Appalled by corruption in Rome, Luther was horrified by the sale of indulgences to raise funds for rebuilding St. Peter’s. Luther’s fundamental objection was his belief that forgiveness was God’s alone to grant and that salvation is obtained only through faith. His 95 Theses, detailing his criticisms, spread rapidly across Europe – speeded by the new printing process – and sparked the Protestant Reformation.
Following excommunication, Luther faced secular trial at the Diet of Worms. After 24 hours’ consideration, he defended his position: ‘Here I stand. I can do no other.’ Protected and hidden by the Elector of Saxony, Luther spent much of 1521 corresponding with friends, propagating pamphlets including one On Monastic Orders which encouraged monks and nuns to break their vows and marry, and completing his New Testament translation into vernacular German.
On returning to Wittenberg, he organised the new church in Saxony, assisted his friend Tyndale on the English New Testament and, in 1524, embarked on a long and joyful marriage with Katharina von Bora.
Luther, the great reformer and theologian, is remembered affectionately for his honest and open expression of emotions, replying to an inquirer on one occasion, ‘Love God? Sometimes I hate Him!’ and often afflicted by self-hatred: ‘The penalty of sin continues as long as hatred of self continues,’ while recognising that, ‘The smaller the love, the greater the fear.’ Mary Lloyd Red Letter Days A page which recalls the birthday or death day of people who have made a notable contribution to humanity.