When we think about the Reformation of 1517 our thoughts turn to one of the most outspoken defenders of the Word of God – Martin Luther. The woman he would eventually marry had grown up in a convent from the age of five and become a nun. Martin was also a member of the Roman Catholic clergy ready to become a priest. They had no knowledge of each other at the time, but their story would weave into an amazing love story that created as much of a stir as the Protestant Reformation.
The air was cold and damp as Leonard Koppe and his nephew guided twelve women aboard their merchant’s wagon in the early morning hours of Holy Saturday. This band of a dozen left the comfort of the convent to flee and find a new life within the realm of a new time in history. The crucifixion of Jesus, Christ was a fleeting memory and tomorrow they would be celebrating His victory over the grave and eternal life for those who believed.
The women squeezed tightly between empty barrels of pickled herring which had been earlier delivered to the convent. Imagine the stench – the discomfort – the fear that dwelt in their hearts as they undertook this journey. They were an unimportant group of women, yet they had a mission. The message of the Reformation was well underway by this time. It was more than five years since the 95 Theses were posted on the door of the Church at Wittenburg.
Katarina von Bora was one of these women. Sent to the convent as a child, she would learn to read, write and manage a household for the next twenty years. Most likely, Katarina was a devout nun, devoting her life to Christ and the church. However, the church was in disarray. A German monk was stirring things up with his radical thinking and the entire movement became quite intriguing for this small band of women. They appealed to Luther to help them escape from the convent.
Once the nuns had successfully fled the convent, Luther placed them in homes of his friends and found husbands for some of them as well. God had a special plan for Katarina. She stood her ground and refused to marry Casper Glatz, a Wittenberg professor who had proposed to her. Eventually she married Luther, bore six children and managed the home that was open to countless visitors. She was 16 years younger than he. He had been a bachelor for quite some time and that led to some bad habits. Katie put an end to his poor hygiene and sleeping on the same bedding for a year. He called her Kette, which is German for chain. Not particularly complimentary, but he had many names for her including my rib. She referred to him as Herr doctor. Their marriage became the standard for pastoral Christian homes. They worked together as a team. Luther often referred to her as “darling” or “morning star of Wittenberg, but also called her Katie, his Lord. There was a mutual work ethic. One supported the other in everything they did. The love that seemed impossible at first, grew into a tightly knit bond which lasted until Martin’s death twenty years later.
Katie was the typical Proverbs 31 wife – a woman of noble character. She was an expert at keeping a clean and efficient house, planted a garden and even made beer in her own brewery. The beer was quite agreeable to those who drank it. She made it her goal to tend to all the needs of her family – six children and Martin. Later there would be more children from other relatives. She also had to deal with Martin’s mood swings and depression. One day she came into the kitchen dressed in black. Martin asked her who died. She replied, “God died.” He rebuked her for such a thoughtless comment. She waited for him to finish his rant and then said, “Well Martin, the way you were acting I thought he was dead.”
Some might say he was bipolar, but he suffered dark depression feeling that God had abandoned him and didn’t care about him. His kidney stones, arthritis and heart problem were just a few of his ailments. He would often retreat to his study and stay there for days. It is said that she unhinged the door one day to draw him out of his room. Feisty little character, wasn’t she?
Their story wasn’t filled with romance. There wasn’t time for that. These two were on a mission to change the world as they knew it. Their marriage wasn’t perfect, but how many really are. This couple would go on to spread the truth, working as a team to make it happen. Of course, God was in charge. Luther died from a heart attack but was also released from many other health issues. In his later years, he made many antisemitic comments which put a black cloud over his ministry for a while. We all are subject to falling short but by the grace of God, we are forgiven. He died on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben, the place of his birth. He knew that he was entering a new life, a new body and eternity.
The idea of a former priest and nun becoming married was unthinkable at the time, but then so was everything else that happened during the Reformation.
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