Fr. Ernald M. Andal, SJ
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
February 16, 2020
Is freedom and obedience to God’s law incompatible? Is it a choice only between either one? Like, we’re either free to do what we want or forced to blindly follow God’s ways?
This, my dear friends, is a false dichotomy of choices. Through tonight’s readings, let us then reflect on the meaning of true freedom in obeying God’s commandment, God’s law.
In the first reading from the book of Sirach, human freedom is affirmed as a reality in our life. Freedom is from God. I see it as a product of being created freely in love. Since God created all in love, then all have been gifted with what is essential to a life borne of love: freedom.
To live means to live free, but to be truly free, one must love freely. And so, real living is really loving, and vice versa. Confused yet? Let me continue.
We do have the capacity to choose. And our choices can either strengthen this gift of freedom or restrict or even destroy it. So, Sirach wisely tells us: this gift of freedom should be used to choose life, to choose harmony with God’s will. And why is this wise? For our God who knows us perfectly and loves us unconditionally, does not command anything evil, or cause our ruin in life.
So by obeying God, we actually use our freedom correctly. We live freely. And our authentic free choice leads us to our ultimate good, it brings us the fullness of life.
In the second reading, St. Paul brings in another crucial element to true freedom or “life-giving choices.” It is the element of discernment that can only come from the grace of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul warns the Corinthians that there is such a thing as “an abuse of freedom” when they follow the “wisdom of this age.” Dazzling but fleeting “wisdom” that is so enticing that many confused people foolishly choose it. This regretfully leads to destruction–theirs and others affected by their bad decisions.
However, thanks to the Holy Spirit, who dwells in our hearts, human freedom can now be scrutinized. The Holy Spirit teaches us to discern God’s will, to gradually unravel God’s wisdom, mysterious and hidden as it may sometimes be in our life. By God’s grace, we can actually discern God’s plans in our life, which according to the prophet Jeremiah, are plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
Now, all this talk of freedom, discernment, and obedience to God is further clarified for us by Jesus–not just by his words but by his salvific mission of loving us all. The Lord proclaims that he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law.
Indeed, in the Gospel, we see Christ as the fulfillment of the law. The apex of freedom is found in Jesus–the love incarnate. He has freely offered his entire being to our Father so that we, too, may be transformed and be saved by that same love.
But my dear friends, the fulfillment of the law, according to Jesus, is not as simple as “proving externally” our obedience to the will of God. To do so would be “fauxthentic.” As fake as some of the scribes and the Pharisees whom the Lord referred to in the Gospels! Outwardly, they appear righteous to gain the praise and approval of others. But deep inside, they are enslaved by selfishness and pride and are anything but obedient to God’s will.
Thus, Jesus’ triple warning against murder, adultery, and false oaths now makes perfect sense. We may not have plotted and actually killed someone, but if we have allowed our hearts to harbor anger and hate towards others, then we’re in the process of abusing our freedom and on our way to being murderers. We may not be engaged in an illicit sexual affair with someone else’s spouse, but if our hearts lustfully objectify others, then we’ve been abusing our freedom and inching ever so carefully to adultery. We may not have committed perjury, but if we are insincere with our words and two-faced with our relationships, then we might as well be calling ourselves “pretty little liars.”
Instead of freeing ourselves to love, we ironically enslave ourselves to sin.
Don’t get me wrong. This has nothing to do with conservatism or being extremely judgmental. It is all about authentic freedom, wise discernment, and sincere obedience to our loving God whose will leads us to the fullness of life.
This then is how we can follow Christ, the fulfillment of God’s law: Set our hearts free. Free to love, free to obey the Father’s will that brings us the ultimate freedom from death: our salvation.
True living is truly loving. Freely loving is living freely.
And as a wise Jesuit once said: “Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”