Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Wednesday of the fifth week of Lent, April 9, 2025

Delivered by Shendy and Andrew Jost from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, in the Archdiocese of Makasar, Indonesia. Daniel 3: 14-20.24-25.28; Rs psalm: Dt Dan 3: 52.53.54.55.56; John 8: 31-42FREEDOM FROM GOD Our meditation today is entitled: Freedom From God.The God we believe in is the Creator of all things. He graces us with all theblessings so that we can live according to His will. Of all these graces, thereis an element that is the basic characteristic of the human personality, whichwe commonly refer to as the human nature. One of its basic characteristics isfreedom, which greatly distinguishes humans from other living beings. Human freedom leads us in two directions. The first isthe freedom to live out the will of God. Our privilege as children of Godreinforces this positive expression of freedom. As sons and daughters of God,we have rights and obligations as believers in following the will of God. The callingof each of us related to services in the Church or professions in the field ofwork is a tangible expression of this freedom. We follow Christ who calls eachof us. To make it happen we need to be the ones to choose and decide it freely. Jesus Christ as the Son of God sent by the Father tothe world as the Savior, establishes the second type of freedom, that is, fromthe dominion of sin, Satan, and worldly influences controlled by those whooppose God. If the above positive expression freedom can be likened to thedetermination of the self-identity of every follower of Christ, this negative onethat is driven by Jesus Christ can be seen as the weapon that complements us.His power, teachings, commandments, and the power of His holy cross arepowerful tools we use to combat the forces of darkness. This negative expression of freedom is morechallenging, because what we are facing is all forms of negative dimensions inthis world. With Jesus Christ we must be able to overcome them. Jesus Christdid that by taking all our sins and nailing them to the cross with Him. Hisdeath is a victory, bringing forgiveness to us, and reconciling us to God. Wecan call God as the Father because Jesus has reconciled us to the Father andfreed us from the bondage of sin and Satan. In the book of Daniel, this second type freedom isshown by the three young Jews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who escaped theidolatrous act that was to be bestowed upon them. This power of deliverance wasable to change the heart of the King Nebuchadnezzar who was hard to acknowledgethe power of the almighty God in whom his chosen people believed.Let us pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty andeverliving God, through Your proclamation of the Word today, may we receivefrom You the grace that strengthens our freedom as Your beloved children. Gloryto the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...