Our freedom needs temperance

THE reason is simple. Freedom is such a tricky thing to

handle. It can easily be abused and ruin us. If not handled properly,

its comeuppance is much graver than whatever pleasure its so-called

perks and privileges can give us. So, caveat emptor!

  

            That’s why St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians issued

this warning: “For you have been called to live in freedom, my

brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your

sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in

love.” (5,13)

   

            We need to understand that freedom is a gift from God and

is governed by God’s law. Freedom is not something we generate

ourselves. It is something given by God and received by us.  It cannot

be exercised simply on our own designs. By definition, it has to be

related to God, its source and law.

  

            It is something relational, not something absolutely ours.

We have to be most wary of linking freedom with being absolutely ours,

sadly a common phenomenon these days. That is not true freedom. That

would be an abuse, a distortion of freedom. It would be a false

freedom that sooner or later will lead us to some form of bondage.

   

            We need to understand then that the proper exercise of

freedom is not simply a matter of being free to choose anything. Yes,

there is a free choice involved, but it has to be a choice that has to

be related to God. Our choice that is inspired by true freedom is when

such choice coincides also with God’s choice in a given situation.

  

            But, alas, this is not easy to do for us. And that’s

because of our wounded, sinful condition that often leads us to give

priority to what we want rather than to what God wants. And often,

this anomaly springs from the urgings of our flesh that definitely

needs to be disciplined and purified and directed to our proper

ultimate end—God.

  

             This is where the virtue of temperance enters. It has as

its purpose the integration of the bodily aspect of our nature with

our spiritual dimension and supernatural goal. It aims to keep and

nourish the integrity of our life that is often threatened by a

variety of divisive factors and fragmenting conditions of our earthly

life.

  

            It’s actually a very positive virtue, though it obviously

involves some restrictive and prohibiting elements. Unfortunately,

many of us get stuck with the latter negative side of it, while

ignoring its very constructive character.

   

            We need to be realistic about our life. We should not

forget what Christ said once in this regard: “The spirit is willing

but the flesh is weak.” That’s the naked truth about ourselves insofar

as the relation between the body and soul is concerned.

   

            We have to overcome that prevalent thinking that somehow

allows the body to have whatever it wants as long as it does not make

a mess in public or with the law. In short, it can have what it wants

even if it goes against God’s law for us or even our own nature as

long as one is not caught.

  

            It’s this kind of thinking that is behind the surge these

days of alcoholism, gluttony, eroticism, infidelity, frivolity, etc.

Modesty and moderation are hardly known, let alone practiced.

  

            Temperance actually constitutes for us a liberation from

our carnal self. It’s actually an expression of freedom so that we can

realize more fully our dignity as persons who know how to think and

love properly, and as children of God who are supposed to live their

lives with God.

  

            So, far from undermining our freedom, the virtue of

temperance helps us to live our freedom properly. It helps us to be

always vigilant so that we don’t get easily deceived by the false

values our wounded flesh often offers us.