5th Sunday of Easter [C]
May 14, 2022
John 13:31-35

Jesus is giving His disciples a new commandment: to love one another. This is not just a recommendation, advice, or suggestion. It is a commandment, and therefore, it is a must to do. What is more interesting is that Jesus consciously connects His New Commandments with the old ones: the Ten Commandments. What are the connections and why does Jesus make this new commandment?

If we go back to the historical context of the giving of the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were just miraculously freed from Egypt, and they camped at Mount Sinai. There, God came and offered His covenant: The Lord will be their God, and Israel will be their people. Then, God gave the Ten Commandments and other laws as the basic constitutions of what it is to be the people of God. By obeying and living these Commandments, they were going to be the holy nation. They were a nation different from other nations, but a nation separated for God.

Fast forward to Jesus’ Last Supper, Jesus gives the New Commandment. Connecting with the Old Testament, Jesus’ commandment is not just a must to do, it is also our constitutive identity as Jesus’ disciples. This is the commandment that makes us different from the rest. No wonder Jesus explains to His disciples, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another [John 13:35].” This is the commandment that makes us holy, set apart from the others and for Jesus.

However, to love is tough. To love someone means we become vulnerable, and we are open to the possibility of getting hurt. We are betrayed by people we love and trust, our friends, our spouse, our brothers, and our children. I am a priest for barely three years, but living in Surabaya, one of the major cities in Indonesia, I have to listen to a good number of people with broken relationships in marriages and families. I am saddened by the terrible situations that they have to endure, and I cannot help much. Sometimes, people must bear the painful consequence of broken relationships throughout their lives. Wounded by betrayal, we tend to build walls around our hearts, and our capacity to love is gradually dwindling.

Why does Jesus insist on love, to the point of making it the new commandment? The answer is that love is who Jesus is. ‘Love one another as I have loved you!’ Jesus loved His disciples, but after the Last Supper, a disciple betrayed Him, another denied Him, and many were abandoning Him. The people He loved dearly, crucified Him. Yet, Jesus was never a helpless victim. He entered His suffering willingly, and He transformed His death into an act of total self-giving. Jesus knew that His disciples would do terrible things, but He chose to celebrate an intimate Last Supper with them. He forgave people who crucified Him. He gave His dying love to His mother and the beloved disciple. Even death does not stop Him from loving. He has to rise again and bring forgiveness and peace to His disciples. He then sends His Holy Spirit as a sign of His abiding love.

To love fully and sacrificially is our identity as Jesus’ disciples. Though loving is often tough and sometimes, heart-breaking, love is who we are as God’s image. There is no way to heaven except the way of love.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

3rd Sunday of Easter [C]
John 21:1-19
May 1, 2022

Simon Peter is a total mess. He is impulsive and even perhaps explosive. One time, he tried to remind his Master and thought he was better than Jesus, but immediately, Jesus scolded him and even told him, “get behind me Satan.” At the Gethsemane, Jesus told His disciples that they would desert Him, Simon once again was full of confidence, and said, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” Jesus famously prophesied that Peter would eventually deny Him. Simon immediately countered, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you” [Mat 26:31-35]

Unfortunately, Peter was nothing but empty words and promises. When Jesus was arrested and detained in the high priest’s house, Peter was near the charcoal fire and tried to warm himself on a chilling night. While Jesus was thrown into the dungeon, Simon only care about himself and conveniently refused to acknowledge his identity as Jesus’ disciple. When the rooster crowed, Simon remembered what Jesus has said, and he went away and wept bitterly. Peter’s pride was shattered into pieces, and he must have realized that he was nothing but a big failure.

Indeed, Peter could have ended as a total mess, yet Jesus did not give up on him. In Galilee, Peter once again saw his Risen Master, and Jesus had prepared a charcoal fire and fish and bread. Seeing this charcoal, Peter was brought back to that moment he denied the Lord. Peter had chosen his warm and comfort zone in exchange for the Lord. Then, the Lord asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” John the evangelist informs us that Jesus is using the word ‘agape’, a higher and sacrificial love. This question shook Simon’s heart. Peter remembered how he used to say ‘I will sacrifice my life for Jesus’, but it was nothing but empty words. Now, Jesus demanded sacrificial love from Peter. Humbled by his failure, the best answer Simon could give is, ‘You know, I love you, Lord.” Here, Peter used the word ‘filia,’ a friendship friend.

Once again, Jesus demanded a total and radical love. For the second time, Peter could only offer ‘filia’. Simon did not want to repeat the same prideful mistake and knew at that moment, that Simon could only love Jesus as a friend. However, in the third question, Jesus made a dramatic change. Jesus did not longer demand sacrificial love, but rather accommodate Simon’s ability. Jesus asks, ‘do you love as a friend?’ Peter could not contain himself and was sorrowful. Jesus understood Peter’s heart and capacity and forgave and accepted Simon the way he was. Yet, that’s not the end of the story. Simon’s love for Jesus must grow, and the time would come when Peter would love Jesus radically and give himself up for Jesus.

The story of Peter is our story as well. Our lives have been a mess, but Jesus does not give up on us. And, when we are afraid to love Him, Jesus accepts us still. He journeys with us and enables us to grow in love, until the time we can say, “You know Lord, I love you!”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Second Sunday of Easter [C]
April 24, 2022
John 20:19-31

Pope John Paul II has declared the Second Easter Sunday as the Divine Mercy Sunday. On April 30, 2000, the declaration took place when John Paul II canonized Sr. Faustina Kowalski. Since then, the devotion to the Divine Mercy has grown exponentially worldwide. Nowadays, many of us do not only pray the angelus prayer, but every three in the afternoon, the hour of Jesus’ death, recite the prayer of divine mercy. More and more people make divine mercy chaplet as daily devotion aside from the rosary. Many communities gather together and organize novena to the Divine Mercy. But, do you know what mercy is? And, why does it has to be the 2nd Sunday of Easter?

The Oxford dictionary gives us an exciting definition of mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. A story may illustrate this definition of mercy. During one of the Napoleonic wars, one of the young French soldiers deserted the army and fled the battlefield. Unfortunately, he got captured. Knowing that his son would be executed, the mother rushed to see Napoleon. She said to the general, “have mercy on my son!” Napoleon immediately replied, “your son’s crime is so heinous. Justice demands his death, and he does not deserve mercy.” The mother then answered, “It is not mercy if he deserves it!”.

Let’s go back to the Biblical Hebrew language. Mercy is related to the word ‘rahamim,’ which is rooted in the word ‘Rahim’ meaning ‘womb.’ Thus, ‘rahamim’ implies a mother’s feelings and attitude toward her children. We know that we have hurt our mothers too often if we try to reflect on our lives and our relationship with our mothers. Since we live in their wombs until we grow to adulthood, we give them countless headaches and heartaches. Yet, despite the terrible things we have done, our good mothers keep accepting and loving us as their children.

Then, why the second Sunday of Easter? This Sunday, the Church always selects the story of resurrection from John, the evangelist. There are some exciting details. The disciples locked themselves in the room because of fear of the Jews. Yet, more than fearing the Jewish authorities, they dreaded Jesus, who returned and took His vengeance. Yet, Jesus came not to bring punishment but forgiveness. Thus, the first thing He said was ‘Peace’! They have peace because Jesus, who has the power to inflict punishment, decides to have mercy on them.

Yet, Jesus does not stop there. He also breathed the Holy Spirit and gave them the divine authority to forgive sins. To teach the true meaning of mercy and forgiveness, Jesus has to suffer the cross, die, and get buried. Jesus teaches them that the worst things may fall upon Jesus, but this hatred, wrath, and vengeance will not have the last say.

We deserve death and hell with so many sins we have committed, but the resurrection points to us that however terrible we treat Jesus, mercy will always triumph. His forgiveness is always ready to embrace us. We need to do one thing: beg for that mercy.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno,OP

Easter Sunday [C]
John 20:1-9
April 17, 2022

Jesus has risen! Alleluia! This is the foundation of our faith and our salvation. We know for sure that what Jesus said and what He did for us are true. Death is conquered, and the darkness’ power is decisively defeated.

But, what is the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection? The answer is the empty tomb.
Yet, how do we know for sure that Jesus has indeed risen from the dead? Is an empty tomb enough evidence for His resurrection? Is there a possibility that Jesus’ body was stolen, or Jesus was still alive and was able to escape? Let’s check whether these arguments can hold water.
Firstly, His disciples came at night and stole their master’s body. Then they spread the rumor that Jesus has risen from the dead. At first, this sounds possible, but after closer examinations, we realize that Roman soldiers guarded the tomb. A bunch of fishermen was not just a match for the professional army. At the same time, the disciples were in complete disarray after their master was captured and crucified.

Secondly, the one crucified was not Jesus, which is a case of mistaken identity. This argument is not attainable. Judah played an essential role in ensuring that the one arrested was Jesus, not someone else. Jesus’ trial was done in public, and thus, it was easy to recognize whether the person was Jesus. Plus, the mother and other disciples of Jesus were also present during the crucifixion, and they recognized the one on the cross was Jesus.

Thirdly, Jesus was not dead, and He was able to find His way out of the tomb. This argument is implausible. Jesus was tortured severely and crucified. A soldier pierced His side to verify His death, which alone could deal a mortal blow. Just in case Jesus survived all these ordeals, the tomb would seal Jesus inside, and without proper ventilation and immediate treatment, Jesus would suffocate and die.

Aside from these counterarguments, had Jesus’ resurrection been a lie, it would eventually die down. Many Jewish people believed in the resurrection of the dead, but it will occur at the end of time, not during their lifetime. The Greeks and the Romans thought the idea of resurrection silly. Yet, Jesus’ disciples would gladly die for this truth. Even after horrific forms of torture, they would not give up their belief in the resurrection because it is simply the truth.

Another interesting detail is that the first witnesses of the empty tomb are women. In ancient Jewish society, women’s testimony was not honored. The evangelists could have altered the women’s witnesses with more credible male counterparts. Yet, they did not do that because they could not change the truth that the women were indeed the witnesses of the empty tomb.

There is no other fitting explanation than the resurrection. Jesus has risen, and our faith is not in vain. We have been redeemed, and we know that is true. We rejoice and celebrate for this Jesus’ victory over death.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP