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Author: Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

Ekaristi dan Manna

Ekaristi dan Manna

Hari Raya Tubuh dan Darah Kristus (Corpus Christi)
11 Juni 2023
Yohanes 6:51-58

Hari ini, Gereja merayakan Hari Raya Tubuh dan Darah Kristus, atau juga disebut Hari Raya Corpus Christi (bahasa Latin yang berarti “Tubuh Kristus”). Melalui hari Minggu ini, Gereja mengundang seluruh umat beriman untuk merenungkan sekaligus merayakan salah satu misteri dan mukjizat agung iman Katolik, yaitu kehadiran Yesus Kristus yang nyata dalam setiap Ekaristi. Seperti yang kita dengar dari Injil Yohanes, Yesus benar-benar memberikan Tubuh dan Darah-Nya sebagai makanan yang nyata, dan mereka yang makan Tubuh-Nya dan minum Darah-Nya akan memiliki hidup yang kekal (Yohanes 6:51). Namun, apakah kita benar-benar memakan Tubuh dan Darah Yesus? Apakah itu berarti kita memakan daging manusia, dan dengan demikian, kita melakukan kanibalisme?

Ya, kita memang makan dan minum Tubuh dan Darah Kristus, tetapi kita tidak melakukan tindakan kanibalisme. Mengapa demikian? Cara termudah untuk menjawab tuduhan ini adalah dengan pergi ke Gereja dan mengamati liturgi Ekaristi itu sendiri. Dalam perayaan misa, tidak ada orang yang memakan daging mentah atau vampir yang menghisap darah segar. Tidak ada yang bersifat kanibal sama sekali dalam Ekaristi. Jadi, di manakah Tubuh dan Darah Kristus? Jawabannya mungkin sedikit rumit. Roti dan anggur yang dipersembahkan dan dikonsekrasikan oleh imam bukan lagi roti dan anggur biasa. Ya, apa yang terlihat tetap sama, tetapi kodratnya berubah menjadi Tubuh dan Darah Kristus yang sesungguhnya. Dalam perspektif ini, kita mengambil bagian dalam Yesus bukan dengan cara kanibal, melainkan dengan cara ekaristi.

Namun, ada hal yang lebih menarik lagi jika kita membaca perkataan Yesus dengan seksama. Ketika Yesus menjelaskan tentang realitas Tubuh dan Darah-Nya sebagai makanan yang sejati, Yesus membuat perbandingan tipologis dengan Manna yang diterima bangsa Israel di padang gurun. Apakah Manna itu? Banyak dari kita beranggapan bahwa Manna hanyalah sejenis roti biasa. Namun, jika kita membaca dengan seksama Kitab Keluaran 16, reaksi orang Israel yang melihat dan mengambil Manna itu sangat terkejut karena mereka tidak pernah melihat makanan semacam itu sebelumnya. Faktanya, kata Manna berasal dari bahasa Ibrani מָן הוּא (baca: man hu; Kel 16:15), yang secara harafiah berarti “apakah ini?” Orang Israel ragu-ragu, tetapi Musa meyakinkan mereka bahwa ini adalah roti yang datang dari surga untuk menopang mereka dalam perjalanan melalui padang gurun.

Dari perbandingan tipologis ini, Yesus ingin kita melihat Tubuh-Nya seperti Manna dalam Perjanjian Lama. Sebagaimana Manna adalah makanan sejati yang berasal dari surga, demikian juga Tubuh Yesus adalah makanan sejati yang berasal dari surga. Sebagaimana Manna adalah makanan yang menopang perjalanan bangsa Israel di padang gurun, demikian juga Tubuh Yesus adalah makanan yang menopang perjalanan kita di bumi. Sebagaimana Manna terlihat seperti roti biasa, namun pada kenyataannya merupakan sesuatu yang melampaui pemahaman bangsa Israel, demikian juga Tubuh Kristus terlihat seperti roti biasa, namun pada kenyataannya merupakan rahmat terbesar yang melampaui pemahaman kita.

Kita bersyukur kepada Tuhan yang telah memberikan Tubuh dan Darah-Nya, seluruh diri-Nya kepada kita sebagai roti kehidupan yang menyehatkan dan melestarikan kita di lembah duka ini. Ekaristi menjadi bukti kasih-Nya, bahwa Dia akan menyertai kita sampai akhir zaman.

