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God’s Co-Workers

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 8, 2017

Matthew 21:33-43

“There was a landowner who planted a vineyard… (Mat 21:33).”

The image of a vineyard is close to Israelites’ hearts because this springs from their prophetic tradition. Isaiah uses this metaphor to describe Israel and God (see Isa 5:1-8).  Consistent with this great prophet, Jesus crafts His parable of the vineyard to describe the relation between God and His people. God is the just and generous vineyard owner, and we are His workers. Now, it is up to us to work hard for the Lord in His vineyard and receive abundant harvest, or be lazy, and expelled from the vineyard.

However, there is another way of looking at this parable. For three consecutive Sundays, we have listened to parables that feature a vineyard and people who are involved in this vineyard. If there is one common denominator in these three parables, it is about the difficult and often problematic relationship between the landowner and the workers.

In ancient Israel, big landowners were hiring workers or leasing their land to farmer-tenants. At the end of the day, the workers received their wage, or at the harvest, tenants got their share of their labor. Here the situation became very thorny and conflict-ridden. The owners wanted the highest profit from their land, while the workers desired the greatest income from their labor. At times, the Israelite laborers received very little wage or very small share from the harvest. With very little income, they had to pay high taxes to the Roman colonizers and contributions to the Temple. Thus, what remained was barely enough to feed the family. Disgruntled and hungry workers were very prone to violent actions. However, it was true also that some good landowners gave more than enough wages, but some workers tended to be lazy, abusive to fellow workers, and are even involved in stealing the harvest.

In our time, we seem to face more complex issues in relation to employer, employees and employment. With global networking and communication, an American company may hire Filipino workers working in Manila serving European customers. With almost unrestricted mobility, millions of workers from Indonesia or the Philippines try their luck in Middle East countries. With steady increase of automation, many manual works are gradually replaced by robots. More and more people prefer to buy things or avail service online. One of the hottest debates now in the United Nations is the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to “judge” human right cases in the International Tribunal. The AI has become so sophisticated that it can predict the verdicts of human judges. Now, highly skilled human profession like a judge can even be replaced by an AI. Many professions that were trending years ago have become extinct now, and more seem to follow. Yet, despite these advancements and complexity, the fundamental issue remains: whether both the employers and the employees give what is expected and receive with are due to them?

Jesus’ parable is not only relevant for our time, but it continues to challenge our fundamental understanding of our dignity as God’s co-workers in His vineyard. As workers, do our attitudes in the workplaces reflect the good attitudes of Jesus’ followers? As owners or superiors, do we manifest that delicate balance between God’s justice and His generosity? Finally, as God’s co-workers, do we work for a better world for us and future generations, or we simply aim for our selfish interest and greed?

(Note: today is the feast day of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, before whom I kneel down every morning and pray for inspiration guiding my Sunday reflections. May she continue to guide us in our journey of faith. Happy Fiesta!)

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Unworthy, yet Called

25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 24, 2017

Matthew 20:1-16a

They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ (Mat 20:1-16)

Jesus is the storyteller genius. The parable he shares to us today does not only surprise us with its unexpected ending, but it also creates a sense of puzzlement and wonder. We expect that the workers who labored the whole day would get the better wage compared to those who came late. Yet, it did not happen. All got the same wage regardless of their working hours. The vineyard owner was right to explain that he did not violate the agreement with his laborers, but deep inside us, there is something quite off. If we were militant enough, we would stage a rally to protest the vineyard owner’s decision.

This sense of puzzlement and perhaps discontent are born because we can easily identify ourselves with the laborers who came early and worked the whole day, perhaps under the scourging sun and bearing heavy load. Many of us are workers who spend 8 hours or more in the workplace, working hard, just to get something to eat and little to save. Or some of us are students who have to study hard for hours just to pass a subject. Surely, we will feel resentment and even anger when we know that some unqualified workers with less work hours or productivity, receive the same and even higher amount of salary. We, students, will get totally disappointed knowing some lazy students, with their substandard, “copy-paste” assignments, get higher grade than us. It just violates our sense of justice.

