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Fourth Sunday of Easter [B]
April 25, 2021
John 10:11-18

The fourth Sunday of Easter is commonly known as the Good Shepherd Sunday. The reason is that every year, the Church always chooses the Gospel from John, especially chapter 10 [year A: John 10:1-10; year B: John 10:11-18; year C: John 10:27-30]. In this chapter, Jesus introduces His identity as the Good Shepherd. This Sunday is also famously called the Vocations Sunday. In 1964, Pope Paul VI established the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on the fourth Sunday of Easter. Why ‘Vocations Sunday’? The word ‘vocation’ comes from the Latin word, ‘vocare’ that means ‘to call’. In the same Gospel, Jesus says that the shepherd ‘calls’ his sheep by name and they hear his voice [see John 10:3-4].

Often, we associate vocation with the vocation to the priesthood or religious life, become a priest, or become a religious sister. However, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not only call a few sheep to follow Him, but the entire flock. Jesus invites everyone to follow Him, and thus, everyone has a vocation.

Generally, in the Church, we have the clergy and the laity. The clergies are those who received the sacrament of Holy Orders or ordination. Under this group are the deacons, priests, and bishops. Meanwhile, those who do not receive the ordination are the laity. Under this distinction, we have married people and those who remain single for the Lord. There is also a special category, that is people with vows. Traditionally, we have three vows or promise to God, the vow of obedience, the vow of chastity and the vow of poverty. Christians who professed vows usually belong to communities [technically called institutes of consecrated life] like the Order of Preachers, the Society of Jesus, and many others. When a laywoman professes vows, she becomes a religious sister of a specific community like Sr. Maria, OP. When a priest has vows, he is called a religious priest, like Fr. Joseph, OFM. A priest who does not profess vows and attached to a diocese is called a diocesan priest. Indeed, these categories are oversimplified and fail to do justice to many other forms of lives within the Catholic Church. The point is that the Good Shepherd is calling all of us to follow and to be with Him. It is a universal call to holiness.

Yet, what is holiness? Does it mean when a man is ordained to be a priest, he is automatically holy? Is wearing a religious habit a sign of holiness? Is constant prayer and piety manifestation of holy persons? If holiness is following and becoming one with the Good Shepherd, then to be holy is to live and act like the Good Shepherd Himself. What, then, is the main character of the Good Shepherd? Jesus tells us, “The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep [John 10:15].” The Good Shepherd is ‘Good’ because His love is radical and sacrificial.

To be holy is to love radically and sacrificially, and true love is performed every day in every way possible. Holiness is when a man works hard every day for his family. Holiness is a mother who cares for her baby and ready to lose her sleep every night. St. Theresa of Avila used to say, “Know that if you are in the kitchen, God walks among the pots and pans.”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Third Sunday of Easter [B]

April 18, 2021

Luke 24:35-48

Miracles are rare occurrences, but some are even rarer and more precious than others. Miraculous healings are exceptional but coming back to life after death is even extraordinary. However, there is one miracle that is wholly unique and incomparable: resurrection. Yet, what makes resurrection different from other miracles?

Resurrection presupposes death or permanent separation between body dan soul. Thus, resurrection is the reunion of body and soul. Our Gospel today informs us that Jesus showed His disciples His body as well as His wounds. He wanted to show them that what disciples experienced in the upper room was not an illusion or fantasy. They did not see a ghost or disembodied spirit. What they encountered was a living human body.

Moreover, the wounds prove that the resurrected body of Christ is the same as the crucified body. He was not an imposter! Jesus even asked for food and ate the baked fish. He acted just like an ordinary living person, and the disciples should not be afraid anymore but believe.

However, Jesus’ resurrection is fundamentally different from what happened to Lazarus [see John 11]. Lazarus was dead, but Jesus raised him from the dead, but Lazarus would eventually face death once more. What happened to Lazarus is usually called ‘resuscitation.’ Meanwhile, Jesus was raised from the dead and will die no more. The resurrected Christ will no longer experience death because He received no ordinary body. His body was a glorious one. It is the same body that Jesus received from Virgin Mary, the same body that walked in Galilee, the same body that preached to the disciples, and the same body that was tortured, crucified, and buried in the tomb. Yet, the divine power has transformed this body.

What makes this glorified body unique? Firstly, this body is immortal. Secondly, it is no longer experiencing suffering like pain, sickness, or aging. Thirdly, the body will not be subjected to the laws of nature and freed from the limitation of time and space. This explains why Jesus was able to enter the locked upper room [see CCC 645]. Fourthly, the body can change its appearance. This explains why the disciples often did not recognize the risen Lord. Resurrection does not only about the reunion between the soul and the body but about the body glorified and sanctified for eternal life.

The reality about the resurrection amplifies the fundamental truth about our bodies. The Book of Genesis narrated that God created the physical world as something good. Human persons, including their bodies, were blessed, and called ‘very good.’ God plans that His magnificent creation will not go to waste in death and decay. He wills that this amazing and blessed body continue to exist for eternity and become part of His marvelous heaven.

From this realization, do we prepare our bodies for heaven? Do we abuse our bodies with unhealthy lifestyles? Do we use our bodies to honor God in prayer and good works? Do we destroy our body, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, with vices and addictions? Do we offer our bodies as a living and pleasing sacrifice to God?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Second Sunday of Easter [B] – Divine Mercy Sunday
April 11, 2021
John 20:19-31

Thomas, one of Jesus’ apostles, was celebratedly called ‘the doubter.’ His skeptical attitude sprang when he was absent from the Sunday’s gathering, and he missed the most important event that took place on Sunday: Jesus’ resurrection. From here, we can learn an important lesson: do not be absent on Sunday’s mass!
Being skeptical or doubtful is part of our human nature. In fact, a certain level of skepticism is healthy and necessary. When we encounter unusual claims or information, we do not immediately trust them and put a certain skeptical distance. The doubt invites us to investigate and verify the veracity of the claim. When all reasonable doubts are removed, we can be sure of the truth.
Specific claims indeed must not be accepted at face value and be verified. If a man is accused of stealing, he has the right to the legal proceedings, and based on the evidence, the competent judge will pronounce the verdict. Not only in the court of law, fields of science also have rigorous methods to prove a hypothesis. The Church also adopts the same attitude. When the Church receives a claim that a person has seen the Lord or the Blessed Virgin Mary, she will investigate it. Is the person having a mental problem or simply hallucinating? Is the evil spirit involved? Is the private revelation going against the Church’s teachings? After clearing the reasonable doubts, the Church shall declare her position on the claim.
Going back to Thomas, at first, Thomas’ doubt seemed to be a reasonable one since he heard a spectacular claim from his brothers. As a Jew, Thomas may believe in the resurrection of the dead, but this would take place at the end of time. Jesus’ resurrection was unexpected. Thus, Thomas demanded proof, and it was given. However, if we see Jesus’ words to Thomas, “…do not be unbelieving [Gr. apistis] but believe [John 20:27].” Jesus pointed out that what happened to Thomas was not a simple and honest doubt but willful disbelief. While genuine doubt can be removed through reliable processes to achieve an objective truth, belief, on the other hand, is a free decision to accept that specific claim to be true. The problem is that what one believes does not always correspond to the objective truth.
Thus, when someone already decided to accept a particular claim as his subjective truth, he will not give up on the claim, however erroneous it is. Ideally, our belief corresponds to the objective reality. St. Thomas Aquinas puts it that the truth is the correspondence between the mind and reality.
After Jesus showed Thomas His wounds as evidence of His resurrection, Jesus moved to the next and most crucial step. He asked Thomas to believe. Thomas eventually accepted the truth of resurrection as his own. Jesus is indeed Lord and God, but only when Thomas received the truth as his own, could he say, ‘my Lord and my God.’
One way or another, we may reflect Thomas. We may learn the Catholic faith’s truth since we are young, but do we honestly believe them? We may confess Jesus is our God, but do we trust Him in times of trials and difficulties? We may say that God has redeemed us, but do we live more like the redeemed people?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Easter Sunday [B]
April 4, 2021
John 20:1-9

Jesus has risen! Alleluia! He is indeed alive, and we have reason to celebrate and rejoice exultantly. From Palm Sunday till Good Friday, we have witnessed the most excellent drama at the center of our faith. Jesus was received as a king by his people, who would eventually condemn Him. He gave up His body and blood to His disciples and brothers, who ultimately sold, betrayed, denied, and abandoned Him. He was innocent, yet He was condemned as a criminal and suffer horrible death on the cross. He is God, but He was buried just like any man. Yet, these dreadful things are not the end of the story. There is a marvelous twist! He rose from the dead and conquered death—his love triumphs over hatred and sin.
The good news is that Jesus’ story is real. His story is radically different from the box-office-hit movies like the Marvel series. The Avengers may dramatically defeat Thanos and resurrected the missing half of humanity, but they remain the great work of fiction. Jesus is real, as even more real than all of us. And because He has risen, our faith in Him is not in vain. We are saved, and we are redeemed. This is the unshakable foundation of our joy! Blaise Paschal, a Catholic French Philosopher, once commented, “Nobody is as happy as a real Christian.”
Yet, what does it mean to be joyful in our world now? Many of us are still struggling with pandemic covid-19, and we are not sure when this will end. Some of us are losing our beloved ones, and others must face an uncertain future due to economic meltdown. We are becoming more unsure of our lives. What should be joyful? We need to see that joy of redeemed people is not simply fleeting good feelings or outbursts of emotions. If we know this kind of sensation in the Church, we may get disappointed.
To have faith in Jesus means we believe that our lives will eventually make sense in Jesus. Thus, our joy is coming from following Jesus, participating in His drama of love and redemption, including in His cross and death. Jesus’ suffering is not the suffering of a helpless victim but a courageously loving man. Jesus’s death is not the death of a sore loser but a total sacrifice of the lover. Jesus loves us to the fullness, and absolute love demands death. In Christ, our suffering is not a sign of our weakness but our radical love. Our joy is following from the truth that we discover that in Christ, we are created beyond ourselves, but for the infinite love, for God Himself.
In this time of crisis, we may endure more uncertainties, but we may have this moment to die to our illusion that wealth, position, and power can save us. In this time of trials, we may face more hardship, but we can turn this opportunity to love deeply and even to offer ourselves in Christ.
On March 27, 1996, seven Trappist monks were kidnapped from the monastery of Tribhirine, Algeria, by the extremist group. All eventually murdered. They had been warned to leave the monastery as Algeria’s situation worsened, but they refused to go because they wanted to be with the people they served. Brother Christian, the leader, wrote in a letter, “I am certain that God loves the Algerians and that He has chosen to prove it by giving them our lives. So then, do we truly love them? Do we love them enough? This is a moment of truth for each one of us and a heavy responsibility in these times when our friends feel so little loved.”

Happy and Blessed Easter to all of you!

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP