Franz Jagerstatter
Subtitle: Letters and Writings from Prison
Publisher: Orbis Books
Published: May 31, 2009
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 252
ISBN-13: 9781570758263
Description: Franz Jagerstatter, an Austrian farmer, a devoted husband and father, and a devout Catholic, was executed in 1943 as a result of his refusal to serve in the Nazi army. Before taking this stand Jagerstatter consulted both his pastor and his local bishop, who instructed him to do his duty to the fatherland and to obey the law and instruction that violated his conscience. For many years Jagerstatter's solitary witness was honored by the Catholic peace movement, while viewed with discomfort by many of his fellow Austrians. Now, with his beatification in 2007, his witness has been embraced by the universal church. He stands as one of the great witnesses and martyrs of our time. 
These writings, including correspondence between Franz and his wife Franziska and a series of reflections written in prison, represent the first English translation of Jagerstatter's writings. An introduction by Jim Forest and notes by the translator, Robert Krieg, set these writings in the context of Franz's life and times. His moving expression of faith and his unswerving obedience to conscience carry an urgent message for today: "Although people have accused me of criminal behavior and condemned me to death, be consoled knowing that in God's eyes not everything is criminal which the world perceives to be criminal"
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: A Prophet, Martyr, and Saint
label: Overview:; title: Part One; title: The Correspondence Between Franz and Franziska Jagerstatter; title: Military Training Letters (June 18 - October 30, 1940)
label: 1.; title: Military Training Letters (November 1 - December 31, 1940)
label: 2.; title: Military Training Letters (January 1 - April 8, 1941)
label: 3.; title: Linz Prison Letters (March 1 - May 4, 1943)
label: 4.; title: Berlin-Tegel Letters (May 7 - September 5, 1943)
label: 5.; title: Part Two; title: Early Writings and Essays; title: Early Writings (1932 and 1935)
label: 6.; title: Two Poems; title: Franz Jagerstatter's Letter to his godson Franz Huber, 1935; title: Notebook I (Summer 1941 - Winter 1942)
label: 7.; title: On Faith; title: On Humility; title: On Prayer; title: On the Our Father; title: On Sin; title: On the Four Last Things; title: "A Person's Character Shows in Suffering"; title: On Our Fear of Other People; title: On the Blessed Sacrament; title: On the Feast of the Holy Family; title: We Must Always Be Children before God; title: On Love; title: On Reading; title: A Brief Reflection on the Current Era; title: Notebook II (1942)
label: 8.; title: On Today's Issue: Catholic or National Socialist?; title: Brief Thoughts on Our Past, Present, and Future; title: Bolshevism or National Socialism; title: A Game of Deceit; title: On the Loss of Responsibility; title: Is It Still Possible to Do Something?; title: Is There Still a God?; title: War or Revolution?; title: On Dangerous Weapons; title: Separate Essays (December 1941 - January 1943)
label: 9.; title: "Heavens Send Down Righteousness, and Clouds Water It"; title: On Belonging to the National Socialist Party and Making Sacrifices for It; title: A Just or Unjust War?; title: We Should Be Lay Apostles; title: We Pray for Peace, and Yet We Fight, Sacrifice, and Work for a National Socialist Victory; title: On Not Condemning Others; title: After This War; title: Some Words, Which Apply to All of Us, concerning the Reading of Christian Journals and Edifying Books; title: On Death!; title: Toward a Spiritual Reflection; title: A Reflection on God's Love for Us Human Beings; title: Ten [Eleven] Questions; title: Notebook III (Late 1942 or Early 1943)
label: 10.; title: Notebook IV (May - August 1943)
label: 11.; title: Last Thoughts (July - August 1943)
label: 12.; title: People and Events in Franz Jagerstatter's Life
label: Appendix:; title: Biographical Information; title: A Chronology of Franz Jagerstatter's Life and the History of the Third Reich