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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
September 4, 2022
Luke 14:25-33

Once again, we stumble upon the hard sayings of Jesus. “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” This statement indeed makes us wonder deeply. Did Jesus really want us to hate someone we should respect and love the most? Why did Jesus ask to hate our parents, but He teaches us to love even our enemies? Is He not contradicting Himself (once again)? How do we need to understand Jesus’ tough saying?

The first thing is to consider the meaning ‘hate’ in the context of the Bible. ‘Hate’ does not mean to do harms or evil things to someone. ‘Hate’ simply means to ‘love’ someone ‘less’. A good example is in the case of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. “So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah… When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb… (Ge 29:30–31)” Jacob ‘hated’ Leah, means that he loved Rachel more than Leah. Thus, when Jesus said that in following Him, we need to hate our family, this means that we have to love Jesus more than our family. This is indeed a just demand. If Jesus is our Lord, then we should love Him above everything, including our beloved parents, siblings or children.

The second important thing we need to see is the immediate context. Jesus was in His way to Jerusalem, and there, He would face His cross. If the disciples really decide to walk in the footstep of His Master, then they have to ‘hate’ their family, their works, and even lives. Otherwise, if they remain attached to their family, possessions and earthly relations, they would not be able to bear the sufferings as consequence of following Jesus. No wonder in the previous chapters, Jesus even said to those wanted to become His disciples, “let the dead bury the dead!”

From these two perspectives, Jesus’ hard teachings makes sense. However, what is interesting is that in real lives, the more we love Jesus, the more we love our family. In truth, there is no competition between Jesus and our family, because Jesus is loved through loving our families. The key is that our love to our family has to be Christ-centred. The fathers of the family love God by leading their families closer to God, and educating their children to honor God and love the true faith. The mothers love God not only by caring and raising their children, but by teaching them the genuine devotion to God. Finally, parents consecrate their children to as their best offerings.

While it is true that some Christians decided to follow Christ in more radical and total way, like the priests, religious man and women and even the lay missionaries, it does not mean we stop loving our families. In fact, we are offering them in our prayers and Mass.
To love God and to place Jesus as the center of our lives and families put everything in proper order. And, when things in order, we find the true happiness and fulfillment in this life.

A Roma
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

August 21, 2022

Luke 13:20-33

Jesus says that the gate to salvation is narrow, and it is difficult to enter. Simply put, it is hard to be saved. His answer is a pessimistic to the deepest desire we have in our hearts. If St. Paul says that God desires that all men and women be saved [1 Tim 2:4], then why does Jesus teach that the gate is narrow? If Jesus teaches God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life, [John 3:16], why now does Jesus says that many will not be able to enter. If He knows that many will not pass through the door of salvation, why does Jesus have to die and open the door? Does Jesus contradict himself?

Jesus neither contradicts Himself nor tells us a lie. God indeed loves us and desires our salvation. Jesus does sacrifice Himself to save all of humanity, and open the gate of paradise for all us. The reason why the gate of heaven looks narrow, it is because the gate of hell is even bigger and more enticing. Jesus makes it clear that some people fail to enter because they persist in their evil deeds.

The way to hell is indeed more alluring. Satan has the best marketing and promotion team, and he and his army know well how to manipulate us. Satan recognizes that humans are attracted to ‘instant pleasures’, and he readily disguises evil with pleasures. Why do some married couples are not faithful despite knowing that it is terrible sin? It is because the affair is full of excitements. Why do people commit abortion despite awareness that it is killing a baby? For it gives an instant escape.  Why do people steal despite knowing that it heavily harms other people? For it offers us an instant wealth.

The way to hell is even wider because Satan makes us believes that sinful behaviors are not evil and in fact, something to celebrate. Some people are proud when they aborted their babies, and say, ‘my body, my right’. Some people are cheering when they are changing their partners so casually. Some people are encouraging us to look for happiness in new age movements and occultism, and say, ‘new ways to happiness’.

