Read the Catechism in a Year
Day 222 - Freedom and Responsibility
But doesn't “freedom” consist of being able to choose evil as well?
Evil is only apparently worth striving for, and deciding in favor of evil only apparently makes us free. Evil does not make us happy but rather deprives us of what is truly good; it chains us to something futile and in the end destroys our freedom entirely.
We see this in addiction: Here a person sells his freedom to something that appears good to him. In reality he becomes a slave. Man is freest when he is always able to say Yes to the good; when no addiction, no compulsion, no habit prevents him from choosing and doing what is right and good. A decision in favor of the good is always a decision leading toward God.
Is man responsible for everything he does?
Man is responsible for everything he does consciously and voluntarily.
No one can be held (fully) responsible for something he did under coercion, out of fear, ignorance, under the influence of drugs or the power of bad habits. The more a person knows about the good and practices the good, the more he moves away from the slavery of sin (Rom 6:17; 1 Cor 7:22). God desires that such free persons should (be able to) take responsibility for themselves, for their environment, and for the whole earth. But all of God’s merciful love is also for those who are not free; every day he offers them an opportunity to allow themselves to be set free for freedom. (YOUCAT questions 287-288)
Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1734-1737) and other references here.
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