Archives by: Gary Hoag

One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend. Proverbs 22:11

Who is Good King Wenceslas?

Tracy A. Burns reports: “The first Czech saint and the patron saint of the Czech state, Wenceslas (Václav in Czech) served as duke of Bohemia from 921 until his death in 935. Though he died young, this martyr’s accomplishments were many. He built numerous churches in Bohemia and was deeply respected as a pious, moral, educated and intelligent man who promoted the Christian faith and took care of the poor, the sick, the widowed and the orphaned by doing charitable deeds. He even founded the rotunda of Saint Vitus at Prague Castle.”

Elizabeth Davis adds that one 12th-century preacher said: “His deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty.”

We recognize this patron saint for the song “Good King Wenceslas” written by John Mason Neale in 1853. Be sure to read all the way through to the last stanza.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gath’ring winter fuel.

‘Hither, page, and stand by me,
If thou know’st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?’

‘Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence,
By Saint Agnes’ fountain.’

‘Bring me flesh and bring me wine,
Bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither.’

Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together,
Through the rude wind’s wild lament
And the bitter weather.

‘Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer.’

‘Mark my footsteps, good my page,
Tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.’

In his master’s steps he trod,
Where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.

Thanks for your prayers. I have safely arrived in Prague. I delayed the delivery of this post to confirm my safe arrival. And I wanted to visit Wenceslas Square to shoot this photo of his famous statue. I’d like to offer two comments about Wenceslas for your consideration.

Firstly, notice his reputation for nocturnal benevolence. That means this was likely a repeated pattern learned from his Grandmother. Wenceslas would go out 2×2 with a companion and serve “the poor, the sick, the widowed and the orphaned by doing charitable deeds.” Despite his short life, he aimed to serve others day and night.

It also inspires me that in a time of turmoil and crisis, he focused on building up churches. Do we, through our giving and sacrifice of time and resources, work to strengthen God’s work where He has placed us? That’s my inspiration today from the heart of Prague.

Pray for good meetings tomorrow with 4D Ministries. They approached us at GTP to partner on projects including translating GTP Diagnostic Tool and Templates into Czech to strengthen churches and ministries. We get to announce this new resource at the EGCC event here in Prague on 28-30 April 2022.

Click here to make a gift to GTP today to contribute to this effort for Eastern Europe. This is a critical time to help the churches and ministries in this region because of the flood of refuges from Ukraine. Thanks for your support, and in return (with Wenceslas), I pray you find rich blessing.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5

Who was Ludmila of Bohemia?

Susan Halstead writes: “The daughter of a prince named Slavibor, Ludmila was born around 860 in Mělník and married at an early age to Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia. It was probably through the efforts of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the ‘apostles of the Slavs’ that the couple were converted to Christianity in 874, becoming the first Christian rulers of the dukedom. However, their attempts to convert their subjects were greeted with such hostility that for a time they were driven out of the land, but after a while they were able to return and ruled in peace for several years before retiring to Tetín, near Beroun, leaving their son Spytihněv to rule in his father’s place.

However, after only two years Spytihněv died, and his brother Vratislav succeeded to the dukedom. Vratislav’s wife Drahomíra had remained a pagan, and grew increasingly resentful of the influence of Ludmila over their son Václav. She had been largely responsible for the upbringing of her grandson, and when Vratislav died in 921, Ludmila, now a widow, acted as regent for the young Václav [also known as Wenceslas]. Drahomíra’s jealousy became so intense that on 15 September 921 she despatched two assassins to murder Ludmila in her castle at Tetín; tradition has it that they strangled her with her own veil. Her body was initially buried in the castle church of St. Michael, but at some date before 1100 it was reinterred in the basilica of St. George in Prague.”

According to Legenda Christiani: “She was generous with alms, persevering in nocturnal devotions, devout in prayers, and perfect in charity and humble among the unknowing. She was so willing in her care for God’s servants that to those to whom she was unable to offer help during the light of day, she would send urgent help through her servants during the dark of night…This mother to orphans, consoler to widows, and indefatigable visitor of the fettered and imprisoned was perfect in all good deeds.”

Ludmila of Bohemia (860-921).

If there was richness in the faith of Timothy, the “true son” of the Apostle Paul, it flowed from the faith of his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois. Pause and thank God for your mother and grandmother(s) (if they are still living) forward this email to them and express gratitude.

