Bishop Erik Varden Tells Vatican Lenten Retreat, True Freedom Is Found in Self-Giving Love
During the annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises at the Vatican, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim offered a profound reflection on what it truly means to become free. Addressing Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals residing in Rome, and heads of Vatican dicasteries, the Norwegian bishop challenged common cultural notions of freedom and invited listeners to rediscover its Christian meaning.
In contemporary public discourse, the word freedom is frequently invoked in political debates and social movements. It is often presented as an absolute good, something to be defended against any perceived restriction. Bishop Varden noted that appeals to freedom can quickly stir outrage, mobilize public protests, and deepen ideological divisions. What one group calls liberation, another may experience as oppression.
Against this backdrop, he argued that Christians must carefully clarify what they mean when they speak of becoming free. Drawing inspiration from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the bishop explained that human beings in their fallen state often misunderstand freedom. What appears natural is the desire to have things our own way, to satisfy impulses, and to pursue personal ambition without limits. Yet this, he suggested, can become a subtle form of bondage.
Saint Bernard described humanity as easily ensnared by habits, distractions, and repeated mistakes. The fact that individuals fall into the same patterns despite recognizing their dangers reveals a deeper unfreedom. True liberation, Bishop Varden emphasized, does not come from asserting control but from aligning one’s will with God’s will.
He rooted Christian freedom in the obedience of Christ, who freely said yes to the Father even unto the Cross. In this perspective, freedom is not about domination or self-assertion. It is about loving with a crucified love that is willing to give itself for others. The ultimate emblem of freedom is the Son of God who emptied himself, not to conquer by force, but to redeem through sacrifice.
The bishop also warned against the manipulation of freedom as a slogan used to justify impersonal systems or ideological agendas. Invoking concepts such as the Party, the Economy, or even History cannot legitimize policies that undermine human dignity. In Christian thought, freedom is always personal and relational. One person’s freedom cannot cancel or diminish another’s.
Reflecting on the Gospel command to resist not evil, Bishop Varden clarified that this does not mean accepting injustice. Rather, it calls believers to a deeper courage. At times, justice is best served not by retaliation but by patient endurance and moral witness. Refusing to meet force with force can become a powerful testimony to a higher freedom.
As the Church enters Lent, the retreat meditation invites believers to examine their own attachments and hidden constraints. Becoming free, in the Christian sense, requires humility, conversion, and a willingness to consent to the cost of love.
