Reflection
When you are interiorly free you call others to freedom, whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears. A free man or a free woman creates a space where others feel safe and want to dwell. Our world is so full of conditions, demands, requirements, and obligations that we often wonder what is expected of us. But when we meet a truly free person there are no expectations, only an invitation to reach into ourselves and discover there our own freedom. Where true inner freedom is, there God is. And where God is, there we want to be.
Henri Nouwen
Prayer
May the truth set me free,
Action
What hampers your inner freedom? Are there thought patterns or belief systems that influence you negatively? What steps can you take to claim your inner freedom?
Suggested Reading
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Jesus wants us free, and this freedom – where is it found? It is to be found in the inner dialogue with God in conscience.
Pope Francis
Freedom is just a word, a concept; an ideal until we will it in our individual lives. We cannot have outer freedom, however, if inwardly we are imprisoned by our fear and all its negative companions.
Nan Merrill
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.
St. Francis de Sales
Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.
Dalai Lama
Mental and emotional freedom is not the denial of truth — it’s the recognition that truth isn’t something we need to run from or be afraid of.
T.K. Coleman
I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
Nelson Mandela
Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Freedom is not an end in itself. It is not just freedom from something; it must also be freedom for something.
Gerald May