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Month: June 2022

ALLAH MAHA BAIK

ALLAH MAHA BAIK

Selasa, 14 Juni 2022



Matius 5:43-48

Yesus Kristus memiliki harapan bahwa para murid-Nya memiliki daya juang yang tinggi untuk setia menjadi semakin baik dan semakin baik. Kebaikan tersebut akan tampak di dalam sikap dan tindakan mereka yang bisa menghadirkan belas kasih Allah sendiri, ya Maha Sempurna. “Karena itu haruslah kamu sempurna, sama seperti Bapamu yang di sorga adalah sempurna.” (Mat 5: 48). Dengan demikian sebagai murid Kristus mereka akan berbuat baik dan mewartakan belas kasih Allah sendiri.

Bagaimana hal itu bisa terjadi?  Tuhan yang Maha baik tidak pernah meninggalkan anak-anak-Nya berjalan sendiri, sehingga Dialah yang akan mengatur semuanya untuk menjadi baik dan menuntun mereka di jalan keselamatan. “Ia membimbing aku ke air yang tenang; Ia menyegarkan jiwaku.
Ia menuntun aku di jalan yang benar oleh karena nama-Nya. Sekalipun aku berjalan dalam lembah kekelaman, aku tidak takut bahaya, sebab Engkau besertaku; gada-Mu dan tongkat-Mu, itulah yang menghibur aku.”(Mzm 23:2-4).

Didik, CM 

PENJALA MANUSIA

PENJALA MANUSIA

Senin, 13 Juni 2022



Matius 5:38-42

Yesus menyampaikan pesan kepada para murid-Nya untuk senantiasa mengikuti Jalan hidup-Nya. Dia telah hadir diantara manusia untuk menyatakan kasih Allah kepada umat-Nya. “Yesus berkata kepada mereka: “Mari, ikutlah Aku dan kamu akan Kujadikan penjala manusia.” (Mrk 1:17)
Ketika seseorang menjadi pengikut-Nya berarti Tuhan telah memanggil dan memilihnya untuk tugas perutusan menjadi penjala manusia. Artinya, ia menjadi orang yang bisa menghadirkan Kristus dan menarik orang-orang yang disekitarnya untuk bisa mengenal dan percaya kepada Yesus Kristus.

Dengan demikian mereka yang menjadi murid Kristus tidak cukup siap menerima berkat Tuhan dan menumpuk untuk diri-sendiri, namun ia juga siap membagikan berkat tersebut kepada sesamanya, terutama mereka yang membutuhkan pertolongan. “Berilah kepada orang yang meminta kepadamu dan janganlah menolak orang yang mau meminjam dari padamu.” (Mat 5: 42). Oleh karena itu mereka yang menjadi murid Kristus siap menjadi alat atau sakramen yang menghardirkan kebaikan-kebaikan bagi lingkungan sekitarnya.

Bagaimana cara seseorang agar bisa menjadi berkat dan penjala manusia? Kekuatan itu melakukannya bersumber dari Tuhan sendiri. Oleh karena itu, mereka perlu percaya sungguh akan kebaikan Tuhan kepada mereka. Percaya bahwa Tuhan Yesus  yang baik akan senantiasa memelihara hidup mereka. Oleh karena itu mereka tidak kuatir akan hidupnya, dan berjalan setia mengikuti-Nya. Yesus berkata kepada murid-murid-Nya: “Karena itu Aku berkata kepadamu: Janganlah kuatir akan hidupmu, akan apa yang hendak kamu makan, dan janganlah kuatir pula akan tubuhmu, akan apa yang hendak kamu pakai.”(Luk 12:22).

Rm Didik, CM 

Trinity: the Basic and the Mystery

Trinity: the Basic and the Mystery

Trinity Sunday [C]

June 12, 2022

John 16:12-15

Sunday after the Pentecost Sunday is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. it generally turns to be the most dreaded Sunday for many preachers. The truth is indeed difficult to understand, to the point that many priests have neither courage to preach nor proper knowledge to explain. Yet, the Church insists that once a year we go deeper into the mystery of all mysteries, the truth of all truths. Thus, we begin with simple question: why Trinity?

The answer is not difficult. It is the Truth! It is the Truth that God Himself reveals to us through the Scriptures and the Tradition. Why not teaching a simple concept about God, why giving the people a high complex understanding of God? The simpler truth is not truer than the more complex truth. A simple additional is not truer than sophisticated calculus. In fact, oversimplistic truth can lead to errors.

There are at least three basic errors or heresies about Trinity. The first one is polytheism. Christianity is not polytheistic religion. Trinity is not three gods or tritheism. The holy Trinity is one God in three divine person. The second error is modalism. This teaches that there is only one God and He uses three ‘modes’ of existence or appearance. God appears to be the Father when He created, to be the Son when He saves us, and to be the Holy Spirit when He sanctifies us. It is like a water. Sometimes, water is in the state of liquid, but it can be also solid or gas. Thus, the distinction of the divine persons are not real. The third and final heresy is Arianism. This teaching comes from Arius, a priest of Alexandria, in the fourth century. Simply put, Arius taught that Father is the only true God, while the Son and the Holy Spirit are real, but not the true God.

So, how do we get the correction understanding of Trinity? To help us, we shall need a little help from the Fathers of the Church who employ the terms ‘nature’ and ‘person.’ They seem complicated, but they are actually not. Nature answers the question ‘WHAT is it?’ while person answers ‘WHO is it?’ For example: what is Joseph? Joseph is a man. Who is that man? He is Joseph. Joseph’s nature is human, and Joseph is a person.

Let us apply this to God. What are the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit? One God. They are not three gods, because the divine nature cannot be divided, and each possesses the divine nature perfectly. Who is this God? The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One divine What in three divine Whos!

The truth is a hard to swallow, but we continue to live and honor this greatest mystery because in the end, we are going to live in this divine love of the Holy Trinity.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

SUKA-CITA

SUKA-CITA

Sabtu, 11 Juni 2022



Matius 10:7-13

Yesus mengajak para murid-Nya untuk dengan iman dan keberanian mewartakan Kerajaan Allah, dimana di dalamnya mereka menyebarluaskan kebaiikan-kebaikan Allah, dalam peyanan. Alasan mereka untuk mewartakan kebaikan Tuhan adalah karena Tuhan telah lebih dahulu memberikan hidup-Nya (Nyawa-Nya) dan kebaikan-kebaikan kepada mereka. Oleh karena itu, mereka dengan tanpa mengharapan sesuatu rela mewartakan Yesus Kristus yang hidup. “Pergilah dan beritakanlah: Kerajaan Sorga sudah dekat. Sembuhkanlah orang sakit; bangkitkanlah orang mati; tahirkanlah orang kusta; usirlah setan-setan. Kamu telah memperolehnya dengan cuma-cuma, karena itu berikanlah pula dengan cuma-cuma.”( Mat 10:7-8 ).

Dengan demikian, semangat para murid dalam mewartakan Kerajaan Allah bersumber dari pengalaman seseorang akan kebaikan-kebaikan Allah. Oleh karena itu, jika mereka semakin menyadari kebaikan Tuhan dalam hidup mereka, maka semakin rela dan berani mereka membagikan kebaikan kepada sesama, dan sebaliknya. Oleh karena itu, bagi setiap murid Kristus membutuhkan waktu khusus, waktu yang disiapkan untuk merenungan karya kebaikan Allah dalam hidup, agar semakin kuat dalam melihat bahwa Dia mengasihinya. “Aku hendak menyebut-nyebut segala pekerjaan-Mu, dan merenungkan perbuatan-perbuatan-Mu. Ya Allah, jalan-Mu adalah kudus!
Allah manakah yang begitu besar seperti Allah kami? Engkaulah Allah yang melakukan keajaiban; Engkau telah menyatakan kuasa-Mu di antara bangsa-bangsa.”(Mzm 77:13-15).

