Francis Berger
  • Blog
  • My Work

Házi Áldás - Sentimental Kitsch or Profound Wisdom?

12/28/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Walk into a household in Hungary and you are likely to see some variation of what is depicted above. Be it embroidered on cloth, or carved in wood, or framed calligraphy, or a simple postcard, the Házi Áldás (Home Blessing, roughly translated) is a staple of many a home in Hungary. I have translated the simple message into English below:

Home Blessing

Where there is faith, there is love,
Where there is love, there is peace,
Where there is peace, there are blessings,
Where there are blessings, there God is.
Where God is, 
there is no want. 


I have always liked seeing this comforting and sweet message whenever I stepped into someone's home in Hungary, but in the past three or four years I have come to understand the complexity and profundity within this seemingly simplistic little stanza. Of course many would argue the verse is nothing more than syrupy sentimental sap - the very epitome of greeting card kitsch - and I suppose they would have a point. In all honesty, I held similar thoughts for many, many years whenever I encountered things like the Házi Áldás.  

Nevertheless, I have learned to be somewhat wary of the mockers and the belittlers who callously dismiss everything as laughable, for I have found their attitude reveals more about their own ossified and shallow approach to life than it does anything else. Simply put, in their knee-jerk contempt, many fail to understand that wisdom - real wisdom - often hides in plain sight in simple little passages like the Házi Áldás. Of course, these same people would immediately begin to question the very notion of wisdom itself, but that shall perhaps remain the topic of a future blog post. 


Note: The final line could also be translated as there is no need, but this could be misconstrued in English and not reflect the original that essentially states there is no lack of anything or scarcity in a home where God can be found. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Blog and Comments

    Blog posts tend to be spontaneous, unpolished, first draft entries ranging from the insightful and periodically profound to the poorly-argued and occasionally disparaging.
     

    Comments are moderated. Anonymous comments are never published (please use your name or a pseudonym). 

    Emails welcome:

    f er en c ber g er (at) h otm   ail (dot) co m
    Blogs/Sites I Read
    Bruce Charlton's Notions
    Meeting the Masters
    From The Narrow Desert
    Synlogos ✞ Aggregator
    New World Island  
    New World Island YouTube
    ​Steeple Tea
    Berdyaev.com
    Adam Piggott
    Fourth Gospel Blog
    The Orthosphere
    Junior Ganymede

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Picture
    A free PDF is also available in My Work. 
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.