Week Eighteen
The truth will make you free... (John 8:32)
"Freedom is not the ability to do anything we want, whenever we want. Rather, freedom is the ability to live responsibly the truth of our relationship with God and one another." --Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, Missouri
Think About That
That's not what society would have us believe. All the messages we get from society tell us that freedom is your opportunity to do whatever you want no matter what. Well, that's not what freedom means for Christians. For us, freedom is something that comes from being in relationship with God. In that relationship we are freed to live lives of truth and lives that contribute to helping others.
Take Action
Set yourself free today. Do a kind act for someone at home, school, or work. After doing that kind act, pay attention to how you feel. That feeling is what true freedom feels like.
Say A Prayer
Lord, help me to do something kind for someone else today. In that act, help me to know what freedom really means. Thank you for the gift of freedom you have given me.
Did You Know?
In 1942, Pope John Paul II started working in a chemical plant in Solvay, Poland. Before that, he was a stone cutter.
Taken from...
My Dear Young Friends: Pope John Paul II Speaks to Youth on Life, Love, and Courage
Copyright © 2002 -- Reprinted with permission of the editor, John M. Vitek.
My Dear Young Friends, a collection of fifty-two weekly reflections on living in the Spirit, invites young people to read and act on Pope John Paul II's inspiring addresses to young people gathered at annual World Youth Day celebrations. Please visit www.smp.org for more information from the publisher, Saint Mary's Press.
