Introducing Frank Uhlir
An excerpt from Rev. Dr. Frank Uhlir's autobiography
The Call of the Cross from Politics to Priesthood Introduction by D. Gander, second New Life editor DAG - Throughout our lives, we're all affected by those we meet. In youth we're influenced by parents, siblings, friends, school teachers and peers, and even people we read about who may have died long ago.
For the Christian of course the person of greatest impact on us is Jesus Himself, with the Holy Spirit and His Father. Because God became a man 2000 years ago, we may have such a solid, down-to-earth relationship with our Lord that Paul for example could say, I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. In reading the Bible, we learn about God and His Kingdom from those who knew Jesus personally and from those like Paul who were profoundly changed by the Holy Spirit, so that they became living testimonies to the love and glory of God. |
Throughout history there have been saintly men and women who have lived and loved Jesus Christ in such a way that God was glorified in their lives. People have been profoundly changed, churches have been started and later enriched, and valuable commentaries have been written for future ages by unassuming believers in Jesus, people whose lives were so transformed in Christ that they have been reborn, from above. Such believers and lovers of Jesus, both those in our churches today and those departed, enrich our faith and strengthen our personal relationship with our common father, friend, teacher and saviour.
One humble man who has deeply enriched my faith-walk is (was) Rev. Dr. Frank Uhlir, who came penniless to Canada in the 1950's after imprisonment by both the Nazis and the Soviets. His training was in sociology and his first career was political, but he gave his life so completely to Jesus in those prison depths that his former life was replaced by the burden of the Gospel. He was ordained in Canada and became a skilful teacher and counsellor in Halifax and the Ottawa area. With the tireless help of his wife Joan, he began The New Lifeand wrote almost all of its articles for 25 years.
In his book "The Call of the Cross", Rev. Uhlir's autobiographical journey from Politics to Priesthood, he writes about this change starting in England:
p.71 My new life, which germinated in those deep, spiritual experiences in my prison cell, was acquiring a new meaning and fulfilment in my personal and social life. Although unemployed for ten months, I was very active. But it was a different kind of activity from before. Most of the time I spent in spiritual meditation, Bible study, prayer and reading religious books. I often walked in Kensington Gardens, for that became my meeting place with the Lord. I spoke with Him and received guidance from Him. I felt His light permeating through me as I changed the direction of my life. I came to develop knowledge of the oneness of the Father and the Son, my own oneness with Christ and the discernment of spiritual light and shadow.
My personal life was shifting toward understanding of a new sense of reality, of the involvement of the Living Christ in all aspects of the material world. As I was drawn to the Cross when I landed as a refugee in 1939, so now it was the Risen Christ who revealed Himself to me and received me to Himself. There was no compromise on my way to Him, nor was there any hesitation in my giving myself to Him. When I was alone, He filled my whole time and my whole being. When I was with other people, I felt His presence even when I was working or speaking with people. He became the source of my joy and wonder, the goal of my deepest longing, the security which gave me peace in my insecurity, my light on the dark road of the years which were to lie ahead of me.
All my social relationships and activities were affected. The ties became weaker with those friends and acquaintances where the relationship was based predominantly on political affinities and interests, and in many cases lapsed completely. I dropped all my purely political contacts at the beginning of June, 1949. Instead, my new friendships were rooted in Christian convictions and spiritual sincerity. The Church became the place where most of my friendships started. My friends were now either not involved in politics at all or, if they were, then Christianity meant far more to them than partisan politics.
p.73 One of the most important steps toward spiritual revival among Czech refugees was the establishment of the League of Saints Cyril and Methodius in July 1949, of which my son Frank was elected president. ...Although the league was established as a lay apostolate, politics was strictly excluded from its terms of reference so that there would be a separation between religious and political objectives. We wanted to prevent a clash between religion and politics and to give all Czechs, regardless of their political persuasion, the opportunity to find spiritual unity as Christian brothers and sisters. The league promoted the conviction that liberation of our country and the achievement of justice and peace in the world were impossible through politics alone and required the renewal of personal life in obedience to the law of God. We worked toward a spiritual regeneration of everyone as an individual, for we believed that the history of the world is not merely a history of races and nations, but primarily one of individual lives. Each of us has a place, however small, in the history of the world and each of us is called to eternal life. Only Christ living within human hearts can deliver the fruit of His blessing, inner peace, satisfaction, love, tolerance, joy, and all the other treasures of true happiness. Only He lights the way to Truth and to a life which can be seen to have meaning. The motto of the league was `omnia Instaurare in Christo' - `Everything renewed in Christ' [based on Eph.1:10. This later became the motto and prime purpose for Temple Pastures Mission in Gatineau, Quebec -ed.]
p.78 If I had known what would lie ahead for me in Canada, then I might have been too terrified to undertake the colossal task to which the Lord was calling me. ...I can now see that I had a lot more growing to do in my knowledge and understanding of Christ before I could understand myself. I was later to realize that the Lord never gives us more light than we can bear, and never asks us to undertake tasks beyond our capabilities.
How often I have meditated on the mystery that God lets us remain blind to something one day and then the next reveals to us what was plainly there to see all the time if only we had the capacity to see it.
