Okay, you are right to ask for patience. Even the passage I quoted calls me to be patient.
Last to first. When you say, “Indeed. God grants the ability to choose for good. How is that contradicting that people have God-given free will?” you are missing what I said. I did not say that your claim itself was contradicting. I said the passage you quote from the Bible contradicts your statements.
The passage I quoted from II Tim. states unequivocally that the men disagreeing with Paul could not gain repentance unless God granted it to them. Can you explain how they could have freely chosen good, if God must first grant them repentance in order for them to recognize their error?
The passage states that they are captives with respect to choosing good.
Romans 8:30 does? How? The passage does not say that the elect have nothing to do now that God predestined them. The Catholic understanding is that He predestines, calls, justifies and glorifies those who respond to grace in righteousness; they "search in their hearts knowing what the Spirit desireth". Where is the contradiction?
Can you explain how they could have freely chosen good, if God must first grant them repentance in order for them to recognize their error?
To repent means to have a change of heart (or of mind). It is true that God grants the ability to repent; often even asks directly for repentance, but repentance is impossible without free movement of the will for sorrow over the sin and converson toward the good.