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John the Witness

3rd Sunday of Advent

December 17, 2017

John 1:6-8, 19-28

“John came as a witness to testify to the light , so that all might believe through him. (Joh 1:7)”

In the Fourth Gospel, John the Baptist has an important role. It is not only to baptize, but to become a witness. He is to witness to the light, to the true Messiah, to Jesus Christ. When the priests, Levites, and Pharisees from Jerusalem, come to him , and interrogate him to clarify his identity, he makes it clear that he is not the Messiah, not even the prophet, but rather enigmatically saying “a voice that cries in the desert.” It seems it is an easy thing to do for John. Questions are thrown at him, and he simply gives straight and confident answers. Yet, looking deeper into the reality, it is actually the opposite.

John the Baptist is a highly popular and influential man. He is able to draw many people from all corners of Palestine. People listen to him and ask to be baptized. He is a charismatic preacher that changes many Jews’ lives. When afforded with so much success and praise, it is easier for John to see himself as the best and main actor. He could have said to the priests, “I am the light, the Messiah. See how many people follow and gather around me!”  He has become the epitome of successful preacher and minister. Yet, he does not claim the praise to himself , but points to the true light and Messiah.

Our modern society may be scandalized by John the Baptist’s attitude. Our societies are driven by success and achievement. We are taught to think positive, to feel good about ourselves, to shun failures. We are trained to reach our dreams, to compete to become the best , and to believe in our abilities. Books, articles, and videos about self-help, success-coaching, positive thinking, effective leadership and efficient management are flooding in our book stores , televisions, and internet. I need to admit also that I am using a time-management method “Pomodoro” to help me finish this reflection. We are living in the world that is confident of itself and believe that we can achieve anything. The sky is the limit!

No wonder if the value of our contemporary society is in conflict with John’s. We might say John should not think himself too low, he should have more self-esteem, or he should not be too pessimistic. Yet, this is not about John having low self-esteem or being too shy. John’s humble act is prophetic, not only for his own time , but also to our days. His testimony points to a radical recognition that God is the source of all our goodness and to God alone, all these perfections shall go back. I am not saying that many motivational materials produced by our generation are not good. They are in fact helpful to bring out the best of us. Yet, the danger is when we begin to think that we can do things on our own. With so many achievements, the present world begins to believe that God is not necessary, and we start playing God. We destroy the environment, manipulate human lives, and abuse ourselves. At the bottom of all of these is pride.

John’s life becomes a witness to the true light, to the true source of all goodness. His prophetic action reminds us of what matters most in our lives. The invitation for us now is not only to become humble by recognizing God’s presence in all our achievements , and give thanks to Him. Yet, like John, we and our lives are to become a sign that points to God himself. It is no longer about us, but God who works in me.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno , OP

Gospel and Salvation

Second Sunday of Advent

December 10, 2017

Mark 1:1-8

“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Mar 1:1)”

Today, we read the beginning of the Gospel according to Mark. Among the evangelists, only Mark explicitly introduces his work as the “Gospel”. The English word “Gospel” simply means the Good News, or in original Greek, “Evangelion.” Commonly, we understand a gospel as a written account of the life and words of Jesus Christ. The Church has recognized four accounts as canonical or true Gospel. We have Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

But, what does the Gospel truly mean? Going back to the time of Jesus, Evangelion is actually a technical term for an oral proclamation of the imperial decree that will significantly affect the life of the many people. The messenger will stand in the middle of the public square and announce that the battle has been won decisively, and the city has been saved. It is a good news, indeed a great and joyful news. St. Paul is the first who adopts the term into the Christian world and it signifies the oral proclamation of the saving effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection (see 1 Cor 15:1-4). Thus, when we read that St. Paul proclaims the Gospel, it does not mean he reads the parts of the Gospel according to Mark or John, but rather orally proclaims that we have been saved. The Gospel has to be proclaimed because only by believing and living through the Gospel, we are saved (See Rom 10:13-15).

Since we are all baptized, we all have the duty to proclaim the Gospel and work for salvation. Yet, we may ask, “How we are going to preach and save souls if we cannot administer sacraments?” While it is true that sacramental works and preaching in the pulpit are reserved to the deacons, priests, and bishops, all of us are called to preach the Gospel. But how? We remember that we preach the Gospel for the sake of salvation, and the salvation is not limited in a spiritual sense, but in a more holistic one. It is the salvation not only from sins that separate us from God, but the salvation of all aspects of humanity. Jesus does not only forgive sins, He heals the sick, teaches the people, empowers the poor and fights against oppressive systems.

