Finding God's path

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MargaretofCortona

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Is freewill an illusion if God had ultimate control or authority? Like nothing happens by chance. Like we each have a destiny to fulfill
 
This is one of the mysteries of God, how he can have authority over all creation yet we still have free will. You can probably find many writings in the church and from saints, but no one will have a complete understanding because God is infinite and beyond complete understanding.

I think God is actively involved in everything happening on earth, but mainly as an influencer. Through the Holy Spirit and his servants, he gives people hints and maybe even visions of what he wants them to do. It’s up to them to make the choice to do what he says though. This means that many times God allows evil to occur. The question then becomes why does God allow that?

Well, there is something about freely choosing to love God that makes that love perfect. If we were slaves, forced to do good, our love for God would be weaker. God desires us all to have that perfect love for him, making free will necessary. The sad side effect is that this allows people to choose evil. God allows evil on earth because he knows we would be happier with a perfect love for him than an imperfect love. The trials of committing sin, repenting, and returning to God are part of the process of forging that perfect love.
 
Margaret, God has given us the gift of free will. God is all-powerful, but He intends us to freely choose His love and goodness, and to willingly welcome His desire for us to share in His life in this world and for eternity.
He doesn’t force us or program us.

For the moment, just look at your own daily choices.
God isn’t forcing anyone to wear particular shoes, or pick particular clothes to wear, or any number of daily practical choices, or to walk down this street, not the other route,
or to eat a healthy meal choice or not.
God isn’t saying which store to go in or what car to buy…and so on,
even from a practical viewpoint we have free will.
Your practical good sense and free will decides those things., and you may use certain criteria, but no one’s forcing you.
We have free will, we are not an programmed automatons.

We have to bear the consequences of our choices, but that also makes sense from the point of view of free choices.

If you choose to go walking in the rain without an umbrella, you get wet…
if you break the law and are caught you can go to jail, and so on, the same in spiritual matters.
If we refuse to love God and to give practical kindness to others, or small ways, or greater ways, we are choosing the consequences, ourselves.
Predictable consequences to free choices

Below, some links to Catholic sources regarding the Holy Spirit’s teaching regarding human free will.
God bless you

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a3.htm4

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a4.htm2

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_...-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-humanae_en.html2

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a3.htm4

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06259a.htm2

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04756c.htm
 
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