Pada akhirnya, Tuhan Yesus merindukan pada murid-Nya bisa mengikuti-Nya dan menerima suka-cita yang berlimpah serta membagikan suka-cita rahmat  keselamatan tersebut kepada sesamanya. Sebab Dia adalah sumber suka-cita itu. “Engkau memberitahukan kepadaku jalan kehidupan; di hadapan-Mu ada sukacita berlimpah-limpah, di tangan kanan-Mu ada nikmat senantiasa.”(Mzm 16:11). Dia rindu anak-anak-Nya hidup dekat-Nya dan setia merenungan Sabda-Nya, agar ia tetap hidup. “…tetapi yang kesukaannya ialah Taurat TUHAN, dan yang merenungkan Taurat itu siang dan malam. Ia seperti pohon, yang ditanam di tepi aliran air, yang menghasilkan buahnya pada musimnya,” (Mzm 1:2-3). Dan di dalam relasi dengan Allah setiap orang menerima damai-Nya. “Hanya dekat Allah saja aku tenang, dari pada-Nyalah keselamatanku.”(Mzm 62:2).

Didik, CM 

Holy Spirit and the Birth of the Church

Holy Spirit and the Birth of the Church

Pentecost [C]

June 5, 2022

John 14:15-16, 23-26

The Pentecost is the traditional day of the birth of the Church. If the many scholars agree that Jesus’ crucifixion and death falls on April 4, 33 AD, the date of resurrection is April 6 of the same year. From here, we can trace the date of the first Pentecost. Fifty days later is May 25, 33 AD. So we have the date! Yet, the more fundamental question is why do we consider Pentecost as Church’s birthday?

The main reason is the Holy Spirit. During the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples’ hearts and the minds with His divine presence and His gifts. The first gift is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gift of speaking in different languages is indeed amazing, yet before this miracle, the Holy Spirit empowered them to share the Good News.

If we try to look back, the disciples were terrified and confused. Jesus, their beloved teacher, and the expected Messiah was suddenly arrested, and swiftly condemned to death. Jesus’ followers were scattered, and the community of disciples was broken. One betrayed Jesus, another denied Him, and the rest were running away like cowards. Even, after they received the news of resurrection, they kept afraid and were even more puzzled.  Jesus had to come in person to show the proof of the resurrection as well as to forgive them, to strengthen them, and to teach them the meaning of His passion and resurrection. However, despite the risen Lord’s presence, there remained an innate fear and uncertainty of their future.

When the promised Holy Spirit came, courage and wisdom entered their hearts. The Spirit empowered them to break out from the prison of fear, and to preach that Jesus Christ is Lord. We look at Simon Peter. When his personal safety was threatened, he was quick to deny His beloved master, not only twice, but thrice.  Together with other disciples, Peter hid themselves from the Jewish authorities in the upper room. He even had a difficult time to understand the meaning of resurrection. However, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, cowardly Simon turned to be a new person. Before the people, he fearlessly proclaimed that Jesus is the Savior and God. During the day of Pentecost, he preached and three thousand people who listened to him became believers!

Surely, it is not only Simon Peter, but also other disciples, and thus the Church. From the day of Pentecost, the disciples did not only stay in Jerusalem, but they went to different places in around the world. Peter went to Rome, Andrew became a missionary to Greece, Thomas reached as far as India. Without the Holy Spirit, the disciples had not dared to go and preach; without preaching, there would not be new disciples; without growth, there would not be the Church. This is the reason that the day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church.

Yet, the Holy Spirit does not stop working at the first Pentecost. He continues giving us growth to us, the Church. Through the baptism we received the Spirit Holy that makes us children of God. During the confirmation, the Holy Spirit transforms us to be the courageous witnesses of Christ. In the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit comes and brings us the Body and Blood of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is the Lord, it is the Holy Spirit. If we keep believing in Jesus, despite many difficulties, it is the Holy Spirit. If we are able to forgive our enemies, it is the Holy Spirit. If we are able to stay faithful to our vocations, it is the Holy Spirit.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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