Transformation in Christ: On the Christian Attitude by Dietrich Von Hildebrand

Author:Dietrich Von Hildebrand
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Catholic, Christian Life, the Gospels & Acts, Spirituality, Philosophy, Christianity, Spiritual life - Catholic Church, Religion, Spiritual life, Biblical Studies, General, Catholic Church, Biblical Criticism & Interpretation, Jesus
ISBN: 9780898708691
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2001-09-15T10:00:00+00:00

10

True Freedom

BY true freedom, as it will be discussed in this chapter, we mean that ultimate and blissful freedom which Christ—and He alone—can give us, if we give ourselves to Him without reserve. Negatively speaking, it consists in the dissolution of all spasms of egotism, in getting rid of all inhibitions. It must not be confused, of course, with the freedom of man, in general, including the two dimensions of which we spoke in the preceding chapter; nor must it be confused with the potentiality, not always actualized, of moral freedom.

True freedom is a consequence of our transformation in Christ

As distinct from these, we are now concerned with that freedom which one cannot possess except as an element of Christian perfection: in other words, which constitutes a goal which is reached in our transformation in Christ.

Possessing this freedom, we participate in a higher life. We are lifted by Christ above our nature, including all factors that tend to weigh us down. We no longer live, as it were, on the natural plane but in the perspective of Christ, released, in a sense, from all the weight of our nature. In this freedom, we experience the truth of St. Paul’s words: “Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35), Nothing but a complete and unreserved surrender to Christ—meaning that we fling ourselves in His arms without any thought of a natural security or stronghold, that we burn the bridges behind us, that we answer the call sequere me unconditionally—can give us this freedom of the children of God.

Let us now examine the chief obstacles that hinder us from achieving this ultimate freedom; the bonds we have to break so that we may attain to it. (The sequence followed in our enumeration of the obstacles to freedom is not meant to express their order of importance.)

Egotism hinders attainment of true freedom

Most obvious is the hampering effect of our various egocentric preoccupations. A certain type of man feels, on every conceivable occasion, that his rights are threatened or trespassed upon. He always keeps on his guard lest some impairment of his rights should escape his attention. Dominated by his fear of such an injury or encroachment, he seldom stops to consider whether a thing is valuable in itself or not, whether it glorifies God or offends Him. Hence, his vision of various situations is obscured, his capacity of adequate judgment is blunted. He is incapable of a free, unwarped response to values.

In his mind, the theme of his rights overshadows the question of the objective value involved; thus, instead of a disinterested love of truth and of right he is likely to develop a bitter and cantankerous attitude. Indeed, summum jus, summa injuria, his inordinate insistence on his rights may sometimes tempt him to ride roughshod over the rights of others. Such people, in their cramped egotism, are as far removed from true freedom as it is possible to be.

In others, morbid egocentrism takes the form of over-susceptibility. Every now and then they feel slighted, offended, treated with disregard or, at any rate, unkindly.

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