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Good morning. The Government’s proposal to phase out the sale of cigarettes provoked quite a reaction and has raised all sorts of questions. It has also led to a much broader moral debate about personal freedom and responsibility. We inevitably make conscious or subconscious choices, every day, about our health and wellbeing. We weigh up the pros and cons of what or what not to do. It’s not easy to navigate the plethora of health advice before responsibly trying to chart a wholesome way forward. Encouraging young people to make the right choices is a huge challenge for parents, carers, and teachers. Vaping is now a real headache facing most schools. As is the ongoing quest to encourage pupils to eat well and shun the rampant fast-food culture that often awaits them at the school gate. Helping children to resist external pressures and circumnavigate the vested interests of others is a daily challenge. Similarly, against a backdrop of increasing levels of stress and isolation, many vulnerable adults admit to needing extra help to make the right decisions about their health. In the face of well documented addictions and disorders affecting different communities, our responsibility surely extends to doing what we can to help vulnerable groups to ensure that they really do have a choice. It's interesting to me that, throughout his ministry, Jesus is interrogated by the religious leaders and challenged to condemn the choices others have made. When some of the Pharisees accuse his disciples of not washing their hands before eating, Jesus’ irritated reply does not question the obvious advantages of hand washing but rather the theocratic over-regulation and application of the law. Indeed, the focus of Christian ethics is rooted in the freedom of the individual to make right choices. The emphasis is on what we ought to do rather than what we ought not to do. Don’t judge others. Don’t cast the first stone. Do not be blind to yourself. What Jesus calls the Kingdom of God is depicted as a community undergirded by love and understanding – rather than judgement and chastisement. We are inherently free, thankfully, to make decisions for ourselves. We sometimes need help along the way. In all cases the link between freedom and responsibility is crucial and should never be taken for granted. We can have all the freedom possible, both individually and collectively; the key is to use it responsibly.