Free Will is a TEMPORARY Gift

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Free will, for those creatures created in the "image and likeness of God", is a gift that is strictly temporary.  Regardless of what you believe, the moment you die, that is to say, the moment your soul separates from your body, you will no longer have free will.

Ironically, free will is often idolized as if there is no 'tomorrow' after death.  What a tremendous gamble one takes to either wrongly assume this outright, or to neglect the consideration that they live as if there is no possibility of being self-aware after death. Yet, for all the variances of what people who have had "near death" experiences, there is one, single thing in common with all of these stories:  none of such persons had free-will.  If they had a desire to do something, permission always had to be granted. Even the process of death will often come with it a lessening of the ability do operate by one's will.  The misleading phrase, "brain death", was even initially a legal term to depict a physical state when a patient was not "viable", meaning, there was no proof of consciousness simply because there was very little to no activity by the patient.  (The machines that test this have very unreliable results, incidentally, as any neurosurgeon who knows these machines would attest, regardless of their personal political beliefs on end-of-life matters.)  However, we know of many people who come out of comas and describe  they were often aware of their surroundings.  

The plain fact of the matter is that it is the single, biggest first mistake most people make: to not consider that they will still have self-awareness of their souls after death.  In truth, their awareness will be extremely attenuated for the fact that they have nothing else to do but be aware of their state, that is to say, until after the moment of their Personal Judgement, which will bring with it either immediately Heaven, or temporary suffering with a desire for eventual unification with the Creator, or eternal suffering in Hell.

Sounds bleak, but only to those who are motivated by a love that seeks primarily to fulfil his or her desires in this life.  Those who know that their fulfillment can only be in the one that demands full honor, Jesus Christ, will see everything that comes to them as pointing to the glory to come.  

So if one does consider that his or her free will ends with death, then how should they then go about living in this life?  What is expected of them?  The answer is in the Blessed Mother's brief conversation to the servants at the wedding feast of Cana, just precipitating the beginning of Jesus's public ministry:  

"Do whatever he tells you."

But what does this mean?  One might think, "I am too weak to do anything.  Could I keep the Commandments?  What are they anyway?  Are there even other things that might be asked of me?  What if I am unwilling to give up those things?"   Then one will immediately recognize that the truth is that the idolize the vanity of vanities.  People will take all kinds of measures to prevent pain and suffering in this life, but because they are repulsed by the idea of death, which is more than a bit understandable, they avoid the consideration of the inevitable.  They live in perpetual fear, clamoring from distraction to distraction, clinging desperately to their false belief that there will be no self-awareness in death.  Again, the price is higher than anything you can ever afford in this life, if every penny you ever came across was spent to your pleasure. 

One must consider that death does not end self-awareness of the soul, but continues it without free-will.  But how can one, "Do whatever he tells you?"  The secret is to finding the Life that does not die, but that can only be lost in our temporal lifetime.  And even then, it can be found again via the intercession of the Blessed Mother, because her prayers are always more efficacious and are therefore, especially helpful to hardened sinners who have no supernatural Faith.  (She is so adorable, that even from Heaven, one gets to know this of her first-hand by devoting themselves to her and her assistance, even while she is the Queen of Heaven and of the Angels.)

Supernatural graces are the gifts from the Holy Ghost which inspire, DIRECTLY into a

soul, the gifts that, among other things, allow one to fulfill the Commandments and whatever else God asks.  Yes, even bad habits are eradicated, as if you are a child, and in their place, beautiful, holy things are put in their place.  It is as if the Blessed Mother gets the go ahead from her Mystical Spouse, the Holy Ghost, and 'purchases' graces by her intercession, and spends them on holy 'distractions' to redirect the heart and minds of her adopted children.  It is then the ULTIMATE, "Win/Win".  But why else would an infant give up what he had been convinced he must have unless he is given something better than he could have imagined?  The infant is not able to imagine what his mother knows is better for him and what will also make him more happy, especially in the long term.  

Likewise, as with adopted children of Mary, the more they cooperate with the graces given to them to live through the ordinary means of grace (the Sacraments of the one, true, holy and apostolic Church and its teachings), the more they will obtain increased graces, and increased awareness of better things, and increased facility to obtain the virtues to maintain graces and avoid unnecessary near temptations (according to ones state -- which I will explain in a later post).

But for now, let us celebrate for this gift of free will, that while it is temporary, it is the opportunity to set our will towards God and His Glory for eternity.  And in the process, we will come to know the better things in this life, and in the next.  

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!