Man lives with a constant struggle: the fight between the spirit of the world and the spirit of God. We cannot serve two gods; we must choose our side, the side of good, the side of God.

Father Eustáquio, in one of his writings, offered a reflection on the subject. Read below:

Just as water and fire hiss when they come into contact with each other, so too are the roars of the storm and the roar of battle born when the spirit of God, the spirit of truth, enters into combat with the spirit of the world, the spirit of falsehood. This battle roar of both powerful spirits echoes loudly. At this hour, these two leaders and their mass armies are in heated combat. Why? Because of our souls!

Both are fighting: For possession of our soul, created in the image and likeness of God, redeemed with the most precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, property of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of the world still wants to assert its ancient claims to victory in paradise.

Fight with powerful weapons. The spirit of God, with the sword of truth, with the helmet of faith and hope, with the sacraments, with zealous priests, conscientious parents, good examples, with the angels.

The spirit of the world seeks to weaken and compromise these means. It likes to mock and despise them. This it will never succeed.

They fight with great violence and in a huge field.

The time during which so many Christians were martyred shows the violence. And they are still being martyred! We think of Mexico, Russia, Spain, the countries occupied by Germany. Thus, this struggle extends across all times and all places. It is not confined to a school, a family, or one's own conscience.

We want to decide now which of the two will win. Victory does not depend so much, as in other battles, on the strength of spirits, nor on the vehemence of the combat, but on our free will. One day, Saint Agatha's sister asked the saint: How can I become a saint? The saint replied: simply by wanting to.

We must conclude that there is no neutrality. We must choose a side. Both spirits press upon us. Each wants to win us over with its promises. The spirit of the world shows us the goods of the earth, attracts us with the joys of the earth, with the deceptive figures of freedom.

The Holy Spirit shows us the blessedness of inner peace, true freedom, and the certainty of being children of God and an heir.

Each threatens misfortune if we do not follow it. One presents a life in the world that is exclusion from worldly pleasures, mockery of the wicked. The other presents remorse of conscience, estrangement from grace, and terrible judgment.

We must choose the Holy Spirit. This requires a calling from us. God wants us to be saved. Now, it is only through the Spirit that we are saved. Only He can transform the world.