– Sigrid Undset's prophecy is coming true now | – Sigrid Undsets profeti går i oppfyllelse nå

SIGRID UNDSET (1882-1949) konverterte til Den katolske kirke i 1924. Bildet er tatt i 1928.
Foto: Aage Remfeldt / Aage Rasmussen, Wikimedia Commons

I 1927 profeterte Sigrid Undset at antallet trofaste kristne i Europa ville minke. Hun forutså imidlertid også at det ville komme misjonærer fra andre verdensdeler som ville snu utviklingen og bringe den kristne, katolske troen tilbake til Norge. - Sigrid Undset har fått rett i begge deler, mener biskop Bernt Eidsvig.

Dette kom frem i en tale som biskop Bernt Eidsvig holdt for katolske filippinere i Oslo Katolske Bispedømme. Du kan lese hele det engelske manuset under her.

Scroll down for English version.

En stor, glemt skatt

Jeg anbefaler deg på det varmeste å lese hele talen. Først vil jeg bare få presentere det utdraget av talen som handler om Undsets profetier. Her er det (i min oversettelse fra engelsk):

Som kristne har vi et kall til å være Kristi vitner i det samfunnet vi lever i. I et land som Norge, hvor sekularismen har blitt det nye trossystemet for mange mennesker, er våre vitnesbyrd av levd tro viktigere enn noensinne. Dere som har kommet til dette landet har brakt med dere rikdom som har gått tapt for mange her. 

En av våre mest kjente norske forfattere, Sigrid Undset, konverterte til den katolske tro. I 1927 skrev hun i et essay at antallet trofaste kristne ville minke i Europa, og vi kan se at hun hadde rett. Men hun forutså også hvordan alt dette ville forandres når misjonærer ville komme fra Amerika, Asia og Afrika, misjonærer som ville bringe tilbake våre forfedres tro til dette landet.

Mine kjære brødre og søstre, den dagen har kommet, og de misjonærene er dere! Dere har kommet til dette landet med en skatt som har blitt glemt og oversett. Troen som dere har brakt med dere, er den samme katolske troen som har levd i dette landet i tusen år!

Med den smakebiten satser jeg på at apetitten har blitt tilstrekkelig vekket. Her får du herved hele talen:

Greeting to the 5th General Assembly of the Sacred Heart Filipino Chaplaincy in the Diocese of Oslo and to all our Filipino Catholics

[Undertitlene og utropstegnene i manuset er originale. Uthevinger i fet skrift er mine egne.]

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I wish to greet all of you who take part in the 5th General Assembly in Klepp this weekend. I especially wish to express my gratitude to Bishop Precioso Cantillas, who has come all this way to take part in the Assembly.

Put out into the deep

This year you will look more closely at the theme from Luke’s Gospel: “Put out into the deep”. This topic is most appropriate for this special year of grace that we have recently entered into – the “Year of Faith”. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary for the opening of the 2nd Vatican council, and the 20th anniversary for the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Pope wants us to do exactly that – to put out into the deep – to dig deep into the deposit of faith which was opened to us at our baptism. The deposit of faith is like a treasure that will enrichen our lives the more we make use of it.

Faith is a gift that we should not take for granted. The deposit of faith that we hold in our hands, has been handed down to us through the centuries from the time of the Apostles. We have received the gift of faith because someone has passed on this faith to us. As we have received it, so we must pass it on to others so that the deposit of faith will continue to enrich people in generations to come.

Living a life of faith, and passing on the faith to others, demand courage – the same courage that the apostles showed when they dared to believe in him who invited them to put out into the deep after they had worked all night without any results. The new courage they received when listening to the words of Jesus, made them act in faith. We see in the Gospel that this act of faith was not done in vain.

