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Poor Widow: A reminder for all of us

Poor Widow: A reminder for all of us

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
November 7, 2021
Mark 12:38-44

We have two main characters in our Gospel today. The first one is the scribes and then the poor widow. The scribes are the elite class of the ancient Israelite society. They are the learned ones because they know how to read and write, extremely precious skills during those times. Their ability to access the Torah makes them powerful because they read and teach the Law, and ordinary people should listen to them. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the poor widow. Being a woman in the time of Jesus is undoubtedly not the best time. Women generally are not allowed to possess or inherit properties. This causes them to rely heavily on their male family members, like their father, siblings, or husbands. Thus, if a woman loses her husband, she loses her protector and provider, and a widow with no sons is the neediest. But, here comes the surprise.

Jesus praises the poor widow because her poverty and misery do not stop her from becoming generous. Perhaps, she offers to the Lord the last two small coins she has, and she may go hungry for the rest of the day. Yet, her love and faith in God are enormous. She does not hold to her life-saving coins, but she trusts that God will take care of her.

Meanwhile, without a second thought, Jesus condemns the scribes. Jesus reveals His reason: the scribes are at the top of the Israelite society and Jewish religious hierarchy, but they care about their self-interests. They use every opportunity to advance their glories and fame. They desire the best seats, the highest place, and the greatest honor from the people around them. This megalomanic tendency can be tolerated, but there is one thing that is almost unforgivable. By using their knowledge of the Law, they are manipulating and exploiting the poor neighbors. There is a possibility that the poor widow is one of their victims. No wonder that Jesus calls them ‘the devourers of the poor widows. With their privileges and wisdom, they are supposed to aid and improve the lives of the poor Israelites. Yet, they do the opposite and turn to cause greater suffering for these simple people. They are masters of the Law, but they stand in direct opposition to God’s Law, “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan” [Exo 22:22].

Today’s Gospel is a slap on the face for many of us, especially for the people who are entrusted with God’s Word, with positions of authority in the Church, and with the power of the sacraments. Time and again, Jesus reminds His disciples that the first shall be the servant of all. The higher the position is, the greater love and service will be, especially to the poor and the needy. As priests, we must be responsible for using Church’s properties and goods, we are called to serve with dedication, we are to offer our lives for the people, otherwise, we shall commit grave injustice to the people of God. We pray that we will not receive the same condemnation as the scribes.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Tuhan tidak akan Cemburu

Tuhan tidak akan Cemburu

Minggu Biasa ke-31 [B]
31 Oktober 2021
Markus 12:28-34

Beberapa hari yang lalu, saya memberikan seminar tentang rosario, dan saya menerima pertanyaan yang cukup sulit, “Bagaimana jika devosi kita kepada Santa Perawan Maria membuat kita mencintai Maria lebih daripada Yesus?” Reaksi pertama saya adalah bahwa kasih kita kepada Yesus harus terbesar dibandingkan kepada siapa pun atau apa pun. Saya tidak mungkin salah dengan memberikan jawaban itu. Namun, dalam hati saya tidak puas dengan jawaban saya. Jika mencintai Yesus adalah satu-satunya hal yang penting, mengapa kita harus mencintai Bunda-Nya, mengapa kita harus menghormati St Yosef, ayah angkat-Nya, dan mengapa kita harus melayani Gereja-Nya? Kemudian, saya menyadari bahwa dengan logika ini, saya dapat mengatakan bahwa seorang suami tidak harus mencintai istrinya sepenuhnya, cukup cinta Yesus; seorang ibu tidak harus merawat anak-anaknya secara total, cukup cinta Yesus; seorang imam tidak harus melayani umatnya dengan penuh komitmen, cukup cinta Yesus. Logika ini mungkin menyesatkan.

Injil hari ini menceritakan tentang Yesus yang mengajar kita yang pertama dan terutama dari semua hukum: Mengasihi Allah dengan segenap hati kita, dengan segenap jiwa kita, dengan segenap akal budi kita, dan dengan segenap kekuatan kita, dan kedua, untuk mengasihi sesama kita seperti diri kita sendiri. Sangat menarik bahwa Yesus tidak mengatakan bahwa mengasihi Tuhan dengan apa yang kita miliki saja sudah cukup. Dia menambahkan perintah kedua, untuk mengasihi sesama kita, dan Hukum kedua tidak dapat dipisahkan dari Hukum pertama. Kenapa? Kuncinya adalah bahwa mengasihi sesama kita adalah bagian tak terpisahkan dari mengasihi Tuhan.

Kasih kita kepada Bunda Maria, seperti kasih kita kepada keluarga dan teman-teman kita, tidak bertentangan dengan kasih kepada Kristus. St. Yusuf, St Padre Pio, St. Dominikus tidak bersaing dengan Tuhan dalam memenangkan cinta kasih kita. Kasih kita kepada sesama sejatinya adalah ekspresi kasih kita kepada Yesus. St. Bernard dari Clairvaux, dalam tulisannya ‘On the Love of God’, menulis bahwa jenis kasih tertinggi adalah mengasihi diri kita sendiri dan sesama demi Tuhan. Sederhananya, semakin kita mengasihi Bunda Maria, semakin kita mencintai keluarga kita, dan semakin kita mengasihi Yesus. Jika kita masuk lebih dalam ke dalam Alkitab, kita akan menemukan bahwa Allah adalah kasih [1 Yoh 4:8]. Tuhan tidak sedang bersaing dengan keluarga dan teman-teman kita, dan merasa cemburu ketika terkadang kita memprioritaskan anak-anak kita. Kenapa? Karena Tuhan adalah kasih itu sendiri yang mengikat kita dengan orang yang kita cintai. Semakin kita secara otentik mengasihi sesama kita, semakin besar Tuhan di hati kita.

Bagaimana kita menerapkan kebenaran ini dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari? Memang ada kalanya kita harus memilih antara Tuhan dan hal-hal lain, seperti negara. St Thomas More, ketika dia akan dieksekusi, berkata, “hamba raja yang baik, tetapi Tuhan adalah yang pertama.” Namun, ini adalah kasus luar biasa. Sebagian besar, untuk mengasihi Tuhan dan untuk mengasihi sesama berjalan bersama-sama. Setiap hari Minggu, kita dapat membawa anak-anak kita ke Gereja dan beribadah bersama sebagai keluarga. Setiap malam, pasangan suami-istri bisa berdoa bersama. Pada bulan Oktober, keluarga dan komunitas dapat berdoa rosario bersama. Semakin dekat kita dengan satu sama lain, semakin dekat kita dengan Bunda Maria, dan tentunya semakin dekat lagi dengan Tuhan.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

God will not be Jealous

God will not be Jealous

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
October 31, 2021
Mark 12:28-34

A few days ago, I gave a seminar on the rosary, and I received a tricky question, “What if our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary make us love Mary than Jesus?” Honestly, my instinctive reaction was that our love for Jesus should be greatest to anyone or anything. I could not be wrong with that answer. However, the same question bothers me. If to love Jesus is the only thing matters, why should we love His Mother, why we should honor St. Joseph, His foster father, and why should we serve His Church? Then, I realized that with this logic, I could say that a husband does not have to love his wife totally, just Jesus; a mother does not have to take care of her children fully, just Jesus; a priest does not have to serve his people committedly, just Jesus. This logic may be misleading.

Today’s Gospel tells us Jesus, who teaches us the first of all commandments: To love God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength, and secondly, to love our neighbors like ourselves. Interestingly, Jesus does not say only to love God with what we have is enough. He adds the second commandment: love our neighbors, and the Second Law is inseparable from the First Law. The key is that to love our neighbors is part and parcel of loving God.

Our love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, like our love for our family and friends, is not in opposition to Christ. St. Joseph, St. Padre Pio, St. Dominic are not competing with God in winning our loves. Our love for our neighbors is an expression of the love of Jesus. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, in his treatise ‘On the Love of God’, wrote that the highest kind of love is to love ourselves and others for God’s sake. To put it simply, the more we love the Blessed Virgin, the more we love our family, and the more we love Jesus. If we go deeper into the Bible, we will discover that God is love [1 John 4:8]. God is not competing with your family and friends and feeling jealous when sometimes you prioritize your kids. God is the love that binds us with our loved ones. The more we authentically love our neighbors, the greater God is our hearts.

How do we apply this truth in our daily lives? Indeed, there are times, we need to choose between God and other things, like the state. St. Thomas More, when he was about to be executed, said, “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” Yet, these are exceptional cases. Most of the time, to love God and to love our neighbors go together. During Sundays, we can bring our children to the Church and worship together as a family. Every night, couples can spend time together in prayer of thanksgiving. In October, families, and communities can pray together the rosary. We are growing closer to each other, closer to our Mother, and even closer to God.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

True Vision

True Vision

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
October 24, 2021
Mark 10:46-52

The story of Bartimaeus is arguably one of the most compelling and beautiful stories in the Gospel. It speaks of a man crushed by unimaginable hardship who relentlessly seeks redemption and meaning in his life. He has to live with blindness and has been struggling with darkness his entire life. Things get worse as a society, and perhaps his family rejects him as a failure. Instead of getting proper help as a person with disabilities, he must face the cruel reality of discrimination. To survive, he must beg from those people who go in and out of the city of Jericho. I do not think that Bartimaeus is some lazy guy who squanders the government’s social program. He is genuinely a victim of an oppressive system. He is the wrong man in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

When Jesus is passing by, Bartimaeus does what he does best: to beg. He recognizes Jesus as the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah, and begs for pity. Jesus hears his cry for help and calls him. However, something is interesting takes place. Jesus asks him, “what do you want me to do for you?” at first glance, the question seems silly. Of course, Bartimaeus longs to see! Yet, why does Jesus ask that question despite the apparent fact?

Jesus certainly knows what Bartimaeus needs, yet Jesus, as a good teacher, guides him to articulate his deepest desire. Then the miracle happens on a much deeper level. Bartimaeus no longer calls Jesus, ‘Son of David,’ a royal Messiah, and powerful king, but he addresses Jesus as ‘Rabouni’ [my teacher]. Bartimaeus is not simply longing for a perfect 20/20 vision, but fundamentally an intimate communion with Jesus: from a respectful yet distant relation between king and his subject to a warm and empowering friendship between a master and His disciple.

Thus, Bartimaeus’ second request, ‘I want to see,’ must be understood in this light. When his eyes are opened, the first person he sees will be no other than Jesus, his beloved master. His vision is meaningless unless it is to see Jesus. His deepest desire is to see Jesus and to be with Jesus. No wonder if the story ends with Bartimaeus following Jesus in His way.

The story of Bartimaeus is impactful and classic because his story is ours as well. We are blinded by many things that make our souls destitute and lamentable. We are chasing things that impoverish our spiritual lives. We may have the best the world can offer, but we know that we are missing something.

Beato Carlo Acutis famously said, “We are born original, yet many die as photocopies.” We are all born as God’s beautiful and unique image, but as we grow as ‘photocopies’ of celebrities, we watch on TV. We are looking up to social media influencers who parade their sports cars and wealth. We are imitating ‘charismatic’ public figures who do not live virtuous lives. We are blinded and soon die as ugly ‘photocopies.’ Thus, following the lead of the excellent teacher, we need to articulate what our deepest longing in this life is. Hopefully, like St. Thomas Aquinas, we will be able to say, “Nothing but you, O Lord!”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Visi Sejati

Visi Sejati

Minggu ke-30 Masa Biasa [B]
24 Oktober 2021
Markus 10:46-52

Kisah Bartimeus adalah salah satu kisah yang paling indah dalam Injil. Cerita ini berkisah tentang seorang pria yang dihancurkan oleh kesulitan hidup yang tak terbayangkan, namun dia tanpa henti mencari penebusan dan makna hidupnya. Dia harus hidup dengan kebutaan dan berjuang dengan kegelapan sepanjang hidupnya. Segalanya menjadi lebih buruk karena masyarakat dan mungkin keluarganya menolaknya dan melihat dia sebagai kegagalan. Alih-alih mendapatkan bantuan yang layak sebagai penyandang disabilitas, ia harus menghadapi diskriminasi yang kejam. Untuk bertahan hidup ia harus mengemis dari orang-orang yang keluar masuk kota Yeriko. Bartimaeus bukanlah seorang pengemis malas yang menyia-nyiakan program sosial pemerintah. Dia benar-benar korban dari sistem yang tidak adil pada zamannya.

Ketika Yesus melewati Yeriko menuju Yerusalem, Bartimeus melakukan apa yang biasa dilakukan: mengemis. Dia mengakui Yesus sebagai Anak Daud, Mesias yang telah lama ditunggu-tunggu, dan memohon belas kasihan. Yesus mendengar teriakan minta tolong dan memanggilnya. Namun, ada hal menarik yang terjadi. Yesus bertanya kepadanya, “Apa yang kamu ingin aku lakukan bagimu?” Tampaknya, pertanyaan ini tampak konyol. Tentu saja, Bartimeus ingin melihat! Namun, mengapa Yesus menanyakan pertanyaan itu meskipun faktanya sudah jelas?

Yesus tentu tahu apa yang dibutuhkan Bartimeus, namun Yesus, sebagai guru yang baik, membimbingnya untuk mengartikulasikan keinginannya yang terdalam. Yesus memampukan Bartimeus untuk bersuara. Kemudian mukjizat terjadi di tingkat yang jauh lebih dalam. Bartimeus tidak lagi menyebut Yesus, ‘Anak Daud,’ seorang Mesias dan raja yang berkuasa, tetapi dia menyebut Yesus sebagai ‘Rabouni’ [guruku]. Bartimeus tidak hanya merindukan penglihatan mata yang sempurna, tetapi sejatinya persekutuan yang intim dengan Yesus: dari hubungan yang saling menghormati namun jauh antara raja dan rakyatnya, menjadi persahabatan yang hangat dan memberdayakan antara seorang guru dan murid-Nya.

Jadi, permintaan kedua Bartimeus, ‘Saya ingin melihat’, harus dipahami dalam konteks ini. Ketika matanya terbuka, orang pertama yang dilihatnya tidak lain adalah Yesus, gurunya yang terkasih. Penglihatannya tidak ada artinya kecuali untuk melihat Yesus. Keinginan terdalamnya adalah untuk melihat Yesus dan bersama Yesus. Tak heran jika cerita berakhir dengan Bartimeus mengikuti Yesus di jalan-Nya.

Kisah Bartimeus sangat indah dan tergolong kisah klasik karena cerita ini adalah milik kita juga. Kita dibutakan oleh banyak hal yang membuat jiwa kita melarat dan menyedihkan. Kita mengejar hal-hal yang memiskinkan kehidupan rohani kita. Kita mungkin memiliki yang terbaik yang dapat ditawarkan dunia, tetapi kita tahu bahwa kita kehilangan yang paling penting.

Beato Carlo Acutis pernah berkata, “Kita dilahirkan sebagai orisinal, namun banyak yang mati sebagai fotokopian.” Kita semua dilahirkan sebagai citra Tuhan yang indah dan unik, tetapi kita tumbuh sebagai ‘fotokopi’ selebriti yang kita tonton di TV. Kita mengidolakan influencer media sosial yang memamerkan mobil sport dan kekayaan mereka. Kita meniru tokoh masyarakat yang ‘karismatik’ tetapi tidak hidup berbudi luhur. Kita dibutakan dan akhirnya mati sebagai ‘fotokopi’ yang jelek. Jadi, mengikuti petunjuk sang guru yang baik, kita perlu mengartikulasikan apa kerinduan terdalam kita dalam hidup ini. Mudah-mudahan, seperti St. Thomas Aquinas, kita akan dapat berkata, “Tidak ada yang lain selain Engkau, ya Tuhan!”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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