The Bitter Road to Dachau by Robert Wise

Author:Robert Wise
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Published: 2005-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Four

Had it not been for the celebration of the mass in the barracks chapel, Christmas Day at Dachau would have been only another twenty-four hours of work and exhaustion. Poignant thoughts of home, family, and congregations pressed in upon the men much like the overcrowding. Each wanted the other to be a representation of someone back home who might be praying for him that night.

Leonard Steinwender opened the worn little Bible and turned to the second chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. He began to read of the escape to Egypt of Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus. “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called My Son,’” he concluded, gently closing the book. “Two things are clear here,” Leonard shared in a quiet but fervent voice. “Since this first escape, the child of God has always been in danger in the world.”

Immediately, heads nodded to one another. He continued talking of the ongoing battle with the evil dragon, then changed direction.

“Second, we can rejoice that the child of God is always saved! Let us never forget that Christ endured the grave; He has overcome this world. Jesus has said to us, ‘My peace I give to you.’

“My friends, we shall be a part of the victory of Christ, and we must see our own exile in that light!” His words were swift, and they crackled with joyous energy. At the sermon’s close, the pastors knelt on the rough floor to pray. They pleaded for their families and congregations. They prayed aloud for one another and for those in the infirmary lest they be snatched away by the transports.

As Christian’s knees bore into the planks, a wonderful discovery began to unfold. He longed for the faces of the people of his parish. By praying for them, it was as though he once again could visit in their homes and hug their children. His prayers had become his ministry again, and once more he was their pastor. He prayed earnestly for their health, their steadfastness, and that the peace of Christ would be real to them.

And he prayed for Mina. She probably was by herself, and he was crammed into a room with many men. Yet they were both utterly alone. He could see her sitting at the kitchen table in their little house, her silhouette illumined by the glow of the fireplace. And his longing to be with her became almost too great to bear.

Reaching deep into the language of the Spirit, Christian asked that the promise of comfort be fulfilled for Mina. Almost audibly, he pleaded for the gifts of peace and forbearance to be given to her. Then warmth began to well up inside him as if to guarantee that the bridge of prayer had crossed the barbed wire and the miles. He knew that he had given her the best gift he could offer on this Christmas.

Slowly but with increasing intensity, emotion swept over him and he began to weep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.