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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 14, 2018

Mark 10:17-30

 

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go…follow me.” (Mk. 10:21)

 

We discover at least three instances in the Bible in which Jesus explicitly expresses that He loves someone. The first instance is that Jesus loves the young rich man who seeks the eternal life (Mrk 10:21). The second is Jesus loves Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (Jn 11:5). The third is Jesus’ love for His disciples, especially His beloved disciple (Jn 13:34).

In these three accounts, Jesus’ love is not simply an emotional kind of affection. It is not the love that causes an adrenalin rush, heart’s palpitation, and an explosion of imagination. It is not fickle love that comes in the morning but dies in the afternoon. The love of Jesus is a love rooted in free will and firm decision. No wonder the Greek word used to describe this love is “agape.” Neither it is “eros,” an emotional and sexual love, nor “philia,” an affection for friends. St. Thomas Aquinas succinctly yet powerfully describes “love” as willing the good of the others. When Jesus loves them, Jesus freely chooses that the good things may happen in their lives even though this means Jesus has to forgo His own goodness and benefits. It is the tough love that entails giving up oneself, sacrifice and even pain. It is the love that thrives even when life has turned sour, and feelings have become bitter.

Going back to the story of the rich young man who asks Jesus on how to inherit the eternal life, he is basically a good guy. He has done a lot of good deeds and been faithful to God and the Law of Moses. Jesus Himself gives him score nine out of ten. Only one thing is still lacking. When Jesus invites the young man to sell what he has, to give them to the poor, and follow Jesus, the man goes away sad. Why? The Evangelist gives us the answer: he has many “ ktemata ,” landed properties. This guy is not ordinarily rich, but super rich. Perhaps, the young man thinks that eternal life is something that can be added to his properties, something that is acquired by doing good and avoid

ing evil or something that can make him even richer. Yet, this is not eternal life, but a mere shopping in the mall.

Eternal life is a gratuitous gift from God given to those whom He loves. This young man is truly blessed because Jesus loves him. The eternal life is just a step away from this good young man. Yet, though the gift is free, it is never cheap. Jesus wants the young man to follow Him because He wishes to teach the young man how to love like Him. Jesus wants him to will the good of the others, and this begins with selling his precious properties and helping the poor. Here comes again the paradox of love: unless we give ourselves for others, we never have ourselves fully. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it’s in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

I have been in the formation for more than 16 years, more than half of my life. I used to get frustrated because I have done well and fulfilled the requirements, and yet the ordination never comes. However, I realize that I was thinking like the rich young man. I forget that the vocation, as well as ordination, are gifts, not reward. This perspective frees me from my pride and makes me humble and grateful. Jesus loves me, and He loves me tough .

Jesus loves us and yet, it is not an easy and pampering love. It is tough love. It is love that challenges us to grow beyond; it is love that dares us to remain in truth, it is love that propels us to love like Jesus.

 

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Feast of the Holy Rosary

October 7, 2018

Mark 10:2-16

 

If there is one prayer that can change the course of world history, it is the earnest recitation of the holy rosary.  In 1571, through the unceasing prayer of the rosary, a league of Christian nations called by Pope Pius V was able to stop the military advancement of the mighty Ottoman empire to western Europe in the Gulf of Patras, near Lepanto, Greece. In 1917, Our Lady appeared to three little children in Fatima, and one of her messages was to pray the rosary for the peace of the world. Through nation-wide recitation of the rosary, Austria was freed from the communist regime in 1955. In 1960, led by Catholic women marching the streets while praying the rosary, Brazil was also spared from communism.

For the Catholics in the Philippines, the recitation of the rosary has conquered the impossible. In 1646, the Dutch armada attempted to take over the Philippines from the weakened Spanish authority. With only three modified galleons, the combined Spanish and Filipino forces defended the country from Dutch warships in a series of sea battles. The eyewitness narrated how the soldiers prayed the rosary while the battle was being waged. The miracle took place. The three galleons were practically unharmed, while the enemy’s ships either were sunk or sustained heavy damages. The miracle was attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, La Naval de Manila. The rosary is believed to have made the People Power revolution in 1986 a peaceful event.

These are several among many historical events in which the recitation of the rosary has played a significant role in the lives of nations. However, the praying of the rosary does not only affect the nations but more meaningfully the lives of ordinary people and families.

Today’s Gospel speaks about the sanctity of marriage and family. In marriage, husband and wife promise each other something that they cannot fulfill, namely perfect happiness. We are imperfect creatures and wounded by sin, and it is just beyond our natural ability to achieve our genuine happiness. Left to our own strength, we are bound to fail or face meaninglessness. We are emotionally unstable, we want things for ourselves, and we just hurting each other. No wonder Bishop Fulton Sheen once said, “Marriage is not difficult. It is just humanly impossible.”

Jesus reminds us that man and woman are created for each other to be “one flesh,” and immediately Jesus teaches, “what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”  We often forget that the one who unites man and woman is God Himself. Marriage and family are primarily the work of God, not just human beings. God wants a true joy for us, and this can be achieved by the paradox of love. It is not by accumulating things for ourselves but giving up ourselves totally to others. Marriage becomes one way that God designs to achieve this self-giving. Husband gives himself totally to his wife, and the wife gives herself wholly to her husband. As they are losing themselves, they gain everything they cannot humanly gain, namely genuine self-growth, meaningful life, and true happiness. Thus, prayer together turns out to be an unassuming yet powerful way to remind the couples of this God’s work in their midst.

Fr. Patrick Payton once said, “A family that prays together stays together.” As the founder of Family Rosary Crusade, the prayer he means in this classic line is no other than the recitation of the rosary. At first, it sounds cliché, but on a personal note, I can say it is indeed a powerful prayer for the family. I still could remember how my parents taught me the rosary, and it was within the context of family and community prayer. I do believe that my family has survived a lot of storms because we do not forget to pray together. I also believe countless families, and communities have conquered the difficulties and challenges because they have prayed the rosary faithfully.

 

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 30, 2018

Mark 9:36-43, 45, 47-48

 

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  (Mk. 9:43 )”

 

When I was assigned to the hospital to serve as a chaplain, I witnessed the rise of diabetic cases as well as its terrifying effects on the patients. In simple term, diabetes is a condition in a person who can no longer naturally manage their blood sugar. In more serious cases, the body loses its natural ability to heal its wounds. In the beginning, it was a small open wound, yet since the body no longer heals, the infections set in, and this leads into gangrene or the death of the body’s tissues. I accompanied some patients who were struggling with this situation and witnessed how their fingers or even foot were darkened and deformed. When the ordinary treatment no longer worked, the amputation became the only merciful option as to prevent the spread of infections. As a chaplain, accompanying these patients was one of my toughest missions in the hospital.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ words are pretty harsh, if not violent. He wants the one who causes the believers to sin to be thrown into the sea. He wants hands and feet cut, and eyes plugged. He even describes Gehenna in more vivid details, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” The image of Jesus seems to be far different from Jesus who is gentle and merciful. What is going on? Is Jesus promoting violence? Is Jesus a schizophrenic or having a split personality?

Jesus is perfectly sane. Yet, he becomes passionate because he is teaching a serious matter with a grave consequence. This is none other than sin. Jesus knows well that sin corrupts, and like growing roots, it corrupts to every side. Sin destroys our souls, our neighbors, our environment and even our holy relationship with God. What more sinister about sin is that deforms our conscience and makes us believe that we are just doing fine. In his book ‘The Name of God is Mercy, Pope Francis speaks of the effect of sinful corruption, “Corruption is not an act but a condition, a personal and social state we become accustomed to living in… The corrupt man always has the cheek to say, ‘It wasn’t me!”…He is the one who goes to Mass every Sunday but has no problem using his powerful position to demand kickbacks…then he boasts to his friends about his cunning ways.”

Like in the case of a person struggling with diabetes and having gangrene in his finger, it is better for him to amputate the affected finger as to prevent the spreading of infection, and thus, save his other organs, and life. So it is with sin. Jesus commands us to “amputate” those areas in our lives that are corrupted by sin, as to save our souls. But, this is not easy. Like some of the patients I ministered to, they refuse to give up the precious parts of their bodies. They deny, get angry and frustrated, and try to bargain with the doctors to avoid amputation. With the same mentality, we often deny that we nurture our vices. We get angry when people correct us and reveal us our sins. We also bargain with the Lord to keep our favorite sins and tell Him that we are going to be better in other aspects of our lives. However, these do not work. A radical “amputation” is necessary to save our ailing souls.

The good news, however, is that unlike the body which will never regain the lost limbs, our souls will, in fact, grow even holier after the “amputation.” The relationship between others will be purified, our attitude towards the environment will be filled with care and mercy, and our love for God will be deepened.

What are our sinful attitudes that harm ourselves, others and the environment ? Are we humble enough to receive corrections? Are we courageous enough to acknowledge them as sins? Do we ask God’s grace to prepare us for the sacrament of confession?

 

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 23, 2018

Mark 9:30-37

 

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mk. 9:35)

 

While I was reflecting on this Sunday’s Gospel, I was able to discover some news about our Church. Good News! The Catholic Church in the Philippines is preparing herself for the 500 years of the arrival of Christianity in this archipelago. The first baptism and Eucharist were taking place in 1521 as the Spanish missionaries began their evangelization mission. As part of this grand preparation, the Bishops of the Philippines have decided to celebrate this year as the year of the clergy and the consecrated persons. The major theme of this year is the renewed servant-leaders for the new evangelization. In view of this, many programs and activities are organized to help both the ordained ministers and the religious brothers and sisters to deepen their commitment to God and their service to the people.

Not so good news. It is also true, however, that today the Church is also facing a deep crisis. In many countries and places, the clergy, as well as the religious persons, are caught in scandals and shameful things. One among the worst is the sexual abuses involving the minors done by priests and even bishops, and the massive cover-up staged to tolerate this structural evil. Yet, this is not the only thing that plagues the Church. Some ordained ministers are dishonest and having double-standard lives. Some are secretly enriching themselves. Others may not commit any scandal, but are lacking in compassion and enthusiasm in serving the people of God. Many stories are circulating of priests refusing to hear confession or anointing the dying because they like to prioritize their scheduled hobbies or religious persons who are grumpy and easily irritated with others. These attitudes simply drive people away from the Church. The rest of us perhaps are just nothing but mediocre clergy or religious. This reminds me of Pope Francis who points that holiness as opposed to ‘bland and mediocre existence.’

Our Gospel narrates Jesus who in private teaches the disciples, who will be the first and models of Church’s leaders. The Gospel itself can be divided into two parts. The first part speaks of Jesus foretelling his impending suffering and death in Jerusalem. Here, reacting to Jesus’ words, the disciples drop silence. Perhaps, the memory of Jesus scolding Peter and calling him “Satan” is still fresh in the mind of the disciples and nobody wants to repeat the same embarrassment. The second part of the Gospel tells us of the topic of greatness. This time, the disciples have a different reaction. Not only do they initiate the discussion, but they are also passionately arguing among themselves. We can imagine Peter boasting himself as the leader among the apostles, or John telling everyone that he is the closest to Jesus, or Matthew being proud of his richness. After all, these are our first Pope and first bishops. Yet, when Jesus asks them, they once again fall silent.

The apostles seem to forget that Jesus’ disciples have to carry their cross and follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Jesus, however, understands that human desire for excellence is a gift from God. Jesus does not forbid His apostles to have dreams and strive for greatness, but He makes a radical twist. He directs this powerful energy from achieving one selfish interests into serving others. Thus, Jesus’ unforgettable line: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mk. 9:35) Indeed, they need to excel, but not any worldly measures, but in serving and empowering others. In his exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis calls this “the Logic of the Cross.” True happiness is a paradox. If the clergy, the religious and all of us want to be genuinely happy, then it is not so much on the wealth and success we have gained, but from our service and sacrifice for others.

We continue to pray for our priests and bishops, as well as our religious brother and sisters. We pray not only that they may avoid scandals, but they may be holy. As Pope Benedict XVI puts it, “holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full.”

 

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

 

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 16, 2018

Mark 8:27-35

 

“Jesus asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ (Mk. 8:29)”

 

Several years ago, I gave a talk on the introduction to Christology to a group of young Filipino professionals who wished to deepen their spirituality. The first question I asked them as we commenced the short course was, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” The answers were varied. Some gave a dogmatic formula like Jesus is God, one quoted the Bible saying Jesus is the Word made flesh, one expressed boldly that Jesus is Savior and Lord, and the rest shared personal convictions like Jesus is their closest friend, or Jesus is their Shepherd. All these answers were right, but nobody claimed that Jesus is the Christ. Considering that our subject was Christology, we missed the basic Jesus’ title, in Greek, “Christos,” in Hebrew, “Messiah,” and translated into English, the Anointed One. Fortunately, around two thousand years ago, Simon Peter was able to spell the title when Jesus Himself asked the question.

Going deeper into our Gospel today, we are at chapter 8 of the Gospel of Mark. Since Mark has 16 chapters, we are literally in the middle of this second canonical Gospel. Yet, today’s Gospel does only happen to be in the middle of the Gospel, but it turns out to be the turning point of the Gospel. In the first eight chapters, Mark narrates Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and some other Gentile regions in the north of Israel. Jesus is doing wonders and teaching with authority. He can draw a lot of people, and some of them will be close followers called His disciples. Meanwhile, the last eight chapters, Jesus begins to journey down south and reaches His destination in Jerusalem. There, He will face his tormentors, and He will meet His passion, death and resurrection.

Peter gets the bulls-eye answer. After all, Peter’s profession is what Mark intends to convey to his readers, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mk. 1:1).” Unfortunately, when Jesus reveals His suffering and death, it does not sit well with Peter’s idea of the Messiah. Perhaps Peter gets stuck with the concept of a powerful and conquering Christ that will lead Israel into victory.  Jesus has been preaching about the coming of the Kingdom, teaching unforgettable lessons, and performing unmatched miracles. Surely, nothing, not even the great Roman empire could beat this Messiah. However, Peter just desires the other half of the Gospel, and cannot be at peace with the other half of the Gospel. If Peter and other disciples want to accept Jesus fully, then they need to embrace the other half of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well. Following Jesus does not stop in Galilee where things are just awesome, but it has to go down to Jerusalem, where the persecution and death lurk. Thus, Jesus declares, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. (Mk. 8:34).”

Often we are like Peter. We call ourselves Jesus’ disciples and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in reality, we just want half of Jesus or parts of the Gospel. We go to the Church and worship God, but we do not want to soil our hands in helping our brothers and sisters in need. Married couples enjoy the benefits of marriage, yet refuse to see children as a gift of God. Religious men and women vow to serve the Lord and His Church, but often, we serve our own interests and desires. No wonder G. K. Chesterton once wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” As we try to answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you think that I am?”, we are invited to reflect and to accept Jesus and His Gospel, not half, but the whole of Him.

 

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP