Entering a catholic country

Yesterday was a well needed day of relaxing, without a minute in the car. We saw the Eiffel tower and spent some time in Sacre Coeur. It was very special to be in such a famous church as Sacre Coeur and talk with our daughters about what the catholic faith is all about. In Sweden there are hardly any catholics at all. In Germany there are many catholics, and some of them are very good friends of ours. Spain, where we now will live for three months, is very catholic and the lutheran reformation never really came to this country. In some parts of the world lutherans and catholics hate each other so much that they want to kill each other, and such things are hard to explain to a six and a nine year old girl, who only have loving things to say about their friends from the "other" church.

When it comes to expressing faith I try to teach my daughters that they should never be afraid to stand up for and testify about what they believe in. But Jesus did not call us to force others to believe in the same God and express faith in the same manners as we do ourselves. During our three months in Spain we will spend most of the time among friends who call themselves evangelical christians, like we do too. But I know we will meet people who call themselves lots of other things, or nothing at all, and I hope I can express myself in a respectful and humble way. I wish that I act in a good way towards the spanish people who host me in their country, and I wish that my daughters will look at me and see that I live up to what I teach them.