Jan Hus

Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of Jan Hus in 1415. Hus is a Czech national hero and a saint to members of the Moravian Church, but he really belongs to the whole world. Though some still consider him a heretic, we should all be inspired by his courageous opposition to abuse, corruption, deception, and violence in the church. Like many people who stand up for truth in a age of lies, Hus became a victim of the oppression he opposed. He burned alive at the stake in a public ceremony intended to intimidate all who might follow in his reform effort. The most powerful people in Europe were frightened by this little priest from Bohemia and the books he had written. They ground up his ashes and scattered them in the river so his memory would be erased. They wanted him to one of the many who have been “disappered,” but the flame they kindled in Constance ignited the people of Bohemia and Moravia. A reformation began that continues to this day whenever ordinary people speak truth to power and remain faithful to the law of Christ in dangerous times.

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