Following His Lord and Master, the Church works for salvation that is holistic. We run a great number of hospitals throughout the world to bring healing to the sick. We manage numerous schools around the globe to educate people and form their characters. Numerous Catholic scientists are involved in many breakthrough types of research. Fr. Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian priest, is the astronomer behind the Big Bang theory. Louis Pasteur, the inventor of pasteurization process, is a lay Catholic who has a strong devotion to the rosary. We build and fight also for the just and peaceful societies. Antonio de Montessinos, a Dominican Spanish friar, was one of the first priests who openly preached against the slavery in America. To show its commitment to justice and peace, Dominican Order has placed its permanent delegate at the United Nations in Geneva and is actively engaged in just and peaceful resolutions on various global issues.

 This Advent season is the high time for us to reflect on the meaning of the Gospel, and on how we preach the Gospel in our own particular ways. What are the means we use to preach the Gospel? Do we make preaching the Gospel as our priority? Are we working diligently on our salvation and that of others?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno , OP

Advent and Liturgical Year

First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2017

Mark 13:33-37

“Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. (Mrk 13:33)”

The Season of Advent has begun. This season marks the beginning of the new Church’s liturgical year as well as of the four Sundays preparation for Christmas. A curious mind may ask: why the liturgical year has to be opened by the season Advent? Why not Christmas, Lenten or Easter seasons?

It has something to do with the liturgical year itself. Yet, what is the liturgical year? Simply put, liturgy is the official and public worship of the Church. Thus, it is through the liturgical year or calendar, the Church wishes to worship God every single day all around the year, and thus fulfilling St. Paul’s instruction to pray without ceasing (1 The 5:17). There is no single moment in the life of the Church and Christians that is not ordained for worshiping the Lord.

Yet, to worship God every moment of our lives is rather a tall order, if not impossible. For some of us, we just go to the Church on Sundays and perhaps pray privately once in a while. Some of us have freer time and commitment to the Church, so we attend Mass daily and join parish organizations. For Dominican religious brothers like myself, daily Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours have been integrated into our life structure in the convent, and thus easier to pray every day. But, for many of us who are working for a living, and studying for the future, more time in the Church is simply not possible. Even for me, without the structure of convent, I am often lost and have a hard time to pray.

From this perspective, the Advent season becomes even more crucial for us in shaping our right attitude and predisposition in entering this liturgical new year. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming (CCC 524).” The first Christians possessed this “eschatological fervor” because they believed that Jesus was going to come very soon. They were so eager to welcome Christ as much as they would live as if they were not of this world. As Paul would say, “our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20)”. Many of them sold their belongings so that they may focus on those truly important: the teaching of the apostles, communal life, breaking of the bread, and prayers (Act 2:42). Even the pagans would be so amazed and say, “See how they love one another!” It may be true that Jesus did not come in their lifetime, but their lifestyles have transformed their communities and societies to better places to live. Jesus did not come, but they brought Jesus in the midst of the world.

It is the call of Advent season to rekindle this “eschatological fervor” in us. To see that we are all pilgrims and sojourners on this earth and we walk towards our true home in Christ. Our happiness is not rooted in the things of this earth, money, gadgets, popularity, and success. It is true that we need to work for a living, and often our works leave a little time to worship God, but it is always possible to live as the sign of the Kingdom of God, to make our very lives a worship to God. To be honest in our workplaces or schools, to spend more quality time with our families, and to love the poor are some ways we live this fervor. Advent is not about waiting, but it is about engagingly bringing Jesus in our midst.

Not Just an Ordinary King

Solemnity of Christ the King

November 26, 2017

Matthew 25:31-45

“Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me (Mat 25:45)”

Today we are celebrating the solemnity of Christ the King of Universe. This feast also marks the end of the liturgical year and signals the fast-approaching Advent Session.

Living in the 21^st century AD, many of us are no longer subject to a king or a powerful monarch. With very few exceptions, our present-day kings and queens, like the Japanese Emperor and Queen of England, are constitutional monarchs. Their powers are no longer absolute but based and governed by the Constitutions of the country. Some countries even vote to abolish altogether their monarchy, and the king just becomes a cultural symbol of the past. Perhaps, one of the best images of an almighty king may come from the TV-series Game of Thrones. A person sitting on the Iron Throne is a king with almost absolute power. Thousands of soldiers obey him and a myriad of citizen pay him homage. He is the law itself and he is not answerable to anyone. No wonder the TV-series revolves around the Iron Throne and how characters outsmart one another to claim the throne.

