Engelmar Unzeitig was born in what is now the Czech Republic in 1911. At the age of 18 he entered the seminary of the Mariannhill Missionaries. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1939 and spent 1940 as parish priest in Glöckelberg, Austria. In April 1941, he was arrested by the Gestapo for defending the Jewish people in his preaching at Mass. He was ultimately sent to the concentration camp of Dachau. While in Dachau he studied Russian in order to be able to help the prisoners from Eastern Europe. In the autumn of 1944 he volunteered to help in the typhoid barrack in the concentration camp. In his desire to help these patients, he contracted the disease himself. He died on March 2, 1945. He was regarded as a holy man by all who knew him. In a letter from Dachau to his sister, he wrote: “Whatever we do, whatever we want, is surely simply (God’s) grace that carries us and guides us. God’s almighty grace helps us overcome obstacles … love doubles our strength, makes us inventive, makes us feel content and inwardly free. If people would only realize what God has in store for those who love him!” He was beatified in Germany on August 24, 2016.
Our psalm today states: “The Lord's kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.” The concept of fear of God has more to do with reverence, respect, awe, and wonder. We should not fear punishment and retribution from God is we are in right relationship with him. We should honor God with our faith and trust. The martyrs of the faith who were willing to give up their lives for God show us how they gave reverence and respect to God in this ultimate way. We unite our prayers with their prayers today.
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