a level that my husband and I can only hope to achieve one day. If the ultimate purpose of marriage is to help your spouse get to heaven, then the marriage of Franz and Franzsiska was an unequivocal success.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the letters. There’s some excellent life advice in there. I hope they inspire you in your life and marriage, and perhaps you’ll buy the book as a Christmas present for your spouse!
“Write me often. Spiritual hardships are frequently harder than physical ones, and if one can speak or write a little about everything, then things can become easier for one’s heart.“
“Your first concern must be our children, and you cannot carry out with thoroughness both the care of the children and the care of the business. So care for the children and mother. You and I must value them more than the business.”
“The Lord sometimes must send us something hard so that we do not tie ourselves too much to this world.”
“Consider this. If my entire life were to go well in all aspects of its physical well-being, I would notice nothing today about my life. I would not see that we have lived fortunate and harmonious years in our marriage. This good fortune is unforgettable and will accompany me through time and eternity.“
“With warm greetings to you. Also, with many kisses. For this, one does not need to use postage stamps.“
“If things should come about different from what we hope for and would like, they would not be bad because God’s will comes about, even when painful.”
“It is so terrible that two people are separated who are always happy together. Now they are pulled far apart. However, with God’s help, we’ll be able to endure this and not be harmed by it.”
“Let us place all of our concerns and troubles in God’s hand. He will guide our destinies for the best. I am not anxious about the future.”
“If this should be our last year in this world – which we, of course, do not wish but for which we must always be ready – then so be it. We also do not need to be anxious that the Lord God will withdraw his grace from us in the hour of our deaths.”
“Dearest wife, I am once again grateful for all of the love and faithfulness and sacrifice that you have shown me and the whole family – and that you are continuing to show me. It will also be a difficult sacrifice not to have someone with whom you can be angry and perhaps not to have anyone who will hurt you. Love requires it, always striving for more perfection.”
“Become a family that love one another and forgives one another, then come what will.“
“I often think with love about you!“
“How hard it must have been for our dear Lord that he had given his dear mother such great sorrow through his suffering and death! And she suffered everything out of love for us sinners. I thank our Savior that I could suffer for him and may die for him. I trust in his infinite compassion.”
Blessed Franz Jaggerstatter, pray for us.
