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29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 18, 2020

Matthew 22:15-21

To understand today’s Gospel, we need to make time travel to the time of Jesus. The Jewish people in the first century AD Palestine were not free people, and they were subject to the Roman empire. Being subjects, they were required to submit heavy taxes. This money would eventually use to pay the army that maintained “the security” of Palestine. Naturally, paying taxes was one of the most irritating and politically charged issues. “Why should I pay for my own oppression?”

The issue of paying taxes is even more sensitive since the coin used for the transaction is bearing the image of Caesar. Not only having the graven face of Caesar, around the image, but there was also an inscription that said “Tiberivs Caesar Divi Avgvsti Filivs Avgvstvs (Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus).” The coin was simply blasphemous for the Jews who recognized that there is no god, but the Lord God.

With this background, the Pharisees were plotting to trap Jesus with an extremely dilemmatic question: “should we pay tax to Caesar?” If Jesus nodded, He would be considered a traitor for many Jewish nationalists and an idol-worshipper to pious Israelites. But, if Jesus voted negatively, He would be immediately labeled as a rebel and face the wrath of the Romans. However, it was never wise to test Jesus, because it would never be successful. Again, Jesus did not only escape the dilemma wisely but also taught a profound lesson for everyone.

He took a Roman coin and showed that it has an image of Caesar. Then, He said, “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” The basis of ownership is the presence of “image.” The coin belongs to Caesar because it has his image. Thus, paying tax is simply giving back to the coins that since the beginning belongs to Caesar and the Roman Empire.  Yet, Jesus did not stop there. He taught also, “render to God what belongs to God.” And what belongs to God? The answer is those who possess the image of God. Going back to the Genesis 1:26, we discover that we were created in the image of God, and therefore, we belong to God.

Here, Jesus was not dodging the Pharisees’ bullet, but teaching a fundamental truth about who we are and where we are going. We were created in the image of God, not in the image of cellular phone, not of money, not of trophies. While they may offer instant pleasure, not of these things will ever grant us true happiness. Only God can truly fulfill our deepest longing. While these things are naturally good and can be beneficial, they are mere means to achieve our true end, God Himself. We might be preoccupied with pursuing wealth, popularity, or influence, but what is the point when we lose our final purpose?

St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises reminds us that, “Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created…Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent [detached] to all created things… Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my YOUTUBE CHANNEL “bayu ruseno” to get latest video catechism.

28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 11, 2020

Matthew 22:1-14

To understand the parable, we need to see the surprising elements that Jesus offers. Firstly, this is no ordinary wedding, but the royal wedding of the king’s son. Surely, people in the royal list are honored and privileged guests, but they refuse to come, decline the invitation twice and even mistreat the king’s servants. What they do are unthinkable! They fail to see how precious the invitation and rather choose their own trivial business. They are like throwing insult to the king who has honored them. No wonder, the king punishes them.

Yet, this king is generous and merciful king, and he decides to invite all people who are not in his original guests of honor. He grants the royal invitation and honor to all. Many indeed come and fulfil the invitation. However, there is one guy who fails to wear a wedding dress. To dress properly in attending a wedding feast is not only expected, but it shows how we honor the one who invites us. This person is a guest of honor, but he fails to appreciate the honor he receives, fails to behave accordingly, and brings great dishonor to the king. Thus, the king throws him not to any place, but to the darkness.

We are all like these wedding guests, and we receive immeasurable honor because, in reality, we do not deserve to be called by God to enter into His kingdom. Yet, the invitation is free, but it does not mean cheap. We still need to do our part to honor the one who invites us and to show utmost thanksgiving to God. The question is what wedding garment symbolizes? If we move forward to Revelation 19, we will see another wedding. This is the wedding of the Lamb, and in Rev 19:8, “…for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” Faith in Jesus is like accepting the invitation, but we must not stop there, we shall wear also the garment of the righteous deeds. Our initial faith has to grow into charity.

