It was 3 years before I would hear him preach again, this time I was at the front row.
So much had happened since the last preach, so much meetings that I’ve been to. One off course the most important, my second, where I met Markéta. How long ago it seems, although it has only been two years. To think that our first child will be born in half a year is just crazy.
We fit so well together, although at first it seemed that we could never marry. How could I as a local blacksmith think that I could fancy the daughter of the wealthiest merchant in town. Her father was so angry when he found out about us. Although he seemed most unhappy about the fact that his daughter didn't follow the church the proper way, but like that heretic Jan Hus seems to think is the proper way. He also didn't liked that his daughter, his only child and treasure was hanging around with such a lowly smith. He was mad that I didn't even ask for his permission to date his precious, not that I would have gotten it. He didn't like it that Markéta was a rebel against the church, but he hated it that she was a rebel against him. Not that it mattered, Markéta couldn't live with him anymore, couldn't handle the fact that he wanted to protect her, protect her too much. When she told him, he just threw her out of the house, although she was his only child, his treasure, he didn't want to have a daughter that didn't listen to him.
Markéta could only come to me, but I could not just let her live with me. Although people knew I thought different about the church, and let me do it, they would not accept it that we would live together without us being married. My house was also too small for two to live in. So we had to arrange things fast, she could stay at the Hungry Boar, the local inn, for two weeks before she was out of the money she had with her. It was on short notice, but it would have to do. I was not ready, was not ready at all to marry at the age of 25, I was only out of apprenticeship for a year. I could not let her rot away on the streets, she didn't belong there, not that she belonged with me, but it was all I could give her.
Bohdan ,the local priest, was a free thinker, I had seen him at the preach of Jan Hus too and had often spoken with him over Jan's words. I had doubts about the church and was not sure of myself, the priest had had doubts too. So when we came he asked me how we wanted to get married. I had not given it a thought that you could marry differently than the way of the Catholics. There weren't many changes, but it was still different somehow.
First, her father didn't give her away, even after two weeks he was still mad at her and it didn't seem that he would ever forgive her for being a rebel. It seemed though that Bohdan had seen us coming, when I asked him how he knew he had said that Ludvik Radecký had seen how her father had thrown Markéta out. Ludvik Radecký had spoken about it with Bohdan when he had a conversation about his faith. It seemed that I was not the only one who doubted the Catholic church, I didn't knew that Ludvik Radecký was such a religious man after all. It seems that he had said no to the cleric at the preach of Jan Hus because he wasn't certain that they were right to demand they were right. No he was certain they were wrong and he was certain that Jan Hus was right. He also knew that we as fellow followers of Jan Hus needed help, so he had spoken with Bohdan how he could help us. Bohdan had said that we would need help when we would marry, for he just knew we would. So it was Ludvik Radecký who gave Markéta away to me, he even gave us a small bag of gold. I wanted to refuse, I wanted to make clear that we would be able to take care of ourselves. He simply said to me that hard times were ahead for us followers of Jan Hus and that we should support each other as much as we could. We were the first pair to be married according to the teaching of Jan Hus, we were also still young and needed some help to get us settled. He didn't need the money, those filthy bribes that the Catholic clerics tried to use to get him and his boys against the followers of Jan Hus, no, it would be much more satisfying if the money of those bribes were used to help the followers of Jan Hus.
Second, there wasn't a great feast, there was no great celebration of us being married. No, it was just us, Bohdan, Ludvik Radecký and the other guards that thought Jan Hus was right and had followed their captain to this marriage. As he had asked them to be there at the first proper marriage of the followers of Jan Hus. There were just the seven of us, I don't know if there are more people in town who follow Jan Hus, there probably are.
But I'm running away with my memories, I was going to tell about the second preaching of Jan Hus that I attended.
Yes, this is the same picture, the first one should not have been there, but I forgot to take a screen shot of the first time the event happened. I forgot that I forgot and simply looked at the event.
Listen not to these clerics that say that they preach the world of God. I have read His words and they are not what they say. I ask you to read His words yourselves, and to think how they hold us back. We can create our own Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Therefore we must know His true way, the way HE intended it to be. The first rule should be however to love your fellow men. Understand him, explain to him that the bible is the true word of God, not the words out of the mouths of the clerics. I will not tell you what the true word of God is, read it yourself. I know much of you can't read, but you will have to me thought. The clerics don't want that you can read, because if you can read the words of God yourself you will know that the clerics are not preaching the true words of God.
Take a look the Pope himself, one of his predecessors has proclaimed that our King is the Holy Roman Emperor and that his vassals should stay autonomous. They all have the blessing of God to rule over their piece of Earth. Yet still this Pope has annexed the city state of Modena because he wanted it for himself. He therefore doesn't follow the way that God wants us to follow. His predecessor was wrong, or he is, clearly one of them isn't following the way of God. They don't follow the way of God, they don't follow the bible, they follow the way that suits them best and they try to tell us that it is the way God wants it. Don't longer to these men, read the bible yourself and follow God the way He wants. Don't be alone however, spread the word: The word of God is in the bible and only in the bible.
I couldn't read yet at the first preach, but Markéta had thought me. I could now, although I was still low at it. Her father had somebody thought her how to read, she was his only child, so he had to make sure that she knew things, could read the figures of the trade.
I walked to Jan Hus after his preach, I offered him my help, that I believed that he was true. He smiled and said that he was glad for it. I should not follow him though and I should not preach the true way too much into the open. The clerics were after him and he didn't wanted other followers of the true way of God to get caught. He was afraid himself, but he knew he had to spread the word of God. The more people that followed meant that more people would try to create the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and that more people would reach Heaven. The King of Bohemia and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was forgiving enough about him, or just didn't care, but the clerics weren't. If I wanted to help, I should stay here and slowly teach people that the bible is the true word of God and only the bible. We should teach them how to read.