Freedom

"God has given each person freedom and forces no one,

but only indicates, calls and persuades."

~ St. Angela Merici

God's deepest respect for us is shown not in miracles that compel belief. The Creator of everything refuses to overwhelm, to coerce, to manipulate. Instead: indication, invitation, persuasion. This is the method of love, not power. Love that forces isn't love at all—it's possession.

This has profound implications for how we should treat one another. If God, who has every right and every ability to demand, chooses instead to woo and wait, what does that say about our attempts to force others into righteousness, to shame them into virtue, to bully them toward truth?

Perhaps the greatest test of whether we've actually encountered the divine is whether it makes us more respectful of others' freedom, not less. Real spiritual maturity might be measured by our willingness to indicate, call, and persuade—and then step back. To make our case and let it stand. To trust that truth is persuasive enough without our anxious insistence.