{"id":295297,"date":"2016-09-13T19:49:20","date_gmt":"2016-09-14T00:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/?p=295297"},"modified":"2016-09-13T19:49:20","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T00:49:20","slug":"freedom-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/freedom-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom – Part 2 – Why is it so hard to be free"},"content":{"rendered":"

As discussed in the last article in this series<\/a>,\u00a0in order to know what we ought to do to be happy, we must understand who we are, which means understanding what we are. If we desire to be truly happy, we must learn the truth about ourselves. That deepest truth is found in our identity in the reality that each of us is a beloved son or daughter God, created in his image and likeness. This is a monumental statement; it is a life\u2019s work to unpack more and more its meaning for our lives. At the same time, it should immediately have an effect upon our actions in the world. We should strive to live each day trying to live in the \u201cglorious freedom\u201d that we have as the sons of God.<\/p>\n

If we are serious about living this reality, we should ask ourselves each day \u201cwhat prevents me from living in that glorious freedom rooted in the truth of my deepest identity?\u201d More simply, we are asking, \u201cWhy it is difficult to be free?\u201d Because freedom is intimately bound up with truth, we are really asking, \u201cWhy do we struggle to know and accept our identity as beloved children of the Lord?\u201d<\/p>\n

To answer this question, we must return to the story of man\u2019s creation and man\u2019s fall from grace. \u00a0In the beginning, God had a plan for man\u2019s freedom which did not involve us going against the truth about ourselves. However, Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie of the serpent and place ourselves at the center of the world. When Adam and Eve sinned they lost the original freedom into which they had been born and in which they lived until the fall. Because they are our original parents, their actions had consequences not only for themselves but for the rest of humanity as well. When they were sent from the garden, we too were sent out from the garden. This is original sin. We struggle to know who we are not because God has abandoned us but because we have abandoned Him. Humanity became enslaved to sin, and concupiscence (a tendency to do evil) became a part of the human condition. The effects of sin were then and are now a loss of freedom to live and love God both individually and communally.<\/p>\n

\"The

The creation of man.<\/p><\/div>\n

Because of original sin, each of us is wounded in all of our faculties: In our intellect, we can\u2019t see the truth clearly; it is as if \u201cfor now we see in a mirror, dimly,\u201d[1]<\/a>and struggle to recognize the truth in many situations. Also, we have a weakened will and place more importance on lower goods to the detriment of higher goods, often failing to choose the best good. In our passions we are often drawn towards what is not truly beautiful but what is actually base. \u00a0We also suffer the effects of each other\u2019s sins as a community and we are led to the temptation to sin by situations which are the direct result of other people\u2019s actions. These effects do not remove our natural dignity nor destroy our nature but do make it difficult to be happy since they inhibit our ability to know and choose the good.<\/p>\n

We might ask ourselves at this point why God gave us freedom at all. Wouldn\u2019t it be better if no one could do something wrong or evil?<\/p>\n

This is a rephrasing of an age old question asked by people since the fall. Why does God permit evil? As the CCC reminds us \u201cto this question, as pressing as it is unavoidable\u00a0 and as painful as it is mysterious, no quick answer will suffice.\u201d[2]<\/a> \u201cWith infinite power, God could always create something better. \u00a0But with infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a world “in a state of journeying” towards its ultimate perfection.\u201d[3]<\/a> Even in the garden Adam and Eve were journeying towards something and becoming perfected.<\/p>\n

The communion with the Trinity which Adam and Eve were created to attain, was to be attained with full respect for their status as intelligent and free creatures.\u201d Because of this man and woman \u201chave to journey toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and preferential love.\u201d Because of this, \u201cThey can therefore go astray [and] indeed, they have sinned. Thus has\u00a0moral evil, incommensurably more harmful than physical evil, entered the world. God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures\u201d [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

God will not force us to love him\u2026 because such an action would be contrary to the dignity of our free will and the truth of our humanity. Free will is a fundamental part of human activity. That we are free to choose is what makes human actions precisely human actions as opposed to any other animal\u2019s action. As the Catechism reminds us \u201cAs long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This\u2026 is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.\u201d[5]<\/a> Thus, God gives us freedom in order that we might be able to love, and respects this freedom (by allowing the consequences of our actions) even when we do not use it for this purpose.<\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> 1 Corinthians 13:12<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> CCC 309<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> CCC 310<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> CCC 311, cf. Veritatis Splendor 38, Gaudium et Spes 17<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> CCC 1732<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As discussed in the last article in this series,\u00a0in order to know what we ought to do to be happy, we must understand who we are, which means understanding what we are. If we desire to be truly happy, we must learn the truth about ourselves. That deepest truth is found in our identity in… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-295297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":142788,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/back-to-busy-inspiration-for-fall-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":295297,"position":0},"title":"Back to Busy – Inspiration for Fall 2015","author":"Rachel","date":"August 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Fall is in the air! 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