I’ve posted quotes from Cyril and Methodius in the past but this is the first about Ludmila. I want to point out her influence as a mother and grandmother. Speaking of influence, I give thanks for my wife, Jenni, who is the greatest mother ever and now she’s a grandmother!

It’s a good and yet dangerous thing when people of influence, like Ludmila, seek to turn the people of their land toward Christ. That’s her story. She and her husband were the first Christian rulers of Bohemia. They were driven away for this, but then later returned.

Notice that Ludmila’s reputation was “mother to orphans, consoler to widows, and indefatigable visitor of the fettered and imprisoned was perfect in all good deeds” and that as a grandmother she “acted as regent for the young Václav.”

You might ask, what impact did she have? It’s true her life was cut short. So, as I board my flight today for Frankfurt and then connect to Prague, I want to keep you in suspense. But I will offer this clue. Her grandson that she helped raise, Václav, is also known as Wenceslas.

Sometimes the greatest impact and the most generous contribution we can make in the world is being a indefatigable mother to children and a grandmother to grandchildren or indefatigable father to children and grandfather to grandchildren.

And please pray for my safe travel to Prague today. Thank you. I will share more on the purpose of the trip tomorrow.

Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.” I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Colossians 4:17-18

In these last days the thoughts of Hus turned once more to his old friend and comrade in past struggles, Christian Prachaticz. Christian unfortunately had somewhat fallen away. We feel the shadow of this fall cast over this last brief letter of Hus to one who had been at one period his closest correspondent.

Letter LXXII To Master Christian (dated to 22 June 1415)

“Master Christian, my master and particular benefactor, take your stand on Christ’s truth and cling to the faithful. Do not be afraid; for the Lord will shortly grant you a defense and increase the number of Christ’s faithful ones. Be kind to the poor, as you have ever been. You have, I hope, kept your chastity and fled avarice; continue to flee it, and for your own sake to not be a pluralist. Ever hold fast to the Church that the faithful may flock to you as to a kind father. Greet affectionately Master Jakoubec and all the friends of the truth. Written in chains in expectation of being burnt.”

John Hus (1369-1415) in The Letters of John Hus, with introductions and explanatory notes by Herbert B. Workman and R. Martin Pope (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1904) 249-250.

I am enjoying reading about saints related to Prague and Czech Republic (the land formerly known as Bohemia) where I head on Monday. If you don’t know his, it’s worth reading a summary here, John Hus: Faithful unto Death.

The Archbishop of Prague pressured him to stop preaching, Hus persisted. He valued biblical teaching above all use. Despite imprisonment and an offer of freedom, he said, “I would not, for a chapel full of gold, recede from the truth.”

He not only remained committed to Christ to the end, he wanted others like Christian to fear not, to care for the poor and flee avarice, and to hold fast to the Church and to truth. His words seem to echo Paul to Archippus. Take your stand and finish well.

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

Over the next week, I have determined research saints from Prague and the region of Czechia (a.k.a. Czech Republic) and formerly known as Bohemia to learn of the history before I travel to Prague via Frankfurt on Monday on behalf of GTP for strategic EGCC meetings. Today’s post is long but the perseverance of this patriarch inspires me. I pray it blesses you.

“Originally given the name of Wojtech, the boy who would be known as St. Adalbert was born to a family of nobility in the Central European region of Bohemia during the mid-900s. When Wojtech became seriously ill during his childhood, his parents resolved that they would offer their son to God as a priest if their prayers for his survival were granted.

Wojtech survived the illness, and his parents sent him to study with Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg, a Benedictine missionary who would later be canonized in his own right. The archbishop gave the young student his own name at confirmation, setting an example that the boy would follow in his own life as a bishop, missionary and monk.

The young Adalbert was 25 when his mentor died in 981. He returned to his native Bohemia, where Bishop Deitmar of Prague ordained him a priest two years later.

However, the end of Bishop Deitmar’s life provided the young priest with a cautionary example that would remain with him until the end of his life. During his last illness, the bishop became terrified of his impending judgment, confessing that he had neglected his spiritual duties in favor of wealth, honors and pleasure.

After watching his bishop die on the verge of despair, Adalbert immediately resolved to live his own life in a more penitential spirit than before. He began wearing a hair-shirt and distributing his money to the poor. Soon, he would be chosen to replace the bishop whose agonizing death had shown him the gravity of spiritual leadership.

