“I am your freedom and your joy, just as I am for my Son and the angels” (Inner Word).
If we understood these words, we would stop seeking freedom and joy that do not come from our Father. We would realize that earthly pleasures do not truly fulfill the soul; in fact, they can leave it feeling empty. The same is true of freedom. “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed,” says the Lord (Jn 8:36). To attain true freedom, our heart must belong to God because it was created by and for Him. Once surrendered to Him, everything else falls into place according to that hierarchy. But if it does not belong to Him completely, then other things and people take the place that belongs to God.
The Lord conveys all this to us in today’s verse. Note that He does not tell us that He will grant us freedom, but that He Himself is our freedom. The same applies to joy. We find everything in God. He is the source of freedom and joy. Knowing Him brings true happiness to mankind.
The same applies to the angels and, we might add, to the saints. Today’s passage also mentions Jesus, the Son of God, whose greatest joy is to glorify the Father.
God the Father has called us to life so that we may share in His glory, and so that He may share His life with us. Therefore, only God can be our freedom and joy in the fullest sense. If we find Him, we have found everything. If we live with Him, we have attained true life, and our souls will exclaim, “I have always sought You, and at last I have found You. Now I will never be separated from You, for You are my freedom and my joy. Where else could I go?”