The Unreasonableness of Catholicism

Is it strange that we think that beneath the perspective of other Christians and non-Christians with their seeming reasonableness and connectedness lies a deep unreasonableness; they are simply far from life. Catholicism's unreasonableness, contradictions, and problems point to a fundamental, organic connection. The Church is built on a rock. Catholicism does not explain all the problems of existence, but it explains more and goes deeper than any other philosophy of life. If the world is a battleground where God and Satan fight and there is no hope that the battle shall be finally over before judgment day, not even on that day will it become more humane; on the contrary, it shall become more grim. As St. John prophesies, we should be prepared for the worst. The best soldier is not the one who hasn't the sense to be afraid, but the one who is braver than he is fearful. And each joy, each victory, each good thing becomes wonderful - a surprise, an experience and extra delicious - À la guerre comme à la guerre.

"Catholic Propaganda" in Sigrid Undset on Saints and Sinners (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1993), p. 248