Loving Luther
Page 33
Young Katharina wonders, “Why would God make a little girl with a dead mother and a weak father and mean brothers? Why would he make her if all he intended to do was pick her up and drop her in this place, surrounded by other girls whose lives held no more meaning? . . . Why couldn’t God have made me to be happy in this world, and to serve him in the next?” How would you answer her questions?
When she reads Luther’s work “The Freedom of a Christian,” Katharina especially puzzles over this line: “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.” What do you think it means for a Christian to be both subject to all and to no one?
Girt, Therese, and Katharina all grow up together under the same restrictions and circumstances. How does each respond when faced with an opportunity for escape? How do you imagine you might have responded in their place?
Outside the convent, Katharina takes pleasure in the abundance of the Reichenbach household—the material comforts she’s suddenly surrounded by. How can we enjoy the comforts of our lives and homes without developing a materialistic focus?
Do you believe Jerome Baumgartner truly loved Katharina? Did Katharina handle her side of their romance as she should have?
Lucas Cranach claims Katharina wasn’t ready to have her portrait painted, arguing that only the powerful and the innocent should be thus portrayed. What does he mean by this? Do you agree? It is interesting to note that, in real life, Cranach did paint the best-known portrait of Katharina von Bora. At what point in her life do you think the fictional Cranach would have deemed her “ready”?
Katharina realizes how many of her needs have been met without asking God for them, and that she’s never voiced to God the deepest desire of her heart. Have you ever been guilty of “a passive faith, trusting God in hindsight”? Do you struggle, as Katharina did, to lay your desires before God?
As she is portrayed in the novel, what character traits does Katharina possess that would make her a successful woman today?
What did you think of this story’s portrayal of Martin Luther? In what ways did it align with how you might have imagined him? What surprised you?
Though each had a great deal of admiration and respect for the other, the marriage of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora was probably not inspired by our concepts of romantic love. Luther’s decision stemmed from more of a religious obligation; for Katharina, it was a necessity. Where do you think the idea of marriage falls today? What do you think is better about the way marriage is viewed now? Where might we gain wisdom from the models of the past?
While not addressed in the novel, Martin and Katharina Luther went on to have a long and loving marriage. What aspect of their unusual courtship do you think is most responsible for setting up a successful marriage?
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