Matthew gives as an image of the glorious coming of Son of Man at the end of time. Jesus will sit on his throne and dispense His judgment upon us. Listening to this portion of the Gospel, we may imagine Jesus is like a king on the Iron Throne with His royal robe and golden crown, surrounded by blazing angels. Everyone will be terrified and kiss the ground begging for mercy. Yet, reading further the Gospel, this potent image is immediately counterbalanced by another image. Jesus introduces himself as someone who is imprisoned, a hungry and thirsty homeless guy. In short, he turns to be a man who all societies abhor.

In history, we may know some kings that fell into disgrace. King Louis XVI of France was an absolute monarch before he was executed by the guillotine. Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, used to be served by many servants even to brush his teeth, but he eventually ended up as a street sweeper in Beijing. However, Jesus is not this kind of disgraced kings, but rather He chooses to be one with the poor of the poorest. Doubtless, in heaven, He is almighty King of the universe, but on earth, He decides to walk with all of us, even with those that we detest. His Kingdom is not what we used to imagine. It is not a Kingdom of power, but of the poor, the weak, and the marginalized.

Now, are we willing to enter into this Kingdom of the destitute? Like the characters in the Game of Throne, we want to sit at our own version of the Iron Throne. Yet, this is not the Kingdom of Jesus. It is not enough just to give money to the beggars from time to time, but if we wish to serve our King, we need to serve these unfortunate brothers and sisters in more significant ways. It is the kingdom defined by justice and truth, rather than power and success. Last Sunday, Pope Francis established the first World Day of the Poor, and to end this reflection, may I quote his message, “We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience.  However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people’s needs and the injustices that are often their cause, they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life… If we truly wish to encounter Christ, we have to touch his body in the suffering bodies of the poor, as a response to the sacramental communion bestowed in the Eucharist.”

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Beyond Talent

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 19, 2017

Matthew 25:14-30

“…out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground” (Mat 25:25)

Talent is one of the few biblical words that has become part of our modern language. Talent connotes a God-given ability or a natural unique skill, and yet it has not fully developed. Thus, we are called to use and harness our talents in order to achieve our full potentials and contribute to the progress of society. In fact, talents have become well-sought commodity in our society. Companies only hire the talented employees. Schools are marketed as venues of talents development. Our TV channels and social media outlets are filled by shows where we perform, compete and prove that we possess the best talent in singing, dancing, and the like. How our world is now obsessed with talents!

Going back to our Gospel, we may have a different meaning of talent. The Greek “talanta” in our Gospel’s today means an extreme large sum of money. Perhaps, a talent is worth more than one million US dollar in our currency. From the parable, the man is extremely rich that he can easily entrust his talents to his servants. And those three servants are expected to work on those talents and produce more talents. In no time, the two servants double the talents, and like the master, we instinctively praise them. The third servant does nothing, but buries the talent. This causes the ire of the master and he immediately punishes the servants because of his inability and laziness. We would agree with the judgment of the master, and draw a classic lesson from the parable, that we must also develop our “talents” and avoid laziness.

However, unlike the parable of the ten virgins (we listened last Sunday), Jesus does not explicitly mention that we imitate the master or the successful servants. There is something trickier here. Examining closely today’s parable, we may ask whether the third servant is just lazy, or there is something else? If he has so much money in his hands, why would he bury them and wait for the harsh judgment? He could have just run with the money to faraway place and make a fortune out of it? The answer is revealed in the defense of the third servant. The servant is aware that his master is a harsh man who “reaps where he did not sow, and gathers where he did not scatter seed.” This means that he knows that his master gains his wealth through dishonest ways. Surprisingly, instead denying the accusation, the master admits his misdeeds. He is a harsh and corrupt man, and perhaps, he wants his servants to imitate their master’s dishonest methods in doubling their talents. Thus, to silence his deviant servant from spreading the news, he throws him into the darkness.

The third servant says that he is afraid and thus, he buries the talent. He might be afraid of his master, but it may be that he is more afraid of offending God. By dishonest conducts, he commits injustice, makes other people suffers, and creates further poverty. He might be condemned as lazy servant, but he stands with the truth. Despite pervasive culture of lies, he remains steadfast in his honesty.

This may be unusual interpretation of the parable, but this lesson is more radical and profound than simply working hard for our talents. Through the third servant, Jesus invites us to be a sign of the Kingdom in the world. With pervasiveness of fake news and hoaxes around us, we are invited to seek and speak the truth. With so many injustices and poverty, we are called to do what is right and yet be compassionate. May I end this reflection by quoting Archbishop Oscar Romero, “A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a Word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, what kind of gospel is that? Preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed do not light up the world.”

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP