Christian freedom, Adrien Candiard

Adrien Candiard

The author could have used numerous passages from the New Testament to support his work, but he has chosen to base his discourse on 25 verses from Paul's letter to Philemon, an illustrative example of what Christian freedom means.

Recall that the slave Onesimus fled from the house of his master Philemon, who was a Christian, but on his way he met Paul, who baptized him and gave him a letter to present with it to his master.

Candiard stresses an essential detail

The apostle could have ordered Philemon to receive the runaway slave or to set him free. He did neither, even though he was entitled to do so.

On the contrary, Paul appeals to the freedom of Philemon with these words: "Although I have full freedom in Christ to tell you what to do, I prefer to appeal to your charity.".

This is precisely where Christian freedom lies. Not in a puerile obedience, in the author's expression. It consists of in an appeal to personal responsibility, and always hand in hand with charity, the largest of the Christian virtues.

Candiard tells an anecdote from the time of his studies in Rome: he wanted his spiritual director to force him to get up early to go to Mass in a church near his home. In this way it would be easier for him, by means of an imperative, to fulfill what he himself had set himself as an obligation. With good judgment, the director refused to do so, while reminding him that Christian life is to grow in freedom.

The French religious also speaks to us from his experience as a priest, since he has met many people who ask him what is licit and what is not. They give the impression of being dependent on a tyrannical God who has imposed heavy burdens on them.

Many times this attitude denotes a lack of spirituality, a lack of understanding of what God's will is. It is necessary to love it starting from the conviction that God always wants our good. Consequently, one cannot separate the moral life from the spiritual life.

Buy the Essay Christian Liberty