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Second Sunday of Easter [C]

April 24, 2022

John 20:19-31

Pope John Paul II has declared the Second Easter Sunday as the Divine Mercy Sunday. On April 30, 2000, the declaration took place when John Paul II canonized Sr. Faustina Kowalski. Since then, the devotion to the Divine Mercy has grown exponentially worldwide. Nowadays, many of us do not only pray the angelus prayer, but every three in the afternoon, the hour of Jesus’ death, recite the prayer of divine mercy. More and more people make divine mercy chaplet as daily devotion aside from the rosary. Many communities gather together and organize novena to the Divine Mercy. But, do you know what mercy is? And, why does it has to be the 2nd Sunday of Easter?

The Oxford dictionary gives us an exciting definition of mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. A story may illustrate this definition of mercy. During one of the Napoleonic wars, one of the young French soldiers deserted the army and fled the battlefield. Unfortunately, he got captured. Knowing that his son would be executed, the mother rushed to see Napoleon. She said to the general, “have mercy on my son!” Napoleon immediately replied, “your son’s crime is so heinous. Justice demands his death, and he does not deserve mercy.” The mother then answered, “It is not mercy if he deserves it!”.

Let’s go back to the Biblical Hebrew language. Mercy is related to the word ‘rahamim,’ which is rooted in the word ‘Rahim’ meaning ‘womb.’ Thus, ‘rahamim’ implies a mother’s feelings and attitude toward her children. We know that we have hurt our mothers too often if we try to reflect on our lives and our relationship with our mothers. Since we live in their wombs until we grow to adulthood, we give them countless headaches and heartaches. Yet, despite the terrible things we have done, our good mothers keep accepting and loving us as their children.

Then, why the second Sunday of Easter? This Sunday, the Church always selects the story of resurrection from John, the evangelist. There are some exciting details. The disciples locked themselves in the room because of fear of the Jews. Yet, more than fearing the Jewish authorities, they dreaded Jesus, who returned and took His vengeance. Yet, Jesus came not to bring punishment but forgiveness. Thus, the first thing He said was ‘Peace’! They have peace because Jesus, who has the power to inflict punishment, decides to have mercy on them.

Yet, Jesus does not stop there. He also breathed the Holy Spirit and gave them the divine authority to forgive sins. To teach the true meaning of mercy and forgiveness, Jesus has to suffer the cross, die, and get buried. Jesus teaches them that the worst things may fall upon Jesus, but this hatred, wrath, and vengeance will not have the last say.

We deserve death and hell with so many sins we have committed, but the resurrection points to us that however terrible we treat Jesus, mercy will always triumph. His forgiveness is always ready to embrace us. We need to do one thing: beg for that mercy.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno,OP

Palm Sunday of The Lord’s Passion

April 10, 2022

Luke 22:14 – 23:56

Every Palm Sunday, we listen to the Passion Narrative of Jesus Christ. Since we are in the liturgical year C, we hear from the Gospel of Luke, and it is notedly the longest among the four Gospel. If we try to compare the passion narratives of the four Gospels, we will discover basic similarities, but also some obvious nuances. What makes Luke’s account unique?

Surely, there are several unique stories in Luke, but one outstanding character of Jesus is that Luke consistently describes Jesus as someone who loves to pray. In short, Jesus always prays, especially in His important moments of His life. He prays when John is baptizing Him. He is praying while in the desert for forty days. He prays at the mountain when He is transfigured. He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Even, Jesus prays when he is the cross.

Luke even gives us a window to what Jesus expresses to His Father. Jesus’ first prayer in the cross is ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing [Luk 23:34].’ We remember that His close friend denies Him, another betrays Him, and others are running away from Him. He is accused falsely and tortured brutally. He receives treatment worse than animals. He is even going to die like the worst criminals, in the most agonizing and humiliating way possible. Yet, despite all these, He prays for all of them, and gives His forgiveness. Jesus does not only teach ‘to love one’s enemies’ or ‘to pray for those who persecute you’. Jesus truly walks the talk.

Jesus does not stop there. When one of the thieves is asking for Jesus’ forgiveness. Jesus does not only forgive, but He also promises Him paradise. Despite the terrible situations, Jesus does not only pray, but also blesses a man who needs its most. Lastly, Jesus closes His earthly with another prayer, “Father into your hands I commends my spirit.” This time, Jesus recites Psalm 31:6. His entire life has been an obedience to God’s will, and it is proper that He ends it with giving His spirit peacefully to His Father.

