Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Saturday of the fifth week of Easter, May 24, 2025

Delivered by Joanna from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia. Acts of the Apostles 16: 1-10; Rs psalm 100: 1-2.3.5; John 15: 18-21.THE OPPOSING SPIRITS The title for our meditation today is:The Opposing Spirits. We want to understand this meditation from two opposingdirections. From where the Lord Jesus Christ and all the components in Hismission stands, the opposing spirit is surely an evil spirit with Satan as thecommander. Whereas from where the opponent stands,that is the the spirit of this world and Satan as its commander, the opposingspirit is goodness and truth of Jesus Christ manifested through Hisself-sacrifice to save the world and mankind. The holy Church continues to bearthid goodness and truth till this day. The evil spirit had indeed been defeatedby Jesus but he always waits for the best time to conquer its target namelyhuman persons. Both the Holy Spirit and the evil spirit are againtst eachother. Which one is superior depends on the free will of every human person to choose. Let us show one example. I was calm inmy room. There were no disturbances of evil thoughts, strange intentions and evilacts. There was also at that moment the presence of an evil spirit who wasstill waiting for my unawareness or lost of self-control, then it would temptand conquer me. That's how our daily life goes. The most crucial moment we willface is when the conflict of interest comes, namely choosing between good orevil, right or wrong, humble and pride and so on. A very important point here is that asfollowers of Christ, we must be able to distinguish the opposing spirits, theopposing orientation of life. We must know and be aware of interests that arenot in line with Jesus Christ. Christ has prepared us to have the ability todistinguish. He commands us to keep to His word. The stronger sign of the power ofGod’s Spirit is expressed in the words of the Lord Jesus, as He says, "Ihave chosen you from this world". We belong to Jesus. So we have theability to make sure that there is a spirit that is contrary to Jesus and we,His followers. This is also shown in the experience of the two apostles, Pauland Barnabas, while they were undergoing an extraordinary mission. Saints arealso our examples in making of this distinction. So there are many examples around us.Through advice, spiritual guidance, discipline and spiritual assistance, we arehelped to be able to distinguish the opposing spirits. We are getting closer tothe Solemnity of the Pentecost, so we should have in our hearts and minds alonging for the gift of the Holy Spirit to each one of us. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us always with Your blessings, especiallywhen we are struggling and fighting against the interests of this world thatare contrary to You. You have won all the desires of this evil spirit and thewill of the world, so fill us with your Spirit. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...