Adalbert was consecrated as the Bishop of Prague just months after becoming a priest. “It is an easy thing to wear the mitre and a cross,” Adalbert reflected, “but it is a most dreadful circumstance to have an account to give of a bishopric to the judge of the living and the dead.”

The bishop took steps to reform the finances of his diocese, ensuring that his own expenses made up only a small portion of the budget. Meanwhile, he slept on the floor, fasted regularly, gave sermons almost daily, and visited poor neighborhoods and prisons.

But in six years of constant prayer, fasting, and preaching, Bishop Adalbert made little headway among the Bohemians. The low point came when he unsuccessfully attempted to shield a woman convicted of adultery from a mob that sought to kill her. He responded by excommunicating the murderers, but the public seemed to favor them rather than the bishop.

Frustrated and dejected, Adalbert journeyed to Rome and asked Pope John XV for permission to retire from his diocese in 989. He joined a Roman monastery and purposely took on its most undesirable tasks of work and maintenance.

Five years after Adalbert’s departure, the Archbishop of Mentz – who had consecrated him as a bishop – asked the Pope to send him back to the diocese of Prague. Pope John did so, but made it clear that Adalbert was free to leave if the residents of his diocese continued to resist him.

When their former bishop returned, the residents of Prague welcomed him warmly and promised to change their ways. Sadly, however, this promise proved false, and Adalbert came to fear that he might be driven to despair by the rebellious locals. In keeping with the Pope’s provision, he left and became a missionary to the Hungarians.

In the course of his Hungarian missions, Adalbert taught – among many others – King Stephen I, who would later be canonized as St. Stephen of Hungary. Afterward, he returned to the Roman monastery of St. Boniface, where he served in the office of prior. But Adalbert’s consecrator remained insistent that he should return to Prague yet again.

Pope Gregory V finally ordered Adalbert to resume his duties as the Bishop of Prague. This time, however, the citizens defied him openly. A Bohemian prince named Boleslaus went so far as to kill several of Adalbert’s relatives and burn their homes, to make it clear how unwelcome his presence would be.

Nonetheless, Adalbert attempted to obey the Pope’s charge, and sent a message asking whether the other residents of Prague might allow him to return. The response he received indicated he should not come back, and would be in danger if he chose to do so.

Rejected by his own people, Adalbert decided to begin a mission to the pagan tribes in Poland and northeastern Germany. He successfully converted many of them, but eventually encountered the same hostility that had driven him from his diocese. This was partly because he denounced the native practices of tree-worship and human sacrifice, but also because he was suspected of being a Polish spy.

A pagan priest eventually captured Adalbert and his two companions, binding them and taking them hostage while they slept. Adalbert prayed aloud, offering his own life to God and begging forgiveness for his attackers.

“You had it always in your mouth that it was your desire to die for Christ,” he heard the pagan priest say, as he stabbed Adalbert in the chest with a lance. Six others proceeded to stab him, and he died of his wounds on April 23, 997.

A Polish prince ransomed back St. Adalbert’s body from the pagans, exchanging his remains for their weight in gold. His relics were transferred to the Polish city of Gniezno, and kept in the church known as Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert.”

Adalbert of Prague was martyred (and I did not know this when I located him) on this day exactly 1,025 years ago. Find the source of his story here.

I am curious what parts you liked. Feel free to message me. Two touched me deeply. Firstly, this section about how he served when he ascended to the role of bishop.

“The bishop took steps to reform the finances of his diocese, ensuring that his own expenses made up only a small portion of the budget. Meanwhile, he slept on the floor, fasted regularly, gave sermons almost daily, and visited poor neighborhoods and prisons.”

Notice he wanted to take a very small salary, reform the finances, live simply, fast regularly, and preach every opportunity he could, while serving the poor and prisoners.

Secondly, it touched me that a polish prince, probably impacted by his mission work there, felt his body was “worth its weight in gold.” Let’s pray to live like that. As we give our lives in service, may those who look on say that we are worth our weight in gold.

God, thanks for the sacrifice and the example of Adalbert of Prague! Empower us by your Holy Spirit to imitate him. Hear our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25

“The Church is one, and by her fertility has extended by degrees into many lands. In the same way, the sun has many rays, but its light is one; a tree has many branches but a single trunk drawing nourishment from a deep root; many streams can issue from a single source.