Jesus clarifies further that it is not enough to ‘eat with Jesus’ and ‘hear His teachings’ to be saved. We may go to the Church, we may be baptized as Catholics, and we may receive the communion, but if we continue to dwell in sinful lives, we may endanger our souls. We may attend prayer meetings and shout to the top our lungs, ‘Jesus is Lord’, we may even preach the Gospel, but if we keep living in sin, we may lose heaven.

Jesus truly dies for us and God indeed loves us, but we need to strive harder for heaven. We are invited to make daily decisions to repent and to integrate God in our lives. The gate of heaven is as small as the confessional door, but it is infinitely more precious that the gate of hell.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Solemnity of the Assumption  (following the Liturgical celebration in Indonesia)

August 14, 2022

Luke 1:39-56

The Catholics are often accused of honoring Mary excessively. Some people even see us as giving Mary an adoration that is due to God alone. These allegations surely are untrue, but the roots of misunderstanding can be explored further. I discover at least three probable reasons of these ‘Mariaphobia’.

The first cause is that some people confuse the act of worship and the act of asking intercession. When we kneel and pray to Mary, we do not worship her. The word ‘praying’ here is equal to ‘asking help’. In fact, the root of English word ‘prayer’ is Latin, ‘praegare’ which simply means ‘to seek help’. What truly happens when we approach Mary is that we ask her to pray for us to God. It is the same when we ask our parents or people whom we consider close to God to pray for us. Mary is very close to His son, and we can be very confident that Jesus listens to her requests. Meanwhile, the act of worship both in the Bible and the Catholic tradition, always comes in the form of sacrificial offerings. We only offer sacrifice to God, and this takes place in the Eucharist, as we present the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

The second root is that some of people confuse the act of worship and the act of honoring. While honoring and worshiping are closely interconnected, they can be properly distinguished. In Catholic theology, we use the fancy Greek words ‘latria’ and ‘dulia’. Latria is act of worship proper to God, while dulia is act of honor to creatures (like the saints and angels). While latria comes in the form of sacrifice, dulia may manifest in various ways. We can honor someone by hugging them, giving them flowers, bowing our heads, and even giving honorific titles. Thus, when we are offering Mary flowers or keeping her pictures, it does not mean an act of worship, but rather act of love and honor.

The third reason is that some people confuse the relationship between God and His creatures. While it is true that God and human beings are infinitely different, but it does not mean that there is no connection between God and humans. While God is the infinite creator, and men and women are finite creatures, God loves us dearly. Like a good father who equips His children with earthly things so that they may grow and be successful, so God provides His spiritual gifts so that His children may grow in holiness. Like a good father who is proud of the achievements of his kids, so God is pleased with the spiritual growth of His children. When Mary was assumed into heaven, it is only because of God. And, when Mary is honored because she is in heaven, body and soul, the true honor belongs to God.

Mary becomes the eschatological model, or hope of what happen to us in the future when we follow Christ faithfully. Mary is faithful and loves His son, Jesus, from the beginning to the cross, and she follows Jesus in His resurrection and coming home to heave. If we are faithful to Jesus, till the end like Mary, we will receive what Mary has received.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

August 7, 2022

Luke 12:32-48

Jesus teaches us how to build the heavenly purse and to gain eternal treasure, and it is by giving up our earthly wealth in almsgiving. There is a real connection between worldly possessions and heavenly treasure. Yet, the relation is not linear. The more generous we are with , the bigger our heavenly treasure chest, and the bigger eternal treasure we receive. The principle is simple, but the practice is often extremely tough. There are several reasons for this.

The first reason is the ‘possessive mentality’. We say, “wealth is hard earned, and why should I share it to others.” It is true that many of us work hard and often sacrifice a lot in the process. Because we earn them, we should be the one who keep and spend them. To let someone else to easily have our money or possessions just does not feel right. While it is true that we have the right to spend our hard-earned wealth the way we want it, this right is not absolute. We need to remember that eventually everything we have here including our lives and possessions are God’s gifts. Since our wealth is a gift we receive, we shall pass it forward also as gift to those who need it.

The second reason, related to the first one, is giving our possessions to others is hurting us. As we earn money and acquire things for ourselves, we begin to believe that these are mine, we possess these things. Yet, in reality, our possessions ‘possess’ us. We become attached to them, and to let them go turns to be difficult and hurting us. Our wealth gives us comfort, security and pleasures, and all that give us pleasure is potentially addictive. When we are addicted to our wealth, the harder it is to share. Yet, to overcome the addiction, the more we need to let go. Thus, the pain of giving is natural consequence of healing from greed.

The third reason is that we tend to be suspicious of others. We have this mindset that people are poor or are asking our help because they are lazy, or these persons are just going to scam us. While the idea contains certain degree of veracity, the reality is more complex. For one reason or another, some people just stumble upon terrible situations, and they need it our help. Some people were born in miserable conditions, and nothing they do can alleviate their misery. Some people just do know how to help themselves. While it is true that they are people who do not deserve our charity, but it does not mean all people who are in need are fake. Here, we need to be prudent rather than to stop helping all together.

Jesus concludes His teaching beautifully, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also [Luk 12:34].” If our treasure, our ambition, our goal of life is earthly possessions, our hearts, our souls, and our lives will stay on earth. When the earth passes, we will pass also with it. Yet, if our treasure, our priority, our end of life is heavenly gifts, our hearts and our souls will move also to eternal life.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]
July 31, 2022
Luke 12:13-21

Jesus is reminding us about the danger of greed. The word greed in New Testament Greek is πλεονεξία [pleorexia]. The root word is ‘pleora’ and it means ‘full’ or ‘abundant’. Certainly, there is no problem with fullness or abundance. Yet, the word ‘pleorexia’ also includes the ending ‘-xia’, and this ending signifies a problem. Like the word ‘anorexia’ that indicates eating disorder to the point of starving oneself, so ‘pleorexia’ is also a serious disorder. It is sickness in relation to abundance. Unfortunately, unlike anorexia that is recognized as illness that must be treated and healed, greed is considered a normal behaviour and sometimes, celebrated.

In our materialistic world, we are brainwashed that the purpose of life is to have more, to achieve more, and to conquer more. The more you have, the more successful you are as a modern man. Afterall, to possess a lot of money and belongings make our lives easier and pleasurable. Our societies and economics are designed to favour those who have more and can spend more. When we have money to spend, we may enjoy VIP treatments in many places from an exclusive nativity ward to an high-end burial place. To have more also means prestige and popularity. We are wearing branded yet excessively expensive cloths, and using latest gadgets. All these are to show that we are prestigious ones. As we can see, the way of the societies operate makes us believe that greed is normal and in fact, desirable treat.

Jesus reminds His disciples that one’s life is not about possessions, and He reveals the true nature of greed: it is disorder. From the parable of the foolish rich man, Jesus uncovers the disease that many of us are afflicted from. The desire to have possessions as well as be blessed with abundance are not evil in itself because as long as we live in this world, we need this earthly goods. The problem comes when we desire them excessively or seek them as the end of our lives. Why do we desire them excessively? It goes back to our own fallen ego. Like our first parents who desired to possess the forbidden fruits for themselves, we also seek earthly goods for our benefits and pleasures.

Any disorder or illness needs to be treated and healed. The first step is to recognize that we are plagued by this greed. Like any illness, if we do not see greed as problem, we simply see it as normal and refuse to treat it. The second level is to pray to God for healing. The root of greed is our fallen nature, thus, we need God’s grace to heal our wounded souls. Third step is to make a habit to thank the Lord for all the earthly blessings we receive. We recognize that all things come from God and go back to Him. When God bless us with this earthly goods, we remember that these are means for our salvation and His glory.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP