Christians are offered the mind-blowing prospect of inheriting the “freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8,21). Such a freedom is truly momentous, first because it opens up the possibility of doing things that we might previously have thought impossible and secondly – perhaps even more importantly – of becoming the person that God has chosen us to be.

So what is freedom? Humans are “born free”. Lions, as the subject of the film which bears that name, strictly speaking, are not. We are free because, unlike lions, or any other species of the animal kingdom, we can choose to do what is the better option in a given situation. Animals cannot recognise what is good, they instinctively just go for what they need. They do not choose anything. They might learn how to do things through training (e.g. performing seals or elephants or chimpanzees), but importantly, they do not recognise what they are doing to be good.

We, on the other hand, can recognise that in any given situation, we have a choice to make. Should I go to work today? (I might not feel like it, or I might feel forced to do so, but ultimately it is my choice whether or not to open the front door). Should I help out more in the parish? Should I have burgers or a salad for lunch?