Learning to be Quick to Listen

The Catholic Church profoundly affirms the reality and importance of free will , seeing it not as a limitation on God's power, but as a testament to His immense love and respect for His creation. As St. Augustine of Hippo wisely observed, "God preferred not to use His own power, but to leave success or failure to the creature’s choice." This preference highlights a divine purpose: to allow rational creatures, both angelic and human, to experience the profound consequences of their choices and to demonstrate the "immense evil that flows from the creature's pride" alongside the "even greater good that comes from His grace." God's decision to grant us freedom is a loving invitation to participate in our own salvation, not an imposition. This gift of free will is intrinsically linked to our creation in God's image and likeness. St. Catherine of Siena beautifully articulates that God "moved Him to draw us out of Himself and give us, us, ...