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Mark and His Gospel

December 6, 2020 Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

Second Sunday of Advent [B]

December 6, 2020

Mark 1:1-8

In the second Sunday of Advent, we are reading from the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. Afterall, this is the beginning of liturgical year B, and it is fitting to start with the first chapter of Mark. Yet, unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark has neither infancy narratives nor the childhood stories of Jesus. Mark commences his gospel with John the Baptist who announces the repentance and the coming of Christ.

Mark among the four gospels, is arguably the least popular. This happens for understandable reasons. Mark is the shortest Gospel and it has only 16 chapters and around fifteen thousand Greek words. [Matthew has around twenty-three thousand while Luke has twenty-five thousand]. Many stories in Mark are also found in Matthew and Luke, but many materials in Matthew or Luke are absent in Mark. Thus, people who read Matthew tend to skip Mark because they believe they have read Mark. This is certainly unfortunate because Mark has its own characters and emphasis.

Mark is action-oriented gospel. It immediately starts with man of action, John the Baptist. Mark presents Jesus as someone who always in the move and is active. Mark does not write much about Jesus’ preaching, but focuses on what Jesus does. He preaches the good news, heals the sick, exorcises the demons, does miracles, calls disciples and travels a lot. Mark’s Gospel is also fast paced, yet, despite the fast-moving events, Mark often paints more details in his accounts, like the story of the Gerasene demoniac [Mar 5:1-20].

The traditional symbol for Mark is a lion. He acquires this symbol because his gospel starts with John who boldly preaches repentance, just like a lion. Yet, the gospel of Mark itself displays the character of a lion: it delivers his point powerfully and effectively. Mark was not the twelve disciples of Jesus, and he might be an eyewitness, especially when Jesus was arrested [Mark 14:51]. The Acts of Apostles calls him as John Mark a companion of Paul and Barnabas in their missionary journey, but unfortunately, Mark become a source of disagreement between Paul and Barnabas [Act 15:39]. Yet, he finally reconciled with Paul [Col 4:10]. Along the way, he turned to be the companion and disciple of St. Peter in Rome [1 Pet 5:13]. Later, Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, in early second century, testified that Mark was the interpreter of Peter and wrote down Peter’s teachings of Jesus. Because of Peter’s authority, we understand why Mark’s Gospel was selected as one of the canonical gospels.

What can we learn from Mark and his Gospel especially this season of Advent? Mark gives us an example that we can approach Jesus in our unique characters. While Mark is writing about Jesus, he does not have to compose like John. Like Mark, we do not have to be someone else in loving God. While the saints serve as role models, we are invited to love Him with our unique personalities and ways. While we are united in one Church, our personalities do not disappear, but rather enhanced in serving one another. Unless we recognize who we are fundamentally in Christ, we are going to fail to love authentically.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Sign of Hope

November 28, 2020 Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

First Sunday of Advent [B]

November 29, 2020

Mark 13:33-37

We are entering a joyful season of Advent. The first Sunday of Advent is also the beginning of the liturgical year of the Catholic Church. Advent is from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “the coming.” From this name alone, we can already deduce the purposes of this lovely season. It is to prepare us for the coming of Jesus, yet we must not forget that the Church teaches us that there are two comings. The first coming is two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, as a baby at Mary’s hands. The second coming is Jesus’ arrival at the end of time as the glorious king and the judge.

Our Gospel points to this fundamental truth of the second coming. Jesus will surely come, but He does not give us the timetable, and thus, we need to be prepared and be watchful. The illustration Jesus presents is a master who is traveling abroad. In ancient times, traveling is stunning different from our time. Nowadays, with the advances of technologies and modern transport systems, we can determine even the exact location of a particular train and even an airplane. We are used to following a fixed schedule of travel itineraries. However, the ancient people knew nothing about the internet or GPS, and traveling was often hard to endure. People who needed to cross the sea may get stranded because of the unpredictable storms. Some people had to spend weeks in a town because the winter was unbearably chilling for travelers. Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, knew well how punishing traveling was. Robbers ambushed him, his ship was capsized several times, and he had to spend hours on the sea. The master will come, but nobody knows when, and thus, the servants have to be watchful.

Humanity is living in a time of great sadness and fear. We are still battling the covid-19 that kills thousands, renders countless people jobless, and changes the way we live and interact. Aside from this tiny virus, we are constantly scared by possible global catastrophe caused by nuclear wars, global warming, even zombies and alien attacks. Yet, this season of Advent gives us a reason for hope. Despite everything, Jesus will surely come, and He remains in control.