However, do we really have to identify ourselves with the laborers who worked the whole day? Who knows they are actually not representing us. In God’s eyes, all of us may be like those people who were standing idle the whole day perhaps because no other vineyard owners think that we deserve the job. Indeed, in the final analysis, we are all but unworthy sinners. Pope Francis is loved by many and working hard for the Church. In his visit to Colombia, when he greeted the people on the streets, he got tripped, his eyebrow was slightly cut, and blood came out. Yet, instead calling off the activity, he proceeded. After receiving quick medical treatment, he insisted to continue greeting the people. Despite the pain, he met the people of God even with brighter smile. Pope Francis is like one of the laborers who came early in vineyard. Once he was asked by reporters to describe himself in one word, he answered he was a sinner! If this loving and holy Pope considers himself a sinner, who are we to think that we are the righteous?

Too much focus on ourselves, we often miss the obvious actions of the vineyard owner. He exerts effort to look for laborers, not just once, but four times. This defies the business logic. Why would you hire more if you have enough workers for the day? Why would you spend much for those worked only for one hour? That’s perfect recipe for bankruptcy! The point is not really about business and profit, but about seeking diligently and embracing those who are the lost, the less and the last. It is about us sinners, unworthy of Him, yet God remains faithful in looking for us.

It is truly humbling experience to know that we are “the people idle on the streets” yet God wants us to be part of His family. Now, it is our duty to respond to his Mercy with commitment and love for others. Like the last workers, we have only “one hour”, and it is time to make the best of it for He who has been very merciful.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Justice of God and Forgiveness

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 17, 2017
Matthew 18:21-35

“Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. (Mat 18:27)”

Why is it difficult to forgive? One of the reasons is that after we are wronged, the immediate reaction is to seek justice or even revenge. We want that the pain and the loss we experienced are also felt by those who inflicted them on us. We want “a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye”. Unfortunately, consumed by anger and hatred, our cry for justice can easily turn into an intense desire of revenge. If justice seeks to balance scale, revenge seeks to inflict a greater punishment, or even to destroy those who have harmed us. Unless we get what is due, unless they receive what they deserve, there is no forgiveness.

Despite this intense desire for vengeance, the good news is that the longing for justice is something that is embedded in every human soul. This sense of justice we have and we embrace is what we call human justice. This kind of justice is essential for our daily life because it propels us to reward good works and punish wrong doings. If we work hard for our companies, we deserve a good wage, but if we do not our job, the company has the right to fire us. If we study hard, we expect a good grade and learning, but if we are lazy, we expect no less that a failing mark. If we pay our taxes, we want the government to provide a dependable public service. This sense of justice regulates our daily lives, the school system, work policies and government conducts. Therefore, we are angered by the violence of this justice system. We are angered knowing our officemate who does little, gets the same salary like us. Though I do not want to focus on grade, I am usually pissed off knowing that after exerting much effort, I get a lower grade compared to those who did not study. We will be indignant if our taxes go to the corrupt and incompetent government officials. With this sense of justice, there is no place for forgiveness.

Thus, Peter’s proposal to forgive seven times sounds extraordinary. Yet, Jesus invites us to understand another sense of justice, the justice of God. The human justice begins with us, what we deserve, what is due to us, but the justice of God starts with God. Like the King in the parable, he demands the servant to pay his debt of astronomical amount. This is human justice. Yet, the king knows that he is so rich that the payment of his servant’s debt would not add much to his treasury. Thus, when the servant begs for mercy, the king could easily forgive him. The servant’s debt now turns to be his richness, and from being extremely poor because of the massive debt, he becomes instantly rich. The servant then is expected to perform his master’s justice and to forgive also his fellow servants who owe him a little. Unfortunately, he remains governed by human justice and even consumed by revenge. This brings about his own doom.