Roma
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Eucharist and Manna

Eucharist and Manna

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

June 11, 2023

John 6:51-58

Today, the Church is celebrating the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, or sometimes also called the Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for ‘the Body of Christ’). Through this Sunday, the Church invites all the faithful to reflect as well as to celebrate another great mystery and miracle of Catholic faith, that is, the real presence of Jesus Christ in every Eucharist. As we heard from the Gospel of John, Jesus truly gave His Body and Blood as real food, and those who eat His Body and drink His Blood will have eternal life (John 6:51). But, do we really eat the Body and Blood of Jesus? Does it mean we are eating human flesh, and thus, we are committing cannibalism?

Yes, We are eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ, but we do not commit any act of cannibalism. Why so? The easiest way to answer this accusation is simply by going to the Church and observe the liturgy of the Eucharist itself. In the celebration of the mass, neither we see people eating raw meat nor vampires sucking fresh blood. Nothing cannibalistic at all in the Eucharist. So, where are the Body and Blood of Christ? The answer may be a bit complex. The bread and the wine that are offered and consecrated by the priest are no longer ordinary bread and wine. Yes, the appearance remains the same, but the nature is transformed into the real Body and Blood of Christ. In this perspective, we partake in Jesus not in cannibalistic manner, but rather in the eucharistic manner.

However, there is even something more fascinating if we carefully read Jesus’ words. When Jesus explains about the reality of His Body and Blood as true food, Jesus makes a typological comparison to the manna that the Israelites received in the desert. What is manna? Many of us assume that Manna is just another type of bread. Yet, if we read closely the Book of Exodus 16, the reaction of the Israelites who saw and took the manna was utter surprise because they never saw that kind of food before. In fact, the word manna comes from the Hebrew words מָן הוּא (read: man hu), and it simply means “what is this?” The Israelites were hesitant, but Moses assured them that this was the bread that came from heaven to sustain them in their journey through the desert.

From this typological comparison, Jesus wants us to liken His Body like the manna of the Old Testament. As manna is a real food from heaven, and so also Jesus’ Body is a real food from heaven. As manna is a food that sustained the Israelites’ journey in desert, so also Jesus’ Body is a food that sustains us in our journey on earth. As Manna appears like ordinary bread, but in reality something that defies the understanding of sons of Israel, and so also the Body of Christ appears like ordinary bread, but in reality, it is the greatest gift that goes beyond our comprehension.

We give thanks the Lord for giving us His Body and Blood, His whole self to us as the bread of life that nourishes and sustains us in this valley of tears. The Eucharist becomes His proof of love, that He will be with us until the end of time.

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Mengapa Pintu Gerbang

Mengapa Pintu Gerbang

Minggu Paskah Keempat [A]
30 April 2023
Yohanes 10:1-10

Hari ini adalah hari Minggu keempat Paskah dan tradisi Gereja Katolik menyebutnya juga sebagai Minggu Gembala yang Baik. Alasannya bisa kita temukan dalam Bacaan Injil dimana Yesus memperkenalkan diri-Nya sebagai sang Gembala yang Baik. Namun, tidak hanya sebagai Gembala yang baik, tetapi Yesus juga menyebut diri-Nya sebagai ‘Sang Pintu Gerbang’. Ketika Yesus menyatakan bahwa Dia adalah pintu gerbang bagi domba-domba, ini berarti bahwa hanya melalui Yesus, kita, domba-domba-Nya, dapat menemukan kelegaan dan keselamatan yang sejati. Namun, mengapa Yesus menyebut diri-Nya sebagai pintu gerbang? Bukankah menjadi gembala yang baik sudah cukup bagi kita? Jawabannya terletak pada kehidupan dan tugas seorang gembala pada zaman Yesus, dan salah satu tugas utama seorang gembala adalah sungguh menjadi ‘pintu gerbang.’