I can now see, from the distance of years, that which I was unable to see before. Although there were many years when I was not aware of the presence of the Lord, I now see that He was always aware of me. There were times when I was frightened by the darkness which engulfed my life and I cried out to Him without knowing that it was just in those moments that He was nearest to me. In reality there was no such darkness surrounding me but from its very brightness I was blind to His presence. It was like looking directly into the sun when you are blinded by the excess of light, as opposed to being unable to see because of lack of light.
Christ is especially close when we cry out to Him for help. He never comes too soon, nor too late. He comes in what we call the fullness of time when we need Him most. He is our ever-present, ever-loving, protecting and guiding Saviour. All this I now see from the passage of time, though I did not see it at the beginning.
One humble man who has deeply enriched my faith-walk is (was) Rev. Dr. Frank Uhlir, who came penniless to Canada in the 1950's after imprisonment by both the Nazis and the Soviets. His training was in sociology and his first career was political, but he gave his life so completely to Jesus in those prison depths that his former life was replaced by the burden of the Gospel. He was ordained in Canada and became a skilful teacher and counsellor in Halifax and the Ottawa area. With the tireless help of his wife Joan, he began The New Lifeand wrote almost all of its articles for 25 years.
In his book "The Call of the Cross", Rev. Uhlir's autobiographical journey from Politics to Priesthood, he writes about this change starting in England:
p.71 My new life, which germinated in those deep, spiritual experiences in my prison cell, was acquiring a new meaning and fulfilment in my personal and social life. Although unemployed for ten months, I was very active. But it was a different kind of activity from before. Most of the time I spent in spiritual meditation, Bible study, prayer and reading religious books. I often walked in Kensington Gardens, for that became my meeting place with the Lord. I spoke with Him and received guidance from Him. I felt His light permeating through me as I changed the direction of my life. I came to develop knowledge of the oneness of the Father and the Son, my own oneness with Christ and the discernment of spiritual light and shadow.
My personal life was shifting toward understanding of a new sense of reality, of the involvement of the Living Christ in all aspects of the material world. As I was drawn to the Cross when I landed as a refugee in 1939, so now it was the Risen Christ who revealed Himself to me and received me to Himself. There was no compromise on my way to Him, nor was there any hesitation in my giving myself to Him. When I was alone, He filled my whole time and my whole being. When I was with other people, I felt His presence even when I was working or speaking with people. He became the source of my joy and wonder, the goal of my deepest longing, the security which gave me peace in my insecurity, my light on the dark road of the years which were to lie ahead of me.
All my social relationships and activities were affected. The ties became weaker with those friends and acquaintances where the relationship was based predominantly on political affinities and interests, and in many cases lapsed completely. I dropped all my purely political contacts at the beginning of June, 1949. Instead, my new friendships were rooted in Christian convictions and spiritual sincerity. The Church became the place where most of my friendships started. My friends were now either not involved in politics at all or, if they were, then Christianity meant far more to them than partisan politics.
p.73 One of the most important steps toward spiritual revival among Czech refugees was the establishment of the League of Saints Cyril and Methodius in July 1949, of which my son Frank was elected president. ...Although the league was established as a lay apostolate, politics was strictly excluded from its terms of reference so that there would be a separation between religious and political objectives. We wanted to prevent a clash between religion and politics and to give all Czechs, regardless of their political persuasion, the opportunity to find spiritual unity as Christian brothers and sisters. The league promoted the conviction that liberation of our country and the achievement of justice and peace in the world were impossible through politics alone and required the renewal of personal life in obedience to the law of God. We worked toward a spiritual regeneration of everyone as an individual, for we believed that the history of the world is not merely a history of races and nations, but primarily one of individual lives. Each of us has a place, however small, in the history of the world and each of us is called to eternal life. Only Christ living within human hearts can deliver the fruit of His blessing, inner peace, satisfaction, love, tolerance, joy, and all the other treasures of true happiness. Only He lights the way to Truth and to a life which can be seen to have meaning. The motto of the league was `omnia Instaurare in Christo' - `Everything renewed in Christ' [based on Eph.1:10. This later became the motto and prime purpose for Temple Pastures Mission in Gatineau, Quebec -ed.]
p.78 If I had known what would lie ahead for me in Canada, then I might have been too terrified to undertake the colossal task to which the Lord was calling me. ...I can now see that I had a lot more growing to do in my knowledge and understanding of Christ before I could understand myself. I was later to realize that the Lord never gives us more light than we can bear, and never asks us to undertake tasks beyond our capabilities.
How often I have meditated on the mystery that God lets us remain blind to something one day and then the next reveals to us what was plainly there to see all the time if only we had the capacity to see it.
I can now see, from the distance of years, that which I was unable to see before. Although there were many years when I was not aware of the presence of the Lord, I now see that He was always aware of me. There were times when I was frightened by the darkness which engulfed my life and I cried out to Him without knowing that it was just in those moments that He was nearest to me. In reality there was no such darkness surrounding me but from its very brightness I was blind to His presence. It was like looking directly into the sun when you are blinded by the excess of light, as opposed to being unable to see because of lack of light.
Christ is especially close when we cry out to Him for help. He never comes too soon, nor too late. He comes in what we call the fullness of time when we need Him most. He is our ever-present, ever-loving, protecting and guiding Saviour. All this I now see from the passage of time, though I did not see it at the beginning.
This excerpt is from Rev. Uhlir's autobiography, published in 1984 by the Christian teaching and retreat centre he founded called "Temple Pastures Mission".