LEARNING ACTIVITY

SWOT ANALYSIS
(Identify your Strength, Weakness,
Opportunities and Threat/Challenges)
FREEDOM

WHAT IS FREEDOM?
ABSOLUTE FREEDOM?
Doing what I want!
rules, regulations, commitments,
norms and standards are limitations
to freedom
Freedom for most people means “doing
anything one wants.”
FREEDOM IS ONLY AN
ILLUSION?
 We are not free, human behavior is
determined by instincts and heredity.
 AM I FREE?
Scriptures and Church teaching guide us to
the true meaning of authentic freedom.
FREEDOM IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
FREEDOM IN THE NEW
TESTAMENT
CHURCH TEACHING ON
FREEDOM
Freedom is the power, rooted in reason
and will, to act or not to act, to do this
or that, and so to perform deliberate
actions on one’s own responsibility. By
free will one shapes one’s own life.
Human freedom is a force for growth
and maturity in truth and goodness; it
attains its perfection when directed
toward God, our beatitude. (CCC 1731)
Framework for the discussion of Freedom:

1. Our human freedom is God’s gift.

2. Our freedom is at the heart of our
human becoming.
3. Being truly free entails growing in our
capacity to act responsibly.
4. Acting responsibly leads not only to
genuine freedom on our part but also the
true freedom of our families and friends.
1. Our human freedom is God’s
gift.
An exceptional sign of the divine image
within man and woman.
(Gaudium et Spes 11)
2. Our freedom is
at the heart of our human becoming.

It is only in freedom that man can

develop himself towards goodness.
(Gaudium et Spes 17)
3. Being truly free entails growing in our capacity to act
responsibly.

Freedom makes man responsible for his

acts to the extent that they are
voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge
of the good, and enhance the mastery
of the will over its acts.(CCC 1734)
4. Acting responsibly leads not only to genuine freedom on
our part but also the true freedom of our families and
friends.
Freedom: Our God given capacity to
Love
Freedom is something we experience as persons
– in our capacity to choose, in our individual
choices, and in the person we become through
our choices

Freedom is an integral part of our actions and

our very selves.
Is Freedom Absolute?
Freedom is relational
FREEDOM IS RELATIONAL
TRUE FREEDOM IS ALWAYS LIVED IN
COMMUNITY BEFORE GOD.
“Freedom is exercised in relationships between
human beings. Every human person, created in
the image of God, has the natural right to be
recognized as a free and responsible being. All
owe to each other this duty of respect. The right
to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and
religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of
the dignity of the human person. This right must
be recognized and protected by civil authority
within the limits of the common good and public
order.” (CCC #1738)
Freedom is
threatened by- “ do what they want to
do without the good of the other
members of the community.”
 The 10 commandments “does not
prohibit but express what we should do
to be truly free. ↓
moral obligation
Freedom therefore is not our capacity “
to do anything we want but our
capacity to do what we should as
persons in the community
True freedom is doing good:

“True freedom is not our capacity to do

anything we want, but our capacity to do
what we should as persons-in-community.”
Freedom is not simply “doing what I
want”. Authentic freedom is not the
right to say and do anything but to do
the good.
 Lovers of true freedom are those who come to decisions on
their own judgment and in the light of truth and govern their
activities with a sense of responsibility, striving after what is
true and right.
The 3 C’s to describe freedom
1. The individual’s capacity
(Kakayahan) to be self-
determining.
 The capacity for self-
determination refers to the
exercise of freedom that is
specified or specific. It must
be clear what the person is
aiming for.
 It is the capacity to create
something final, something
irrevocable and eternal.
The 3 C’s to describe freedom
2. The context one is in.
 Freedom exists in a context.
 Each person’s attempt to be
self-determining individual
does not take place within a
vacuum but within an
increasingly complex set of
circumstances.
 This has something to do with
the concept of freedom as
relational.
 Our freedom is always a
shared freedom-with-others.
The 3 C’s to describe freedom
3. The act of choices itself.
 It is only in the exercise
of one’s freedom that
one assures it.
 Our freedom is
determined by our
capacity to make
choices at a certain
situation based upon
our set of values.
TWO DISTINCT MEANING OF
FREEDOM
1. External Freedom- it refers to the
freedom of action, the freedom to
do what we ought to do.

