One of the most amazing and least contentious experiences is that evil often proves to be foolish and pointless – frequently surprisingly soon. This does not mean that every single evil act is followed by punishment, but that a fundamental violation of God's commandments, allegedly in the interest of earthly self-preservation, is actually contrary to true self-preservation. This experience of ours can be interpreted in various ways. In any case, it yields the certainty that in human coexistence, there are laws stronger than all that would seek to elevate itself above them.
I believe that God can and wants to bring forth good from everything, even the worst. For this, He needs people who will allow everything to serve them for good.
I believe that God wants to give us as much strength to resist as we need in every distress. However, He does not grant it in advance, so that we do not rely on ourselves, but only on Him. In such faith, the fear of the future should be overcome.
I believe that even our mistakes and errors are not in vain and that it is no more difficult for God to deal with them than with our allegedly good deeds.
I believe that God is not a timeless fate, but that He waits for sincere prayers and responsible actions, and responds to them.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer /1906–1945/,
excerpt from the text Reflections at the Threshold of 1943, written for the tenth anniversary of Hitler's rise to power;
quoted from the book Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Resistance and Submission, Letters from Prison. Kalich 2023)