Domba pada umumnya adalah hewan yang berada di padang rumput terbuka daripada di dalam kandang tertutup. Oleh karena itu, untuk mengumpulkan dan melindungi domba-domba pada malam hari, para gembala membangun ‘kandang terbuka’ yang terbuat dari struktur tembok batu melingkar, kurang lebih setinggi 1,5 meter di padang terbuka. Ukuran struktur ini pasti akan tergantung pada banyak atau sedikitnya domba yang ada. Kemudian, umumnya kandang tersebut hanya memiliki satu jalan masuk, dan yang membuat pintu ini unik adalah sang gembala akan menempatkan dirinya di jalan masuk tersebut, dan seolah-olah berfungsi sebagai pintu gerbang. Dengan berada pada posisi tersebut, sang gembala mencegah domba-dombanya keluar dan melindungi mereka dari binatang buas yang mencoba masuk. Gembala juga harus waspada dan berjaga-jaga terhadap pencuri yang akan melompati tembok kandang dan mencelakakan domba. Sekarang, kita tahu bahwa gembala secara harfiah menjadi pintu gerbang kandang domba. Pada pagi hari, gembala akan memanggil domba-dombanya dan mereka akan mengikutinya saat mereka keluar melalui gerbang dan berjalan menuju padang rumput yang hijau.

Yesus adalah pintu gerbang. Ini berarti bahwa hanya di dalam Dia dan melalui Dia, kita menemukan keselamatan sejati dari bahaya yang datang dari yang jahat (dilambangkan sebagai ‘binatang buas’ dan ‘pencuri’). Meskipun benar bahwa hidup di dunia ini, kita terus-menerus menghadapi bahaya dalam bentuk penyakit, krisis keuangan, masalah mental dan relasi, dan bahaya fisik lainnya, satu-satunya bahaya yang dapat memiliki konsekuensi kekal adalah bahaya yang menghancurkan jiwa kita. Tidak ada makhluk lain yang bekerja tanpa henti untuk menyakiti jiwa kita kecuali iblis dan tentaranya. Menghadapi musuh-musuh rohani yang sangat berbahaya ini, kita hanya dapat mengandalkan Yesus, Gembala dan Pintu Gerbang kita.

Sekali lagi, kita perlu diingatkan bahwa kasus-kasus kerasukan dan serangan fisik dari roh jahat adalah cara-cara yang luar biasa. Cara-cara yang biasa dan lazim untuk mencelakai jiwa kita adalah melalui godaan-godaan untuk berbuat dosa. Dengan demikian, hanya di dalam Yesus dan melalui sarana yang Dia berikan kepada kita melalui Gereja-Nya, kita menemukan keamanan sejati kita dari serangan si jahat. Melalui penerimaan Ekaristi secara teratur dan saleh, kita terus merumput di ‘padang rumput hijau rohani’. Melalui sakramen rekonsiliasi, Gembala yang Baik sekali lagi membawa kita, domba-domba yang hilang, ke kandang. Melalui berbagai latihan rohani, seperti devosi, puasa dan amal, kita bertumbuh dalam kepekaan terhadap suara Gembala kita dan juga melindungi diri dari musuh-musuh rohani kita. Hanya di dalam dan melalui Yesus, pintu gerbang sejati, kita menemukan keamanan dan kedamaian yang sejati.

Roma
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Why Gate

Why Gate

Fourth Sunday of Easter [A]

April 30, 2023

John 10:1-10

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter and traditionally it is also called as the Good Shepherd Sunday. This is for an obvious reason. The Gospel reading tells us about Jesus who introduces Himself as the gate of the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd. The other readings also point the image of God as the good shepherd, like the world-renown psalm 23, “the Lord is my shepherd.”

When Jesus proclaims that He is the gate of the sheep, it means that only through Jesus, we, His sheep, may find true rest and salvation. Yet, why did Jesus call himself a gate? Is not being a good shepherd already sufficient for us? The answer lies on the life and duties of a shepherd in the time of Jesus. One of the main purposes of a shepherd is precisely to become a ‘gate’ to the sheepfold.

A sheep is generally an animal who stays at the field rather than inside the stable or barn. Thus, to gather and protect the sheep during the night, the shepherds built a stone enclosure as high as 1.5 meter (around 5 feet) at the open field. The size of the enclosure would surely depend on the volume of the sheep. Then, generally it had only one passageway, and what made this passage unique is that the shepherd would station himself at the access way during the night both to prevent the sheep from going out and to protect the sheep from wild animals that tried to enter. From the point, the shepherd must be alert and vigilant for thieves who would jump over the enclosure wall and harm the shepherd. From here, we know that the shepherd is literally the gate of the sheepfold. At the morning, the shepherd would call his sheep and they would follow him to him as they were going out through the gate and marching to the green pasture.