We owe God everything, our lives, all what we have, and even our redemption, yet nothing we do for Him can add to his glory. In His mercy, God forgives us. Our massive debt to God has been erased and in fact, transformed into our own richness. Mercy and forgiveness is not only possible but also the hallmark of God’s justice. As we become rich in His justice, we should forgive our brothers and sisters so that they may be also enriched. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We forgive because we are rich in His mercy. We forgive because God’s justice demands it.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Iman dan Kepenuhan Hidup

Sabtu pada Pekan Biasa ke-23

Peringatan St. Kornelius

16 September 2017

Lukas 6:43-49

“Mengapa kamu berseru kepada-Ku: Tuhan, Tuhan, padahal kamu tidak melakukan apa yang Aku katakan?  (Luk 6:46)”

Iman berbicara tentang hasrat kita yang terdalam sebagai manusia, kerinduan jiwa kita untuk Tuhan yang akan mengisi kekurangan mendasar di dalam jiwa kita. Melalui iman, kita menemukan Dia yang memberi Makna dalam hidup kita, karena Dia adalah Sang Firman yang mengukir kekosongan jiwa kita. Berbahagialah mereka yang memiliki iman! Sebagai pemazmur bernyanyi, “Jiwaku merindukan Tuhan, lebih dari penjaga untuk fajar. Biarkan penjaga menunggu fajar dan Israel pada Tuhan. Karena pada Tuhan ada rahmat kasih setia dan kepenuhan penebusan (Mazmur 130:6-7).”

Untuk memuaskan dahaga kita akan Tuhan, kita melibatkan diri dalam berbagai kegiatan keagamaan. Orang berduyun-duyun ke gereja dimana ada pengkhotbah yang bagus dan perayaan liturgi yang penuh semangat. Lainnya mencari Misa penyembuhan. Lainnya memilih untuk menghadiri kelompok studi Kitab Suci. Yang lain lebih memilih untuk menjadi bagian dari kelompok Doa Karismatik yang energetik. Yang lain cinta akan kesunyian rumah retret dan meditasi Taize. Sementara beberapa lainnya mendukung kekhidmatan dari Misa Latin tradisional. Kita memiliki banyak pilihan dan dapat menentukan mana yang cocok dengan selera kita.

Namun, Tuhan mengingatkan kita bahwa iman bukan hanya tentang kepuasan spiritual pribadi. Jika tidak, kita hanya memperlakukan iman dan agama seperti hiburan duniawi lainnya yang berguna setiap kali kita merasa kering dan bosan. Lebih buruk lagi, iman hanya berfungsi sebagai obat penenang ketika hidup kita berantakan. Inilah mengapa Karl Marx pernah mengatakan bahwa agama adalah candu bagi masa. Iman dan berbagai kegiatan spiritual menjadi cara mudah untuk memenuhi kepentingan egois kita. Tanpa iman yang sejati, kita tidak lagi bisa menerima kepenuhan hidup, tetapi sebaliknya kita terjun ke jurang keputusasaan dan delusi.

Iman sejati membantu kita menjadi pohon-pohon yang menghasilkan buah-buah yang baik. Iman harus mendorong kita untuk bertindak nyata dalam hidup kita sehari-hari dan untuk mengasihi orang lain lebih dalam. Sungguh menyedihkan jika kita menghadiri kegiatan di paroki dengan semangat hanya untuk menghindari permasalahan di rumah, atau kita menikmati persekutuan doa tetapi kita tidak terlibat dalam perjuangan Gereja melawan ketidakadilan dan kemiskinan dalam masyarakat. Iman harus menjadi sumber kesuburan kehidupan.

“Ite missa est!” Adalah kalimat Latin terakhir yang diucapkan imam di dalam perayaan Ekaristi. Ini kira-kira berarti “Pergi, kita diutus!” Ekaristi, puncak dan sumber kehidupan rohani kita, memerintahkan kita untuk tidak sekedar tinggal di dalam ibadah dan gedung gereja, tetapi untuk pergi ke dunia dan membawa buah dari doa kita kepada orang lain. Dalam World Youth Day di Brazil, Paus Fransiskus mengatakan kepada para pemuda katolik untuk tidak hanya untuk membuat hiruk pikuk selama perayaan WYD, melainkan untuk membuat hiruk-pikuk mereka terdengar di paroki-paroki, keuskupan-keuskupan dan masyarakat mereka sendiri. Pertemuan dengan Allah seharusnya membawa kita menjadi agen perubahan dalam hidup. Iman adalah sumber kekuatan dari transformasi di dalam hidup, keluarga dan masyarakat. Hidupilah iman kita secara penuh dan nikmatilah kepenuhan hidup!

Frater Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP