Father Arnfinn, a dominican monk who lives in Oslo, visited Trondheim last week. He gave us a very interesting lecture on how to live a Christian life.
It was very rewarding, as Father described Christian life in different situations, from a forced state religion to today’s secularism, and also how to react to the numbers who leave the Church.
Sadly, his visit came in a bad time, and only five people were able to hear the lecture. I’m sure the number of exams had something to do with it. Some of our students had three exams that week! That’s why I’d like to share my notes from the lecture with you, as well as Father’s notes.
With regards to the Catholic response to secularism, there are three models of thought. Some people would like to bring back state churches. The state churches had some good qualities, but we have to face that that era is over. Albeit nostalgic, it cannot be brought back by anything but power. Since the days of the state church, personal freedom has been established and people have discovered themselves to the point that we are acting only in our own interest. Bringing the church back by power would merely create anger, hostility and maybe indifference.
Remember also that if we strip our catholic culture of faith, the culture becomes meaningless. It’s not right to instrumentalize the Church for a culture that has no meaning. As a defence against other religions, such as Islam, it is unfruitful.
Christianity is over any nation. It is empty to say “I’mPolish, therefore Catholic” or “I’m Norwegian, therefore Lutheran”. If everybody thinks like this, the Church and faith will die. Christianity is international, over all nations and unifies all nations.
By all means, a Christian and Catholic life can only be led and sought by free will. After all, being Christian is about loving God, and love cannot be forced. All those who want to leave the Church, should be allowed to. Just like Jesus allowed people to stop following him when they found His teachings too hard to hear.
Another model in an attempt to win followers, is by adaption to modernism. To say we are modern and kind, we include everyone and tolerate everything. This is practically resigning, and we become the underdog. Imposed on the faithful will be the need for excuses. Secular, modern people can be aggressive or nervous when faced by faith.
It is true the Church should be open and meet reality, like it did with the council of Vatican II, but we must keep our Catholic identity. If our Church is a slave to modernity, it will lose substance and people will leave.
The third model, the best solution: to just be Catholic. It’s better that we are a happy, profiled and faithful minority than to be a bleak majority.
If we look to the first Christians, we see that they were called by Christ to follow him, and to influence the world – not govern it.
They were martyrs, confessors, true believers. They proclaimed the gospel with humility and fellowship – the people who met them said they shared everything with the exception of their spouse. They were a new people of God among all the peoples.
They should be our role models today. Anywhere we go, we will meet people who do not know Christ or the Church. We should all be prepared to say something intelligent, something we have experienced in our own life. Be completely honest, hide nothing to make ourselves look better, as people will see through it and not take you seriously.
Be prepared to give account for Christ in your own life! This is his ission to all of us. Every Catholic is called to study theology in some form.
Father left us with this quote from the gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 44-71:
44 ‘No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God; everyone who has listened to the Father, and learnt from him, comes to me.
Not that anybody has seen the Father, except him who has his being from God: he has seen the Father. In all truth I tell you, everyone who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’
Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
This is what he taught at Capernaum in the synagogue. After hearing it, many of his followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’
Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this disturb you? What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before? ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.’But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him.
He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the Father.’
After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied him no more.
Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.’
Jesus replied to them, ‘Did I not choose the Twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil.’ He meant Judas son of Simon Iscariot, since this was the man, one of the Twelve, who was to betray him.
