Freedom

I’ve been thinking about freedom lately: freedom in terms of living our life as we want and not having to do what others tell us to do, no matter who is telling us. We see this concern about freedom come up often in public discourse in terms of how we interpret law, how we understand our individual rights, how we understand our relationship with others and our obligations towards others.­­

I think that one of the things that our experience of the pandemic has taught us is that we are all interconnected, and that how I live my life can affect your life, and that imposes a moral obligation on all of us.

It’s a wide-ranging discussion, certainly, but the one thing I would like to say here is that the freedom that Jesus brings includes a responsibility towards others. It’s clear in how he lived and in what he taught. I think that’s what is missing in many of these conversations about freedom—a concern for the common good and a willingness to make sacrifices for the common good.

It’s not just about me and what my rights are and what I want. To be truly free, to be truly human is to support the humanity of all God’s people.

“For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.” (Baruch 5:3-4)