Monday 1 April 2013

Freedom: Our Way is not God's Way

When we think of freedom, we think of freedom from suffering. When we think of liberty, we think of the liberty to do as we please and to do our own will. When we think of happiness, we think of pleasure.

God shows us that freedom is something greater and more magnificent than that. Freedom is to love to the end, to do the will of another or Another - the Father's will - and love is stronger than the power of death. 

By choosing suffering, by submitting Himself to the violence of the crucifixion and the horror of death at human hands, we see that God alone is totally free.

For Jesus said that nobody takes His life from Him, but He lays it down of His own accord and just as He laid it down in His Passion and Death, He can take it up again at His Resurrection.

The Lord chose to come down into the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the sinless Virgin chose to consent to His coming down from Heaven. He chose to dwell among us. He chose to teach us His Holy Gospel. He chose to be obedient to His Father and chose to humbly accept suffering and death - even death on a Cross - for our sake. Our Faith rests on an empty tomb, but only because God is totally free and He chose to rise from the dead. Yes, the Father chose that Jesus should rise from the dead. The Holy Ghost chose that Jesus should rise from the dead and Jesus chose to rise from the dead, since every Person of the Blessed Trinity was involved in the Resurrection. The Cross is a million sermons, but the Resurrection leaves everyone speechless!

We think we are free, but do we chose obedience to God? If we do not, we are not free! We think we are free, but do we choose to accept suffering when it comes our way? If we do not we are not free!

We think we are free, but do we choose God's will? Do we choose the Cross? Do we have the Faith to believe that we will share in the Resurrection of the Lord?

If we do not, we are not free! Yet, we believe that in choosing to do the opposite to Jesus, we will be free!

Let us follow Jesus who alone can make us free as adopted sons and daughters of God.

1 comment:

BJC said...

True freedom is doing God's will but let's not forget sin. 'He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives' (Lk 4:18). Captivity to sin means its difficult for us to follow God's will. Christ releases us from that captivity by winning back sanctifying grace for us on the cross and giving us the sacraments. That's why we can truly say 'Thy kingdom come Thy will be done'.

The Pope Who Won't Be Buried

It has been a long time since I have put finger to keyboard to write about our holy Catholic Faith, something I regret, but which I put larg...