22-23Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip together told Jesus. Jesus answered, "Time's up. The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

24-25"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal."

*John 12.22-25 (MSG)

St. Augustine differentiated between two facets of freedom, both vital to understanding spiritual liberty. First, is liberum arbitrium, or freedom of choice. Second, libertas, or freedom. The first pertains to a capacity for spiritual freedom, and the second to spiritual liberty.

This liberty expands in this life through three stages, and the third is “under Grace.” One does the Divine will gladly. The person wants to do it and does it – desire and act are unified. There is constant expansion in this freedom. St. Augustine taught Grace makes it not difficult to do what we should do.

(Mary T. Clark. “Introduction.” St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine of Hippo. The Classics of Western Spirituality)

A successful businessman seemed to have everything – beautiful wife, adorable children, a big house in which they lived happily. His greatest pride, however, was in his exotic songbird, which he kept in a cage and fed delicious titbits when she entertained guests.

The man had to go on a trip. He asked his wife and children what presents they would like from abroad; they asked for fine silks, honeycomb, and clockwork toys. Last, he asked his songbird if she would like him to bring anything back.

“I wish only for one small favor” said the songbird.

“Anything!” her master spoke gleefully.

“Just this – when you see my cousins in the trees where you’re going to, please tell them about my conditions here.”

“Are you sure? I could bring you back a jewel-encrusted mirror or dried tropical fruit?” said the owner.

The songbird replied,“No, just this, thank you.” The man went away feeling a little confused but resolved to carry out the wishes of his songbird.

The man made his trip safely and carried out his business; he spent his remaining time buying presents his family requested. Last, he went to a park and saw some birds in trees, and they bore a remarkable resemblance to his songbird. He called up and told them about how his own bird lived in a cage and sang for guests and him.

But no sooner had he finished speaking than one of the birds trembled on its perch and tumbled to the ground, ceasing to move. The man held his head in grief. The happening spoiled his trip.

He returned home and greeted his family. They were delighted with their presents; but he could not share their pleasure as long as the soon encounter with his songbird was on his conscience.

Finally, he found the courage to go to the garden. “Well?” his songbird asked and, hesitantly, the man told him what had occurred. The songbird listened intently. He, then, trembled on his perch and fell to the bottom of his cage. He was dead.

The man was beside himself with sadness and confusion. Weeping openly, he opened the door of the cage and lifted out his beloved songbird. No sooner had he done so, however, that the songbird returned to life. The bird flew up to the branches of the nearest tree and let out a shrill of joy at finding its freedom.

The man scratched his head in wonder and asked: “Okay, you win. But tell me, please, what was in the message that contained this trick?”

The songbird looked down at him with pity and said: “My cousin in Africa showed me that it was my beauty and singing voice that kept me in the cage. Were it not for the delight of my singing voice and beauty you would have lost interest in me long ago. I had to give up that life to become free.”

In the above Sufi story, the bird becomes free? Was she free when she was in the cage, performing to please other persons and her owner, and being liked for her looks and singing?

At core, the Gospel is paradoxical on the matter of freedom. We must die, to live. We must lose our liberty, to be liberated.

Sadly, often religion becomes another cage. This cage entraps us in another case of the performance ethic. The performance ethic will not work. The grace ethic will. Grace leads to freedom. Not only does it lead to freedom from entrapment to things, it frees us from servitude to persons who want us to prove to them we are worthy by a performance ethic.

So, do you want to be free? Live from the inside-out. Focus on right being, and right doing will proceed from that.

What is the difference between a grace ethic and a performance ethic? Can you tell when you are in one or the other? Explain.

©Brian Wilcox, and OneLife Ministries. 07/19/2010

*OneLife Ministries is a ministry of Brian Kenneth Wilcox, SW Florida. Brian lives a vowed life, as an Associate of Greenbough House of Prayer. He lives with his two doggie friends, Bandit Ty and St. Francis and serves as a jail Chaplain. He is creator and administrator of the Facebook sites Sanctum of Prayer, Christian Spirituality, and his business site Love & Light. His personal Facebook page is Brian Kenneth Wilcox.

*You can order his book An Ache for Union from major booksellers.