Land of the Free

I know I haven't posted in forever but bear with me. I have had project after project after late night after late night. Reader, you have won a special gift for your faithfulness to my blog: my essay! I'm entering it into a Catholic contest; I really want to win. The theme was "The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society." Here goes!

Land of the Free

What is freedom? We hear this word often in song lyrics, on tee shirts, and this seven letter word is all over the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The dictionary tells us that freedom, as a noun, is the “exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.” If that is true, is God a restriction on our personal freedom, or is freedom a myth? In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Open the doors of your freedom to his merciful love!” so there must be freedom after all. Unfortunately, that brings us back to our original question.

Nowadays, freedom is an increasingly popular topic; from freedom of choice to freedom of speech, people have disputed. Most say that we have the right to decide our future according to our own desires, which, in itself, is a good thing. Letting God be the judge of good and bad always leads us the right way. Sadly, our own aspirations frequently push God’s plans for us away. In the mindset of “whatever I want, I should get”, birth control, abortions, homosexual marriages, and other means of breaking the bond between God and our soul, are all okay, even categorized as good decisions. On the other hand, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that the choosing between good and evil is freedom, and when we choose to disobey, we are enslaved in sin (CCC 1732-1733). Consequently, choosing to disobey through birth control, abortions, homosexual marriages, etc, is the opposite of freedom. The people who stay away from these means of sin are therefore freer than those who exercise their so-called “freedom of choice.”

Not everyone thinks this way. When dealing with freedom of speech, people are offended if the word “God” or any other semi- religious part of speech is spoken. Strangely, “Merry Christmas” is demoted into a mere “Happy Holidays”, and Easter changes into just a holiday for dying eggs. People who are careful and worried about hurting feelings often loose the beauty of truth. We must accept people as made in the image and likeness of God, but we also have to try to save other souls by spreading the word of God. Children at school should be allowed to pray to themselves and money should have “In God We Trust” because we have freedom of speech.

This country we call America was formed dutifully under God. The first Americans understood freedom. They wanted exemption from English laws and the rights to set up a new free country, not release from the one who created them. To release oneself from God through sin isn’t freedom, and these early settlers realized that even more than some citizens today. Our whole country was formed on these truths about freedom; these new definitions of freedom threaten the infrastructure of our law system. We are bound to Christ- and it’s a wonderful gift. Freedoms are not the decisions to slaughter or save, help or hurt, but are the abilities to love, care, and protect truth.

Our conscience should always be our guide, not what is popular or safe (Evangelium Vitae 70). Legalized sins are still sins. Although some people believe that they can do whatever they want, all of us know right and wrong and have the freedom to choose. Essentially, Catholics have a responsibility to spread the Gospel and to live a life in Christ, which means transforming sinful actions into the purest deeds. By leading a holy life, we can influence others to follow our footsteps. It is crucial and urgent that Catholics, who know that freedom is the choice between good and evil, share their beliefs and open the eyes of their colleagues.

Hoped you liked it! Comment!
Bye,
Lily