Hispanic Ministry / Felix Navarrete

Jesus’ resurrection is a sign of our true freedom

(En Espanol)

Alleluia! Christ is risen! Both are common phrases in this paschal time that Christians live. The experience of the risen becomes a cause of joy—joy manifested not only in the liturgy, but in the daily life of each of us whose hope is eternal life.

The Resurrection is also manifested in nature, in the sprouting of the trees and the blossoming of the fruits that paint our landscapes with beautiful colors, accompanied by a fresh dawn and the song of the creatures that inspired St. Francis of Assisi so much—even to the point of considering those beings as his brothers.

The fact that Christ has risen invites us to a process of personal renewal, where we have once again been set truly free, free from the yoke of the slavery of sin and from an eternal death sentence. Our freedom has been paid by a high cost; now it is up to us how to manage said freedom.

There is a modern phrase that says “Feel free to be … .” Although the context is full of positivity, the living out of the phrase could define the path for true freedom or lead us to a life of endless and excessive actions that take us more into slavery disguised as freedom. St. Augustine said, “Love God and do what you want.” Although it offers a similar context and invite us to act freely, his statement prefaces a condition that completely makes a vital difference in our pursuit of happiness.

Loving God, in addition to being the first commandment, involves a chain of actions that generate many other virtues; it is by loving God that we renounce pride and know humility; it is by loving God that our egocentrism becomes a common good; it is by loving God that our greed becomes works of mercy. Finally, to the extent that we love him, we are more like him, and our true humanity is reflected, not as the world wants us to reflect it, but as God intended from the moment of our conception.

Human beings have the ability to feel, think and act in accord with sound judgment and intellect and that make us more human and therefore more intelligent than the rest of creation. However, on many occasions, our capabilities are tarnished by pride and excessive self-esteem, developed in a crisis of values on a personal level, therefore, affecting our closest neighbor and instilling anti-values in our family.

St. Francis of Assisi understood very well the concept of freedom that St. Augustine proposed. He decided to love God in making his decisions, gave up the comforts of his family, sold his possessions to give to the poor and entered a life of poverty and service to others. Francis actually rose with Christ from that moment, transforming himself completely, freeing himself from his yokes and living in full and complete material and spiritual freedom.

Unlike St. Francis, the people of Israel, after being freed from a slavery of 400 years and having celebrated the Passover, wandered through the desert for 40 more years before entering the promised land because they did not listen to the voice of God and renounced the tests they went through on the way.

Jesus teaches us that the victory over our instincts is what we call true freedom. The Easter season in which we find ourselves is an anticipation of what our encounter with God will be like. We are free by the blood of Christ to begin a new chapter of our lives. The way you author it is up to you. Happy Easter!
 

(Felix Navarrete is archdiocesan coordinator of Hispanic Ministry.) †