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SETTING ONESELF FREE AS THE BASIS FOR SETTING OTHERS FREE - stephenkhoo - 02-06-2014 03:33 PM
SETTING ONESELF FREE AS THE BASIS FOR SETTING OTHERS FREE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1Kg 2:1-4, 10-12; 1Ch 29:10, 11bc, 11d-12a, 12bcd; 12Mk 6:7-13
http://www.universalis.com/20140206/mass.htm
Today’s reading sets out the working orders of Jesus to the Twelve. They were basically sent out to proclaim the Good News, which means to set people free – free from unclean spirits, their illnesses and their slavery to all sorts of sinfulness. However, it is important to take note that this authority to set others free presupposes that the twelve were really free themselves. Indeed, the instructions of Jesus should be seen within this context.
That is why the first requirement before we can attempt to set others free is that we be truly free ourselves. This was precisely what Jesus meant when He instructed the apostles not to take anything with them on the journey, for how can we proclaim true freedom to others if we ourselves have not found it, or lived it ourselves? So what is this freedom that Jesus is alluding to in this gospel?
It is first and foremost, the freedom from all material attachments. True freedom is to be happy in whatever situations we are in. That is why Jesus exhorted His disciples to stay in whichever house they found themselves in. But the fact is that many of us are slaves to material things – we allow little things to make us angry, irritable and dissatisfied with life. If we cannot transcend these petty and trivial things, how can we be free for greater things of the spirit?
The second freedom is the freedom from our ego. This is what Jesus meant when He told His disciples “If any place will not receive you or hear you, shake its dust from your feet in testimony against them as you leave.” In other words, do we have the freedom to allow others the freedom to accept us and our message? Why must we impose our message on others? Is it because we are insecure and need others to accept us? Can we just allow people to come to their own terms in understanding and accepting our message? Ironically, more often than not, we hide under the pretext of fighting for truth and justice, and in so doing, show ourselves to be even more unjust. Very often, not only do we want our views to be heard, but we want them to be accepted as well. True, it is necessary to express our views and convictions, but it is not necessary that they be accepted, unless we need people to pander to our ego.
But this is still not sufficient. We need to attain the third level of freedom, which is the freedom from freedom. That is to say, we must desire not to be free – this is the depth of authentic freedom. A person can only be truly free when he no longer seeks to be free! That was what King David experienced; hence his parting advice to his son, Solomon, was that if he and his sons wished to succeed in life, it was imperative that they be faithful to the laws of God. But this fidelity to God’s laws should not be a mere external observance, but to be taken to heart and lived, in spirit and in truth.
To live in accordance with the laws of Yahweh is simply to live a life of love based on truth. The wisdom of God is found in His laws. This explains why Jesus said He did not come to abolish the laws but to bring them to fulfillment. Those who observe the laws reluctantly or externally will find the laws against them because they do not obey them in spirit and in truth. Thus the one who has interiorised the laws of Yahweh are identified with the wisdom of God. Once we are at one with the laws, there would be no more laws to enslave us. And so, true freedom is the freedom from the desire for freedom. Jesus on the cross surrendered His freedom to the Father, obeying His will even unto death.
Conversely, sin is the consequence of wanting to exercise our freedom in accordance with our will, rather than the will of God. It is this obstinate attitude of ours that causes us to fall, and as a consequence bring misery upon ourselves. Once we refuse to submit to God and His Divine wisdom, we will fall into sin and all forms of bondages. Thus, we can understand why God told King David, “If your sons are careful how they behave, and walk loyally before me with all their heart and soul, you shall never lack for a man on the throne of Israel.” Otherwise, their wayward and rebellious life would bring destruction not only upon themselves but the kingdom as well.
How then can we acquire this freedom of the Spirit, the freedom from attachment to the flesh through material things; the freedom from pride through the ego and the freedom from sin through the abuse of freedom? Freedom, we must understand, comes from God alone. Only He can give us freedom. There is no absolute freedom other than from God alone. Whatever freedom we have, is a participation of God’s freedom.
The Good News is that God has given us this freedom by delivering us from sin and the clutches of the Evil One in Christ. Truly, the centrality of Jesus’ mission is to set us free from our sin and the bondage of the Devil. Through our acknowledgement of Jesus’ Lordship in baptism, we are now children of God. Having received the same Spirit of Christ, we are now given the authority to live out our freedom as the sons and daughters of God, no longer ruled by the spirit of the flesh or the spirit of darkness, but by Him alone.
With this same authority invested in us, we are now like the apostles given the commission to go out to do what He did. How can we, who are only human beings, have such power over the evil spirits unless we depend totally on Jesus? Without total reliance on Jesus, we cannot do what Jesus did. Total dependence on Jesus’ strength and authority presupposes that we are available to Jesus as Mary was. If Jesus could do the work of His Father, it was because He was totally open to the Spirit of the Father and His will. We too, when we are docile to His Will and to His Holy Spirit, can do as Jesus said, even greater works than He has done. This docility to His Spirit however presupposes that we have learnt to let go of our sins and bondages, namely, attachments in all its forms, pride and freedom. When we have emptied ourselves like Jesus in Kenosis, then God will be able to exercise His power in and through us effectively.