IO-RE1: Christian Vision of the Human Person

Module 9: FREEDOM

MODULE OVERVIEW

Individuals and societies in this contemporary era have been craving for “Freedom” in all its forms, and
have mistakenly made it as “the absolute highest good to which all other goods are subordinate” (Benedict XIV,
The Essential Pope Benedict XIV, 337). This “unprecedented drive for freedom” (CFC 693) is ignited by social,
cultural and political structures that set restrictions to people’s desires to achieve possibilities and dominion.
Freedom has been defined by contemporary societies as the power of the human person to do whatever the
person wills (wants). This understanding of freedom has resulted to deviation from what is true and good, and
eventually, from the ultimate happiness of the human person. Authentic Freedom is never detached from the
rational nature of the human person, and in the absolute end to which all persons are ordained to—
communion with God. Only in this understanding of freedom shall genuine freedom be achieved.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this module, you should be able to explain the nature of genuine freedom and its relationship with
the ultimate end of the human person. You must be able to justify that the will is guided by reason (intellect) in
order for it to be truly free, hence authentic freedom revolves only within the paradigm of Truth and Good.
Finally, you must be able to distinguish particular human act as a correct expression of freedom.

QUAESTIO

“Freedom!” is, seemingly, the contemporary societies’ battle cry as this era manifests a strong desire to
enshrine and protect it at all costs. But, what exactly is FREEDOM? What are the parameters for the right
exercise of this power? Is freedom a right and opportunity to do just what one wishes? Is true freedom
absolute and not limited? Can one truly be free without being reasonable? What is the relationship between
Freedom and Good, between Freedom and Truth?

Activity 1: I am FREE!

Freedom is not something that is outside of the human person. It is a built-in part of being human. It is a
power that makes the human person determines one’s person, initiate and controls one’s action. But one has
to fully understand the parameters of such power. At this point, try to make an introspection of how you
understand this human power. In the space provided below, express your thoughts about “FREEDOM”. Make
your own definition of the concept and the purpose of such concept.

OBJECTIO

Freedom, as understood in the contemporary era, seemingly, is the absence of limitation and external
control. It is the capacity of the human agent to make choices without external control. In short, in the present
culture, Freedom is the capacity to do what one wills or desire. This kind of understanding enshrines Freedom
as an absolute power that every human person possesses. Any limitation to that exercise, any coercion or
control, be it from the political policies, cultural practices, religious laws or sense of morality, is seen as a
violation of that freedom. That is the reason why the cry for freedom in many forms reverberates in this age –
the freedom to determine one’s sexual orientation, freedom to determine whether a living being in the womb
of a woman be allowed to live or not, and the likes. But, is this truly the meaning and purpose of freedom?
What could be the impact of such an understanding of freedom in the life of the person as individual and in
the society?

Consider this definition from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “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 its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude.” (1731)

Points to Ponder

➢ Freedom is part of the rational power of man, “rooted in reason and will”, hence essentially linked to the
intellect and, therefore, to Truth.

➢ Freedom is the exercise of the Will, a rational faculty of the human person. The object of the will is the
Good, just as the object of the intellect is the Truth.

➢ God is the Supreme and Ultimate Good and Truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ5P0k6Pwb4

SED CONTRA

In Pursuit of Good

God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and
control his own actions. "God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of
his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him." (CCC 1730)

The Human Person’s ultimate end and purpose is the achevement of the highest good – the Ultimate
and Supreme, and hence, the perfect Good, that will satisfy fully and perfectly the very nature of the human
person. And thus, in order to achieve such end, the human person is equipped with freedom of the will to seek
in his own accord God and be reunited with Him. Freedom directs the human person to the ultimate Good,
who is God. “Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection
when directed toward God, our beatitude.” (CCC 1730)

Freedom, then, is not independent from, nor restricted by the concept of the good. It is proper to
understand freedom in the context of the human person’s pursuit of the Good. “The more one does what is
good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. the choice
to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin." (CCC 1733)

The person who abandons himself totally in God’s hands does not become God’s puppet, a boring “yes
man”; he does not lose his freedom. Only the person who entrusts himself totally to God finds true freedom, the
great, creative immensity of the freedom of good. The person who turns to God does not become smaller but
greater, for through God and with God he becomes great, he becomes divine, he becomes truly himself. (POPE
BENEDICT XVI)

Freedom and Truth

Just as the intellect and the will are essentrially linked as rational faculties, so also are knowledge and
freedom; and so also are Truth and Good. Freedom thrives only in Truth. “Truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
There could be no true freedom in falsehood. On the contrary, a person becomes a slave of falsehood, lies and
deception, making the person incapable of making authentic deliberate decisions.
 But it is so easy to confuse human freedom with simply “doing what I want.” Authentic freedom is not
“the right to say and do anything,” but to “do the good” (cf. CCC 1740). It is not my own individual private
possession, but a shared freedom with others in community. It is not found in prejudice, deceit, or ignorance,
but in truth. Christ’s words, “the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32), set truth as both the condition for authentic
freedom and a warning against “every kind of illusory freedom, every superficial unilateral freedom, every
freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth about man and the world” (RH 12). “Lovers of true freedom [are
those] who come to decisions on their own judgment and in the light of truth, and govern their activities with a
sense of responsibility, striving after what is true and right” (DH 8). The pillars of this freedom are “the truth
about Jesus the Savior, the truths about the Church, and the truth about man and his dignity” (ITL, XI, 5). (CFC
694)

Freedom “FROM” and Freedom “FOR”

The common person’s understanding of freedom is Freedom “From”, which is the absence of restraints
and control of outside force to the agent, such as free from influence of others, freedom from ignorance,
freedom from control and the like. This kind of understanding of freedom is fundamental and necessary in
order to fulfill the other aspect of freedom which is Freedom “For”. Authentic freedom, therefore, involves first
of all freedom from everything that opposes our true self-becoming with others in community... (CFC 696) This
freedom makes the person capable of determining one’s self, becoming more fully a human person, achieving
the fullness and perfection of the human person.

Freedom “From” is directed towards the fulfillment of Freedom “For”. Beyond being liberated from all the
obstacles to authentic freedom is the freedom for growing as full persons and children of God, sharing in the life
of Christ our Liberator through his Spirit. It is the freedom found in authentic love... (CFC 697) The individual
person’s “freedom for” emmphasizes the freedom of choice by which one direct one’s moral acts, where in one
has the freedom to choose to act one way or another, to do good or evil. And by consistently choosing to do the
good, one gradually become free loving person, and gradually grow towards authentic, mature fundamental
freedom. (CFC 697)

Freedom and Responsibility

Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts. With

the power to determine one’s course of action, and deliberate ones act, one becomes fully responsible and
accountable for the consequences of one’s action. Freedom cannot be without responsibility. Freedom makes
man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good,
and ascesis enhance the mastery of the will over its acts. (CCC 1734)
Indeed, freedom comes with responsibility. Yet the relationship between freedom and responsibility goes
beyond the idea of just being accountable for the consequences of one’s action, ready to accept the reward or
punishment of one’s act. Rather, responsibility here would mean to live one’s very being, the Truth of one’s
humanity – Image and Likeness of God. This is the responsibility of the Free Human Person – to live ones
Godlikeness, to correspond to the truth of one’s being and thus to do the good. ( Benedict XIV, The Essential
Pope Benedict XIV, 351)

Authentic Freedom as Shared Freedom

Human Persons are relational by nature. They grow into their full selves as persons only in relating to
others. Being a person means being by others, being with others, and being for others. Hence, it follows that
true Freedom is exercised only in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the
image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this
duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable
requirement of the dignity of the human person... (CCC 1738) As to the truth of Humanity, Human Freedom is a
freedom in the coexistence of freedoms. It is not one’s own individual private possession, but a shared freedom
with others in community. This means to say that the freedom of an inidividual is limited by the freedom of the
other individuals. Since the essence of the human person consists in being-from, being-with, and being for,
Human Freedom can exist only in the ordered communion of freedoms.

