While attending an adult education session more than thirty years ago, a woman blurted out a memorable line. "If that is the case, my son is sinless. He never thinks of anything before he does it." The mother was responding to a statement on freedom of will and awareness of conscience as essential for sin and one's responsibility for sin. She, although somewhat jokingly, was relieved to know that her son was free of sin, because of his major lack of thought and reflection before doing and saying anything. The presenter had another thought: "Sinless, maybe; but not without fault."

Freedom and the ability to choose are certainly two of our greatest gifts. They are two gifts that no doubt flow from being created in the "image of God." But we also have the responsibility to exercise our freedom and our ability to choose wisely. Here again, knowledge is the key element.

It is irresponsible, for example, to remain ignorant of what is right and wrong. And it is irresponsible to remain ignorant of the pain and the hurt caused by such irresponsibility. Human freedom is freedom for, not freedom from. As humans, we are created for loving others. Rarely is this an escape from anything. It is most always a conscious commitment to the good and the service of another. While it may be dangerous and well beyond our realm of authority to impute "sin" to someone, it is well within our right and indeed our obligation to call one another to responsible behavior.

This, however, must begin with ourselves. If the basis of morality is to know ourselves as human and children of God, then one of our basic moral actions is to live responsibly in light of this identity. This kind of moral living calls us well beyond the limits of "rule-keeping" and at the same time rarely permits us to excuse ourselves because of ignorance. We have a moral obligation to know, and then to act in light of that knowledge. Again, to the woman who felt relieved, "sinless, maybe, but not without fault."

© Harcourt Religion Publishers/BROWN-ROA