A WORD FOR TODAY, June 13, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, June 13, 2025
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, WEB
When Martin Luther became a priest, it was expected that he would remain celebrate for the rest of his life. Marriage was out of the question, and it really didn’t bother him. He had a deep appreciation for the institution of marriage and preached about it, but it wasn’t for him. He even took a stand on clerical marriages in 1520, saying that celibacy was not necessary because marriage was a civil affair. He believed the vow of celibacy required for clergy was a “devilish tyranny,” and that those who suffered from sexual temptations would be better off married than single to avoid falling into sin. Despite this stance on marriage, Martin Luther would have remained unmarried for his whole life if it weren’t for a woman named Katie.
Katharina von Bora was born on 29 January 1499, possibly the daughter of lesser nobility in Lippendorf. Little is certain of Katie's earliest days and much of what we know about Katie's life is found in Martin Luther's writings and letters. Katie's father was not very successful, and when her mother died, the best placement for Katie was in a convent. She was taken to a Benedictine cloister in Brehna to be educated when she was just five years old. She was later moved to the Cistercian monastery of Marienthron in Nimbschen when she was nine. Katherina became a nun and was trained as a teacher.
As the teachings of Martin Luther swept through the lands of Europe, people began to see their everyday vocations as ways of serving God. Nuns began leaving the cloistered life in droves and many priests returned to the ancient tradition of taking wives. Katharina was an intelligent and faithful woman, but she became dissatisfied with life in the convent. Katharina and eleven or so of her fellow rebel nuns contacted Martin Luther, asking him to help them leave the convent. They left in a herring cart driven by a friend of Martin Luther just before Easter in 1523, arriving in Wittenberg on April 7th of that year. The occasion was described, “A wagon load of vestal virgins has just come to town, all the more eager for marriage than for life. God grant them husbands lest worse befall.” Martin Luther admitted his role in the “escape,” and encouraged others to do the same. Still, he had no desire to marry.
Luther helped the nuns find homes and work, and within two years they were all settled except Katie. She told Luther's friend and fellow reformer, Nikolaus von Amsdorf, that she would be willing to marry only Luther or von Amsdorf himself. Amsdorf never married, perhaps because Katie always preferred to have Martin Luther as her husband. On June 13, 1525, Katie proposed to Martin and they were married the same day.
Luther's friends did not think he should marry, but marrying Katie may have been the best decision of his life. While he was a brilliant theologian and faithful Christian, he wasn't very savvy when it came to worldly affairs. Katie took care of him and handled his household. He would have been poor and destitute without her. I’m not sure he would have minded, after all he always trusted in God’s provision, but God provided him with the best gift, his Katie.
As a wedding gift, Martin and Katie were given the Augustinian Monastery, the Black Cloister in Wittenberg, Germany (Lutherhaus) for their home by Elector John of Saxony. She made it a success despite Luther’s lack of financial stewardship, and she extended their holdings. She bore six children, two of which died before adulthood. She reputedly made the best beer in Germany and was known for her hospitality.
We often think of Martin Luther as a bit of a chauvinist with traditionalist views on women, but the reality is that Luther came to adore his Katie. He may have been uncertain about the marriage in the beginning, but he treated her with the utmost respect. He recognized the incredible faith and intelligence of his wife, and often called her “My doctor, Kate,” and “My Lord, Katie.” Katie often took part in the theological discussions that happened frequently at their table with students from the university.
It could not have been an easy life for Katie. Martin was always in danger from enemies that wanted to destroy him and his ministry. He traveled frequently, leaving Katie at home to care for their children. Through it all, it was Katie's faith in God that saw her through those times. She had strong spiritual convictions, a reverent fear of the Lord, and lived accordingly. She opened her home to students, family, and friends. She helped raise eight nieces and nephews. Martin and Katie even opened their home to people who were sick with the plague.
Luther is quoted as saying, “First love is drunken,” said Luther, “but when the intoxication wears off, then comes real marriage love.” He also said, “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home and let him to make her sorry to see him leave.” He was a gifted and incredible man but his marriage to Katie made him whole. He learned that love is a choice. On his wedding day Luther wrote, “I feel neither passionate love nor burning for my spouse, but I cherish her.” Over the years, however, their love for each other deepened. Katharina wrote that “my sorrow is so deep that no words can express my heartbreak” when her husband died after a little over 20 years of marriage. Luther also wrote, “There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage” because he made the choice, again and again, to live out love to his “rib,” his dear Katie.
He learned that married life isn’t easy, but that it is a blessing. The sixteenth century was a tough time to live with war, disease, religious unrest. Luther was often sick. They had financial woes. They lost children. Through it all, they learned to cling to one another, and God used those times and their marriage to shape their character and grow their faith. He also learned that a little kindness goes a long way. “The Christian is supposed to love his neighbor,” Luther wrote. “And since his wife is his nearest neighbor, she should be his deepest love.”
Today is the five hundredth anniversary of the day Martin and Katie Luther were married. I know many of my readers are not married, alone through loss or not yet found the right person. Yet, the Luthers present to us a positive roll model, not only in marriage, but in faith. Their life was not perfect, they struggled in many ways, yet they loved God and one another through it all. God made them stronger, through the gift of faith, as they shared their lives, their families, their hopes and dreams, their struggles. We can learn from their story and remember that God is the center that holds all relationships together.
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