Jefferson Review
"Your Liberty is Our Interest"
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Jefferson Review |
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"Your Liberty is Our Interest" |
December 24, 2001 | |
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A Special Christmas Message From Father Sirico of the Acton Institute One of the traditional hymns employed throughout the Advent season is the haunting refrain: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, That longs in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear." This has been a season of anticipation and expectation, but for what? The answer comes in numerous ways: Deliverance, being set free, release of the captive, proclaiming a year of liberty. It is remarkable how the idea of freedom so permeates the season. In a grand, eschatological sense, the freedom for which the heart of man most deeply longs is freedom from the bondage of sin and death. Political, economic, and personal freedom are critical, but the fundamental freedom is salvation. And it is this confrontation with the mystery of human redemption that may appear at first like a contradiction: How can it be said that sin, which must be freely chosen, results in bondage? The answer is that the freedom of which the Scriptures speak is not the freedom to do what we want, but the liberty to choose what we ought. The American people, indeed the entire world have seen the mystery of human freedom at play in recent months, both in the abuse of freedom in tragic events of last September, but also in the myriad acts of comfort, love, kindness, and generosity following those acts. No power on earth, or even in heaven, can force the conscience of man to choose what St. Paul calls, "the freedom of the children of God." Even God Himself permits us to choose sin; so great is his commitment to our dignity that he will never force our free will. Yet, He stands ready, at any moment, to show us the meaning of true liberty. And when we encounter that freedom, we will understand more fully than ever the words of Jesus, "If the Son will make you free you shall be free indeed," as well as the final refrain of the ancient hymn, "Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, Shall come to thee, O Israel". On behalf of the entire Acton Institute family, we wish you a merry Christmas and a safe holiday season. Father Robert A. Sirico President Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
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