Jesus is the gate of the sheepfold. This means that only in Him and through Him, we find true safety from the real dangers coming from the evil ones (symbolized as ‘wild animals’ and the ‘thieves’). While it is true that living in this world, we are constantly facing dangers in the forms of sickness, financial crisis, mental and relational issues, and other physical harms, the only danger that can have eternal consequence is one that destroys our souls. There are no other beings working relentlessly to harm our souls except the devil and his minions. Facing these extremely dangerous spiritual enemies, we can only rely in Jesus, our shepherd and gate.

Again, we need to be reminded that cases of demonic possessions, harassment and infestation are extraordinary ways. The ordinary and usual ways to harm our souls is through temptations to sin. Thus, only in Jesus and through the means He has given us through His Church, we find our true security from the onslaughts of the evil one. Through regular and pious reception of the Eucharist, we continue to graze in ‘spiritual green pasture’. Through the sacrament of reconciliation, the Good Shepherd once again brings us, the lost sheep, to the fold. Through various spiritual exercises, like devotions, fasting and almsgiving, we are growing in sensitivity to our Shepherd’s voice as well as the voice of our enemies. Only in and through Jesus, the gate of the sheepfold, we find our true security and peace.

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Road to Emmaus, the Road to the Eucharist

The Road to Emmaus, the Road to the Eucharist

3rd Sunday of Easter [A]
April 23, 2023
Luke 24:13-35

Two of Jesus’ disciples went to a village called Emmaus. One of them was Cleopas, and his traveling companion was probably his own wife, Mary [see John 19:25]. Why did they go to Emmaus? Perhaps they were afraid of the Roman and Jewish authorities who were pursuing the disciples after Jesus’ body was found missing. Therefore, they hid in Emmaus. Another reason was hopelessness. Although the Gospels do not explicitly say that Emmaus was the hometown of Cleopas, there is a high probability that Emmaus was indeed his hometown. Their hopes and expectations were shattered when Jesus, their expected Messiah, was betrayed and crucified. They no longer had any reason to stay in Jerusalem. Finally, they decided to leave the other disciples and return to their home in Emmaus.

However, Jesus had a special plan for them. On the way, Jesus appeared to them, although they could not recognize Him. Jesus started a dialog by asking them how they were doing. In sadness, they began to tell Him how they expected Jesus to redeem Israel, but He failed, and died on the cross. Even in their disappointment, Cleopas only regarded Jesus as a prophet, no longer the Messiah. Then, Jesus rebuked them for their slowness to believe what the Old Testament prophets had foretold about the Messiah. Then, Jesus began to explain ‘Moses and the prophets’ (i.e. the Old Testament Scriptures) to them. This was the first post-resurrection bible study and was given by Jesus himself!

Luke gives us interesting details on how Jesus’ method of conducting a bible study. “Then he explained to them what was written about him in all the Scriptures… [Lk 24:27].” The center of gravity of this bible study is Jesus. He shows how Moses and the prophets had prophesied about Him, and how now Jesus has fulfilled those prophecies through His suffering, death, and resurrection. In Church tradition, this method is called ‘typological catechesis’ [cf. CCC 129). Simply put, typology is a way of seeing Old Testament characters, places and events fulfilled in the New Testament, particularly in Jesus Christ. In fact, the early Church also used this method of Jesus right on. For example, Paul in his letters, referred to Jesus as the new Adam or the second Adam [cf. Romans 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15:45-49]. However, Jesus is more than just the new Adam. He is also the new Moses, the new David, and many more.

However, Jesus Bible Study is not just about good methods. In fact, it is not only about deepening the knowledge of the Scriptures. The story of Cleopas and his companion did not end with the end of the Bible Study, although they wanted Jesus to stay longer with them. So, Jesus stayed with them, but in a new and eternal way. He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Any honest Catholic who regularly goes to Church will immediately recognize this act of Jesus as the Eucharist, and the Eucharist is Jesus himself. Likewise, the eyes of Cleopas and his companion were opened, and they recognized Jesus in this first post-resurrection Eucharist. So, the ultimate goal of Jesus’ bible study is to lead us to the Eucharist.

The story of Cleopas and his journey to Emmaus has always been my personal inspiration. Before I went to Rome, I used to give a Bible study every Saturday night. In this program, I explained the readings for the following Sunday. Yet, this activity is not only to go deeper into the Bible especially through the method of Jesus, but the real purpose is to help us experience a deeper encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. If a Bible Study does not lead us to Jesus in the Eucharist, then it is not a Jesus’ Bible Study.

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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