We learn from the advent wreath. This tradition attached to advent season comes from northern Europe, who knew well how dark and cold winter could be, especially in December. Unlike us, who live in tropical, our brethren living near the arctic zone sometimes experience brutal winter. They are living in freezing temperatures and often without sunlight. These gloomy and dark conditions may affect our mental health. However, our brothers and sisters refused to give up and look for the sign of hope. They discovered the evergreen leaves that decline to wither and found out that small light shines brighter in the dark. This advent wreath points to us Christ, our Hope. Every time we enter the season of Advent, we are assured that there is always hope, even in the face of our world’s brokenness.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

check also for our latest video catechism on my Youtube channle at “bayu ruseno”

King of Mercy

November 22, 2020 Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe [A]

November 22, 2020

Matthew 25:31-46

To be a subject of a king is a foreign experience for many of us. I was born in Indonesia, and our country is a republic, and we espouse democracy to elect our leader. Some of us are citizens of kingdoms like Great Britain, Belgium, Thailand, and Japan, but the kings or queens here are serving under the constitution. When we speak of absolute monarchs, we are reminded of the powerful ancient kingdoms like Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian empires. Here, the king’s words are the highest law, and disobedient to the king’s wish is acts of treason. Surprisingly, we still have some existing absolute monarchs in our time, like Brunei, Saudi Arabia, and the Vatican!

Today we are celebrating the solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. Yet, it is a bit difficult to imagine Christ as a king. He never wears a crown except for thorns. He never sat on the throne except for the cross. And, He never possessed an army except for a bunch of coward disciples. Is Jesus truly a king? The answer is an absolute yes. Jesus, as the king, is one of the dominant topics in the Gospels. Angel Gabriel announces to Mary, “the Lord God will give to him [Jesus] the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. [Luk 1:32-33]” One of the criminals crucified with Jesus cries, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. [Luk 23:42]” And throughout His public ministry, Jesus is tirelessly proclaiming and building the kingdom of God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that he is not just an ordinary king, not just a king among many kings. He is the king of kings, and only He can bring people to eternal life and everlasting damnation. We are reminded that since Jesus is the king of the universe, we are all His subjects. However, whether we are good subjects or bad ones, we still have to choose. Like with other kingdoms, we still need to at least two basic things: acknowledging Jesus as our king and being His loyal servant.

The good news is that He does not require us, His subjects, to wage war against other countries or pay taxes! He is the king of mercy, and thus, His order is: do the Works of Mercy. In the Catholic tradition, there are seven corporal works of mercy. These are: to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. The seven corporal works of mercy are not complete with the seven spiritual works of mercy. These are: to instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish the sinners, bear patiently those who wrong us, forgive offenses, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.

Doing these are not always easy, but it is necessary because it proves our loyalty to the great king. Negligence to do works of mercy brings a serious consequence: to be expelled from the kingdom. The choice is ours, and the time is now.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my Youtube channel for various catechism at “bayu ruseno”

Menjadi Malaikat di Dunia, Seperti Malaikat di Surga

November 20, 2020 Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

Peringatan Maria Dipersembahkan kepada Allah

21 November 2020

Lukas 20:27-40

Dalam kesempatan yang paling unik, Yesus mengungkapkan apa yang akan terjadi pada pribadi manusia di surga. Sebenarnya, tujuan utama Yesus adalah untuk menyatakan kebenaran tentang kebangkitan orang mati dan menggagalkan argumentasi orang-orang Saduki, tetapi dengan demikian, Dia juga menyoroti kondisi manusia di alam sana. Di surga, kita akan menjadi seperti malaikat dan kita tidak lagi menikah atau dinikahkan. Pengungkapan ini pasti akan menyebabkan reaksi yang berbeda-beda. Bagi sebagian orang yang tidak menikah atau menyerah kehidupan pernikahan, mereka mungkin menemukan penebusan dalam surga yang seperti ini. Tapi, bagi mereka yang ingin sekali menikah, maka surga semacam ini adalah berita yang sangat buruk.

Kita akan menjadi seperti malaikat. Namun, ada sebuah pertanyaan tersisa. Siapakah malaikat itu? Banyak teolog suci dan brilian telah berspekulasi tentang makhluk rohani ini. Salah satunya adalah St. Thomas Aquinas dan ia telah menulis dengan sangat luas dan mendalam tentang makhluk non-jasmani ini. Sampai saat ini, karya-karyanya telah menjadi landasan bagi Angelologi (Studi para malaikat). Dengan demikian, dia akhirnya dijuluki sebagai ‘dokter Angelicus’ – dokter malaikat. Sayangnya, penjelasan mereka sebagian besar tetap berada di tingkat teoritis. Tidak ada seorangpun yang pernah secara pribadi mengalami apa artinya menjadi seorang malaikat. Hollywood mencoba untuk mengkompensasi kekurangan ini dengan memproduksi film-film tentang mailaikat. Namun, film-film, seperti ‘City of Angels’ yang mencoba menggambarkan kehidupan malaikat, tampaknya lebih terlihat sebagai fantasi daripada kenyataan. Pada akhirnya, surga masih merupakan misteri besar bagi kita manusia.