2. Inner Freedom- freedom to become

all we can possibly be
1. Discipline Freedom(childhood stage) –
obedience to the Laws; with the help of
teachers; parents; external; reward and
punishment.
2. Virtue Freedom (adolescence) – personal
progress and development of virtue; doing
because it is good.
3. Mature Freedom(adulthood) – total surrender
of self to God; living for self and for others
 Two kinds of Freedom
Freedom from Freedom for

Freedom of Indifference Freedom of Excellence

 1. FREEDOM FROM
( Freedom of indifference)

- are conditions, attitudes and acts that

hinders us from following Christ.
- Not from moral obligation but from the
external and internal threats to freedom
- Authentic freedom therefore involves
first of all freedom from everything that
opposes our true self-becoming with
others in community
Internal threats or obstacle to freedom
- Negative habits
- Personality defects
- Bad habits
- Prejudices
- Psychological disturbance
- Vices
- Fears
- Doubts
- Disordered desires
- Prejudices

- Ignorance etc .
Threat to inner freedom
Comes outside man and woman like
1. Subhuman conditions, arbitrary
imprisonment, inhuman working
conditions, exploitation, tyranny.
2. Within himself/herself like ignorance,
uncontrolled disordered passions for
power, wealth and pleasure
Exterior threat/obstacles to freedom
-they are forces or realities in our community that
influence us to act in a self-centered way.

-exterior forces such as violent force or the threat

of violence
Like

 Violence
 Oppression
 Racial prejudice
 Human rights violations
 Poverty
 Peer pressure
 Etc.
3 SOURCES OF IMPEDIMENT CAN BE
BIOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
SOCIAL
SIN
 The greatest single obstacle to our
authentic freedom
“The choice to disobey and do evil is an
abuse of freedom and leads to slavery
of sin.”
 2. FREEDOM FOR
( Freedom of excellence)
Growing as full persons
Growing in Christ likeness

Authentic love
“the truth that human person have the
capacity to determine their own lives
through their own free choice is a
matter of Christian faith.
Freedom found in
Authentic LOVE
3 Aspects of Freedom

1. Freedom from something as opposed to

enslavement.
2. Moral Freedom-the freedom of the will or not
being forced to act in a certain way
3. Transcendental Freedom or faculty of
human being to say he is over and beyond
every other individual being. This is called
perfect act of freedom because its spiritual
significance for purpose is stated.
2 levels of freedom
1. Freedom of Choices: It
is the freedom to choose
from among alternatives
or the freedom we
“have”.  “It is only through free
choice that human
persons are masters of
 This is the most basic their own actions”- ( St.
experience of human Thomas
freedom – the capacity to
choose – which we
experience when
choosing between two
options.
 It is the freedom we
have to choose and do
particular acts.
 Our freedom is always
tied in with our
relationship with others
in community and with
Christ.
 We realize that not
everything we could
possibly choose leads to
true fulfillment of
ourselves and others.
To make themselves to be the persons
they should be is an exceptional sign
of the divine image within man and
woman.(GS #17)
FREE CHOICE

An existential principle or source of

morality.
Pope John Paul II
Emphasizes on the self determining
character of free choice.
 “Freedom is not only the
choice for one or another
particular action, it is also
within that choice a decision
about oneself and a setting
of one’s own life for or
against God, for or against
the truth, for or against
God.”
2. Fundamental Freedom
 It is the kind of person we
become through our individual
choices or the freedom we
“become”.
 It is the basic choice we make in
life underlying our individual
choice, expressed in who we
are as person.
 Cite an example how the
fundamental freedom of person
affects the free choices he/she
makes every day.
 A person can either become other-centered or self-
centered in his/her fundament freedom.
 For instance, if I consistently choose what is
morally good, I become a good person, one who is
authentically free and loving.
 If I consistently choose what is morally evil, I
become an evil person, one who is fully unfree and
self-centered.
 One’s fundamental freedom is gradually
formed by the way he/she exercise his/her
freedom of choice. “What I do” forms “who I
am.”
 The kind of person we are – the character we
form and the values we uphold – is expressed
in the daily choices we make.
 For example, the loving acts of a particular
saint have made him/her a truly loving
person. The fundamental freedom of a
person shapes the kind of choices he/she
makes in the future.
 Finally, we can say that there is a mutual
relationship between “who we are” and
“what we do” for every free choice we
make is truly important because it shapes
the kind of person we become.
It is a fundamental choice between love
and selfishness, between self and God
our destiny.

-basic life orientation

 Very core of the human person

Locus of self determination- basic moral

responsibility.
We gradually become what we morally
are by what we morally do
As a consequence
“We view the other people’s personal
act in terms of their total person.-who
they are.”
I AM AND I BECOME
 FREEDOM OF SELF-
DETERMINATION AND CHOICE
 Simply means we choose the good.
 Vatican II Gaudium et Spes
(Pastoral Constitution of the Church in
the modern world)

 It is an exceptional sign of the image

of God in us. It is only in freedom
that man and woman can develop
themselves toward goodness. (GS 17)
CONSCIOUS AND FREE CHOICE
Freedom of self-determination
 Fundamental posture
 Fundamental option
 Fundamental orientation
They are one of the same thing
 Towards the ultimate good of human
life is in our power and it is our
responsibility.
 Freedom is realized in both our
choices, as well as in our self-
disposition.
“What I will”- Becoming “what
I should”
FREEDOM TO BE ONESELF
A person’s life is a quest for happiness

Inner freedom can be defined as

freedom that promotes the fulfilment of
human needs and from whatever
hinders it
 -Process of growth-
-Reached the ultimate goal in his/her
life.-
There are many things we can do to exercise our
freedom to attain set goals.

1. Set restrictions to external freedom

while working to obtain set goals.
2. Before or doing anything consider its
possible effect on others.
3. Free ourselves of ignorance so we
can direct ourselves towards
goodness.
4. Bring out the best in ourselves.
5. Manage your time wisely
6. Develop courage, perseverance and
self-discipline.
7. Listen to your conscience.
Conditions for inner freedom
1. Grow in self-knowledge and
understanding of one’s vocation
2. Well determined goal in life and
commitment
3. Courage, perseverance, self-discipline
and even sacrifice.
Human Freedom and
Responsibility

WE ARE FREE and WE ARE

RESPONSIBLE
 FREEDOM AND
RESPONSIBILITY

Without freedom there can be no

responsibility, where there is freedom
there responsibility follow automatically.
THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE FREEDOM
ON EARTH
A MATURE PERSON…
1.Does not act compulsively but
responsibly.
2. One who takes his her responsibility
3. Has the ability to look into the future
and foresee the consequences of
decisions.
Responsible decision making
1. Respect yourself
2. Respect fellow human beings/fellow
Christians
3. Respect for the Church and beliefs of
others.
4. Respect for outsiders
This responsibility brings about self-
growth and happiness to others and
oneself.
Freedom grounded in truth
 Jn 8:31-32
 Gal. 5:1, 13-14,16
 2 Cor. 3:17
Jesus and Freedom
Jesus was truly free man- He paid for
this but was happy and fulfilled.
 Christ invites us to the fullness of
graced life and freedom
“For freedom Christ has set us free”
(Gal 5:1). (CCC 1748)
Points to Ponder..
 What does it mean to be
truly free?
 Am I free when I can do
anything I want?
 Is freedom a right or a
gift?
 If freedom is a gift, how
should I ought to
exercise my freedom?
HEROES OF TRUE FREEDOM?
A. Why can we B) What particular choices
consider the ff. persons in his/her life helped
as example of freedom him/her to become truly
or “unfreedom”? free or “unfree” person?
Corrupt officials