Home Pope Francis Pope at Audience: Freedom is born in God’s love, grows in charity

Pope at Audience: Freedom is born in God’s love, grows in charity

by Vatican News
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At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis continues his catechesis on St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, emphasising that Christian freedom is expressed in serving others.

Recalling that, through Christ, “we have passed from slavery of fear and sin to the freedom of God’s children,” Pope Francis continued his catechesis on St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians by offering a deeper understanding of what is at the heart of Christian liberty.

Freedom, he said, is very different from license; it is not found in giving in to our own selfish desires, but instead leads us to serve others. “True freedom,” the Pope said, “is fully expressed in love.”

Freedom in service

This, however, leads us to “the paradox of the Gospel: we are freed by serving, we find ourselves fully to the extent that we give ourselves; we possess life if we lose it.”

 The explanation of this paradox, said Pope Francis, as given by St Paul, “is as simple as it is demanding: it can be explained only by love.”

“It is Christ’s love that has freed us, and again it is love that frees us from the worst slavery, that of self; therefore, freedom grows with love.”

Recalling that, through Christ, “we have passed from slavery of fear and sin to the freedom of God’s children,” Pope Francis continued his catechesis on St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians by offering a deeper understanding of what is at the heart of Christian liberty.

Freedom, he said, is very different from license; it is not found in giving in to our own selfish desires, but instead leads us to serve others. “True freedom,” the Pope said, “is fully expressed in love.”

Freedom in service

This, however, leads us to “the paradox of the Gospel: we are freed by serving, we find ourselves fully to the extent that we give ourselves; we possess life if we lose it.”

 The explanation of this paradox, said Pope Francis, as given by St Paul, “is as simple as it is demanding: it can be explained only by love.”

“It is Christ’s love that has freed us, and again it is love that frees us from the worst slavery, that of self; therefore, freedom grows with love.”

Growth in charity

“It is not enough to know this,” Pope Francis said. “We need to choose it concretely every day.”

The Pope concluded his catechesis with an exhortation.

“Let us say and believe that others are not an obstacle to my freedom, but rather the possibility to fully realise it – because our freedom is born from God’s love and grows in charity.”

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