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 Talking to pastor Pierre Valkering….
photographer:Jaap Wals
 Who
or what is 'God'?
The endless list of possibilities which is there for
us. The source of our existance. The source of joy, peace, love and
happyness. The mistery in which we live, move and are.
How can one pray to God?
Jesus called God “Father”. This is a metaphor, an image. We follow this in
our prayers. We picture God as a person committed to us.
Can one address God as “Mother”?
Certainly. Take the Book of Psalms for instance. In psalm 113 the singer
feels safe with God as with a mother.
What is the central focus of the Catholic faith?
Our belief that God became man. God has become visible for us. Especially in
the person of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus we can see God. The Eucharist is
also very important. During his Last Supper Jesus told his friends to take
this bread and drink the wine for this is my body and blood.
Something else: the Catholic faith is a very earthly
faith, with elements like water, earth, body, bread, wine. These are all
earthly means to connect with God. The Catholic faith has a festive spirit.
Coming together you can experience God. When I look at you, I can see
something divine.
Some people say: I experience God in nature. In
trees and flowers…
That is very well possible…but for us God is more than that…
How can the church be compared with the New Age
movement?
“New Age” is a mixed bag of beliefs. I think it takes a different view on
“suffering”. Actually, in each Catholic service we remember a murder. But a
murder which Jesus, the victim, gave a new meaning in that he gave himself.
Jesus’ death has become a source of life for us, a revelation. So God also
reveals himself in suffering human beings, in those who suffer violence and
death. Therefore we don’t have to avoid suffering. My impression is that “New
Age” doesn’t know how to deal with this.
Why does God let children die?
We have no answer to that. It is proper to say nothing. I don’t belief it is
God’s will. But it happens.
Is God something people invented?
All images we have of God and all words we have about God are our words. That
is true. But still: the experience we connect with the word “God” is a very
real and fundamental experience. Abraham heard something in the whisper of
the wind. He was addressed, by something outside himself. The wind became
words spoken to Abraham…maybe it has to do with what we would now call the
“stream of consciousness”; that talk inside your head that never stops. It
can give you the experience that you are not alone in that talk, but that you
are talking to God. And God is bigger and more than we are, not an extension
of ourselves but truly Another.
What is the difference between Protestant and
Catholic?
The Catholic faith is much more material. For instance, we believe that bread
and wine signify the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In that the
Catholic faith is uninhibited, abundant and generous. It is an optimistic,
joyful faith. I always hope that people leave the church happier than they
entered it.
What about these miracles? Have they ceased?
I belief that faith can work both physically and mentally as a healing force.
Are there any strict Catholic commandments?
The commandments of our faith are guidelines that show the way to happiness
for people individually and the community of the faithful as a whole. It goes
without saying that every person is responsible for what he or she can and
will do with these commandments. Of course, it gets hard if you can’t see
them as way to happiness…
Is there a 'come back' of certain practices in
church? Of confession, for instance?
This is a time of confession in a general sense. People are much more open
than they used to be, tell each other much easier about what they feel and
the mistakes they made and ask for forgiveness – even on television. The
sacrament of confession is a ritual in which man confesses his sins for God
and receives forgiveness from God. This is done by the priest who acts in the
name of Jesus Christ. The salvation that this sacrament gives is very
fundamental.
There can be circumstances in a man’s life that leave no other way to relief
of guilt than this sacrament; namely if you cannot make up to the people that
you have done wrong. It is true that in these days there is a growing
revaluation of these things.
Shouldn’t the church do more for society?
Personally I don’t like this atmosphere of “should” and “shouldn’t”.
Naturally, it is a good thing to care for society and all kinds of people
with their needs, but only in a free and loving spirit and not as a sort of
“Christian duty”. That would not work. The biggest service the church can
render society is to keep the church itself as open and approachable, as
hospitable as possible. That also holds good for us in the Pijp.
What’s the procedure if you decide to become a
Catholic?
There is a (relatively short) course that starts in January. You don’t need
to know much, but it is important that your heart is in it. You are baptized
into the church on Easter Saturday night.
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