Certainly, there are so much to learn and reflect from these three prayers of Jesus. Yet, one thing we can learn from here is Jesus teaches us how to face life full of sorrow and sufferings. Our lives may be difficult, but it does not mean we have to become bitter and vengeful. The first step is to pray. Instead, uttering curses and hatred, we bring our problems and sufferings into prayers. ‘Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you [1 Pet 5:7]’. The second step is to forgive and to seek forgiveness. One of the reasons why life is so bitter is because we refuse to forgive. To forgive is not about forgetting, but it is about to let go our hatred and resentment, and let God fills us with His peace. The third step is to be grateful. Is it possible to be grateful? When we offer our sufferings to God and to unite them with Christ’s suffering, our trials and sorrow even can become blessing for others. Then, we know we know that our sufferings are never useless. We have always a reason to be grateful.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

5th Sunday of Lent [C]

April 3, 2022

John 8:1-11

Jesus was facing an unsurmountable dilemma when confronted with a woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees demanded that Jesus throw her with a stone, following the Mosaic Law, which reads, “If anyone is caught sleeping with a married woman, both of them must die [Deut 22:22].” However, the flip side was that every Israelite at that time knew that they were not allowed by Roman Law to carry out the death penalty. So, if Jesus had not thrown the stone, He would have been accused of being unfaithful to the Law and not a man of God. However, if Jesus threw stones, He would be dealing with the Romans. What did Jesus do?

Jesus wrote on the ground. What did Jesus write? We don’t know for sure, and quite a lot of opinion has developed over the last thousand years. However, there is one interesting tradition about this. Jesus was fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy. About 600 years before Christ, Jeremiah once prophesied that ‘those who have turned away from Thee will be written on the earth because they have forsaken God, the fountain of living waters [cf. Jer. 17:13].’ Jesus was writing the names of those who had put Him to the test, the fountain of living water [cf. John 7:38].

Now it’s Jesus’ turn. Jesus threw this question back at them, “Who is without sin, let him throw the first stone.” Of course, Jesus was sinless, but the Pharisees always clamoured that they were an elite group who lived blemished according to the Mosaic Law and even had an obsession to force others to live Mosaic Law their ways. So it’s as if Jesus was saying, ‘OK, you who claim to be the perfect enforcers of the Mosaic Law, throw the first stone and prove that you are truly faithful to the Torah.’

A surprising thing happened. The Pharisees chose not to throw stones. They would rather disobey the Mosaic law than deal with the Romans. This shows that they are nothing more than opportunists and hypocrites. In front of the crowds, they showed themselves to be lovers of the Law, but they were ready to leave the Law in a disadvantageous situation.

It’s incomplete if we don’t see a little bit of Jesus’ action towards the woman. Jesus didn’t throw stones, but that doesn’t mean Jesus condoned or tolerated what happened. Jesus clearly said, ‘Go, and sin no more.’ Jesus stated that this woman was a grave sin that violated the sanctity of married life. However, Jesus, the God who has the right to forgive, read this woman’s contrite heart. Jesus forgave her. However, Jesus’ forgiveness was not cheap. Jesus demanded a radical change from a life of sin.

Who are we in this story? Are we like the Pharisees who are busy finding fault with others? Are we like those busy showing off, but we run away when we face a tough choice? Are we the ones who wallow in sin and don’t know what to do? Or, are we those who cannot appreciate the grace of God?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

4th Sunday of Lent [C]

March 27, 2022

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

The parable of the prodigal is one of the most beautiful and heart-warming stories in the entire Bible. It is, in fact, the longest among Jesus’ parables and loaded with exciting details. While a great deal of the parable is given to the younger son, the story ends with the elder son. Many of us identify with the younger son. We used to live in the life of sin, far from God, and even become the enemies of God. Yet, we felt empty, and our lives go in the wrong direction. Then, going back to our senses, we repent and go back to the Lord. However, not a few identify themselves with the elder son.

Personally, I tend to be sympathetic to the elder son, perhaps because I am also the eldest in the family. I feel that the elder son’s anger is nothing but natural. I will be angry if my younger brothers ask for his inheritance and leave the family behind for a life of dissipation. I will be even more enraged when he suddenly comes back, and my parents will accept him as if nothing happens. At least, he must be disciplined and make reparations for what he has done. It is just and right!

Yet, after I go deeper into the story, I realize some critical details. The elder son is angry, and, in his wrath, he refuses to enter the home. Without realizing it, the elder son does what, the younger son did: leaving his house. Then, He says, “this son of yours!” He could have said, “Father, why do you treat my brother like this!” Without realizing it, the elder son does what the younger son did: distancing and disassociating himself from his father. Another interesting fact is that the elder son says, “I have been working like a slave for you.” Without realizing it, the elder son becomes what, the younger son has been: a slave.

Son though he is, he never considers himself as one, but rather a mere slave. We can see how the elder son only views his brother as another runaway slave and his father as an enslaver. A disobedient slave must be punished severely, and the loyal servant must be rewarded. Therefore, he is distraught. His paradigm is violated. He fails to see from his father’s perspective, and thus, he suffers.

From this story, we see a deeper meaning of metanoia or repentance. Metanoia [change of mind] does not simply mean turning from a life of sin to a life with God. It also means having the mind and heart of God. We are invited to think and act, no longer as slaves fearing punishment, but as mature children of God. Unfortunately, some of us are like the lost firstborn, who see ourselves as nothing more than servants, and we build our relationship with God based on fear, not love. We go to church because otherwise, we will go to hell. We serve because otherwise, we will be cursed. And we begin to see our neighbors as servants who have to follow the rules blindly; otherwise, they will be severely punished. Metanoia means no longer living in fear but as children of God living in love and freedom.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP