Ottokár Prohászka (1858-1927) was the bishop of Székesfehérvár in Hungary from 1905 until he died. He was an influential writer, publishing meditations and sermons. His works can be found on the site of the Péter Pázmány Electronic Library, here (scroll down to the letter P). The following excerpts have been taken from the book “Elmélkedések az evangéliumról” (“Meditations on the Gospel”).
Frequent confession.
a) “Bear fruit that befits repentance”. (Matthew 3:8). First of all, this requires deep, true sorrow; this sorrow is perfected by frequent confession. At the beginning of our conversion or improvement, we only have a vague awareness of our sins; later, we begin to recognize the multitude and wickedness of our sins. Our sorrow grows in proportion to this recognition. […]
b) Through frequent confession, we receive more grace; and grace softens the soul, like water softens hemp; it makes it more pliable. And sorrow depends on sensitivity. Those who possess it are better able to grieve over minor sins than others over major ones. Everyone grieves according to the measure of their grace; the saints grieved the most because they had the most grace. […] The coarseness of the soul hinders sorrow. Look at the coarse man, the savage: only storms, tempests, hurricanes, thunder and lightning make an impression on his soul; wisdom, depth, and love, which are poured out upon creation, do not affect him. Just as, while our hearts are rough and pursue earthly interests, only death, hell, judgment, and predestination frighten us. He cannot delve into the intimacy of grace, the secrets of prayer, the treasures of indulgences. Those who do not penetrate them and are distracted are only alarmed by the thunder of judgment; but those who are alert hear the rustling of the summer breeze in the foliage of the trees.
c) Grace brings imitation; we begin to feel more deeply and intimately with Christ; we take his suffering to heart and are deeply moved by the thought: how does Jesus, crowned with thorns, look at me? I am shaken and pierced by this gaze. The causes of this sorrow are solely: His bloody sweat, His five sacred wounds, the disfigurement of His holy face, and the sorrow of His holy heart. […]
The kingdom of God is within us.
a) “[T]he kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) The kingdom of heaven is a trusting, loving union with God. My soul clings to Him and finds peace in Him. I must pursue this awareness through everything and despite everything that breaks me, worries me, and oppresses me. Then I feel that I am shaping life with my soul, just as a sculptor shapes a beautiful figure from rock. Sometimes I hesitate, I am small-minded, the world overwhelms me with its waves; I am surprised by the doubt that perhaps life is nothing after all. We are so small and weak, the waves sweep us away; but we must be convinced that the soul will prevail. […] The world is big, but Jesus said: The soul is greater. I awaken to self-awareness in the face of the great world. I assert myself, then I feel and experience the spiritual strength that is capable of shaping my world.
b) This self-aware, enlightened soul draws two comforting insights from the Gospel; he becomes convinced of his own value and of God’s love. This conviction gives rise to goodwill and a zest for life. He is bright and happy, surrounded by the glory of Christmas Eve, already transformed by the “pax hominibus bonae voluntatis”. With him the Lord shows us what “bona voluntas” is. It is trusting, loving goodwill! He does not get disturbed; he does not lose his balance or himself. He is above trouble. He is carried by a higher power; he soars like a seagull above the waves; he sits like a bird on a creaking branch (transience); he is not afraid, for he has wings. This awareness makes one strong in trials and brings a smile to the soul in difficulties. It is the source of those heroic types who preserve the purity and dignity of the soul in all circumstances of life.
It is carried by a higher power; it soars like a seagull above the waves; it sits like a bird on a creaking branch (transience); it is not afraid, for it has wings. This awareness makes us strong in times of trial and brings a smile to our souls in times of hardship. It is the source of those heroic types who preserve the purity and dignity of the soul in all circumstances of life.
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Let us live with this awareness and carry it with us into our everyday lives. The Gospel does not lift us out of economic work or social relations; it respects authority; it proclaims marriage as sacred, sanctifies love, obliges us to work, does not urge us into the wilderness; it recognizes us as human beings, leaves us as human beings, but trusts in the “leaven,” in the formation of a new world through this sublime self-awareness. Let me resolve each morning to bring self-aware, moral motives into my life. I will not just take things as they come, but I will also act.
The Good Shepherd Church in Székesfehérvár, built in honor of Prohászka. Image by Dr. János Korom in 2012, CC-BY-SA 2.0, here
The Kingdom of God in the world.
The Kingdom of God is not only within us, but also wants to take its place in the world, in public institutions, and in society. This is the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of greater justice, greater goodness, and a happier life. This too must come closer. That is why we want the kingdom of God to take up space in society and public life in a broader and deeper way.
a) In a broader sense. The kingdom of God spreads slowly. There are times when truth and goodness hardly reach the large segments of the population that rest deep within society. Little light and beauty penetrates to them. Then the time comes when they stir—when they want to live morally and socially; when they thirst for culture and enlightenment; when popular education becomes a great interest that moves the world. How did the prophet describe this beautiful advent? “Omnes enim cognoscent me,” “they shall all know me” (Jer 31:34). What did the Lord Jesus say? “The blind shall see, the lame shall walk…” So when we see and walk accordingly, and when the tormenting evil is gone, then we have our Advent. This Advent is happening in the big world, in schools, in missions, in the true enlightenment of the people. Advent songs can be heard, longings and prayers for a better age, accompanied by the feeling: He is coming, He is coming… He cannot be far away now. […] We must always refer these educational efforts to Christ and always direct our instinctive desire for progress toward the paths of faith.
b) This Advent movement for world improvement can only truly bring happiness if it touches us deeply, in our souls! The soul must be inspired, ignited, and inflamed. This process is the work of perfection. The gifts of Christ are at our disposal, but we must take possession of them more fully, we must experience the peace of Christmas, the confidence of the woman with the issue of blood, the sorrow of Magdalene; we must hold Jesus close to our hearts, like Simeon, and experience Easter and Pentecost, like the apostles. We must open our eyes to recognize our brothers and sisters in people and love them! “I am satisfied with the firm prospect of the burgeoning Advent season, (the warmth of our desires and aspirations), the firm belief that everything born of this Advent spirit will overcome the world.” [German in the original] Let us not doubt; let us trust and fight! Let us acquire enlightened obedience, which sees and does the will of God; intimacy, which lives the life of Christ in composure; let us cultivate our sense of form, so that we can give life a simple, morally beautiful shape even above trivial things, troubles, and gossip; sensitivity to God’s impressions; social feeling in uplifting our brothers and sisters. O come, Lord Jesus. Be incarnate in me too.
Master, what shall we do?
“Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’… ax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’” (Luke 3:14; Luke 3:12).
a) The answer could only be: do what God wants. We are under an ideal, commanding necessity that demands: do this, do not do that. We live under the stars of ideals and virtues, and this ideal beauty and this binding necessity are ultimately the divine will, which is embodied in Christ before us. He wants you to do so, and he does so himself to set an example. I read this sublime divine will in my soul and in its depths, I highlight it with the light of my understanding, and then, enriched with positive details, I hear it from the lips of Christ and observe it in His life. I am under the law, I feel it, and I do not dictate the law: I dictate the law of nature as little as I dictate the divine will. My God, what should I dictate? … Not to dictate, but to do is my task. So I will do it, because it is Your will. And just as I feel that I am under the law and that my place is part of the whole, so I also feel, believe, and hope that my partiality, my inadequacy, is complemented by that commanding, powerful will. The Lord will be my helper; the law is accompanied by grace; the ideal descends and prepares my paths. This is my moral creed! I believe that I must obey the supreme will, but I also know that it will help me in my obedience!
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c) These are the good deeds. Not only prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are our good deeds; no, but the entire content of my self-awareness; how I feel, how I think, how I view the world and people, how I judge God and life, how good, patient, forgiving, gentle, strong, and intelligent I am, with what intention I work, speak, converse, and suffer—in short, my entire life can be a good deed!
Morality is that beautiful, noble, kind life that has discipline, law, rhythm, and harmony. Morality is self-aware, ideal will. It is not just altruism, not just self-sacrifice; not just respect for people and rights, humanism and personal safety; not just charitable institutions and social sentiment. These are all only parts of moral life, and even the average, immoral person may possess some of them, but that does not determine their moral standard; rather, morality is my self-conscious, noble will and feeling, whether I am a hermit or a beggar; morality is the greatness of the soul, “Seelengrösse”: morality is the beauty and vitality of the soul. Ah, this is the air of my soul, the sunshine and the forest breeze; this is my zone! When the door of the house in Nazareth opens, the breeze and fragrance of morality strikes me, as if I had opened the gates of heaven! There is so little of this, and there could be so much everywhere! Let your Spirit move within me!