In the timeless words of the Gospel, we find Jesus in Peter’s boat, sharing divine wisdom with the eager multitude gathered by the shore. This scene beautifully illustrates the yearning for souls that burned within Jesus, a desire he wished to ignite in his disciples. “Duc in altum!” – “Launch out into the deep!” He urged them, inviting Peter to cast his nets, a prelude to a miraculous catch and a profound lesson about faith and divine grace.
While the miraculous catch itself holds numerous insights, let us focus on Peter’s reaction to this divine intervention. Overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the miracle, Peter’s response was, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” This sentiment resonates deeply within us, echoing our own sense of unworthiness in the face of God’s greatness. Yet, reflecting on a life witnessing countless acts of divine grace through human hands, a different cry emerges, “Lord, do not depart from me, for without you, I can do no good at all.” This realization underscores our utter dependence on God and the recognition of every good thing as a Gift From God.
This profound understanding aligns with the powerful words of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who proclaimed, “God who created you without you, will not save you without you.” This statement is a powerful hymn to human freedom, a gift from God that allows us to participate in our own salvation. We, each one of us, possess the sobering yet significant capacity to turn away from God, to reject Him, perhaps through our actions, or to declare, “we do not want this man to rule over us.”
We are called to acknowledge with gratitude the profound truth that all creation originates from God and exists for God. This includes rational beings like ourselves, despite our frequent irrationality, and the myriad of irrational beings inhabiting our world – from the creatures of the earth to those soaring in the heavens. Amongst this magnificent diversity, it is humanity, distinct from angels, that holds the unique ability to consciously unite with our Creator through the exercise of our free will. We are uniquely positioned to offer God the glory due to Him as the Author of all existence, or, tragically, to deny Him this rightful praise.
This very possibility defines the duality of human freedom, a gift from God that carries immense responsibility. Our loving Lord invites us, implores us, to choose good. His love is so tender that He sets before us a clear path: “See, today I set before you a choice between life and death, good and evil. If you pay heed to the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you this day, by loving Yahweh your God, by walking in his ways and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live… Choose life, that you may live.” This divine invitation to choose life is a testament to the precious gift from God that is our free will.
Reflect deeply, as I do myself, on whether you are firmly anchored in your choice for Life. When you hear God’s loving voice urging you towards holiness, do you freely respond with a resounding “Yes”? Let us once more turn our gaze to Jesus, amidst the people of Palestine. He never imposes Himself. To the rich young man, He offered, “If you have a mind to be perfect…” The young man, however, declined this invitation, and the Gospel recounts, abiit tristis – he went away sad. He became the ‘sad lad’ because he refused to surrender his freedom to God, to embrace this gift from God for its intended purpose.
Consider the sublime moment when the Archangel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to the Virgin Mary. Our Blessed Mother listened attentively, seeking clarification to fully understand the Lord’s request. Then, with unwavering resolve, she uttered her immortal reply: Fiat! “Be it done unto me according to thy word!” This Fiat embodies the most sublime expression of freedom – the freedom to choose God, the freedom to accept this divine gift from God with open arms.
This hymn to freedom reverberates throughout the mysteries of our Catholic faith. The Holy Trinity, in an outpouring of boundless love, brought forth the world and humanity from nothingness, a profound act of free creation. The Word descended from Heaven, taking on human flesh, an act marked by the splendor of freedom in submission: “Behold, I have come to do thy Will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.” When the appointed time arrived for humanity’s redemption from sin, we witness Jesus Christ in Gethsemane, agonizing to the point of sweating blood. He freely and unconditionally embraced the sacrifice demanded by the Father: “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like a sheep standing dumb before its shearers.” He had foretold this to his disciples, in those intimate conversations where he unveiled his heart, so that those who loved him would understand that He is the Way, the sole path to the Father. “This is why my Father loves me, because I am laying down my life to take it up again afterwards. Nobody can rob me of it; I lay it down of my own accord. I am free to lay it down and free to take it up again.” This ultimate sacrifice, freely given, is the ultimate demonstration of love and the most profound example of how to use the gift from God that is our freedom.
“Freedom, A Gift from God” is an excerpt from the homily given by St. Josemaria Escriva on April 10, 1956. The homily is published by Scepter Publishers in the book “Christ is Passing By”.
