Lesser Feasts and Fasts Today

 “Gracious God, the Beyond in the midst of our life, you gave grace to your servant Dietrich Bonhoeffer to know and to teach the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, and to bear the cost of following him…”

The life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a unity of faith, prayer, writing, and action. Born on February 4, 1906, Bonhoeffer’s path was one of deep commitment to the truth of the Gospel, even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

From his early studies at the universities of Berlin and Tübingen, culminating in his doctoral thesis Communio Sanctorum in 1930, Bonhoeffer demonstrated a keen theological mind. Yet, it was not just his intellect that set him apart—it was his unwavering dedication to live out the teachings of Jesus Christ in every aspect of his life.

When the shadows of Nazism began to spread over Germany in 1933, Bonhoeffer didn’t remain silent. He stood in protest against the regime from the very beginning. Even during his time pastoring two small congregations in London from 1933 to 1935, he remained a leading voice for the Confessing Church—the heart of Protestant resistance against the Nazis.

In 1935, he established a new seminary for the Confessing Church at Finkenwald. It was here that he cultivated a community grounded in discipleship and shared life, later chronicled in his works Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. These writings weren’t mere theological treatises; they were reflections born out of lived experience, out of a community striving to embody the teachings of Christ amidst rising tyranny.

As the storm of war intensified, Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the political struggle deepened. In 1939, though offered refuge in the United States, he chose to return to Germany. He felt compelled to share in the suffering of his people and to actively resist the oppressive forces at work. His commitment led him to participate in efforts to overthrow Hitler—a decision that weighed heavily on his pacifist convictions but one he deemed necessary to prevent greater evil.

Lesser Feasts and Fasts has us read particular lessons on this day.  We call them "propers," as in the proper lessons and prayers to be read on a particular day.  

In the propers for today, the psalmist declares, “Your word, O Lord, is everlasting; it stands firm in the heavens… If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” Bonhoeffer’s life echoes this steadfast devotion to God’s enduring word—a beacon guiding him through the darkest times.

Proverbs 3:1-7 urges us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Bonhoeffer embodied this trust. Despite the perilous path before him, he did not rely solely on human wisdom but sought divine guidance, acknowledging God in all his ways.

In Matthew 13:47-52, Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven like a net that gathers fish of every kind. At the end of the age, the good and the bad will be sorted. Bonhoeffer lived with an acute awareness of this divine sorting, striving to align himself with God’s purposes, even when it led him into the heart of danger.

On April 5, 1943, Bonhoeffer was arrested and imprisoned. Even then, his spirit remained unbroken. A year later, after a failed attempt on Hitler’s life exposed his involvement, he was transferred to concentration camps and prisons. On April 8, 1945, as he concluded a service in a school building in Schönberg, he was summoned with the chilling words: “Prisoner Bonhoeffer… come with us.” Turning to a fellow prisoner, he said, “This is the end. For me, the beginning of life.” He was hanged the next day.

The Collect of the Day beseeches God to grant us the grace to receive God's word and embrace its call with an undivided heart, strengthened by Bonhoeffer’s teaching and example. His life challenges us to consider the cost of discipleship. Are we willing to stand firm in our faith, even when it demands great sacrifice?

Bonhoeffer once wrote, “When Christ calls a person, he bids them come and die.” This isn’t necessarily a call to physical death but a call to die to self, to our comforts, and to anything that hinders us from fully following Christ.

As we remember Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we do well to reflect on the courage it takes to live out our convictions in the face of injustice. His life reminds us that discipleship may come at great cost, but it also affirms that God’s grace is sufficient to sustain us.

May we, like Bonhoeffer, find the strength to trust in God’s everlasting word, to lean not on our own understanding, and to embrace our call with undivided hearts. In doing so, we participate in the unfolding of God’s kingdom—a net cast wide, gathering all into the embrace of divine love.

“Grant that we, strengthened by his teaching and example, may receive your word and embrace its call with an undivided heart…”.