Friday, November 17, 2017

Freedom -- Father Alfred Delp SJ

One thing is as clear and perceptible to me as it is precious: the world is so full of God. From all the pores of things He swells, as it were, towards us. But we are often blind. We stay in the good and the bad hours and do not experience them through to the fountain point, where they flow out of God. 
That applies to everything beautiful and also to misery. In all, God wants to celebrate encounter and asks and wants the adoring, devoted response. The art and the task is only to make and learn lasting awareness and concrete attitude from these insights and graces. Then life becomes free in the freedom we have always sought."
Father Alfred Delp (SJ)
On November 17, 1944, Father Alfred Delp wrote a coded message with his hands bound, out of his cell in the Berlin-Tegel prison. After his death on February 2, 1945, his ashes were scattered to the winds on Hitler's personal orders.
During the detention, the Gestapo made him the offer of "release in return for his withdrawal from the Order," which was rejected by Father Delp. He was able to make his last solemn vow in custody on December 8, 1944, to a fellow brother who visited him on behalf of the Provincial of the Society of Jesus.
Image: Heizer, Wikipedia
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

May Fr. Delp's heroic death help to heal the present Jesuit (dis)order.

Bill said...

The terms constantly used by Pope Francis are strikingly similar to the words of Fr Delp. A common formation in Ignatian spirituality I think

Jack said...

Certainly Fr. Delp wished to die as a martyr because he was offered freedom by the Gestapo if he renounced belonging to the Jesuits Order.
This renunciation would have been null and void since it was obtained under duress.

JBQ said...

Well within the tradition of Isaac Jogues and his "band of brothers". Hitler used confrontation which was resisted. The devil used infiltration with the result of our present pontiff.

Constantine said...

Interesting man.Denying the Jesuit order is not the same as denying the Church. The Jesuit order should have stayed suppressed, imho.About the man, he was an ecumenist. He was baptized Catholic, but was raised Lutheran.

Anonymous said...

But he died a Catholic.

Anonymous said...

AMEN.

jac said...

Denying the jesuit order is not a sin when got under duress, on the contrary of denying Jesus

Robert E said...

Voodoo for $$$$$$$s

JBQ said...

You have to follow what happened in Jefferson City, Mo, on this date. Bishop John Gaydos resigned (gay controversy) and he was replaced with a priest with no episcopal experience. Bishop elect McKnight was an official with the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference. The same happened in Nashville, when a priest from Louisville was named as the new bishop for its recently deceased bishop.--"Clericalism" is being phased out. The U.S. Conference is creating a new American Church. The next phase will be the appointment of women to head a diocese. There are already women being readied at the Bishops' Conference for that role.