In each case, multiplicity is fed from a single source and unity is preserved in the source itself. You cannot separate a ray from the sun any more than you can divide its light. Break off a branch from a tree, and once broken it will bud no more. Dam a stream from its source and the water will dry up.

In the same way, the Church, flooded with the light of the Lord, puts forth her rays throughout the world, but it is an identical light that is being diffused, and the unity of the body is not impaired. She extends her branches over the whole world in rich abundance. She pours out her generous rivers but there is one source.”

Cyprian of Carthage in On the Unity of the Church as recounted in Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell (SCM: Norwich, 2004) 85.

Cyprian offers a beautiful picture of our role as conduits or channels of blessing. We are generous rivers whose generosity flows from but one source.

As we dispense blessings, we can do so with confidence that God will refill us with an ongoing deposit of whatever we need for our use and for our sharing.

Cyprian also reminds us to stay connected to the Source. I find this to be true holistically linked to living, giving, serving, and loving.

So the lesson today is at least twofold. God made us to be channels of abundance blessing, but to play that role we remain connected to the Source of all that is infinitely good.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

“This activity of our heart may be compared, not inappropriately, to that of a mill which is activated by the circular motion of water. The mill cannot cease operations so long as it is driven by the pressure of the water, and then it becomes quite feasible for the person in charge to decide whether he [or she] prefers wheat or barley or darnel to be ground. And one thing is clear: only that will be ground which is fed in by the person who is in charge.

In a similar fashion, the mind is under constant pressure in this life. From all sides temptation comes in torrents to drive it along and in no way will it be free of turbulent thoughts. But the workings of zeal and diligence will decide which of these thoughts may be allowed in and cultivated. And, as I have said already, if we turn to the constant meditation on Scripture, if we lift up our memory to the things of the Spirit, to the longing for perfection, and to the hope of future blessedness, then the thoughts deriving from all this will of necessity be spiritual and they will hold the mind there thoughts have been.

However, if we are overcome by sloth or by carelessness, if we give ourselves over to dangerous and useless chattering, if we are caught up by worldly cares and in profitless worries, then there will follow in effect from this a harvest of tares to serve as a ministry of death to our hearts. As the Lord and Saviour of us all proclaimed, where treasure lies for our works and for our hopes, our hearts will of necessity abide there too.”

John Cassian (360-435) in Conferences as recounted in Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell (SCM: Norwich, 2004) 81-82.

The title of this classic work, Conferences, could be rendered, Meetings with Monks, for that is what it is. A record of a series of discussions between desert fathers who were deeply dedicated to God.

Here, Cassian looks at the heart to choose zeal and diligence over sloth and carelessness. If we don’t give ourselves to the former, we find ourselves caught up in the latter: “worldly cares and in profitless worries” instead.

By using the comparison to the mill, he gives us a picture of the forces at work, both for an against us. Constant pressure. But it is our choice what to make in the mill and how to stay focused along the way: constant meditation.

Perhaps that’s why God led me to do daily posts almost 13 years ago, and why you read them? As today’s Scripture notes, we need to remain steadfast. Let’s make generosity in our mill for God and others.

God help us not be overcome by the turbulent thoughts.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:15-16

“We have to shine not only before others by our good works and by what we say, but also before the angels in our prayer, and before God in the intentions of our hearts. In the presence of the angels our lamps will shine with unsullied reverence when we sing the psalms attentively in their sight or pray fervently; before God our lamp is single-minded resolve to please Him alone to whom we have entrusted ourselves.”

Guerric of Igny (1070-1157) recounted in Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell (SCM: Norwich, 2004) 80.

Cool name, Guerric of Igny. Not much is known about the life of this Cistercian abbot who studied under a Benedictine monk and lived a life of prayer, mostly in Belgium.

What we do know is that he cared about about not just shining before others with good works, but also before the angels in heaven and before God in his heart. He reveals the secret to this; Live with with single-minded resolve to please God. The rest falls into place after that. God help us do this today.

