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Pesta Keluarga Kudus

29 Desember 2019

Matius 2: 13-23

Jika kita diberi pilihan untuk memilih orang tua kita, orang tua seperti apa yang kita inginkan? Mungkin, sebagian dari kita ingin memiliki orang tua yang kaya. Beberapa dari kita mungkin berhasrat untuk memiliki orang tua yang berupa cantik, tampan atau berotak jenius. Beberapa dari kita mungkin ingin dilahirkan dalam keluarga kerajaan dan berpengaruh secara politis. Ini adalah impian-impian kita yang sangat wajar. Namun, yang mengejutkan, ini bukanlah pilihan yang Allah buat ketika Dia memilih orang tua-Nya. Dalam kebijaksanaan-Nya yang indah, Allah memilih Maria dan Yusuf dari Nazaret.

Yusuf adalah keturunan Raja Daud yang terkenal, tetapi Kerajaan Daud sudah tidak ada di zaman Yusuf. Dia juga seorang tukang kayu dan meskipun bekerja keras, profesi ini hanya cukup untuk bertahan hidup. Maria adalah seorang wanita muda biasa dari desa yang tidak dikenal bernama Nazareth. Yusuf dan Maria adalah orang sederhana, bahkan orang miskin yang hidup di masa ketika sebagian besar orang Israel menderita karena penindasan kekaisaran Romawi. Di mata dunia, pasangan ini bukan apa-apa.

Namun, Tuhan kita adalah Tuhan memberi kejutan, dan Dia memiliki hobi untuk mengacaukan “tatanan dunia yang mapan.” Bagi Tuhan, kriteria penting untuk menjadi orang tua-Nya bukanlah kekayaan, popularitas, atau darah. Tuhan tidak membutuhkan hal-hal ini. Jadi, apa dasar dari pilihan-Nya?

Kriteria mendasar adalah iman kepada Tuhan. Yusuf dan Maria tidak memiliki apa pun di dunia ini, tetapi keduanya adalah pria dan wanita beriman, atau pria dan wanita Allah. Yusuf disebut sebagai “orang yang tulus hati,” yang berarti dia adalah orang yang mengenal Hukum Taurat dan menaati mereka dengan setia. Yusuf mencintai Tuhan dan hukum-hukum-Nya. Terlebih lagi, ketika Gabriel menampakkan diri kepada Yusuf dan mengungkapkan rencana Tuhan, Yusuf segera bangkit dan mengikuti instruksi Malaikat tanpa ada pertanyaan. Maria pada dasarnya melakukan hal yang sama. Ketika Gabriel memberi tahu dia tentang rencana Tuhan bahwa dia akan menjadi ibu Tuhan, Maria tidak mengerti, tetapi dia tidak hanya memberikan persetujuannya, tetapi dia menerima rancangan Tuhan sebagai miliknya sendiri. Yusuf dan Maria tahu betul bahwa saat mereka mengambil bagian dalam jalan Tuhan, mereka harus menyerahkan rencana, impian, dan harapan mereka sendiri. Namun, iman mereka lebih besar daripada ketakutan atau kesombongan mereka, dan mereka percaya bahwa jalan Tuhan selalu merupakan jalan terbaik, meski mereka tidak mengerti. Ini adalah tipe orang tua yang Tuhan pilih.

Seperti Yusuf dan Maria, saya percaya bahwa sikap pertama yang harus dimiliki setiap orang tua adalah iman kepada Tuhan. Setiap anak adalah karunia, namun karunia ini akan mengubah orang tua yang menerimanya. Ketika seorang anak memasuki kehidupan orang tua mereka, suami dan istri juga akan memasuki kehidupan pengorbanan. Terkadang, saya sedih mendengar keputusan beberapa pasangan Katolik yang menolak untuk memiliki anak. Kita memahami bahwa tentunya sulit untuk membesarkan anak-anak, tetapi penolakan kita untuk menerima karunia dari Tuhan mungkin menunjukkan kurangnya iman kita, bahkan keegoisan kita, obsesi kita terhadap rencana, karier, dan ambisi kita.

Tuhan tidak membutuhkan pasangan yang sempurna untuk membesarkan Putranya, Ia lebih memilih seorang pria dan wanita yang memiliki iman.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Fourth Sunday of Advent [A] – December 21, 2019 – Matthew 1:18-24

A few days ago, a nativity scene went viral. The image is called “Let Mom Rest”. The prominent character of this scene is that Joseph is taking care of the baby Jesus while Mary is resting. This image presents to us untouched yet powerful aspect of Jesus’ birth and thus, Christmas. Often, we focus our attention on Jesus with Mary, His mother. We honor Mary because of her willingness to carry Jesus on her womb despite so many dangers and difficulties and to remain a faithful disciple of Jesus till the end. However, the image brings us to another important character that we often overlook, St. Joseph, as the man of faith.

