What is Freedom?

Catholic freedom can be likened to a divinely-inspired dance routine where every step has meaning, every move has rhythm, and the goal is not merely to flail around but to glide gracefully with purpose and love. True freedom, libertas, according to Catholic teaching, is not about doing whatever we feel like (quidquid libet) but about choosing the good, the true, and the beautiful. It’s more “let’s tango to holiness” than “interpretive dance of chaos.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) reminds us in paragraph 1731 that “Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act… and perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.” So, rather than being a blank check to make a mess, freedom is a power for choosing what helps us flourish and serve others.

Contrast this with the world’s view of freedom, which often translates to “do whatever you want”—a great slogan if you’re an unruly toddler but a less-than-stellar philosophy for adults with souls to save. This version of freedom is more like an all-you-can-eat buffet of self-indulgence where there are no limits except personal desires. While it might sound thrilling initially—“Eat, drink, and be merry!”—it usually leads to a spiritual hangover and a plate full of regret. St. Thomas Aquinas would nod sagely here and remind us that true freedom is found in seeking bonum verum (the true good). “Man,” Aquinas says, “is free insofar as he acts for the sake of the good and perfects himself through virtuous acts” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 82, a. 1).

Let’s get practical. Imagine freedom as a train hurtling down a track: worldly freedom says you can rip up the rails and plow through the countryside because, hey, “no rules.” But without tracks, the train crashes. Catholic freedom, on the other hand, keeps the train on the rails of moral law and virtue. These tracks guide you somewhere worthwhile—toward God, who is our true happiness. Paragraph 1740 of the Catechism notes that the misuse of freedom leads to “slavery to sin.” The world’s approach is like saying, “Why not jump off the train for a quick thrill?” Well, because gravity is real, and splattering isn’t as liberating as advertised. Catholic freedom tells us that true liberation comes from choosing the good and obeying God’s law out of love, not constraint.

Aquinas also clarifies that our passions must be rightly ordered. If freedom means being a slave to every whim (servitudo passionum), you’re not free; you’re a marionette pulled by desire. Catholic teaching aligns with the maxim, ordo amoris—order of loves—so our choices reflect what truly matters and what brings life.

In summary, Catholic freedom is like receiving a lovingly-compiled instruction manual for life that prevents us from assembling our spiritual furniture backward. It doesn’t strip joy but focuses it. Next time someone touts “doing whatever you want” as freedom, just smile, invoke Aquinas in your best Latin accent, and say, “Non serviam—I’m not serving the whims of sin today!” True freedom isn’t merely about avoiding sin, though. It’s about embracing the highest good—God himself—and dancing in his grace with every beat of the soul.