Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C)
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather serve one another through love. – Galatians 5:13
In a few days, we in the United States will celebrate the Fourth of July, our Independence Day. It is a day when Americans celebrate the freedom that was won for us by our ancestors. Freedom is a very important value for Americans. But how often do we ask ourselves what freedom really is? Why do we have freedom? How should we live this freedom that is ours?
What is freedom? Most Americans would agree with this definition given by the Greek philosopher Epictetus, who was born when Saint Paul was in the midst of his missionary journeys. Epictetus defined freedom in this way:
He is free who lives as he wills, who is subject neither to compulsion, nor hindrance, nor force, whose choices are unhampered, whose desires attain their end, whose aversions do not fall into what they would avoid.
The only thing Americans would be tempted to add to this definition would be something about not harming others by our choices. Freedom is the ability, in other words, to do whatever we want, as long as others are not harmed. This definition focuses on the individual person and this person’s right to make choices. American society has always glorified this understanding of freedom. In fact, the common thread between many seemingly unrelated issues that our country has facedover the last fifty years – “living together”, divorce, contraception, abortion, or same-sex marriage – is that each one of these is presented to us as yet another case where people should be free to live as they will and make their own choices about their lives. Since Americans define freedom in this way, it is difficult for us as Catholics to come up with any objections that “stick” in the popular mind to any of these that we might find questionable for any reason. To even raise a question at all is to be seen as an enemy of someone else’s freedom.
Is this what freedom is? Moreover, does it work? Are we happier or better people because of it? Why, then, do we see so many people struggling with boredom, or depression, or anxiety, or a sense of uselessness in their lives? At times, it is due to an inner disorder or illness, but not always. Why do so many people fall prey to addictions that destroy not only their own lives but also the lives of those closest to them? If we already have this freedom, why are we so angry? Why are we so ready to punish anyone who would dare infringe on our freedom in any way, even if it is to give us good advice or a warning? Something is wrong with how we in our society understand and live freedom. We all want to call ourselves free, but are we truly free? Or are we frustrated in that the “freedom” our society offers to us doesn’t feel like true freedom after all?
Is there another way to understand freedom?
In our second reading, Saint Paul is writing to the Christian communities in Galatia that he founded. He speaks of freedom: “For freedom Christ set us free… for you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters”. As Saint Paul continues, it becomes clear that he does not define the word “freedom” like we would in America. He writes: “But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love”. For Saint Paul, freedom is not about doing whatever we want. He has another definition in mind. For Saint Paul, as well as for Catholic tradition in general, freedom is not about doing anything we want. It is about becoming who we are meant to be.
An acorn is free only if it has what it needs to grow into an oak. A puppy is free only if it has all that it needs to grow into a dog. In the same way, we are free only when we are able to discover and to follow our purpose in life, our vocation. And what is this purpose? Saint Paul would answer: “Do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh” – freedom is not about giving in to any desire at all – “rather, serve one another through love”. Actually, our translation is watered down a little. In Saint Paul’s original Greek, he says, “Become slaves of one another through love”! So, for Saint Paul, we best live our freedom by becoming slaves! How can this be?
Remember that for Saint Paul, and for our Catholic tradition, freedom means the ability to become who we are meant to be. It is Jesus Christ, true God and true man, who reveals to us who we are meant to be. When he wrote to the Christians of Philippi, Saint Paul reminded them that Christ Jesus, though he was by nature God, emptied Himself and became a slave out of love for the Father and for us. We are made in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, for us to be truly free, we also need to become slaves, emptying ourselves of anything too self-centered or sinful, and serving one another through love.
We must be clear here. Being slaves of one another does not mean doing everything that the other person wants. We are to serve one another through love, and God is Love. We serve one another as slaves of God, so to speak. We do what God wills. Being free, then, means to be able to listen for God’s voice in our lives and to follow it, serving others as God wants us to do. God’s love for us and our yes to it by our own lives of loving service are what free us to be who we really are. This is true freedom.
This freedom is a gift of God which also requires our consent. God will force nothing on us. He invites us to accept this gift. However, He also warns us that there may be a cost. Not that God Himself will send us a bill. No, it’s that there is something within us and around us that resists this freedom of God and seeks to enslave us to false freedoms once again. We see this in the Gospel reading for this Sunday. Jesus has set His face toward Jerusalem; in other words, He has fully embraced His vocation and His mission. Immediately, He faces misunderstandings and opposition. The people of a Samaritan village will not welcome Jesus and His disciples because they are going to Jerusalem. James and John want to counter this insult with violence. Jesus rebukes their response and proceeds on the road to Jerusalem. This kind of violence is not Hs way.
Then, Jesus encounters people who want to follow Him. Rather than welcome and encourage them, Jesus immediately asks them if they understand what they are saying. Are they ready to sacrifice home and the stability that society offers in order to follow Him? Are they willing to make their commitment to Him even more important than their commitment to family or even to burying their dead? We may feel shocked or troubled by Jesus’ words. They may feel extreme to us. Our very faith comes to us, more often than not, through our families. Our families are often a great support for our faith in the Lord. Most of the time, we can have both God and family. Nevertheless, family can never take the place of God. There may be times, for some of us, when a family member will demand of us an allegiance or an obedience that only belongs to God. Then, in order that we might be truly faithful to God and therefore truly free, we may have to choose God over that family member.
The Lord Jesus came to free us from the power of sin and death and fear – from anything that might enslave or poison us – so that we might be truly free. In other words, so that we might become all we are meant to be by hearing God’s Word and following it faithfully, and by serving one another in love, the love that is from God and that is God. This is the freedom that we celebrate every time we gather for Mass. This is the freedom we proclaim to the world. This is the freedom worth living for, and the freedom worth dying for. May the Lord confirm us and preserve us in this freedom which He won for us! May our love and joy invite others to taste and see for themselves the freedom of the children of God!