“The most beautiful flower of the Czech reform movement in the 14th century” – this is how the Dominican Ondřej M. Petrů once described1 the flourishing of Eucharistic devotion in the Czech lands during the reign of Charles IV. At the beginning of this spiritual awakening stands the figure of the preacher Jan Milíč of Kroměříž. It is therefore entirely appropriate for us to recall this glorious chapter of our nation's spiritual history on the occasion of the Year of the Eucharist and not to be discouraged by the great shadow of distrust cast upon it by the missteps of the Hussites that followed shortly after. I will mention Milíč's life only very briefly. If you have the opportunity to study it in more detail, it is worth attention.2 Jan Milíč was originally a clerk (actually a diplomat) in the Imperial Chancellery in Prague, but dissatisfied, he renounced his position and began a spiritual career.
Under the influence of the preaching of Konrád Waldhauser, his “conversion” was completed. He renounced even his not insignificant church position, began to live an ascetic life, and devoted himself to preaching to broad layers of the population. His “fiery words” (as Tomáš Štítný of Štítný put it) along with his example led to a number of further “conversions” among his listeners. According to the testimony of contemporaries, many renounced the pursuit of wealth and contemporary fads, some abandoned dishonest occupations and learned to earn a living in other ways. Milíč's success in preaching among the prostitutes of Prague and his work for their new life is famous. Also remarkable was Milíč’s influence on priests, especially young priests. Even though he sometimes found himself on the border of delusion in his opinions, he sincerely sought guidance and direction from church authority and was a man very humble and full of goodness. Enthralled by the idea that it was necessary to “embody all in Christ,” he began to advocate frequent reception of the Eucharist. When he was accused before the Pope for these (albeit distorted) views, he went to defend himself in Avignon. There, in the summer of 1374, he died.
For the Carmel, it is interesting that his contemporary Matěj of Janov compares Jan Milíč to the prophet Elijah.3 In several respects:
- Milíč preached about the second coming of Christ (according to the prophet Malachi 3:23 Elijah will come just before it) and about the Antichrist;
- the words Sir 48:1 apply to Milíč: “his word burned like a torch”;
- Milíč lived an ascetic life similar to that of the Old Testament prophets, whose typical garment was coarse clothing (about Elijah see 2 Kings 1:8; similarly Zech 13:4 and about John the Baptist Mk 1:6);
- Like Elijah, Milíč diligently incited the faith and piety of the people around him;
- Milíč “was (...) like Elijah so zealous for the law of Jesus and his truth and power, that almost without pause and tirelessly he fought endlessly with a multitude of false prophets, monks, priests otherwise knowledgeable about the law, and clerics, that he was almost daily put in danger of death for the truth;”4
- Elijah boldly reproached King Ahab for religious decline; Milíč “came to the named emperor (Charles IV.) and pointed a finger at him and told him before all that he was the great Antichrist”; the archbishop imprisoned him for it, “but the emperor reverently accepted the preacher's gesture and helped him to freedom” (J. Kadlec).
Thus, our meeting with Jan Milíč on the occasion of the Year of the Eucharist is also a meeting with the impressiveness of the example of Elijah, even outside the community of Carmel.
(A glossary of the most archaic used Old Czech terms can be found after the text of the prayer. Let us warn in advance about two deviations from today's Czech language that are crucial for understanding. The word grace meant in old Czech: love (sometimes also grace, favor) and e.g. the phrase grace feminine meant: love for women. The often occurring word ny is a form of the pronoun we – e.g. za ny means: for us.)
Milíč's prayers were read “after sermons and at other times.”5 Let us therefore imagine that by uniting through this prayer, we connect after our hearts have been ignited by the “fiery words” and the compelling example of the preacher...
Dear Jesus Christ, lover of our souls,
what grace compelled you to love our souls so unclean, to purify them and thus desire for our souls, that you died for us in mercy on the holy cross? O heartfelt lover, how strong was the love in your heart when you deigned to give us your holy body and your holy blood in memory of your holy death! Therefore, we ask for your holy grace, to deign to open the well of living water, from which flows the drink of your holy blood, so that we may quench our parched souls, receiving your divinity and your humanity. You are the dwelling of divinity, for in your holy body dwells the holy Trinity. You are the heavenly abode of our weary hearts. O generous host of the exiled outcasts in the desert and in the valley of these tears, how high have you surpassed all generosity! O only hope of orphans, how have you exceeded all grace beyond measure of love, when you prepared such a precious gift for holy angels and penitent sinners in continuous grace, namely, the constant nourishment of your holy body and the constant drink of your holy blood! For the bread of angels is the bread of humanity, for the same heavenly bread is eaten by people for the forgiveness of sins and the remedy for their fragility and for satisfaction, so that they do not die of eternal hunger, which the holy angels eat for eternal delight and joy. Therefore, we ask for your holy grace, to deign to unite us with the holy angels for the enjoyment of continual joy, since you have united us for the enjoyment of the delicious heavenly bread.
O dear Jesus Christ, since you are the bread of angels, who has the taste and delight and sweetness of all joy within you, grant that our hearts may be sweetened, so that we may feel your heartfelt fragrance and all spiritual desire and heartfelt grace filled in you. Grant us to turn all other beauty and pleasure and carnal grace into such bitterness that we may rejoice only in you alone and heartily long for you and be drawn by your mercy until death, since you desired for us to die mercifully for us. You are the bread of spiritual remedy; grant us to heal from the poisonous wounds of unclean temptation, so that the power that flowed from your holy body, healing the sick, may flow into our hearts and eternally heal, illuminate, cleanse, and thus strengthen us to the point that no temptation and no sin may overcome us.
O dear Jesus Christ, since you are the bread of eternal satiety, grant us strength with the precious food of your holy body, so that we may be strong for all good. For our mothers fed us with their or foreign breasts for all bodily needs, but you, our nurturer, feed us with your holy body and your holy blood for all nobility and virtuous qualities. Grant us to be so ennobled by your holy blood that we may be united in your royal lineage, so that we may never disgrace the lineage of Christians.
O merciful bread, grant that the fire of the Holy Spirit may be ignited in us, so that we may be terrifying to all enemies like lions breathing fire, for ignited truth and grace, for where your holy blood is in a worthy heart, there evil spirits flee and good angels come to help. May we be graciously nourished with your holy blood, so that evil spirits, frightened, may not dare to approach us, and that holy angels may always dwell with us.
O dear Jesus Christ, you are our daily bread, by which we are always alive, without which we always die in our souls. Grant us the grace to always receive your holy body and your holy blood worthily as often as we are worthy, with such honor, with such fear, with such purity, with such intention, with such faith, with such grace, with such tears, with such sweetness, so that we may have delightful peace and refreshment and alleviation from our great sins and temptations. And although our sins are great, your holy grace is even greater. Therefore, we cannot and do not want to despair over you and your holy blood, by which you redeemed us from eternal death. Please defend us at our end, that we may never die without your holy body, but that your holy body may be our guide from this desert to the enjoyment and vision of your holy face for all ages. Amen.
Explanation of some Old Czech terms:
miloščěmi – out of love; hospoda – shelter; ustalých – weary; v jednostajné – in the same; točíš – namely; sjednati – to unite (to the same level); abychom čili – that we may feel; ohorčiti – to make bitter; miloščěmi svadli – led by love; k ktvúciej cnosti – to the flourishing of virtue; abychom sě polúčili po ... – that we may be united with ...; zaběhnú – will flee; nesměli – did not dare; otdešenie – breathing space; próvod – passage, but also guide.
