Christ is where true freedom is

MAKE no mistake about it. Only in Christ can we find true

freedom. Everything else can only give us, at best, apparent freedom

that in the end can only put us into some bondage, if not destroy us.

            The reason for this is that Christ, as the son of God and

the pattern of our humanity, is the fullness of everything that is

objectively true, good and beautiful for us. He is also the one that

provides us with the power to do what is good for us, since freedom is

mainly about freedom to do what is good.

            And since freedom is not only about freedom to do what is

good but also freedom from whatever evil can hound and tie us down,

Christ also perfectly fits that requirement because as our redeemer,

Christ liberates us from all evil that can come to us, namely, our

natural limitations, our weaknesses, temptations, sins and death

itself.

            We need to understand this truth of our faith well,

because nowadays it is very easy to be confused about where to find

freedom and how freedom should be. That’s because all sorts of ideas

promoted by all kinds of ideologies and spread by powerful groups have

been flooding the world.

            Nowadays, freedom is mainly understood as the power to do

whatever a person or a group would like to do. It is purely a

subjective freedom, based only on one’s conception of it or on the

consensus of a certain group.

            There is also the erroneous idea that freedom is anything

that gives one some pleasure, some convenience, some advantage, etc.

Again it is an idea of freedom that is self-oriented, not

other-oriented which is how it should be, since freedom is a matter of

loving, and loving is self-giving, not self-serving.

            Because of these confusing if not erroneous ideas, the

sacrifices involved in loving the way Christ has loved us—Christ who

is the standard of love and freedom—turn off many people who cannot

accept the freedom offered to us by Christ. After all, Christ himself

said that if we want to follow him, we have to deny ourselves and

carry the cross. (cfr. Mt 16,24)

            We need to promote the real freedom that is offered to us

by Christ. We have to preach about it, in season and out of season,

and explain it thoroughly, using arguments that are adapted to the

different mentalities and cultures of the people.

            Our problem in this regard is usually that of being

ineffective in our preaching because we use complex or subtle

arguments, examples, etc., that are above people’s head. This is not

to mention the fact that many times people find inconsistency in what

we preach and in what we do. We do not walk the talk.

            But I am sure that if we manage to convince people, using

both human and supernatural means, that we can actually get in contact

with Christ who is always alive and is in touch with us, then we can

see this authentic freedom lived out all over the place.

            We have to know how to reassure people that with Christ

and the freedom that he gives us, we can actually handle all kinds of

situations, either humanly good or bad, and can make use of them to

attain our eternal goal.

            This is the freedom that broadens our mind, expands our

heart so as to accommodate everyone the way he is without forgetting

how he ought to be, as well as everything else in life.

            It is a matter of assuming the very mind and heart of

Christ who literally gives himself to us, especially in the Eucharist,

so that we can really have this authentic freedom, and not the many

apparent if not fake forms of freedom.