If God has chosen and prepared the most fitting woman in human history to become the mother of His Son, the same logic governs also the choice of the foster father of Jesus. The most suitable man is chosen for this massive yet wonderful task.

Unfortunately, we do not know much about Joseph. Matthew only gave us very little information, but from this little knowledge, we can extract some important truths. Firstly, Joseph is from the house of David. This means that any child that he begets or accepts legally shall be part of the house of David as well. Joseph is the link that connects between Jesus and David, and thus, Jesus’ birth shall fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah shall come from the line of David.

Secondly, he is a carpenter, and being a carpenter is not a promising job to survive first-century Palestine. Yet, Joseph well knows that hard-work, precision, and perfection are parts of his trade. A tough life is nothing but a daily routine for Joseph. God knows to raise His Son will require a tremendous amount of sacrifice, and Joseph, the carpenter, is up to the challenge.

To accept and to raise a child who is not his own, is certainly a tough call, but Joseph obeyed the will of God that has been expressed in his dream, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” Yet, more than that, Joseph made sure that this mission would be brought to completion. From the image of “Let Mom Rest”, it seems that Mary just gave birth to Jesus and giving birth is certainly a draining and tough process. Mary was exhausted. Joseph takes over the responsibility to care for the baby Jesus, while Mary received her most-needed rest. This is just one small concrete example of who Joseph exercised the God-given mission to raise the Child of God. Certainly, his duty is not only manifested in that event. He protected Mary and her Child from dangers, especially from the threat from Herod the Great who would kill Jesus. For the rest of his life, Joseph would work hard to provide, educate and raise Jesus as a man who is ready to give His life for all.

Like Mary, Joseph did not understand also why he had to be a father who someone else’s child, why he had to put his life and future on the line for a son who is not his own? Yet, like Mary, Joseph had faith and accepted the will of God in his life. Not only simply accepting God’s will, but he also made sure that he gave his best and made God’s plan come to fulfillment.

We often do not understand why God’s plan for us. We do know where God will bring us. Yet, like Mary and Joseph, we are called to be the men and women of faith, to receive God’s plan as our own and bring His will into fruitful completion.

 Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

2^nd Sunday of Advent [A]

December 8, 2019

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist is a prominent figure in four Gospels, and he powerfully appears before Jesus begins His public ministry. But, who is this John the Baptist? His name is simply John, and the Church calls him the Baptist to distinguish him from other John in the Bible like John the son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ disciples. John the Baptist is the miracle son of Zacharia and Elizabeth in their old days. And since Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus, are relatives, John and Jesus are closely related to each other.

Certainly, there is something strange about this John. He is eating locust and honey. Surely, it is an exotic food, but we need to remember he is living in the desert, and this kind of food is common. He is wearing clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. It is just a fashion statement or he has nothing to wear. John’s clothing reminds us of the things Prophet Elijah wore in his time [see 1 Kings 1:8]. John is presenting himself as a prophet, and not any prophet, he is the new Elijah. The appearance of Elijah is an important sign of the imminent coming of the Messiah [Mal 4:5].

One thing for sure about John is that he becomes very popular, and people from all over the country come to him, to listen to his preaching and to be baptized as a sign of repentance. Yet, despite the great number of followers, he remains true to his mission. He is preaching on the coming of someone who is much greater than him, even he declares that “is unworthy to carry His sandals.” He is God’s instrument in fulfilling the prophesy, and he has a specific role to play.

Now, we know a little background about John the Baptist, what will be next for us? Certainly, we are not called to follow him in wearing clothing made of camel’s hair or to eat locust everyday, but we are to prepare the way for the coming of the Savior. How? Some of us are called literally to baptize people like myself. Some are commissioned to preach and educate people. Yet, all of us are to live a life of repentance. The repentance has to be alive and penetrating all aspects of life. The word used by John in Greek is “metanoiete” and it does not simply mean “repent!” but more precisely, “keep repenting!”

The first stage of repentance is certainly turning away from sinful life, but it is more than that. Repentance is not about one-done-deal action, but a life-long process. The word “Metanoia” is coming from two words, “meta” meaning “changing” and “nous” meaning “mind”; Thus, “metanoia” means changing of mind, changing of the way we see life and the way we live. Our mind is no longer earth-bond, but fixed into God. The transformation is not from sinful life to a good life, but a life that is even closer to God. It implies changing of priority. Do we make God as our priority? It entails holiness. Do we do things that are pleasing to God? This presupposes love of God. Do we love God more than other things, or do we love other things more than Him?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Solemnity of Christ the King

November 24, 2019

Luke 23:35-43

Often we take for granted the name Jesus Christ, without realizing the meaning behind it. The word “Christ” is neither part of the personal name of Jesus nor the family name of Jesus. Jesus earns the name Christ not because of His foster father, Joseph, otherwise we also call him as Joseph Christ and his wife, Mary Christ.

Christ is coming from the Greek word “Christos” meaning “the anointed one”. In Hebrew, the title is even more pronounced, “the Messiah”. For us, the title does not ring us a bell, but for the Jewish people living in the time of Jesus, the Messiah is the fulfillment of God’s promise. In the Old Testament, the title Messiah was given to one of the greatest figures in Israel, King David. He was the Christ because he was anointed by Prophet Samuel, and he was personally chosen by God Himself to rule Israel. During his reign, the kingdom of Israel reached the pick of glory.

Unfortunately, after David’s death, the kingdom was declining and eventually destroyed. In the time of Jesus, almost one millennium after David, Palestine was under the Roman Empire, and lives were awful. No wonder, people were expecting the coming of the Messiah, the new king, that would restore the glory of Israel.

We believe that Jesus is Christ, meaning we believe that Jesus is the expected a king that will fulfill God’s promise. Yet, in today’s Gospel, we discover that Jesus was crucified. He had no army, except disbanded and coward disciples. He had not a palace except a small and poor house in Nazareth. He was insulted, spat upon, and tortured. He bore the greatest human humiliation. Even the criminal who was punished together with Him, mocked Jesus as a good-for-nothing king.

If we focus only on this cross and humiliation, we shall fail to see Jesus as king. For Jesus, being a king is not about gold, guns and glory. It is neither about force nor control. Jesus is not a war-freak Messiah. So, what does it mean to be a King for Jesus?

 When one of the repented criminals asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His Kingdom, Jesus said that he would be in Paradise. The word Paradise is a Greek word for “garden”, it originally refers to the garden of Eden. That is what Jesus does as a king: He brings men and women who acknowledge Him as a king to Paradise. And no other kings in the world possess such power to bring us to paradise.

If then we confess that Jesus is the Christ, and now we understand that Jesus is our King, do we honor Him as our King? If Jesus is our King, do we allow Jesus to control us or we control Jesus? If Jesus is our leader, do we align our lives and priorities to His missions, or Jesus has to follow us? When our King summons us for a mission, do we gladly embrace it, or we rather choose to our own plans and design?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 17, 2019 – Luke 21:5-9

During the reign of Herod the Great, the Temple of Jerusalem was refurbished, adorned by gold and other precious metals, and expanded, and thus making it the crown jewel of the Jewish nation. However, the Temple was not merely a magnificent building, but primarily the center of Jewish religious worship and religion. Every morning and evening, sacrifices were offered, and every year, Jewish men from all over the world made their pilgrimage, and paid their homage the Lord God. It was the place where God chose to stay, the place where the Israelites meet their God, and the house of God.

Looking at the majestic view of the Temple and its religious significance, many would believe that the Temple would last forever because God Himself would defend His house. Yet, Jesus prophesied against the sentiment of the Israelites and told His disciples that this beautiful Temple would be destroyed. Surely, Jesus’ words offended the religious sensitivity of His time and one of the accusations against Him was precisely because Jesus spoke against the Temple, against God Himself. Yet, 40 years later, in 70 AD, the Romans under General Titus, burned the Temple and razed the city to the ground.

Jesus’ prophesy opens us to the profound truth that even God allows His house on earth to be destroyed. Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now Istanbul) was the grandest church in the 4^th and 5^th centuries and considered to be an architectural and engineering marvel. Yet, when Constantinople fell to the Turks, the church stopped functioning as a Christian worship place. In our time, the Cathedral of Notre Dame was an iconic Gothic building at the heart of Paris. Yet, on April 15, 2019, the fire destroyed many parts of this holy building. Just this month, some churches in Chile became the target of violent demonstrators. They forcefully entered the churches, took out the pews and other religious images, and burnt them outside the churches, not to mention, the desecration of the tabernacles. The houses of God have been the object of vandalism, violent anger, and untold destruction, and God allows those to take place in our midst. But why? Is God weak enough to stop these from happening? Does God not care? Has God forsaken us?

The Churches as the house of God symbolize the inner sanctuary of our faith. An attack on the Church means an attack on our cherished faith. If God allows His house to be humiliated, so God also allows our faith to be challenged, shocked, and shaken. God allows trials to batter our lives, doubts to question our faith, and darkness to envelop our vision. But why?

When the fire that burned the Church of Notre Dame was extinguished, many things have been lost, but at the center of the Church, one image survived the blazing fire: the huge cross stood still. God allows His houses destroyed, and our faith was shaken to show us what truly matters in life and our journey of faith. It is God and God alone. It is not so much the monuments we build for Him nor the works and mission for Him, even our talents, charism and fruits of prayers. These are surely important, but these easily vanish. Only one remains God alone. God allows us to be shaken so we may find Him again, surprisingly more alive and ever closer.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP