Human Freedom and Responsibility

What Freedom is NOT: Freedom is not simply doing what I want. Freedom is not the right to say and do anything anytime I like to do it. Freedom is not my own private individual possession. Freedom is not found in prejudice, deceit or ignorance. Freedom is not without authority

Freedom in the Old Testament Man originally enjoyed intimacy and freedom in his relationship with his creator. With sin comes the loss of intimacy and expulsion from the place where a free interchange with God has been possible.

Consequences of sin in Old Testament:

Fraternal conflict Inability to enter into cooperative community efforts Increasing dominance of sin in life situation of the people

 This progressive movement away from God making it and more difficult to regain the lost of Paradise is summarized as mankinds entering into a condition of SLAVERY. Sin appears as a form of slavery from which man cannot free himself except through the intervention of God. This is seen most clearly in the enslavement that the people of Israel suffered in Egypt the place of slavery.

The freedom promised to the Israelites by God was symbolized by their being brought out of the land of Egypt

God led them ultimately to a place of freedom where they must surrender all that stood in the way to God, so that they may regain all that had been lost through sin.

 Freedom is central in the teaching of St. Paul. He asserts that Christian vocation is a vocation to freedom. The Christian is a CHILD OF GOD, not a slave. For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. Gal. 5:1) For you were called for freedom brothers. (Gal 5:13)

Characteristic of freedom in the teaching of St. Paul 1.Freedom from Is a deliverance from anything and everything that hinders us from becoming the true self that we are as we grow with others in the community. It is not freedom from which results in following our selfish inclinations or blind prejudices.

 Interior obstacles-ignorance, disordered passions, fears, anxiety, guilt, personal defects, prejudices, emotional disturbances etc. Exterior obstacles-violence or threats of violence, economic instability, social pressures, political or cultural influences

2. Freedom for Is a fulfillment within us that which Christ invites us to be and to become in the Kingdom. After freeing us from anything and everything that hinders our growth towards maturity in our faith we are directed towards maturity in our faith we are directed the freedom for growing as full persons and children of God sharing the Divine life with Christ through the Spirit. It is both task and a process. (CFC, 697)

Two Levels of Freedom for on the personal level:

a. Freedom of choice--- directs our moral acts. -animals have instincts, man conscious election. -we have the liberty to act. -our consistent choices will gradually make us. b. Fundamental Freedomlies at the resource of all our individual acts. -Our daily moral choices and our habitual way of acting will gradually form us. -Holding on firmly to what is good, and consistently choosing good in spite obstacles will make us achieve that which we are striving for: becoming morally loving persons.

 The perfection of freedom is a task we need to undergo at the same time a life-long process that challenges our creativity. The goal of this process is to be free from slavery to corruption and share in the religious freedom of the children of God. (Rom 8:21)