MATURITY in SELF-GIVING

This generation is advanced intellectually, but behind emotionally. They are missing many of the marks
of maturity they should possess. Students today are consuming information they aren’t completely ready to
handle. The adult part of their brain is still forming and isn’t ready to apply all that society throws at it. Their
mind takes it in and files it, but their will and emotions are not prepared to act on it in a healthy way. They can
become paralyzed by all the content they consume.

They want so much to be able to experience the world they’ve seen on websites or heard on podcasts,
but don’t realize that they are unprepared for that experience emotionally and spiritually. They are truly in
between a child and an adult. In this way, it is better that there are marks we can look for as we coach them
into maturity which will guide them in using their freedom. Research suggests that a healthy, mature person is
one who has developed intellectually, volitionally, emotionally, and spiritually.The following isn’t exhaustive, but
it is a list of characteristics that young people may consider to be mature — intellectually, volitionally,
emotionally, and spiritually in relation to the exercise of their freedom.

1. A mature person is able to keep long-term commitments. One key signal of maturity is the ability to
delay gratification. Part of this means a student is able to keep commitments even when they are no longer
new or novel. They can commit to continue doing what is right even when they don’t feel like it.

2. A mature person is unshaken by flattery or criticism. As people mature, they sooner or later understand that
nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems. Mature people can receive compliments or
criticism without letting it ruin them or sway them into a distorted view of themselves. They are secure in their
identity.
3. A mature person possesses a spirit of humility. Humility parallels maturity. Humility isn’t thinking less of
yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Mature people aren’t consumed with drawing attention to themselves.
They see how others have contributed to their success and can honor them. This is the opposite of arrogance.

4. A mature person’s decisions are based on character, not feelings. Mature people—students and adults—live
by values. They have principles that guide their decisions. They are able to progress beyond merely reacting to
life’s options, and be proactive as they live their life. Their character is master over their emotions.

5. A mature person expresses gratitude consistently. I have found that the more I mature, the more grateful I
am, for both big and little things. Immature children presume they deserve everything good that happens to
them. Mature people see the big picture and realize how good they have it, compared to most of the world’s
population.

6. A mature person knows how to prioritize others before themselves. A wise man once said: A mature person
is one whose agenda revolves around others, not self. Certainly this can go to an extreme and be unhealthy, but
I believe a pathway out of childishness is getting past your own desires and beginning to live to meet the needs
of others less fortunate.

7. A mature person seeks wisdom before acting. Finally, a mature person is teachable. They don’t presume they
have all the answers. The wiser they get, the more they realize they need more wisdom. They’re not ashamed
of seeking counsel from adults (teachers, parents, coaches) or other sources. Only the wise seek wisdom. (Tim
Elmore, 2012. “The Marks of Maturity”. Psychology Today)

In exercising freedom one has to be mature intellectually, volitionally, emotionally and spiritually in
order that s/he will lead or attain his/her fullness of life. The characteristics stated above are suggestions or
ways in perfecting one’s freedom. Using freedom in a mature way is not simply perfecting yourself or achieving
one’s fullness of life but also maturing in giving oneself to others so that others may achieve also their fullness
of life or their perfection.

Perfection demands that maturity in self-giving to which human freedom is called. Jesus points out to
the young rich man that the commandments are the first and indispensable condition for having eternal life; on
the other hand, for the young man to give up all he possesses and to follow the Lord is presented as an
invitation: "If you wish...". These words of Jesus reveal the particular dynamic of freedom's growth towards
maturity, and at the same time they bear witness to the fundamental relationship between freedom and divine
law. Human freedom and God's law are not in opposition; on the contrary, they appeal one to the other. The
follower of Christ knows that his vocation is to freedom. "You were called to freedom, brethren" (Gal 5:13),
proclaims the Apostle Paul with joy and pride. But he immediately adds: "only do not use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love, and be servants of one another" (ibid.). The firmness with which
the Apostle opposes those who believe that they are justified by the Law has nothing to do with man's
"liberation" from precepts. On the contrary, the latter are at the service of the practice of love: "For he who
loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not
murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this
sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' " (Rom 13:8-9).