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The Secret of Happy Marriage

The Secret of Happy Marriage

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]

January 16, 2022

John 2:1-11

I was truly fortunate that I could visit Cana in Galilee just before the covid-19 pandemic. There, I had the opportunity to officiate the renewal of marriage vows of the couples who participated in the pilgrimage. One of them was my parents, and indeed, it was an awkward moment for me. Yet, I was full of gratitude as I recognized their faithfulness to one another through the thick and thin of marriage life, but most of all, I am grateful for God’s grace in their life.

Our modern societies are marked by countless married couples facing complex problems and young people who do not see marriage as a fundamental part of their lives. Divorce becomes the new normal, and infidelity is rampant. Domestic violence colors our news outlets and social media. Couples refuse to have children or hand over their little children to babysitters. Some people even decline to commit to married life and consider marriage and family a burden and ‘prison.’ Some choose pets rather than raising a real human family.

Marriage and rearing children are not easy, but they are critical to our survival to our future as a human race. Yet, it is not only for us as species, but it is also God’s plan for us to participate in the fullness of life. If we look closely at the Bible, we will discover the central place of marriage within the Scriptures. The story of creation culminates with the man and the woman becoming one in a marriage covenant. The first miracle of Jesus took place within the context of marriage and for the sake of the married couples. The final book of the Bible, the Revelation, ends with the wedding feast of the Lamb.

How, then, do we counter these herculean problems that beset marriage? Indeed, there are many things we need to do, yet, there is one fundamental way we must not miss. The Gospel tells us that the lack of wine was averted because the couple invited Jesus and His mother. Mary noticed the looming serious problem and requested her Son to intervene. Jesus did His first miracle, and not only problem solved, but they got the best wine. All this happened even without the couple being aware of it.

This is a precious lesson from the Wedding of Cana. Have we invited Jesus and His mother into our marriage and family? Do we rely on God in our effort to raise our children? Do we bring one another closer to God? If we bring God into our marriage and family, I believe that God has done marvelous things even without noticing it.

Going back to the story, the steward praised the groom for the best wine that lasted to the end. When our marriages and families succeed through the storms of life, we are invited to recognize that the best wine is from the Lord. Happy marriages consist of grateful couples.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Meaning of Jesus’ Baptism

The Meaning of Jesus’ Baptism

The Baptism of the Lord [C]
January 9, 2022
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Jesus’ Baptism is the starting point of Jesus’ public ministry. This explains why the Church always opens the ordinary season of the liturgical years with the story of Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan. However, the question that I often face is ‘Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” If Jesus is God and sinless, why did He has to undergo John’s Baptism of repentance?”

The Church answered this question a long time ago. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Already he is anticipating the “baptism” of his bloody death… [CCC 536].”

To elaborate more on the Church’s teaching, Jesus’ Baptism shows His solidarity with us, sinners. Though He was not a sinner, He shared the lot of sinners. During the Incarnation, Jesus takes upon Himself our weak and limited human nature. Yet, it does not stop there. He also shares our suffering and death. Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan anticipates His true ‘baptism’ on the cross. Once again, this shows to us how God loves us to the end. When Jesus loves, He gives it all.

From here, we discover that why we are baptized is not because this is a long family tradition imposed upon us, but it is our participation in the Baptism and life of Christ. If Jesus’ Baptism is a sign of His solidarity with weak human beings, our Baptism is the sign of our unity with our brothers and sisters, especially those suffering. If Christ’s Baptism is anticipation of His Suffering and Death, our Baptism is our death to old life and selfishness. If Jesus’ Baptism is a sign of His sacrificial love, our Baptism shall propel us to love God and our neighbours totally.

Some of us got baptized when we were little children, and perhaps, we do not recall what happened. We do not get the feeling, and because of that, we want to repeat the whole process with more dramatic effects. Some wish to be submerged into a deep pool, and some want to be baptized in the Jordan River. Some only accept their Baptism as something good if they feel the sudden rush of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the sacrament of Baptism is not about our feelings; in fact, it is not about us. True Baptism makes us Christians, ‘little Christs’, and we are called to live like one. What matters is not how we feel about our Baptism, but how we live our Baptism.