The basic principle is grace is free, but it is not cheap. In fact, it is the most precious thing we ever receive in our lives. Our righteous works are not meant to be a bargaining chip with the Lord, but rather token of our gratitude. We do holy deeds not because we want to be praised, but because we want to honor Him who has called us to the heavenly banquet. As priests, we are serving the people primarily because, despite our weaknesses, we are chosen to the instruments of grace. As spouses, we are building family not simply based on emotional attractions, biological needs, and economic stability, because we are grateful to the Lord who has united husband and wife in love and grace. As parents, we are raising our children not only to become successful, rich or influential but primarily to become holy men and women because we recognize that these children are blessing from the Lord. The world is definitely a better world with people filled with gratitude, and with the saints.

 This reflection is dedicated to Carlo Acutis, who is beatified today [10 Oktober], a model of holiness for all of us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my YOUTUBE channel “bayu ruseno” to see my latest video catechism on the rosary.

27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

October 4, 2020

Matthew 21:33-43

The vineyard owner in today’s parable is extraordinary. He knows that the tenants are greedy and corrupt, and if I had been the owner, I would have expelled the tenants right away. Yet, this owner is doing the opposite. He keeps sending His envoys and pleading with them, to the point of giving his own son, the true heir. This vineyard owner must be crazy! Yet, that is how much merciful, and patient God is. However, that is not the end of the story. The thing is if we keep abusing God’s mercy, His justice will eventually prevail.

When Jesus was speaking about the vineyard, the context was Jesus was confronting the elders and chief priest. Instead of serving the people, they chose to seek their gains and thus, involved in various corrupt practices. Jesus reminded them that the vineyard would be taken away if they did not repent.  Unfortunately, they were too greedy and proud. Thus, they opted to get rid of Jesus, the Son of God. The history tells us that in 70 AD, around 40 years after Christ, Jerusalem was burned, and the Temple was razed to the ground.

Unfortunately, the story of the gift given and gift taken away is one of the basic patterns in the Bible. Adam and Eve given the privilege of the garden of Eden, yet they offended the Lord, and they lost the paradise. People of Israel were liberated from the land of Egypt, but in the wilderness, they kept complaining and even worshipping false gods. Therefore, they had to die in the desert, and only their children were allowed to enter. The Israelites have received the land and built a powerful kingdom under David, but they kept sinning and forgetting the Lord, and thus, the kingdom was destroyed, and the people were exiled.

God has given each of us, something special, a precious gift. And we should take care of and protect this gift, and we shall not test the Lord. Otherwise, this gift will be taken away from us.

Faith is a gift. Faith is our first step to heaven. Yet, we have to grow our faith, to nourish it with true teachings of the Church and growing relationship with the Lord. We must defend it not only from false teachings but also from our laziness and mediocrity. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to priesthood and brotherhood is a gift. It is a gift to serve the people of God, to preach the Word of God, and to minister the sacraments through which we receive the grace and salvation. We need to nurture it daily with prayer, assiduous study, and faithfully living the vows. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to married life and family is a gift. It is a gift to become co-creators and co-workers of God; to bring forth life and to nurture life. We need to protect it from sins and infidelity and selfishness, and nourish it with love, commitment, and even openness.  Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

The Earth is a gift to us. It is our home, a stunning home to live, and among billions of planets in the galaxies, there is nothing like earth. We need to defend it from exploitation, over-mining, over-fishing and even from our lifestyle that gradually destroy nature. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

check also my YOUTUBE channel at “bayu ruseno”

26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 27, 2020

Matthew 21:28-31

Reading the entire Matthew chapter 21, we will get the sense of the parable of the two sons of the vineyard owner. Jesus just entered the city of Jerusalem and was welcomed by the people with a shout of “Hosana” and palm branches. Then, he proceeded to the Temple area to cleanse it from the malpractices plaguing the holy ground. Thus, the elders and chief priests, the one who was in charge of the Temple, questioned Jesus, “who are you? By what authority do you act and teach?”

Thus, Jesus answered them through a parable. This parable speaks of two sons; the first representing the elders and the second the tax collectors and prostitutes. Yet, to the surprise of the elders, far from being the protagonists of the story, they turn to be the villains. To add insult to the injury, the elders were practically in the worse condition than these tax collectors, because they are still far from the vineyard, from salvation. However, instead of repenting, the elders got infuriated and decided to finish Jesus once for all.

The question is “why were the tax collectors able to repent while the elders were not?” The answer is something to do with two opposing powers: at one side of the ring is humility and the other is pride. We begin with pride. Based on the Church’s tradition, pride is the deadliest of seven deadly sins. St. Thomas Aquinas explained that pride is “an excessive desire for one’s own excellence which rejects subjection to God.” In short, proud men regard themselves better than others to the point of contempt. What makes pride so dangerous, it may lead even people to think they are self-sufficient and has no need even of God.

Pride is extremely subtle because it can take root even in spiritual matters. We cannot say that I am lustful for prayer, but we can be proud of our spiritual life. We see ourselves holier and more pious than others based on our standards.

 At the opposite corner is humility. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, humility is a virtue that “temper and restrain the mind, lest it tends to high things immoderately.” In short, humility is the antidote of pride. Humility is rooted in the Latin word “humus” meaning soil. Humble persons recognize their identity as coming from the dust, and the breath of life and perfections are gifts of God. This humility will bring gratitude because we realized that despite nothing but dust, God is boundlessly generous and merciful to us.

However, humility and cowardice are often confused. Cowardice manifests in low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and poor in responsibility. Cowardice is rooted in incomplete and even distorted self-image. While humility begins with the right understanding of the self, that we are gratuitously loved by God. Humble people are strong people because only strong ones can confess their sins. Humble persons are mature persons because only mature ones are able to own their weakness, say sorry, and ask for help. Humble men and women are tough people because it is hard to forgive.

Lord, grant us humility, that we may follow Your holy will.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

25th Week in Ordinary Time [A]

September 20, 2020

Matthew 20: 1-16

Among the many parables of Jesus, this parable of the owner of the vineyard is one that I find difficult to understand. Every time I read this parable, I always felt that something was wrong. Perhaps, I easily associate myself with the first-coming workers, who work from morning to sunset. They are laborers who spend their time and energy under the heat of the sun and give their efforts to meet the demands of the vineyard owner. However, they receive the same wages as those who only offer one hour of work. Of course the owner of the vineyard did not break the contract, but there still seemed to be injustice.

Maybe, this experience is like when I was studying in Manila. I was studying hard to get the best that I could achieve. Indeed, I got good grades, but what I could not accept was when my classmates who did not spent much effort, got also the same grades as I did. For me, It was not fair, but I could drop my complaint because the final grade is the prerogative of the professor.

However, things started to look different when I became a teacher myself. At one point, I needed to give my students final grades. And this is the utmost dilemma for me because I realize that on the one hand, I need to provide justice, but on the other hand, I want all my students to pass and graduate. Finally, I often chose compassion and allowed my struggling students to pass. I am fully aware that some of my students will feel that I am unfair, and that is the burden I must bear as a lecturer who chooses to be compassionate.

If we try to look closely at what vineyard owner is doing, we will find it funny and even weird. He kept looking for and hiring new persons almost every three hours. To make matters worse, he gave the same daily wages for all. In the economy and business, overspending and excess labor are a recipe for bankruptcy! However, the owner of the vineyard did not seem to care and was constantly looking for laborers. Perhaps, he knew very well that if these people were without jobs, they would starve to death, but if they worked and received less than the minimum wage, they wouldn’t be able to survive either. He couldn’t satisfy everyone, but at least he would be able to save everyone.

Learning from this parable, rather than complaining to God, we need to rejoice because our Lord is full of mercy, who even takes the initiative and seeks to seek out those of us who need salvation, and who willingly give eternal life even to those who have not lived well, but at the last moment repent.

 We should rejoice because in God’s eyes, we are all the last workers to beg mercy. Who knows, the workers who come first are actually the angels, and we really are the last unworthy laborers. With our sin, we all deserve to go to hell, but God stretches out His hand and opens the Gates of Heaven. We should rejoice that heaven is not a lonely place where few righteous people deserve it, but it is full of grateful people who enjoy God’s mercy even if they are not worthy.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

[Check also my Youtube Channel ‘bayu ruseno’ to see videos on Catholic faith and catechism]