indonesian catholic online evangelization

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi [C]
June 19, 2022
Luke 9:11-17

The feast of Corpus Christi draws our intentions into the one of the greatest mysteries. In the Eucharist, especially when the priest says the words of consecration and lifts the bread and the chalice of wine, the greatest miracle takes place before our eyes. The sacrifices are no longer bread and wine, but the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since the living body and blood cannot be separated from humanity of Christ, we receive the entire humanity of Jesus. Sine the humanity of Jesus cannot be severed from His divinity, we have the entire humanity and divinity of Christ. In the Eucharist, we partake the totality of Christ.

How is it possible? The greatest minds the Church has ever had tried to explore the mystery. St. Thomas Aquinas has distilled the saints and the genius before him, and he came up with a fancy term, ‘transubstantiation.’ Simply put, the substance of bread and wine are changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Jesus, while the old appearances remain. When we ask ‘what is it?’ we no longer answer bread and wine, but the Body and Blood of Christ, despite what we see is the appearance of bread and wine. How is it possible? The only answer is miracle!

It seems like non-sense, but our faith tells us that nothing is impossible for God. If God could and did create the universe [or multiverse], if God could fashion the hierarchy of angels, if God is sustaining sub-atomic particles and prevents them going back to nothingness, if God could make a miracle called life, God can easily bend time and space and be present in the Eucharist.

In fact, this is the greatest miracle. In the Gospel, Jesus performed miracle of the multiplication of bread for five thousand men. Jesus’ miracle is just second to the miracle of manna in Exodus, where God provided food for thousand Israelites in the desert for forty years. Yet, even these miracles fail in comparison to Eucharist. Why? While the miracle of Manna in Exodus and the multiplication of bread in the Gospel are off-the-chart miracles, they primarily address human biological needs, or bodily hunger. The Eucharist, in the other hand, does not primarily solve the world hunger, but fills the deeper spiritual hunger.

The more fundamental question is why? As Jesus promised, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day [John 6:54]” The Eucharist is for us and for our salvation. God so loves us to the point that He became a man like us, and not only becoming a man, He offers His life as a sign of His most profound love. Yet, for Him, the cross is not enough. He keeps giving His body and blood, His total self to us. There is no greater love that to lay down one’s life for one’s friends [John 15:13], and Jesus offers His life again and again in the Eucharist. This is how much God loves us!

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Trinity Sunday [C]

June 12, 2022

John 16:12-15

Sunday after the Pentecost Sunday is dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity. it generally turns to be the most dreaded Sunday for many preachers. The truth is indeed difficult to understand, to the point that many priests have neither courage to preach nor proper knowledge to explain. Yet, the Church insists that once a year we go deeper into the mystery of all mysteries, the truth of all truths. Thus, we begin with simple question: why Trinity?

The answer is not difficult. It is the Truth! It is the Truth that God Himself reveals to us through the Scriptures and the Tradition. Why not teaching a simple concept about God, why giving the people a high complex understanding of God? The simpler truth is not truer than the more complex truth. A simple additional is not truer than sophisticated calculus. In fact, oversimplistic truth can lead to errors.

There are at least three basic errors or heresies about Trinity. The first one is polytheism. Christianity is not polytheistic religion. Trinity is not three gods or tritheism. The holy Trinity is one God in three divine person. The second error is modalism. This teaches that there is only one God and He uses three ‘modes’ of existence or appearance. God appears to be the Father when He created, to be the Son when He saves us, and to be the Holy Spirit when He sanctifies us. It is like a water. Sometimes, water is in the state of liquid, but it can be also solid or gas. Thus, the distinction of the divine persons are not real. The third and final heresy is Arianism. This teaching comes from Arius, a priest of Alexandria, in the fourth century. Simply put, Arius taught that Father is the only true God, while the Son and the Holy Spirit are real, but not the true God.

So, how do we get the correction understanding of Trinity? To help us, we shall need a little help from the Fathers of the Church who employ the terms ‘nature’ and ‘person.’ They seem complicated, but they are actually not. Nature answers the question ‘WHAT is it?’ while person answers ‘WHO is it?’ For example: what is Joseph? Joseph is a man. Who is that man? He is Joseph. Joseph’s nature is human, and Joseph is a person.

Let us apply this to God. What are the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit? One God. They are not three gods, because the divine nature cannot be divided, and each possesses the divine nature perfectly. Who is this God? The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One divine What in three divine Whos!

The truth is a hard to swallow, but we continue to live and honor this greatest mystery because in the end, we are going to live in this divine love of the Holy Trinity.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Pentecost [C]

June 5, 2022

John 14:15-16, 23-26

The Pentecost is the traditional day of the birth of the Church. If the many scholars agree that Jesus’ crucifixion and death falls on April 4, 33 AD, the date of resurrection is April 6 of the same year. From here, we can trace the date of the first Pentecost. Fifty days later is May 25, 33 AD. So we have the date! Yet, the more fundamental question is why do we consider Pentecost as Church’s birthday?

The main reason is the Holy Spirit. During the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples’ hearts and the minds with His divine presence and His gifts. The first gift is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gift of speaking in different languages is indeed amazing, yet before this miracle, the Holy Spirit empowered them to share the Good News.

If we try to look back, the disciples were terrified and confused. Jesus, their beloved teacher, and the expected Messiah was suddenly arrested, and swiftly condemned to death. Jesus’ followers were scattered, and the community of disciples was broken. One betrayed Jesus, another denied Him, and the rest were running away like cowards. Even, after they received the news of resurrection, they kept afraid and were even more puzzled.  Jesus had to come in person to show the proof of the resurrection as well as to forgive them, to strengthen them, and to teach them the meaning of His passion and resurrection. However, despite the risen Lord’s presence, there remained an innate fear and uncertainty of their future.

When the promised Holy Spirit came, courage and wisdom entered their hearts. The Spirit empowered them to break out from the prison of fear, and to preach that Jesus Christ is Lord. We look at Simon Peter. When his personal safety was threatened, he was quick to deny His beloved master, not only twice, but thrice.  Together with other disciples, Peter hid themselves from the Jewish authorities in the upper room. He even had a difficult time to understand the meaning of resurrection. However, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, cowardly Simon turned to be a new person. Before the people, he fearlessly proclaimed that Jesus is the Savior and God. During the day of Pentecost, he preached and three thousand people who listened to him became believers!

Surely, it is not only Simon Peter, but also other disciples, and thus the Church. From the day of Pentecost, the disciples did not only stay in Jerusalem, but they went to different places in around the world. Peter went to Rome, Andrew became a missionary to Greece, Thomas reached as far as India. Without the Holy Spirit, the disciples had not dared to go and preach; without preaching, there would not be new disciples; without growth, there would not be the Church. This is the reason that the day of Pentecost is the birthday of the Church.

Yet, the Holy Spirit does not stop working at the first Pentecost. He continues giving us growth to us, the Church. Through the baptism we received the Spirit Holy that makes us children of God. During the confirmation, the Holy Spirit transforms us to be the courageous witnesses of Christ. In the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit comes and brings us the Body and Blood of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus is the Lord, it is the Holy Spirit. If we keep believing in Jesus, despite many difficulties, it is the Holy Spirit. If we are able to forgive our enemies, it is the Holy Spirit. If we are able to stay faithful to our vocations, it is the Holy Spirit.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

7^th Sunday of Easter

May 29, 2022

John 20:20-26

Jesus is a prayerful person. He prays when He faces important moments in His life like during His baptism, the transfiguration, the agony in the garden, and even in the Cross. Yet, Jesus also spends time alone with the Father during ordinary days of His life. Even though Jesus prays a lot, we do not have much information on the content of Jesus’ prayer. Fortunately, we have John who wrote in his Gospel about Jesus’ prayer, and in fact, he dedicated entire chapter for Jesus’ prayer. Surely, we need more than just a short reflection to discuss the entire Jesus’ prayer in John 17, but it is important to highlight that Jesus intercedes for us. Why does Jesus pray for us?

During His prayer, Jesus mentions, “Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory… [Jn 17:24]” Interesting to note is that one English translation would render this same verse, “Father, they are your gift to me [NABRE].” Both translations have fundamentally the same meaning, but the later translation offers us a fresh perspective. The Father did not simply hand over us to Jesus, just like mere tools to manipulate, but we are given because we are gifts. Seeing ourselves as the Father’s gifts have several life-changing consequences.

Firstly, God creatively and wonderfully created and prepared us. When parents prepare a birthday gift for their child, they will make sure that they select the best they may offer. The gift is not haphazardly picked from any random item, just because it looks good, but it is well-thought and carefully chosen. God puts us here on earth not just by accident, but He has a wonderful purpose for each of us.

Another thing is that as gift, we are precious. When parents offer a gift to their beloved child, they are giving something from the depth of their hearts. While it is true, the gift may be simple, but it is never cheap. When the child recognizes that this gift coming from their parents’ love, he sees its high value. This is precious. When Jesus receives us from the Father’s heart, Jesus cannot but see us as something precious. Because God’s love is infinite, so our value is infinite, and we are infinitely precious.

Finally, as gift, we are loved. When we realize that we are holding something precious in our hands, we will take care of it and protect it from any danger and harms. Loving this precious gift becomes a sign of our love for those who have given the gift. Jesus sees us precious, and because we are precious, Jesus loves us, takes care of us, and protects us. In loving us, Jesus loves His Father.

This is our identity in Christ. We are wonderfully created, we are precious and we are loved.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP