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7th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
February 20, 2022
Luke 6:27-38

‘To love your enemies’ is considered the most difficult of Jesus’ teachings. It is not only extremely tough, but it is practically impossible. Our natural tendency and feelings are to hate those who hurt us and despise those who harm us. Especially when we are still hurting, we want to get even as soon as possible. We desire our enemies to feel our pains, and the more pain, the better. How is this teaching even possible?

However, Jesus does not say, ‘like your enemies’, but ‘love them’. The Gospel even specifies that the Greek word for ‘love’ here is ‘agape’. This is a love based not primarily on emotions but free will and commitment. It may be impossible to change our adverse feelings toward someone who hurt us, but it remains possible to decide not to inflict injuries and even do something good for them. Thus, after He says, ‘love your enemies, Jesus further clarifies, ‘do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who abuse you.’ To do good, bless, and pray are not feelings of love but acts of love. St. Thomas Aquinas synthesizes this teaching of Jesus and defines love as ‘to will the good of others’

Yet, despite the truth about agape and our God-given ability to perform something against our natural inclination, loving our enemies is just a hard pill to swallow. Though we know the theories, we are also struggling to do it. Then, we are back at our original question: ‘why does Jesus teach something impossible?’

To answer this, we have to see a bigger picture. The teaching to love our enemies is not the only hard saying of Jesus. Through His ministries, Jesus teaches several teachings and commandments that seems unthinkable. Jesus declares that divorce is not the plan of God for man and woman. Jesus reveals that His body is real food and His blood is a real drink, and only by consuming His body and blood we can have eternal life. And, most of all, Jesus unveils the most profound mystery of God, the Trinity, and He Himself is the second person of the Trinity than became flesh. All of these are humanly impossible to do and to believe, but why does Jesus insist on teaching them?

The answer lies in the grace of God. Jesus understands that these are divine revelations, and relying only on human wisdom and strength, we are bound to fail. Thus, the Holy Spirit and His grace supply what is fundamentally lacking in us. Like we cannot believe in Jesus as our Lord unless moved by the Holy Spirit, we will not be able to love our enemies unless the same Holy Spirit empowers us. Jesus knows that His teachings are humanly impossible, but He also gives us the necessary grace to enable us to perform the impossible. Then, loving our enemies is indeed grace-filled love and supernatural love. If we are still finding it hard to love our enemies, perhaps, this is the time to rely more on God’s grace.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

February 13, 2022

Luke 6:17, 20-26

Today’s Gospel presents us with the Beatitudes according to St. Luke. There is a fundamental similarity with Matthew’s version [see Mat 5:1-11], yet there are also some glaring differences between the two. One of the most apparent distinctions is the presence of ‘woes’ in Luke’s version. What is a ‘woe’ anyway?

In the context of the Bible, ‘woe’ is a cry of impending distress used by the prophet Israel [see Is 5:8–22; Amos 6:1; Hab 2:6–20]. The prophets called for repentance of Israel and return to the Lord God, yet if the Israelites remained stubborn, the woe should become a reality, and they would endure the terrible consequences. In the Gospel, Jesus practically did what His predecessors had done. Yet, there is also something new that Jesus introduced.

The prophets were pronouncing the woes to hardened people of Israel who truly did wicked things before the Lord. They worshipped other gods, abandoned the true God, and even worse, offered their children to these gods. They were also involved in sexual immorality and injustice to the weak and the poor. The Israelites were violating every single commandment in the Decalogue. In this context, God’s severe judgment was right and just. However, if we try to compare the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus, we notice something remarkably odd.

Jesus’ woes were to those who are rich, filled with food, laughing, and praised. Jesus never said, ‘woe to you, idolaters!’ or ‘woe to you adulterers!’, but He pronounced judgment to those who are laughing. But why? Is it not to laugh is healthy? Is it genuinely evil to have money? Is it wrong to praise someone who deserves it? It seems that Jesus is a bit excessive when giving away His woes.

However, we must see entire things of Jesus’ saying. Jesus did not simply say ‘woe to you, rich people.’ The complete sentence is, ‘woe to you, who are rich, for you have received your consolation.’ Jesus emphasized the truth that the woe is for those who make wealth their consolation. Earthly goods, including wealth, are naturally good, but they always serve as means, not the end. The same with laughter and other bodily pleasures. These are good and natural to us human persons. In fact, laughter makes us uniquely human, as no other animals can do the same. Yet, again, if we prioritize our bodily pleasures and lose God in the process, everything will be for nothing.

It is also the same with praises and affirmation we receive. Parents’ honest appreciation will solidify our self-esteem as little kids, and genuine commendation will make us grow in confidence. Yet, if we are obsessed with getting praises and oblations, this may do more harm than good. The highest honors belong to God.

Like the prophets of old, Jesus sounded harsh teachings, but He is genuinely concerned with our salvation and happiness. Jesus tells us that if we fail to make God our end, blessing, especially earthly ones, can turn curses and woes. Jesus’ tough love constantly pulls us away from the eternal sadness.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

February 6, 2022

Luke 5:1-11

This Sunday, we listen to the vocation stories of three great persons in the Bible: Isaiah, Paul, and Peter. Indeed, they have their own unique stories with a different context. Isaiah had a vision of the heavenly Temple of God. Paul was making his journey towards Damascus. In contrast, Simon was doing his job as a fisherman. However, there is something common with the three of them.

Simon, Paul, and Isaiah admitted that they were sinners before God. The most obvious case is Paul, who used to be the persecutor of the Church. He was involved in many terrible sufferings of many Christians, and in fact, he saw the Lord in his mission to bind the Catholics in a chain in Damascus. Before the Lord, Isaiah claimed that he was a man of unclean lips and living among the people of the unclean lips. We are not entirely sure what ‘unclean lips’ means. It may refer to the sin of blasphemy that is insulting God’s name. Another possibility is the sin of untruthfulness. Isaiah and the Israelites were living in lies and dishonesty.

Meanwhile, Simon acknowledged before Jesus that he was a sinful man. Again, we are not sure what Simon’s sin was. He might be someone who possessed anger issues, which affected his life and others.

The response of Jesus to Simon’s admission of his sinfulness was not belittling his condition. Jesus never said, “It is fine. It is not a big deal!” Jesus recognized Simon’s human weakness and frailty. Perhaps, in His divine intellect, Jesus knew that Simon would eventually deny Him thrice and run away like a coward. Yet, Jesus still called Simon and said, “Do not be afraid; you will be catching men.”

God does not call Simon, Paul, and Isaiah because they are perfect and blameless men. God calls them despite their sinfulness and invites them to be part of His work. God makes Simon the fisher of men, Paul the greatest apostle to the nations, and Isaiah the great prophet of the Old Testament. Amazing things happen when we say ‘yes’ to God’s plan. They failed and faltered, and God will raise them again. If we say ‘no’ to God’s plan and our excuse is that we are sinful, weak, and incapable, that is false humility and, in fact, lack of faith. We do not trust God enough that He can transform us into a better version of ourselves. We doubt that God will equip us for the mission.

Yet, it is equally vital always to remember who we are: both weak and sinful as well as loved and called. We cannot be boastful if we succeed in our ministries because apart from God, we are nothing. Paul said in his letter that he is the most hardworking among all the apostles, but immediately he admitted that it was because of the grace of God [see 1 Cor 11:10]. Paul eventually concluded, “Whoever boasts should boast in the Lord [1 Cor 1:31].”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

January 23, 2022

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

One unique thing to Luke is that he addressed his Gospel [and his Acts of the Apostles] to the most excellent Theophilus. Who is this Theophilus? We are not entirely sure, and this name has been a subject of debates and discussions for centuries. However, there are several things we may extract from the Gospel’s texts.

The first thing is that he was honorably addressed as ‘the most excellent’ [in Greek, ‘kratiste’]. This is an honorific title for a high Roman government official or a high nobleman during those times. Thus, Theophilus was someone politically powerful and wealthy. But why did Luke have to mention this affluent man? Most probably, it is because Theophilus is the one who supported Luke in the effort of writing his Gospel and Acts. The production of writing in ancient times is an extremely costly undertaking. Unlike papers in our time, parchment [from the animal skins] and papyrus [imported from Egypt] were not cheap raw materials for writing. Quality ink was not easy to get as well. Sometimes, authors had to hire a professional scribe to write correctly on a papyrus. Luke also indicated that he researched reading earlier gospels [most probably Mark and Matthew] and interviewing the eyewitnesses [perhaps Blessed Virgin Mary]. These efforts could cost a fair amount of money as well. No wonder experts say that to produce one single copy of a gospel may cost more than 2,000 USD. Theophilus has been instrumental in the production of Luke’s Gospel.

The second information we have about him is that Theophilus was most probably a Christian or at least a Catechumen. Luke wrote the purpose of his Gospel is ‘so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed [Luk 1:4].’ The word ‘instructed’ in Greek is ‘katekeo,’ the root word of catechism and catechesis. Theophilus has received some sort of catechism or teaching concerning the Catholic faith, but he wanted to know more, especially the certainty of the foundation of his faith.

How did the Gospel of Luke impact Theophilus? We are never sure, but we are confident that the Gospel has influenced millions of people tremendously. One more interesting is that the name Theophilus means the friends of God [theos + philios]. This Gospel is not just addressed to the historical figure called Theophilus, but to all of us, who are friends and lovers of God. Thus, reading carefully and prayerfully this Gospel deepens our love and friendship with the Lord. Luke’s Gospel has been acclaimed as one of the most beautifully composed books. From the stories like the prodigal son and the lost sheep, we discover more about the unparalleled mercy of God to us. From Luke also, we got the heartwarming stories of Mary as the first and most faithful disciple.

We all are called to be a Theophilus. Someone who dares to spend our time, energy, and other resources to know the certainty of our faith. And from this certainty, we are invited into loving friendship with the Lord.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP