Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Friday of the fifth week of Lent, March 27th, 2026

Delivered by Svara Nirmala and Dwi Setyo from the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mamajang in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Jeremiah 20: 10-13; Rs psalm 18: 2-3a.3bc-4.5-6.7; John 10: 31-42.SPIRITUAL WAR The title for our meditation today is: Spiritual War.In this war, the commander in chief on the one hand is the Lord and Satan is onthe other. Angels and saints are on the Lord's side carrying out their dutiesas warriors, while on the other side there are Satan's soldiers. This war isnot to come up with the result on who wins and who loses. We know very wellthat in dealing with strength or weakness, it is certain that God is far morepowerful than Satan. This war always aims to capture the number one qualityof God's creation, which is we human beings. We are His beloved people. Everyperson is called and determined to be what he or she will be from the moment ofconception in the mother's womb. This first call is complemented by ourservices and missions in the world. But Satan does not care about all theseprecious qualities. Satan and companions actually envy at every human being.They have ambitions to bring people into their kingdom which is dark and evil.When Satan is able to capture some human persons, he must enjoy using allhuman qualities to strengthen and preserve his kingdom. Prophet Jeremiah was famous for his intelligence inpreaching the word of God. But he was hated and opposed by his opponents whowere actually possessed by demons, the enemies of God. This spiritual warcentered on the truth of God's wisdom that the prophet maintained and defended.But his courageous effort was paid by the various evil treatments from hisenemies who also opposed the Lord. This war also took place between Jesus andhis enemies, namely the Pharisees and the scribes. The real truth to be maintainedand defended is on the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is thetrue messenger of the Father in heaven, and He is united with the Father. Forthe enemies, this is no other than a blasphemy of the God whom they believed.They were not in the same mind with Jesus, because they could not accept thatthe almighty God is equal with Jesus of Nazareth who was just an ordinaryperson like them. This war is a spiritual one because it is full ofbattles on the basis of argument, thought, belief, and the principle of faith.When each party stands by its own principle, division or separation will be thefinal result. The lord of darkness and evil, Satan, remains a constant enemy tothe Lord of truth, the almighty God. This division and battle continue tohappen to this moment. As long as the world still exists, the division andbattle also exist because Satan has never stopped working with all his strategiesto capture human beings who are given freedom to live and walk on this earth. There will be no longer experience of this spiritualwar, only when one's own death comes to take him or her away from this world.What will be the reality after our death is a determination whether we will goto the kingdom of Heaven or the vice versa to the kingdom of Satan. After ourdeath, there is no more spiritual war. There is only a journey to our eternaldestination. Let'spray. In the name of the Father ... O God, our Lord of life and death, may wealways be strong during every moment of temptation and deception of the devil,so that we can always be on Your side. Our Father who art in heaven... In thename of the Father ...