The universal yearning to be free has been behind most political revolutions and movements. Likewise, it is the foundation of almost every treatment plan for those dealing with addictions. And it is certainly a constant theme of the spiritual life as, one by one, sinful impulses and patterns are stripped away and the freedom of God's mercy is embraced.Freedom, however, requires a consciousness of what binds us, a realization of how we have kept others from experiencing true freedom, and a call for justice for those who are enslaved in systems and policies that fail to honor the dignity of all of creation. In other words, before we can fully enjoy the "freedom of the glory of the children of God" (as St. Paul says in Romans 8:21), we have to identify forms of oppression that enslave so many.