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JerzySzymik
freedom.Butthroughthisitallowsfortheriskofevil.“Itrisksthemystery
ofdarknesswithaviewtothegreaterlight,whichisfreedomandlove.”13
Itisnotpossibletolovewithoutfreedom—thisisthedecisiveargumentof
theChristianfaith.14AsoneconcludesfromGod’slogic,thisisapriceless
argument.Thisworld(withfreedom,love,andtheriskofevil)iswantedby
God,suchaworldhasbeencreatedbyHim.Consenttothisriskofdark-
nessisprobablyoneofthemosttheologicallydimcultissues.TheCreator
isworthyofHiscreation’strust:thesearemattersofGod:freedomand
love,“thelightbiggerthanthatdarkness.”Thestructureoftheworldisof
Logos,ofthedivineWordandWisdom,ofGod.Itisbiggerthananything
else—itislightthatisbiggerhere:freedomandloveasitsresult.
Alongthoselines,freedomissomethingabsolutelyessentialtoChris-
tianity
,foritsverycapability
.Itistheenvironmentofitslife—itiswater
inwhichtheChristianfaithflowstoitsaim,itistheairthatitbreathes.
However,thisfreedom—withallitsgreatnessandindispensability—
includes(byitsverynature)theriskwhichcreatestheambiguityand
equivocationofitsimage.Itisfragile,susceptibletoinjuries,butwith-
outitwewouldnotbepeople,childrenofGod.Amagnificenthymnin
honouroffreedom,containingbothadescriptionofitsgreatnessandits
internalimplications,itspassionatedefense,argumentsforitsindispen-
sabilityforhumanafairs,ispresentedinthecentralpartsoftheencycli-
calSpeSalvi.Thisisahymninhonouroffreedomastheonlywarran-
torofhumanhope,againstitspoliticalinstrumentalisationinthename
ofprogress(especiallytotalitarianstructuresmeanttoservetheso-called
futureofmankind,whichalwaysendsupingenocide).Hereisagreat
Christianlessononfreedom,alessonofLogos—neitherhappinessnor
hopeforthepriceofdepravationoffreedomexists:
[…]freedomisalwaysnewandhemustalwaysmakehisdecisionsanew.
Thesedecisionscanneversimplybemadeforusinadvancebyothers
—ifthatwerethecase,wewouldnolongerbefree.Freedompresup-
posesthatinfundamentaldecisions,everypersonandeverygeneration
isanewbeginning.Naturally,newgenerationscanbuildontheknowl-
edgeandexperienceofthosewhowentbefore,andtheycandrawupon
themoraltreasuryofthewholeofhumanity.Buttheycanalsorejectit,
becauseitcanneverbeself-evidentinthesamewayasmaterialinven-
tions.Themoraltreasuryofhumanityisnotreadilyathandliketools
thatweuse;itispresentasanappealtofreedomandapossibilityfor
it.This,however,meansthat:
13WwCh,p.162.
14J.RATZINGeR:Bógiświat.Wiaraiżyciewdzisiejszychczasach[conversationwith
P.SeeWAld].Trans.G.SOWINSKI.Kraków2001(hereinafter:BiŚ),pp.51—53.
