Lenten Retreat: Bishop Varden reflects on 'becoming free'
Vatican News • • world
Key Points:
- Bishop Erik Varden discusses the complexity of the concept of freedom, noting its contentious use in political discourse where different groups claim opposing and incompatible notions of liberation.
- He emphasizes that true freedom, in a Christian sense, is not natural to humanity but involves surrendering personal desires and embracing the will of God, as illustrated by Saint Bernard’s reflections.
- Christian freedom is characterized by self-giving love and willingness to suffer for justice, rather than by force or domination, contrasting with political or ideological uses of freedom that can justify oppression.
- Varden warns against equating freedom with impersonal forces like political parties or economic systems, insisting that genuine freedom is personal and cannot infringe on the freedom of others.
- The ultimate symbol