Father, by your Holy Spirit, help us live with single-minded resolve to please you so that heaven sings, people sees, and you will be honored. Do this we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me His prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 2 Timothy 1:6-8

“Paul reminds Timothy ‘to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands’, One can guess from these words how dispirited and dejected Paul must have believed Timothy to be at this time. Paul’s words remind us that much zeal is required to stir up the gift of God in us. Just as fire requires fuel, so grace requires our glad and willing consent if it is to be fervent. For it lies within our power to kindle or extinguish the grace of God within each of us. That is why Paul admonishes us: ‘Do not quench the Spirit’. The Spirit is quenched by sloth and carelessness, but kept alive by being watchful and diligent.’

John Chrysostom (347-407) in one of his sermons, recounted in Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell (SCM: Norwich, 2004) 64.

Paul wanted Timothy to fan the flame of the gift God had given him. For whatever reason, circumstances had caused Timothy to pause, to sit on the bench. Paul wanted him to get in the game. Is it time for you to do this?

Chyrsostom calls us to exchange sloth and carelessness with watchfulness and diligence. For Timothy, “grace requires glad and willing consent.” Or in plain terms, God won’t work through us unless we make ourselves available.

What about you? Are you in the proverbial dugout instead of on the baseball field? If so, fan to flame the gift God has given you! Don’t let the fear of suffering slow you down. Suffering will happen, but you will emerge victorious.

Your generous service depends on it.

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart;consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

“The world ridicules devotion in life, caricaturing devout people as peevish, gloomy, and sullen, and insinuating that religion makes a person melancholy and unsociable. But the Holy Spirit, speaking through the mouths of the saints and indeed through our Saviour Himself, assures us that a devout life is wholesome, pleasant, and happy.

The world observes how devout people fast, pray, and suffer reproach; how they nurse the sick, give alms to the poor, retrain their temper and do similar deeds which in themselves and viewed in isolation, are hard and painful. But the world fails to discern the interior devotion which renders these agreeable, sweet, and pleasant.

Look at the bees: they suck the bitter juice from thyme and convert it to honey because that is in their nature. Devout souls, it is true, do experience bitterness in works of self-discipline, but they are engaged in a process that converts such bitterness into a delicious sweetness. Sour green fruits are sweetened by sugar, bringing a ripeness to what had been unwholesome to the palate.

In the same way, true devotion is a spiritual sugar which takes away the bitterness of self-discipline. It counteracts the poor person’s discontent and the rich person’s smugness; the loneliness of the oppressed and the conceit of the successful; the sadness of the one who lives alone and the dissipation of the one is at the centre of society. In a word its gift is an equanimity and balance which refreshes the soul.

In creation God has commanded the plants to bring forth fruit, each according to its kind. Similarly, he commands all Christians, who are living plants of His Church, to bring forth the fruits of devotion according to each person’s ability and vocation. The practice of devotion will need to be adapted to the capabilities, jobs and duties of each individual.”

Francis de Sales (1567-1622) from Introduction to the Devout Life as recounted in Celebrating the Saints, compiled by Robert Atwell (SCM: Norwich, 2004) 59.

Today’s post was long, so I will be short.

I pray that your generosity finds deep roots in interior devotion, that like a bee you take the bitterness of this life and convert it to sweet honey, and that as living plant of Christ, made alive by His resurrection, that you bear much fruit for God’s glory.

Give us the self-discipline to make it so, Holy Spirit. Amen.

He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered His words. Luke 24:6-8

“The Church is called to announce the Good News of Jesus to all people and all nations. Besides the many works of mercy by which the Church must make Jesus’ love visible, it must also joyfully announce the great mystery of God’s salvation through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The story of Jesus is to be proclaimed and celebrated. Some will hear and rejoice, some will remain indifferent, some will become hostile. The story of Jesus will not always be accepted, but it must be told. We who know the story and try to live it out have the joyful task of telling it to others. When our words rise from hearts full of love and gratitude, they will bear fruit, whether we can see this or not.”

Henri Nouwen in Bread for the Journey (New York: HarperOne, 2006) reading for 7 November.

Today we celebrate the resurrection and the privilege of sharing the good news with others in gratitude for what Christ has done for us. He died on the cross for our sins, rose again, and washed us clean with His blood.

As Nouwen notes, “Some will hear and rejoice, some will remain indifferent, some will become hostile. The story of Jesus will not always be accepted, but it must be told.” We get to tell it out of gratitude.

And remember that when our sharing flows from a heart of love and gratitude, it will bear fruit, whether we ever see it or not. Our role is to proclaim the truth with boldness and joy, with love and gratitude.