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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

September 8, 2019

Luke 14:25-33

Today we listen to one of Jesus’ hard sayings. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to hate our fathers, mothers, our other siblings, and even our own lives; otherwise we are not worthy of Him [Luk 14:25]. Is Jesus serious? Jesus must be kidding around. NO, he means what he says. So, how are we going to understand this hard saying? Jesus teaches love, mercy, and compassion, and the only thing He hates is a sin. Does Jesus change his mind and now turn to be the promoter of hatred? If we can hate our family, we now hate practically everyone. Is this what Jesus intending to say?

To answer this hard question, we need to comprehend also the broader context. Jesus is journeying towards Jerusalem, and He knows well what awaits Him in this city: crucifixion and death. There are crowds following Jesus because Jesus is a popular public figure. Many want to be healed, others wish to see Jesus’s miracles, and the rest just like to listen to His authoritative teachings. This is the crowd mentality: following something or someone because of our selfish interest. This is not true discipleship. This is entertainment.

Jesus understands this too well, and He needs to rebuke them that following Him is not entertainment. He makes them decide whether to remain as a crowd or to become disciples, to leave or to walk in His way of the cross. Yet, this kind of decision is only possible when we are not attached to things and persons we hold dear. We cannot carry our cross unless we are ready to give up our lives.

The question remains, though, is Jesus promoting hatred? One of Jesus’ favorite style in preaching is hyperbole, or to exaggerate to emphasize a point. For example, Jesus once says, “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [Matt. 18:9]” Of course, Jesus does not literally demand us to plug our eyes out, but He strongly underlines the severe consequences of sin. Thus, when Jesus speaks that we need to “hate” our parents and our lives, Jesus does not mean to promote hatred and violence. Jesus powerfully reminds the people that unless they love Jesus above all, we are not worthy to be His followers.

This has tremendous implications in our lives. Yes, we need to love our family, but we should love Jesus first, or we should love our parents in Jesus. It is just natural to cling to life, but this life only has true meaning when it is offered to Jesus. In marriage, the couple should love each other, but unless they love Jesus first, the marriage will simply be a social contract. It is the duty of the husband to lead his wife to love Jesus and the wife to follow Jesus together with her husband. It is also the primary duty of parents to teach their children to love God and His Law.

Jesus surely loves His mother, Mary and respect his foster father, Joseph, but it is clear to Jesus that His love for them is rooted and directed to His Father in heaven. It is true discipleship, that unless we hate our lives and everything else, we are not worthy of Him.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Reflection on the 22nd Sunday in the Ordinary Time [C]

September 1, 2019

Luke 14: 1, 7-14

Humility is actually being simple and doing simple, yet it is so simple that many of us find it difficult to be and do.  It seems paradoxical but it is the reality that we experience in our day to day life. It is because we are living in the world that is so proud with itself and it continuously influences us to become proud as well. We can practically be proud of anything. We can be proud of our personality, family and clan, personal achievements, successful careers and status in life. We can be proud of the good things we have done or even the bad things we have committed. Eventually, the awful irony in our life is when we are even proud of our humility.

Pride occupies a prominent place among the seven deadly sins or vices. It seduces people believe that we are self-sufficient and we do not need others and God. We are our own god. The Bible says that the angel of light has fallen from heaven [see Isa 14:12], and according to the Latin tradition, his name is Lucifer, the brightest angel in heaven. He and some other angels revolted against God since they were too proud to serve God that would become man. If lust aligns us with animals, pride makes us coequal with the fallen angels.

To remedy this terrible pride, humility is then chiefly necessary. But, it is simply difficult to become one since it leads us to acknowledge our true nature that we own nothing and everything we have is a gift. Humility is derived from Latin word humus which means soil. Humility brings back us to the ground after the air of pride lifts us our nose up.

Humility is also primarily important since it enables us to listen and through listening we are able to be obedient (Latin word ob-audire means to listen attentively). With pride just around the corner, it is difficult to listen since we start believing that we are the center of the universe and everything else revolves around us. Simon Tugwell, OP writes that humble prayer is just to take a break from our tyrannical and dictatorial self that occupies the center of our life and let God be God. In the same line of thought, Henry Nouwen writes that a sincere prayer is just like opening our tightly closed fist.

St. Augustine believes that humility is one of the most fundamental virtues especially in our relationship with God. He says, “Are you thinking of raising the great fabric of spirituality? Attend first of all to the foundation of humility.” It is because humility is the virtue that facilitates us in listening to God’s words and in following them. In humility, we participate in Mary’s words, “I am the servant of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.” And not, “I am the boss here. Be it done to me and to you according to my word.” In humility, we pray in Jesus’ prayer, “Your will be done.” And not, “Your will be changed”.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, O.P

The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

August 15, 2019

Luke 1: 39-56

Today the Church is celebrating the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Rooted in the Scriptures and Tradition, the Church firmly believes that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul after she completed her life here on earth. This belief is crystallized in the form of Dogma or the highest teaching of the Church. As a dogma, the Assumption requires the assent of faith from the faithful. The assumption itself is not the sole Marian Dogma. There are four dogmas related to her: Mary is the Mother of God, ever-virgin, immaculately conceived, and assumed into heaven. No other human, except Jesus, has accumulated that much honor in the Church and no other men or women have blessed conditions like hers.

However, we are mistaken if we think that all the Dogmas are about the goodness of Mary. When we are celebrating the Dogmas of Mary, we are not merely praising that Mary is good, gentle, and holy, but it is primarily about God and how through Mary, we are thanking God for His mercy toward Mary and all the wonders. Looking at Mary, we cannot but thank God for His mercy on her and His wonders done to her.

In the Gospel today, we listen to the song of Mary is traditionally called the Magnificat [Luk 1:46ff]. In her song,  Mary praises the Lord for the mighty deeds He has done to her and Israel. Mary herself acknowledges who she is, “God’s lowly servant.” She never lets pride get in her mind, but instead, she chooses to recognize what God has done to her that “God has looked with favor on her” and “God has raised the lowly.” Mary realizes that she was nothing without God.

The title is from the first Latin word that appears in the canticle, “Magnificat anima mea Dominum.”  The original Greek is “μεγαλύνω”

[megaluno]

, to make great. The idea is like the magnifying glass that intensifies the light and the heat of the sun, and thus, emits powerful energy. When I was a little boy, my friends and I used to play together outside. One time, a friend brought a magnifying glass. We were amazed that it had another function aside from making a small object looked big. It was able to gather the light and heat of the sun and to focus it into a single spot. It became so intense and hot that it may burn what it touched. Then, when we saw the ants nearby, we started burning them using the magnifying glass! 

Mary knows well that she is not the source of light, and she is the receiver. Yet, Mary does not merely receive it and keeps it to herself. Mary also is aware that she does not simply mirror that only reflect the light. Mary sees herself as “magnifying glass.” When she receives the light, she makes sure that light will shine even more brightly, intense, and powerful. Through Mary, the light of Christ becomes more intense, powerful, and penetrating. When we intently look at Mary, we cannot but see God Himself.

The Dogma of the Assumption, indeed all Marian dogmas, points to Mary, who points to God. Following her example, we are also called to make our lives as a signpost that points to God. But more than passive signpost, we need to learn to actively magnify God’s glory and mercy through our lives.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP