Reflections from the Heart – March 24, 2024

Palm Sunday
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.”  One of the challenges we face most is freedom, choice, free will.  We suffer, at times, the freedom so freely given to us by God in the bad and poor decisions we make when we freely choose things and people who do not help but rather hurt us.  We suffer rather than enjoy the gift of free will when we freely choose things that drive us to a deeper, darker depression and lead us to further emptiness rather than enjoy the freedom to choose the joy and happiness that comes with living in the glorious freedom of the Children of God.   We renounce the freedom that God’s gracious gift brings us: liberation, redemption, salvation.  We freely want like those who rebelled against God in the desert, to submit and enslave ourselves once again to sin and sinfulness.  Rather than choosing freedom, rather than choosing the glorious freedom God has won for us, we choose to be imprisoned, restricted, and limited by the options that our bad choices bring. God has ransomed you from your personal Egypt.  Why would you choose to entertain bad situations and further entrust yourself to bad, unfortunate circumstances that leave you flat, angry, frustrated, impatient, dissatisfied? Why freely give yourself to unhealthy, unruly relationships? Why entertain friendships that are detrimental to your poor spirit and low self-esteem?  Why continue to develop destructive virtual relationships with images on your cell or maintain disgusting digital indiscretions with improper videos that cannot hear what you say or see what you do?  Freedom is a choice that the Holy Spirit brings and the gift Christ has won for you.  God’s love has given you the grace to choose to be free. Not the freedom to choose unfortunate circumstances or to return to your bad habits or your old ways.  God’s love freely chooses you.  He freely chooses to love you in great times and during bad, unfortunate circumstances.  God’s love is so strong, so faithful, so steadfast that even when you freely choose to sin, God in his great love for you still chooses to freely remain in relationship with you and, praise God, remain with me.  You are the choice God has made and he will not go back on his promise or change his mind. God relies on love to discern and with that same love chooses to remain freely in love with you.  Love is freely given. Rely on love and you will always be free.