Keep on sowing

I know that many of you try your very best to pass on the faith in your families, and I thank you for that – as I am sure your children will too, when they understand the value of the treasure you have given them. I also know that passing on the faith is not always easy. Passing on the faith is especially challenging if you live far away from the church, or if you live in a mixed marriage and most of your children’s friends are non-Catholic. But even if you see no results: don’t give up! Live your faith so that it is visible in your home. You should never underestimate the power of the testimony of lived faith! We do not know when the seeds we have planted will start growing into a beautiful flower. Keep on sowing, and keep on watering, the seeds of faith in your families. Miracles will happen as they have done before!

"My dear brothers and sisters,
that day has come,
and those missionaries are you!"

I would also like to take this occasion to remind you that our testimony of faith must not just be given in our families, or in our own communities. As Christians we have a calling to be witnesses to Christ in the society in which we live. In a country like Norway, where secularism has become the new belief system for many people, our testimonies of lived faith are more important than ever. Those of you who have come to this country, have brought with you richness that has been lost by many in this country.

One of our most famous Norwegian authors, Sigrid Undset, was a convert to Catholicism. In 1927 she wrote in an essay that the number of the faithful would diminish in Europe, and we can see that she was right. But then she also foresaw how this all would change when missionaries would come from America, Asia and Africa, missionaries who would bring back our forefathers faith to this country.

My dear brothers and sisters, that day has come, and those missionaries are you! You have come to this country with a treasure that has been forgotten and neglected. The faith you have brought with you, is the same Catholic faith that has lived in this country for a thousand years! Most of the values we hold dear in this country, are taken from this deposit of faith, but when the origin of these values is forgotten, they will start decaying, as I am afraid we see many signs of in this country.

Live your faith visibly

Therefore, I encourage you to live your faith visibly and with pride. If you do not hide you faith away people will come to you and ask questions. Be open to these questions, and do not be afraid or embarrassed to talk about your faith. This country is in desperate need of our common testimony.

I know after reading the letters from people who ask to be received into the Church that your testimony has already brought many people back to the faith and back to the Church, and I thank you for that! I therefore encourage you to have high thoughts about the importance of your presence in this country, and the important place you have in the local Church. I have already seen so many results of your testimonies, and I have experienced and heard about the joy you bring to your parishes.

Thank you!

I thank you from my heart for your contribution towards the common good in the parishes in which you live. Important tasks in many of our parishes, often the unseen jobs, would not have been done without your contribution. Through faith we know that what is unseen by man, is seen by our heavenly Father, and that nothing is without significance if we do it for him.

May Our blessed Lady, Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church, intercede for us so that we, as one family in Christ, may become courageous witnesses of God’s infinite love for all of humanity, so that the gift of faith will be passed on through us.

I will conclude by asking our heavenly Father to bless each and every one of you, and that he will bless your meeting and your families, and that the people you encounter will experience God's blessing through you!

+ Bernt I. Eidsvig
November 2012

Første gang publisert her på bloggen 11. mars 2013, etter avtale med Informasjonstjenesten i Oslo Katolske Bispedømme. Talen kan også leses i St. Olav kirkeblad nr. 1-2013. Kirkebladet sendes til alle registrerte katolikker i Norge - og alle andre som ønsker å motta det gratis. Det kan også leses på nettet her. 

St Olav kirkeblad

Fra høsten 2017 blir St. Olav kirkeblad et gratis abonnementsblad som ikke går ut til alle registrerte katolikker, men bare til de som selv sier aktivt sier fra om at de ønsker å få bladet.

Bladet vil fortsatt være gratis, men alle som ønsker å få bladet tilsendt - både katolikker og ikke-katolikker - må tegne et gratis-abonnement. Hvert nummer fremover vil fremdeles bli publisert digitalt på katolsk.no. Her kan du lese St. Olav kirkeblad nr. 1-2017 på katolsk.no.

For å abonnere på St. Olav kirkeblad: 

• Send epost med navn og adresse til: abonnement@katolsk.no 

• Send SMS til 417 16 052 med kodeord STOLAV etterfulgt av navn og adresse

• Ring inn navn og adresse til: 23 21 94 21