In our second session in this thrid year in the "Why Chatolic?" series, Monsignor Thomas Bevan at St. Patrick Church in Cumberland, Maryland, discussed with us the topic of "Freedom and Responsiblity of Human Acts." Father Bevan opened his presentation with a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1745: "Freedom characterizes properly human acts. It makes the human being responsible for acts of which he is the voluntary agent. His deliberate acts properly belong to him." Summary: Freedom = Choice + Ownership = Responsibility.
Father Bevan stressed the words "properly" and "voluntary" and made the point that the difference between freedom and license is human responsibility. Summary: Freedom - Ownership = Choice - Responsibility = License (aka Chaos).
It is in exercising Freedom -- in thoughtfully considering the constraints and assuming responsibility for our actions, in properly utilizing our free will (with respect given to limitations) to make right decisions and purposeful choices -- where we acknowledge God's grace (and the beauty of other people) in our lives and accept His generous offer of salvation for our flawed human souls.
It's simple: 1) Think before you act. 2) Have proper motives in mind. 3) Abide by the rules and laws -- those formed by the courts of the land and those handed down by God from heaven. 4) Act with consequences in mind -- like preserving or destroying your precious salvation. 5) Offer the results for the glory of God, especially when you suffer, to supplement Christ's redeeming grace for the salvation of the world and of those around us.
When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, slavation is infused into our souls: God writes there that name known only to Him and to us (Rev 2:17). From that time on, we make choices that either take us closer to Him, or divert us from our goal (joining God in heaven), or remove us eternally from God's saving grace and condemn us never to see His face.
Salvation is assured for those of us who accept it and take efforts to treasure and defend it. Salvation can be lost, however, sometimes temporarily (as in the case of a sinner who flounders but ultimately repents) or irretrievably (as in the case of a sinner who rejects God or defies His commands to the end of his mortal life).
Salvation is not earned or bought; and it's not relative to an individual's lifestyle or station in a community. God gave us Ten Commandments. Jesus gave us a list of Beatitudes. The Kingdom of God has been proclaimed clearly and ultimately, definitively and infinitely. It will not be revised. And it will not be reversed. There's one Messiah. He will be our Judge.
Are you ready? Jesus says in Matthew 22:1-14 that the kindgdom of God is like a wedding feast. Those who have received the invitaiton (baptism in the Holy Spirit) may choose not to come; or worse, they may revile or violate the Host. Those who know not the invitation (Christ's saving grace) will be extended the opportunity to enter into the feast. Whoever chooses to come, though, to God's great celebration of salvation must be ready to recognize, greet and honor the Host. Do you keep your invitation current and handy? Do you prepare daily for the time of the feast to arrive? Love God. Love neighbor. Choose wisely. Act conscienably.
by Nancy E. Thoerig 10-20-08
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