Diocese of Palm Beach Coordinator of Family Life
In the Baltimore Catechism, we learn in the very first lesson that “God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in Heaven”. Our Heavenly Father desires the very best for us, that is to be with Him forever. Ultimately, that is our hearts desire as well, we desire good, we desire God. We are meant to return to Him! Freedom is the catalyst that prepares us for heaven.
God is the giver of the gift of freedom. In the Catechism, it says, “Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. By free will one shapes one’s own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains it’s perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.” (CCC 1731 emphasis added) But why does He give us this gift? What is it that God wants for us? Our Father in Heaven gives us this freedom to allow us to pursue or NOT pursue His will for our lives. He gives us the choice and responsibility to pursue excellence. He gives us the Freedom for Excellence.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…and blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God”. (Matthew 5: 3, 8). Jesus is giving us the keys to “happiness” in the Beatitudes. He is showing us how to achieve Freedom for Excellence. He is teaching us how to be saints. When we reflect on what is good and true, we change! We become something more. Freedom is the choices we make that lead us to what is good and true.
Freedom’s goal is to lead us to flourish not to fail. Freedom’s goal is Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Freedom, like love is not a feeling, it is a choice or better, a decision. With freedom comes great responsibility. The choices we make should be virtuous to lead us to heaven, not sinful choices that lead us to anger and shame. The Catechism teaches, “A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” (CCC 1803 emphasis added)
We are blessed by the saints in heaven who show us freedom’s goal. The saints were able to overcome the evils of the world and choose excellence. They used God’s gift of freedom so they could “be happy with Him forever in heaven”. Take time to learn about saints who overcame the evils of the world and discerned God’s will for their lives. How can you use the freedom for excellence to pursue the good and choose it in your concrete actions?
Here’s what the Scriptures have to say…
Isaiah 61: 1-3 – The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; to place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, to give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. They will be called oaks of justice, planted by the Lord to show his glory.
John 8: 31-36 – Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So, if a son frees you, then you will truly be free.
Galatians 5:13 – For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely “You shall love you neighbor as yourself.”