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KERENDAHAN HATI MENJADI PINTU IMAN

Posted by admin on February 3, 2020
Posted in renungan 

Mrk 5:21-43

Kerendahan hati menjadi salah satu keutamaan yang ditampilkan dalam kisah Injil hari ini. Dalam bacaan Injil, kita dapat merenungkan dua kisah mukjizat yang Yesus lakukan yaitu: menyembuhkan anak Yairus, penjaga bait Allah dan menyembuh wanita yang mengalami penderitaan sakit yang menahun. Dua kisah penyembuhan ini yang mengungkapkan suatu iman yang begitu besar dari Yairus dan wanita yang menderita sakit menahun itu. Yairus percaya kepada Yesus yang dapat menyembuhkan anak gadisnya yang sedang sakit. Ia meminta Yesus untuk meletakkan tanganNya atas anak gadisnya agar diberikan kesembuhan. Yairus datang dihadapan Yesus dalam keadaan tanpa harapan. Yesus meinta Yairus untuk mempunyai iman dan harapan. Kita bisa memahami di saat kesedihan dan penderitaan menghimpit diri kita, kadang menjadi saat-saat gelap dalam hidup. Di saat demikian, Yesus mengundang kita untuk percaya dan berpengharapan. “Jangan takut, percayalah saja” (Mrk 5:36). Iman lahir dari sikap kerendahan hati, sikap mengandalkan kasih Allah seperti yang ditunjukkan oleh Yairus.

Demikian halnya wanita yang mengalami pendarahan yang menahun, percaya kepada Yesus yang memberikan kesembuhan. Dia merasa tidak pantas datang kepada Yesus. Namun ia memberanikan diri untuk menyentuh jubah Yesus karena ia percaya bahwa Yesus memberikan kesembuhan. Sekali lagi di tengah-tengah mengalami keputus-asaan, wanita itu percaya kepada belas kasih Allah. Seketika itu juga setelah menyentuh jubah Yesus, ia mengalami kesembuhan. Kerendahan hatinya diungkapkan dengan ungkapan “Asal kujamah saja jubah-Nya, aku akan sembuh.” (Mrk 5:28).

Dua teladan orang beriman bagi kita yaitu Yairus dan wanita yang mengalami penderitaan sakit tidak ada harapan akan sembuh, mengajarkan pentingnya mempunyai kerendahan hati agar mempunyai iman yang teguh.

“Oh Tuhan, tolonglah aku yang tidak percaya ini” (Mrk 9:24

Jesus’ Ideal Parents

Posted by Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP on February 1, 2020
Posted in renungan  | Tagged With: ,

The feast of Presentation

February 2, 2020

Luke 2:22-40

If we are given a chance to choose our parents, what kind of parents will be our choice? Perhaps, some will prefer billionaire parents so that we can sing like Bruno Mars, “I wanna be a billionaire… Buy all of the things I never had… I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine, and Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen.” Perhaps some of us want to become the children of a king. So, royal blood is flowing through our vein, and people call us as a prince, princess, or royal highness. Perhaps, we want to be born from Korean megastars, because we want to become the prettiest or the most handsome.

Yet, if we ask the same question to the Lord, what would be His choice? The choice is obvious, Joseph and Mary. But, why?  Joseph and Mary are not wealthy, and even poor. They can only afford turtle dove, the offering of the poor. Indeed, Joseph is the descendant of King David, but in reality, he is a humble carpenter from the unknown village, Nazareth. I do believe that Joseph is handsome and Mary is beautiful! From here, we can deduce that richness, fame, and physical beauty as God’s criteria for His parents. So, what is it?

If we look closer into today’s Gospel and some other verses, we may discover the best character of Joseph and Mary as a couple and parents are their love and fidelity to God. Mary and Joseph know well the Law of God, and they are faithfully observing His Law.

Today’s feast is traditionally called the Presentation. Jesus is presented and consecrated to God in the Temple. Why do Joseph and Mary offer Jesus in the Temple? Because they are aware of the Jewish Law that any firstborn shall be consecrated to the Lord because they belong to the Lord [see Exo 13:2]. The feast of Presentation is also called the feast of the Purification of Mary. She is purified not because she is sinful, but because, according to the Mosaic Law, any woman who gives birth will be ritually unclean or unfit for the worship. She has to undergo 40 days of purification period, and at the end of the period, she offers a sacrifice to the priest [Lev 12:1-8]. From the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph is described as “the righteous man.” This means that Joseph is not only well-versed in Mosaic Law, but he is faithfully observing them.

Jesus does not concern Himself with His parents’ economic condition, social status, or physical appearance. Jesus is looking for whether His parents love God, whether His parents know and observe God’s law, and whether His parents have faith in God. Why are these characteristics crucial for Jesus’ parents? Because Jesus understands the best inheritance parents can give to their children is faith, because money can only provide you with security in this life, but faith will bring us to heaven.

The primary duty of parents is not merely to provide food, shelter, and clothing, not only send their children to schools and not only bring them to the doctors when they are sick but primarily to walk with them to heaven. Like Mary and Joseph present Jesus to God, we are also offering our children to God.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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