Five hundred years ago Martin Luther was nearly struck by
lightning while traveling through the German countryside.
Sensing a threat of God’s judgment in the near miss, he swore
(to St. Anne) that if spared he would become a monk. He
immediately took monastic vows and devoted his life to reading
and teaching God’s word in an Augustinian monastery. However, it
wasn’t until ten years later, in 1516 that he considered himself
to be converted in the true sense of the word. He had become a
scholar and a devoutly pious man, often keeping a priest in the
confessional booth for hours as he racked his brain in search of
any and every sin he might have committed. He would physically
discipline his body as a penance to God, as a way of making up
for his sins. Knowing that he was sinful and God was perfect,
his conscience remained riddled with guilt. His guilty
conscience was brought to a breaking point while studying Paul’s
letter to the Romans. He found himself fixated on one verse:
Romans 1:17 “For in it [the Gospel]