The Church teaches us that sacramental Baptism is once and for all. When we are baptized, all our sins are forgiven, we are transformed into God’s children, and we become parts of Christ’s body, the Church. Baptism begins our salvation, but it does not end there. What is even more important is how we live our Baptism, how we participate in the life and mission of Christ, and how we love as Jesus loves.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Orang Majus adalah Kita

Orang Majus adalah Kita

Hari Raya Penampakan Tuhan [C]
2 Januari 2022
Matius 2:1-12

Masa Natal mencapai puncaknya pada hari raya Epifani. Kata Epifani sendiri berasal dari kata Yunani yang berarti ‘penampakan’. Dari nama ini, kita bisa menyimpulkan bahwa Epifani merayakan penampakan Yesus ke bangsa-bangsa yang diwakili oleh orang-orang Majus. Kita tidak yakin siapa sebenarnya orang Majus ini, tetapi tradisi mengatakan bahwa mereka adalah orang bijak dari Timur, kemungkinan besar dari Persia atau Iran saat ini. Alkitab tidak memberi kita jumlah pastinya, apalagi namanya, tetapi tradisi mengatakan bahwa mereka adalah Baltazar, Gaspar dan Melchior.

Jika kita mencoba kembali ke awal Injil Matius, kita akan menemukan silsilah Yesus Kristus. Matius mulai dengan Abraham, bapa bangsa Israel, lalu Daud, raja terbesar Israel dan hingga pada Yusuf, seorang pria Yahudi yang sederhana namun benar. Matius menunjukkan kepada kita bahwa Yesus adalah penggenapan janji Allah kepada Abraham, kepada Daud, dan kepada Israel. Dia datang sebagai Mesias Yahudi. Seorang filsuf dan teolog Katolik, Peter Kreeft, merangkum Injil Matius sebagai ‘Sebuah Injil dari seorang Yahudi, untuk orang-orang Yahudi tentang Mesias Yahudi’.

Namun, penginjil yang sama memberi kita gambaran yang jauh lebih besar. Meskipun Yesus berasal dari garis keturunan Daud dan dibesarkan sebagai orang Yahudi oleh keluarga Israel yang taat, Yesus bukanlah Mesias yang ‘eksklusif’. Yesus bukan hanya Mesias untuk orang-orang Yahudi saja, tetapi Dia adalah Juruselamat bagi seluruh dunia. Identitas ini diwujudkan dalam kunjungan orang-orang Majus.

Ketiga orang Majus itu bukan orang Israel, dan kenyataannya, mereka mungkin tidak menyembah Allah yang benar. Namun, mereka tahu bahwa jauh di lubuk hati, ada sesuatu yang masih hilang. Dalam kebijaksanaan manusiawi, mereka terus mencari kebenaran yang akan memuaskan kerinduan terdalam mereka. Penelitian dan penyelidikan mereka mendorong mereka untuk mencari raja yang baru lahir. Ketika akhirnya mereka melihat bayi Yesus, mereka sujud menyembah sang bayi, dan mengakui bahwa bayi ini bukan hanya raja biasa dari sebuah bangsa kecil di Timur Tengah. Dia adalah raja dari segala raja, dan Dia hadir bagi semua orang yang dengan tulus mencari-Nya.

Kita adalah orang Majus. Sebagian besar dari kita bukan orang Yahudi, apalagi berasal dari garis keturunan Daud, tetapi kita sedang mencari sesuatu yang akan memenuhi keinginan terdalam kita. Namun, kita jauh lebih beruntung daripada orang Majus. Mereka perlu belajar dan mencari kebijaksanaan selama bertahun-tahun, dan terkadang, mereka tersandung ke dalam kesalahan karena kelemahan manusia.

Dengan menjadi manusia, Tuhan memberikan arah yang lebih jelas menuju kebenaran dan keselamatan. Dialah jalan, kebenaran dan hidup [Yohanes 14:6]. Firman-Nya adalah pelita bagi kaki kita dan terang bagi jalan kita [Mzm 119:105]. Tubuh-Nya adalah sungguh-sungguh makanan, dan darah-Nya adalah sungguh-sungguh minuman, dan kita yang mengambil bagian di dalam Dia akan memiliki hidup [Yohanes 6:51-57].

Dibandingkan dengan orang Majus, kita seperti memiliki jalan toll menuju kebahagian yang sejati. Sekarang, pertanyaan sebenarnya adalah apakah kita mau rendah hati seperti orang Majus untuk mengakui bahwa kita membutuhkan Tuhan dan berkomitmen untuk berjalan di jalan-Nya?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Magi are We

The Magi are We

The Solemnity of the Epiphany [C]

January 2, 2022

Matthew 2:1-12

The season of Christmas reaches its culmination in the feast of Epiphany. Epiphany comes from a Greek word that means ‘to appear.’ Thus, the feast is celebrating the appearance of Jesus to the nations represented by the Magi. We are not sure who these Magi are, but the traditions have that they are wise men from the East, most probably from Persia or present-day Iran. The bible does not give us the exact number, let alone the names, but the tradition calls them Baltazar, Gaspar, and Melchior.

If we try to go back to the beginning of Matthew, we will discover the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Matthew begins with Abraham, the patriarch of Israel, David, the greatest king of Israel, and Joseph, a simple yet righteous Jewish man. Matthew demonstrates to us that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, David, and Israel. He is coming as the Jewish Messiah. A Catholic philosopher and theologian, Peter Kreeft, summarizes the Gospel of Matthew as ‘A Gospel from a Jew, for the Jews about the Jewish Messiah.’

Yet, the same evangelist presents us with a large picture. Though Jesus was coming from the line of David and raised as a Jewish man as a devout Israelite family, Jesus was not an ‘exclusivist’ Messiah. Jesus is the Anointed One of the Jewish people only, but He is the Savior for all the world. This identity is manifested in the visit of the Magi.

The three Magi are not Israelites, and in fact, they might worship other gods. Yet, they knew that deep inside, something is still missing. In their human wisdom, they keep on searching for the truth that will satisfy their deepest longing. Their research and investigation prompt them to look for a newborn king. When they finally see the baby Jesus, they prostrate themselves in the act of adoration and worship and acknowledge that this baby is not just an ordinary king of a small nation in the Middle East. He is the king of kings.

We are the Magi. Most of us are not Jewish people, let alone coming from the line of David, but we are looking for something or someone that will fill our deepest desire. However, we are much fortunate than the Magi. They need to learn and gain wisdom through the years, and sometimes, they stumble into errors because of human weakness. God gives a much clearer direction toward truth and salvation by becoming a man. He is the way, the truth, and the life [John 14:6]. His word is a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path [Psa 119:105]. His body is real food, and His blood is real drink, and we who partake in Him shall have life [John 6:51-57].

Compared to the Magi, with Jesus and His Church, we have a highway to true blessedness. Now, the real question is whether we are humble enough like the Magi to acknowledge that we need God and commit ourselves to walk in His way?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Family: Way of Holiness

Family: Way of Holiness

Feast of the Holy Family [C]

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Luke 2:41-52

A Sunday after the day of Christmas is the celebration of the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Why is it so? After a couple gets married, the next thing that happens is that life shall be born, and this brings marriage into its fruitfulness. They become a family. The birth of Jesus Christ unites Joseph and Mary even more intimately as they become a holy family. Thus, we can say that the purpose of Jesus’ coming to the world is to form a family. It begins with Joseph and Mary, and eventually, He shall establish His own family, the Church.

If we see the story of creation in the Book of Genesis, God created the world suited for life to flourish. Yet, it does not stop with simple forms of life like amoeba and bacteria, but life reaches its pinnacle in human persons. However, the story of creation does not end there. God gave Adam and Eve His first commandment: be fruitful! Thus, the summit of the creation of the universe is the creation of a family. Family is not human or Church’s invention, but it is God’s plan from eternity. Family life is a natural way for men and women to achieve full human flourishing and happiness. The birth of Jesus brings marriage and family life to a supernatural level. The presence of Jesus sanctifies Joseph and Mary, and Jesus is the one who makes this family holy.

Marriage and family life are not always easy, and in fact, often husbands and wives have to face countless trials and sufferings. This takes place because the institution of marriage and family is designed to route selfishness and invite us to die to ourselves. But, the paradox is that as we are dying to ourselves, we find ourselves fully alive.

Unfortunately, the devil and his cohorts just know too well of this, and thus, their most extraordinary attack is on marriage and family. When the men and women do not give up entirely on marriage and family and fall into selfishness, we fail to achieve our true flourishing. When young couples begin to hate the idea of marriage and see it as mere chores, we begin to lose our future. When couples see having children as a burden, we let the best gifts in our lives and societies disappear. When we allow ourselves to redefine marriage to suit our political agenda, we lose what makes us human.

The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that family is both a natural and supernatural way toward happiness. Yet, everything that is precious is never cheap. The devil knows this and tried to steal it from us. We need to defend it and fight for it and make it genuinely fruitful, but eventually, we must bring Jesus as the center of our lives and families.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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