Namun, ada sesuatu yang lebih penting daripada menjadi seperti malaikat di surga. Yesus mengajarkan kita bahwa Allah kita adalah Allah yang hidup. Surga adalah tentang hidup dan menjalani hidup kita sepenuhnya di hadapan Allah kita. Hidup bukanlah sekedar berberfungsi secara biologis, seperti bernapas, makan dan tidur, tetapi juga mengambil risiko dalam mengasihi, menghadapi saat-saat yang sulit dan membuat keputusan yang sulit namun bermakna. Michael Lobrin, seorang pewarta awam Katolik dari Filipina, menggambarkan dinamika iman sebagai menari dalam kegelapan, dan saya percaya hal ini juga berlaku bagi dinamika kehidupan. Kita berani untuk menari dalam kegelapan, berani menghadapi semua risiko dan bahaya dalam hidup, karena kita memiliki pasangan yang sempurna, yaitu Tuhan sendiri. Uniknya, Meister Eckhart, Dominikan mistik dari abad ke-14, pernah berkata bahwa tiga Pribadi Ilahi berhubungan satu sama lain dengan cara menari dengan kegembiraan luar biasa dalam keabadian. Tuhan tidak pernah akan mengecewakan mitra tari-Nya. Lalu, mengapa kita harus takut hidup secara penuh? Maju dan menarilah dengan Tuhan!

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno , OP

Bait Allah

November 19, 2020 Romo Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno OP

Jumat pada Pekan Biasa ke-33

20 November 2020

Luk 19:45-48

Bait Allah di Yerusalem adalah tempat paling suci bagi bangsa Israel. Di sana, Allah memilih untuk tinggal (Mazmur 78:68). Di sana, orang-orang Yahudi dari segala penjuru mata angin berkumpul untuk menyembah Tuhan. Bait Allah adalah simbol pemersatu dan identitas Yahudi, kebanggaan mereka dan kejayaan mereka yang berharga. Yesus sendiri menyebut Bait Allah sebagai rumah Bapa-Nya (lih Mat 2:49).

Namun, tempat suci ini telah dinajiskan. Sayangnya, penodaan ini dilakukan oleh otoritas agama Yahudi itu sendiri. Bait Allah telah dimanipulasi untuk sekedar mencari keuntungan finansial dan memajukan agenda politik pribadi segelintir orang. Dengan membiarkan Bait Allah berubah menjadi kawasan komersial, mereka pasti mendapat banyak keuntungan. Dengan mengeluarkan peraturan yang mengharuskan orang-orang Yahudi sederhana untuk membeli hewan kurban dan untuk membeli mata uang khusus dari pedagang-pedagang ‘berizin’, mereka menindas rekan-rekan senegara mereka sendiri. Dengan menyuap para pejabat Romawi, mereka dengan licik mempertahankan posisi dan kekuasaan mereka. Sungguh, melihat hal ini, Yesus pun geram karena rumah Bapa-Nya telah menjadi pasar dan sarang penyamun.

Hal yang menarik dari realitas Bait Allah adalah St. Paulus mengingatkan kita bahwa tubuh kita adalah bait Roh Kudus (lih. 1 Kor 6:19). Kita dijadikan kudus karena Roh Kudus memilih untuk berdiam di dalam kita. Namun, pertanyaan sesungguhnya adalah: apakah kita memperlakukan Bait kita sendiri sebagai rumah Roh Kudus? Injil hari ini sebenarnya mengajarkan tentang tindakan simbolis Kristus karena sering kali, kita mengisi Bait kita tidak dengan Roh Kudus tetapi dengan sesuatu yang lain.

Seperti Bait Allah di Yerusalem, Bait kita juga merupakan pusat kehidupan kita dan apa yang ada di dalamnya, praktis mengatur sikap kita terhadap diri kita sendiri dan orang lain. Apakah kita membiarkan uang untuk menempatinya, sehingga prioritas kita adalah untuk mengumpulkan kekayaan sebanyak mungkin dan kadang-kadang mengorbankan hubungan kita dengan Tuhan, keluarga dan teman-teman? Apakah kita menempatkan popularitas dan kesuksesan di Bait kita, dan dengan demikian kita bekerja keras untuk mendaki tangga karier, sampai pada titik yang menghancurkan diri kita sendiri? Apakah kita memasukkan kemarahan dan kedengkian dalam Bait kita, sehingga kita hanya melihat orang lain sebagai musuh untuk dihancurkan dan hidup sebagai permasalahan besar?

Permasalahan nomor satu orang Yahudi dalam Perjanjian Lama adalah penyembahan berhala. Tuhan menuntut kesetiaan kepada-Nya, namun bangsa Yahudi kerap berbelok pada dewa-dewa kecil yang mereka ciptakan sendiri. Paus Fransiskus dalam suratnya Lumen Fidei menulis, “Idols exist, we begin to see, as a pretext for setting ourselves at the center of reality and worshiping the work of our own hands (LF 13).” Oleh karena itu, mengapa Yesus menjadi geram di Bait Allah bukan hanya karena komersialisasi tempat suci, tapi terutama karena telah terjadi penyembahan berhala. Mereka telah mengubah Allah yang hidup dengan dewa-dewa kecil buatan mereka sendiri dan menempatkannya di dalam Bait yang kudus.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP