If you havent read Pope Francis comments on the Charlie Hebdo massacre, you certainly should. Its an interesting introductory look at the differences between the societal definition of freedom, which many interpret as the ability to do whatever you want and the Catholic teaching which might be summarized as a disconnection between a person and their own interests. In other words, Catholic teaching is that freedom should always be non-self serving, within the context of honesty and love (willing the good of another), and always within the boundaries of a higher, moral law. The irony is that when you move outside this moral boundary, you actually become *less* free, not *more* free. The older I get, the more I find this to be true. A better explanation of this comes directly from the Catechism: The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything. It is false to maintain that man, the subject of this freedom, is an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly goods . . . By deviating from the moral law, man violates his own freedom, becomes imprisoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against divine truth. (CCC 1740) ncregister/daily-news/pope-on-charlie-hebdo-dont-kill-in-gods-name-but-dont-insult-faith/
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:34:19 +0000
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