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32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 8, 2020

Matthew 25:1-13

A wedding ceremony is one of the most beautiful events in many cultures and societies. This includes the Jewish community in the first century AD Palestine. For the Hebrew people living in the time of Jesus, the wedding ceremony has two stages. The first one is the exchange of vows or betrothal. The couple is officially married, and they are recognized as husband and wife in the eyes of the Jewish community. Yet, they are going to wait for around one year before they are living together. The husband will prepare for the house as well as the reception celebration that may last for seven days.

The second stage is the wedding party. It begins with the groom fetch the bride from her ancestral house, and bring her to his home with a procession of dance and music. Since the procession usually takes place in the evening, fire and torches are indispensable. The ten virgins are part of the wedding ceremony which we may call today as the bridesmaids. They may be some of the close friends of the bride and even relatives of the couples. They are stationed not far from the wedding place to welcome the married couple. Since there is no internet and GPS, the ten virgins may not be able to locate precisely where the procession is, but they are expected to be ready.

It is interesting to see the attitude of the five foolish virgins. In Greek, the virgins are called as “moros” where we get the English word moron. It is undoubtedly a harsh word. Jesus applies the same word after His sermon on the Mount and points to people who listen to His preaching without practising them, “like a foolish man who built his house on sand [Mat 7:26].” Yet, if we observe, what we see that the virgins are doing foolish things. Not only they fail to prepare for the unexpected arrival of the groom, but they also look for the oil in the middle of the night. They are not living in the modern era where we can easily purchase it at the 24-hour convenient stores. The merchants are expectedly unavailable, and we can imagine how they rushingly search the vendors, and frantically knock their doors. This may cause unnecessary inconveniences and bring absolute shame to the couples. This may be the reason also why the wedding’s host refuses to admit these five foolish virgins.

This parable of Jesus gives us a potent reminder not to become foolish in living our lives as Christians. We are given a particular role and mission in our lives. Some of us are called to be married couples and parents.  Some of us are serving as priests or religious men and women. Some of us are teachers of the faith; some of us are leaders of the community, and others are servants. In whatever role we are, Jesus asks us to be wise in doing our ministries and demands us not to do foolish things as to scandalize others or even cause others unnecessary suffering.

If we, as Christians, act foolishly, we bring shame, not only to ourselves but Christ Himself. But, if we think and produce wise deeds, we bring glory to the Lord, and more people will praise our God.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also ‘bayu ruseno’ Youtube Channel for the latest video catechism on indulgence…

All Saints’ Day

November 1, 2020

Matthew 5:1-12

Today the Church is celebrating the Solemnity of all saints. This is one of the ancient feasts in the Church that commemorates and honors all holy people who had gone before us and received their eternal reward, God Himself. We may recognize some of them, like St. Ignatius, St. Dominic de Guzman, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Catharine of Siena, but this is only a tiny fraction of the entire heavenly host. There are countless we are not aware of. The good news is that all of them are praying for us, and who knows, some of our departed beloved have been parts of this holy communion.

Speaking of the saints, the first thing that often pops up in our mind is that these are giants of our faith. Many saints, like the majority of the apostles, are martyrs. They offered their lives for Christ in gruesome ways. Many saints are performing unparalleled miracles. St. Benedict of Nursia was reported to raise a young man killed in an accident during the building of his monastery. Not only miracles, but some saints are also performing unthinkable deeds. A tradition says that St. Anthony of Padua decided to preach to the fish when the heretics refused to listen to him, and the fishes were giving their attention to the preacher of truth. When St. Vincent Ferrer preached, his voice could be heard even as far as 3 KM away. St. Catharine of Siena received the gift of stigmata, the wounds of the crucified Christ. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina had the gift to penetrate the depth of human hearts so that people cannot hide anything before him during the confession.

Looking at the lives of the saints, we may wonder, “Is sainthood for me?” I am afraid to die, let alone as martyrs. I do not possess super abilities; not even I can speak with my pets. Worse, I continue to struggle with my sins. Holiness is far from many of us.

However, the truth is all of us are created to become saints. Yes, the purpose of why God created us is to be holy, to be part of heaven, and to share His divine life. In fact, we have only two fundamental options in the final analysis: for God or against God. If we are for God, then our destiny is heaven, and membership in eternal joy is for the saints. Yet, if we refuse to be with God, then we are doomed to hell. Thus, our choice is only two: to be saints or go to hell. Tough choice!

Yet, the saints with marvelous stories are the only tip of the iceberg. The majority of the saints are living a simple yet faithful life. St. Martin de Porres lived his entire life as a simple brother, cleaning and taking care of the convent. St. Therese of Lisieux did not do any extraordinary things during her life, but sincere prayer to the Lord. St. Louis and Azelie Martin, a simple couple yet faithful parents, raised 5 nuns, and one of them is St. Therese. And, Beato Carlo Acutis was young and liked to play Playstation, but he was also recognized as a blessed one. We are called to holiness, and we are designed for heaven. We need to be open to God’s grace to work in us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

check also my Youtube Channel “bayu ruseno” for any latest video catechism…

30^th Sunday of the Ordinary Time [A]

October 25, 2020

Matthew 22:34-50

The question is, “what is the greatest law?” Once again, the historical and religious context is important. When Jesus and the Pharisees discuss the Law, they are speaking about particular Law. It is neither criminal law nor international law. It is the Law of Moses, the Torah, which points to Moses’s five books. According to the tradition of the Rabbis, the Torah contains 613 specific laws. Thus, the Pharisee is questioning Jesus on the most important among 613 commandments.

For the Jewish people, the answer is not difficult and even expected. The most fundamental law among the laws is the Ten Commandments. It is the first set of laws given to Israelites through Moses in Sinai. The traditional belief holds that the Ten Commandments are traditionally by order of importance, meaning the first is the most essential, and the last is the least essential. Therefore, the first among the Ten Commandments is the greatest among the 613. It says, “I am the Lord your God… there is no other God beside me [Exo 20:2-3].”

However, Jesus escapes the expectation and reconstructs His own answer that will be the moral foundation of Christianity. Jesus’ answer is, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Though the answer is unusual, it remains orthodox because the source is also the Law of Moses. To love the Lord with our all is rooted in the Jewish basic prayer “Shema” [see Deu 6:4-6], and to love our neighbors as ourselves is springing up from the book of Leviticus [19:18]. What Jesus does is He radically changes the orientation of the Law of Moses. Instead of limiting ourselves to the prohibitions of the Ten Commandments, Jesus sets love as its direction. Love is seeking the goodness of the beloved, and love never stops until we are united to our beloved. To obey the 10 Commandments is foundational, but that is the minimum, and Jesus teaches us not to stay at the boundaries but to go beyond till we are united with God and others in God.

Before, I thought the commandment of Jesus was nice and lovely words. I love God by going to the Church every Sunday, especially during Christmas and Easter, and I love others by occasionally helping them or giving a donation to the poor. But I realize something a bit off. Jesus never says, “this is my greatest recommendation or advice.” What Jesus tells us, “This is the greatest commandments!” Law is meant to be obeyed, and here, we are dealing with the biggest laws! To love the Lord with our all is not optional. It is a must, and to love our brothers and sisters is not based on our convenience, but it is a divine obligation. To love God, neither not a part-time job nor to love our neighbors is our pastime. It is either all or nothing. That is Jesus’ greatest commandments.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my Youtube Channel at “bayu ruseno” to see various videos on Catholic faith.

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 18, 2020

Matthew 22:15-21

To understand today’s Gospel, we need to make time travel to the time of Jesus. The Jewish people in the first century AD Palestine were not free people, and they were subject to the Roman empire. Being subjects, they were required to submit heavy taxes. This money would eventually use to pay the army that maintained “the security” of Palestine. Naturally, paying taxes was one of the most irritating and politically charged issues. “Why should I pay for my own oppression?”

The issue of paying taxes is even more sensitive since the coin used for the transaction is bearing the image of Caesar. Not only having the graven face of Caesar, around the image, but there was also an inscription that said “Tiberivs Caesar Divi Avgvsti Filivs Avgvstvs (Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus).” The coin was simply blasphemous for the Jews who recognized that there is no god, but the Lord God.

With this background, the Pharisees were plotting to trap Jesus with an extremely dilemmatic question: “should we pay tax to Caesar?” If Jesus nodded, He would be considered a traitor for many Jewish nationalists and an idol-worshipper to pious Israelites. But, if Jesus voted negatively, He would be immediately labeled as a rebel and face the wrath of the Romans. However, it was never wise to test Jesus, because it would never be successful. Again, Jesus did not only escape the dilemma wisely but also taught a profound lesson for everyone.

He took a Roman coin and showed that it has an image of Caesar. Then, He said, “render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” The basis of ownership is the presence of “image.” The coin belongs to Caesar because it has his image. Thus, paying tax is simply giving back to the coins that since the beginning belongs to Caesar and the Roman Empire.  Yet, Jesus did not stop there. He taught also, “render to God what belongs to God.” And what belongs to God? The answer is those who possess the image of God. Going back to the Genesis 1:26, we discover that we were created in the image of God, and therefore, we belong to God.

Here, Jesus was not dodging the Pharisees’ bullet, but teaching a fundamental truth about who we are and where we are going. We were created in the image of God, not in the image of cellular phone, not of money, not of trophies. While they may offer instant pleasure, not of these things will ever grant us true happiness. Only God can truly fulfill our deepest longing. While these things are naturally good and can be beneficial, they are mere means to achieve our true end, God Himself. We might be preoccupied with pursuing wealth, popularity, or influence, but what is the point when we lose our final purpose?

St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises reminds us that, “Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created…Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent [detached] to all created things… Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my YOUTUBE CHANNEL “bayu ruseno” to get latest video catechism.

28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 11, 2020

Matthew 22:1-14

To understand the parable, we need to see the surprising elements that Jesus offers. Firstly, this is no ordinary wedding, but the royal wedding of the king’s son. Surely, people in the royal list are honored and privileged guests, but they refuse to come, decline the invitation twice and even mistreat the king’s servants. What they do are unthinkable! They fail to see how precious the invitation and rather choose their own trivial business. They are like throwing insult to the king who has honored them. No wonder, the king punishes them.

Yet, this king is generous and merciful king, and he decides to invite all people who are not in his original guests of honor. He grants the royal invitation and honor to all. Many indeed come and fulfil the invitation. However, there is one guy who fails to wear a wedding dress. To dress properly in attending a wedding feast is not only expected, but it shows how we honor the one who invites us. This person is a guest of honor, but he fails to appreciate the honor he receives, fails to behave accordingly, and brings great dishonor to the king. Thus, the king throws him not to any place, but to the darkness.

We are all like these wedding guests, and we receive immeasurable honor because, in reality, we do not deserve to be called by God to enter into His kingdom. Yet, the invitation is free, but it does not mean cheap. We still need to do our part to honor the one who invites us and to show utmost thanksgiving to God. The question is what wedding garment symbolizes? If we move forward to Revelation 19, we will see another wedding. This is the wedding of the Lamb, and in Rev 19:8, “…for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” Faith in Jesus is like accepting the invitation, but we must not stop there, we shall wear also the garment of the righteous deeds. Our initial faith has to grow into charity.

The basic principle is grace is free, but it is not cheap. In fact, it is the most precious thing we ever receive in our lives. Our righteous works are not meant to be a bargaining chip with the Lord, but rather token of our gratitude. We do holy deeds not because we want to be praised, but because we want to honor Him who has called us to the heavenly banquet. As priests, we are serving the people primarily because, despite our weaknesses, we are chosen to the instruments of grace. As spouses, we are building family not simply based on emotional attractions, biological needs, and economic stability, because we are grateful to the Lord who has united husband and wife in love and grace. As parents, we are raising our children not only to become successful, rich or influential but primarily to become holy men and women because we recognize that these children are blessing from the Lord. The world is definitely a better world with people filled with gratitude, and with the saints.

 This reflection is dedicated to Carlo Acutis, who is beatified today [10 Oktober], a model of holiness for all of us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Check also my YOUTUBE channel “bayu ruseno” to see my latest video catechism on the rosary.