31st Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 30,
Luke 19:1-10

In time of Jesus, tax collector is considered a grave sinner because they are colluding with the Roman occupiers, and often, they are involved in various dirty activities to enrich themselves. On the top of that, the tax collectors tend not to observe the laws of Moses as often, they work on Sabbath. Now, Zacchaeus is the chief tax collector of important city Jericho. Indeed, he is one of the richest guys in town, but at the same time, the most hated person.

Luke also describes Zacchaeus as ‘short’ in stature. The Greek word is ‘μικρὸς’ (mikros), that simply means ‘small’. Zacchaeus is a small man. We do not know how small he is, but he is not tall enough for the average Jewish men at that time. Thus, when Jesus passes by, he is not able to overcome the heights of other Jewish people swarming Jesus. He then takes the initiative to climb a tree, and to his surprise, Jesus takes notice of him. It seems that Jesus has been waiting for him. In the end, it is not Zacchaeus that is looking for us, but Jesus is the one searching Zacchaeus, one of His lost sheep.

There are several things to ponder. If Zacchaeus is truly rich and powerful figure, why don’t he hire some bodyguards as to open the way to Jesus? Why don’t he send someone to invite Jesus? He has the power and wealth to facilitate his way to Jesus, but he chooses the more arduous way, that is, to climb the sycamore tree. The real answer remains mystery, but by climbing the tree, he finds his Lord and salvation. Interestingly, what Zacchaeus does, prefigures what Jesus will do in Jerusalem. He will ‘climb’ the tree of the cross, and from there, He brings redemption to whole world.

If Adam and Eve ate the fruits of the forbidden tree because they were tempted to take the shortcut and be like ‘god’, Jesus, the true God, carries the tree of the cross, ‘climbs’ the tree and from the tree, He gives us His life for our redemption. Zacchaeus follows the footsteps of Jesus, and climbs the tree to overcome his smallness and finds his God. Like Zacchaeus who discovers that the Lord has been waiting for him, we are also invited to climb our trees, to see our Lord who has been giving His life for us.

What is our tree? This can be the tree of sufferings and trials. This may be financial instabilities, health problems, difficult relations in the family, or failures in life. These things make us feel that we are small, short, and crammed, and worse, unable to see Jesus. Yet, if we are faithfully carrying the life’s trials, and spiritually unite our sufferings with the suffering of Christ in the cross, we believe that it would not be useless. Jesus is on the tree of the cross, and He is waiting for those, like Zacchaeus, makes humble effort to climb the tree.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 23, 2022
Luke 18:9-14

In the communication, there are three constitutive elements: the sender, the medium and the recipient. Arguably, the most crucial among the three is the recipient because everything changes when the recipient changes. For example, we cannot speak the same way to children as to old people, though we talk the same topic. It is the same with prayer. If prayer is a communication with God, then the kind of God we have in mind, will dramatically affect our prayer. If we consider God as our loving father, then we can approach Him as his children with confidence. If we see God as an instant troubleshooter, we may seek Him only if we have problems. Now, pride or arrogance is one of the deadliest sins precisely because it destroys the true image of God in our hearts. How is it possible?

Jesus masterfully explains the relation between prayer, pride and humility through His parable. The parable looks simple, but as always, there is more than what meets the eyes. Jesus compares two well-known figures in ancient Israel, the righteous Pharisee, and the sinful tax collector. Both are praying in the Temple, though in opposite manners: the Pharisee in prideful fashion, and the tax collector in humble way. But, how do you know that the Pharisee prays with pride, and the tax collector with humility?

It is not because he is standing closer to the altar. It is not because he is listing the good things he has done or received. The problem lays on the receipt of his prayer. If we read carefully, he is actually praying ‘to himself’. In some translations, this is not obvious, but if we go back to original Greek, the phrase used is ‘πρὸς ἑαυτὸν’ [pros eauton], and it simply means ‘to himself’. We all well know that we pray and worship God alone, but here, the Pharisee prays to himself. Thus, we can infer that the god of this Pharisee is no other than himself. The core issue with pride is that make ourselves as gods. In truth, we were created in the image of God, but in pride, we fashion god in our images. That is idolatry. Pride is extremely dangerous because it leads us to idolatry.

The tax collector became the model of humility because he prays to the one and true God. Standing before the true God, he recognizes who he is, a mere dust, a terrible sinner. Yet, it is not hopeless, because in humility, the tax collector also realizes who his God is, the just and merciful God. He goes home justified because neither because he is standing at the back, nor he strikes his chest as strongly as possible. It is because he prays for mercy to the true God, and the true God never fails to answer.

Some points of reflections: Indeed, we pray to God, but is He the true God? Or, do we pray to ourselves, to a god we created in our likeness and desire? What kind of image of God do we have in our hearts? Do we make God as our kind of genie that grants all our wishes? Do we use God to show off? Does pride secretly interferes in our prayers and relationship with God? Do we have the humility to throw away our false idols, and allow the true God reigns in our lives?

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 16, 2022
Luke 18:1-9

Jesus gives us a powerful lesson through his parable of a persevering widow and the wicked judge. Initially the judge had no interest whatsoever to the request of the widow, since widow was one of the weakest and poorest groups in ancient societies. Yet, the widow was extremely persistent and would not stop until her request for justice was rendered. The judge eventually gave in and granted the plea.

Jesus once again employed the teaching technique of His time, “Kal V’homer” (literally, light and heavy). Simply put, this method compares and contrasts two things. What applies in a less important case will certainly apply in a more important one. Thus, Jesus taught that if the terrible judge can eventually do good because of the widow’s perseverance, the more God will do infinitely good for those who hope and approach Him.

In this reflection, we will not only explore the ‘why’ we need to pray persistently, but also, on ‘how’ we can persevere in prayer. Surprisingly, the answer can be found in our first reading. The Church gives us the story of the Israelites battling the Amalekites (Exo 17:8-13). Amalek was an ancient nomadic tribe living in Sinai region in time of Exodus, and as Israelites passed their area, Amalek decided to wage war. As an act of self-defense, Moses sent Joshua and his men to battle the Amalek, and to ensure the victory, Moses would pray and intercede for them. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. However, the battle lasted the whole day, and naturally Moses grew tired. Thus, to sustain his prayers, his companions, Aaron and Hur, decided to support his hands until the victory was achieved.

From here, we discover that when our prayer seems unanswered, it does not mean there is nothing at all. Like the Isreal had the upper hand, when Moses prayed, though it was still far from the victory, so also something good is happening when we keep praying, though we do not see the result yet. St. Augustine once wrote to Proba, “[He] wants us rather to exercise our desire through our prayers, so that we may be able to receive what He is preparing to give us. His gift is very great indeed, but our capacity is too small and limited to receive it.”

Then, how will we persevere in prayers? As Aaron and Hur supported Moses in his prayer, often we also need a support system or a community. This wisdom is coming from our human nature, as social being. Thus, Jesus calls us not only as individual, but also Church, an community of believers. Since the beginning, we pray and worship as one community, and this is one of the reasons why the Church continues to grow despite so many persecutions. Surely, we can pray alone, but as we get tired and see no result, good companions in prayers will make things bearable. A man has a sacred duty to lead his family in daily prayer, and the task can be burdensome, but if his wife encourages and accompanies him, the holy obligation can be source of joy.

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 9, 2022
Luke 17:11-19

Who is this one leper that returned to Jesus to give thanks after he knew that he was healed? We never know the answer because like many other characters in the Bible, this person is nameless. The only information we had is that he was a Samaritan leper. What does it mean to be a Samaritan as well as a leper in time of Jesus? And why did he went back to Jews, while the other nine did not?

We have to remember that Jesus instructed to the lepers to go the Jewish priests. Why to a priest? According to the Law of Moses, the priest has the authority to declare someone clean from leper and allow them to return to the community [See Lev 13]. As the lepers went to see a priest, they were miraculously healed. One of them, a Samaritan, immediately returned to Jesus and as he put his face to the ground, he thanked Jesus. Why only one Samaritan? Precisely because he is a Samaritan. As a Samaritan, he has no obligation to see a Jewish priest, while the other nine, eager to be reintegrated into their families and community, sought the priest first. Yet, there is one deeper truth that we must not miss: this Samaritan bended his knees before Jesus, a Jewish man.

Simply put, Samaritans and Jews were bitter enemies. Though Samaritans and the Jews worshiped the same God of Israel, yet they truly hated each other. Each claimed to be the true Israel, while denounced the other as heretics. Despite having one God, they refused to share the common place of worship, let alone the common place to stay. Since the kingdom of David was torn into two, the Jewish and Samaritan have shared the bloody histories of enmity and violence. The Samaritan dan the Jewish have become the reflections of humanity’s dark side: how people can hate each other and do harm to others because of racial, economic, religious and ideological differences.

By healing both the Jews and the Samaritan, Jesus shows Himself not only as the Saviour of the Jews, but to those who seek Him and have faith in Him. Surely, the nine lepers have faith in Jesus. Yet, greater faith is needed for the Samaritan leper to kneel and admit that his Saviour is a Jewish man. With profound humility comes the great faith. True humility enables him to seek God first, rather than his personal needs and biases, the Healer first, rather the healings. This humility empowers him to set aside all his hatred and prejudices, and bow before Jesus, a Jewish man. While faith may have cured physical disease, humility heals the spiritual leprosy.

The Samaritan leper becomes a point of reflection for all of us. Do we come to the Church because primarily we look for the healing or solutions to our problems, or we seek God? Do we worship Jesus because we feel good and happy about it, or because we do justice to God? What is lacking in us is often not faith, but humility. The humility to see that everything is from God, the humility to put God first before our needs, the humility to make things move according to His plan, not our designs.

Roma
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
October 2, 2022
Luke 17:5-10

Jesus says if we have faith as big as mustard seed, we will be able to command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and be replanted in the sea. What does it really mean? When fully grown, mulberry tree is a huge plant with sturdy trunk and limbs, as well as a spreading and deep roots. To uproot is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Yet, Jesus’ words are not only uprooting the tree, but replanting it, not in other fertile soil, but at the ocean! Thus, simply put, to have faith, even a small one, enable us to do the impossible. What are the impossible things that now become possible because of faith?

Nowadays, there is a growing trend to understand faith as an immediate problem solver. Thus, to have to faith means that we will be healed from our grave illness and our problems will be immediately solved. To have faith means we are going to pass our financial crisis. Then, the logic is that if we are still sick or struggling with the same problems, we are lacking faith, or even have no faith all together.

I remember a story of a sick man who sought help of a religious leader. The leader prophesied that the man would be healed of his illness in the following week. Yet, after one week passed, the expected healing did not come. Then, the man complained to the leader that he remained sick. The leader immediately countered, “you lack faith! Have more faith, and you will be healed!”

This kind concept of faith is incomplete and even dangerous. Faith is heavily equated with personal desire and emotional conviction. The greater the conviction we feel and exert, the greater the faith, and the greater the faith, the greater the possibility we get what we want. This is dangerous in several ways. Firstly, this kind of faith is now about us, humans, and what we desire, and not about God and His plan for us. Secondly, this kind of faith makes us proud when we get what we want, but we blame ourselves if we do not achieve it. Too much blaming either makes us depressed or abandon God altogether. Thirdly, for some irresponsible ‘religious leaders’, this kind of faith may become a tool of manipulation and means to increase richness and popularity.

Though emotional conviction is important part of faith, but true faith goes beyond that. Faith includes intellectual quest for the Truth. Faith is also commitment to do God’s will and laws. Faith also means to trust in God’s presence in times we do not emotionally encounter Him. Faith allows us to believe in God’s providence even though we are struggling with various problems.

Going back to our initial question: What are the impossible things that now become possible because of faith? Indeed, God often does miracles of healing in our lives, yet God’s plan for us is even greater: spiritual healing from sins. Truly, Jesus can calm the storms, yet His mission is “to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many [Mar 10:45].” Yes, God can bring back dead people to life, but God’s real will is that we resurrect into eternal life.

Roma
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
September 25, 2022
Luke 16:19-31

One of the main characters of Luke is that he tends to be ‘pro-poor’ and harsh towards the rich. This can be easily seen in the various teachings and parables of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. One of the highlights is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Yes, this rich man ended up in a bad place. Now, the question is, “Why was Luke so hard on the rich? Did Luke hate people who have great wealth?”

Let’s take a closer look at today’s parable. Poor Lazarus went to restful place with Abraham, while the rich man went to the place of torment. Yes, the rich man is the villain, and there is no other place for him, but a place of punishment. Certainly, this rich man was punished not because he had enormous wealth, or that he did anything evil. Even though he had great wealth, wore extravagant purple garment, and partied every day, he didn’t lift any finger to help suffering Lazarus. He was in a place of torture because he refused to help his fellow man. The core lesson is that it is not enough to avoid doing evil to others, but we also need to do good to others.

Even more interesting is if we look at the bigger picture of Luke’s Gospel. At first, Luke dedicated his gospel to Theophilus. Who is this Theophilus? We are not entirely sure, but one interesting theory is that Theophilus was a rich man who supported Luke. At that time, production of a book required enormous resources. Papyrus and parchment alone were rare and expensive, not to mention other expenses. Luke may not have been able to fulfill his gospel writing assignment due to a lack of resources, but Theophilus then came to the rescue, so that we now have the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

However, despite the tremendous help of Theophilus, the rich guy, Luke did not make his Gospel to please Theophilus. Luke did not write the parable of the rich man going to heaven, or teach, “Blessed are the materially rich, for they will become richer.” Luke still wrote what had to be written, the parable of the rich man who went to the place of fire. The question remains: Why was Luke so bold?

The first reason is that Luke did convey the authentic teaching of Jesus, and for that reason, he could not change it to please some people. However, the second reason is that Luke wanted to wisely point out that Theophilus is the opposite of the rich man in the parable. Unlike a rich man who kept his great fortune to himself and ended up losing everything, Theophilus freely and generously shared his wealth to support the writing of the gospel, and ultimately, he got the most important thing in his life, Jesus Christ.

Through these parables and other teachings of Jesus, Luke constantly reminds us of the dangers and (also function) of worldly riches. Wealth is always a means, and not an end in itself. Failure to see this can endanger our souls. However, when wealth is seen as both a blessing and a means to do good, it can help us grow in holiness. We must learn from the rich man in the parable as well as from Theophilus.

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C]
August 7, 2022
Luke 12:32-48

Jesus teaches us how to build the heavenly purse and to gain eternal treasure, and it is by giving up our earthly wealth in almsgiving. There is a real connection between worldly possessions and heavenly treasure. Yet, the relation is not linear. The more generous we are with , the bigger our heavenly treasure chest, and the bigger eternal treasure we receive. The principle is simple, but the practice is often extremely tough. There are several reasons for this.

The first reason is the ‘possessive mentality’. We say, “wealth is hard earned, and why should I share it to others.” It is true that many of us work hard and often sacrifice a lot in the process. Because we earn them, we should be the one who keep and spend them. To let someone else to easily have our money or possessions just does not feel right. While it is true that we have the right to spend our hard-earned wealth the way we want it, this right is not absolute. We need to remember that eventually everything we have here including our lives and possessions are God’s gifts. Since our wealth is a gift we receive, we shall pass it forward also as gift to those who need it.

The second reason, related to the first one, is giving our possessions to others is hurting us. As we earn money and acquire things for ourselves, we begin to believe that these are mine, we possess these things. Yet, in reality, our possessions ‘possess’ us. We become attached to them, and to let them go turns to be difficult and hurting us. Our wealth gives us comfort, security and pleasures, and all that give us pleasure is potentially addictive. When we are addicted to our wealth, the harder it is to share. Yet, to overcome the addiction, the more we need to let go. Thus, the pain of giving is natural consequence of healing from greed.

The third reason is that we tend to be suspicious of others. We have this mindset that people are poor or are asking our help because they are lazy, or these persons are just going to scam us. While the idea contains certain degree of veracity, the reality is more complex. For one reason or another, some people just stumble upon terrible situations, and they need it our help. Some people were born in miserable conditions, and nothing they do can alleviate their misery. Some people just do know how to help themselves. While it is true that they are people who do not deserve our charity, but it does not mean all people who are in need are fake. Here, we need to be prudent rather than to stop helping all together.

Jesus concludes His teaching beautifully, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also [Luk 12:34].” If our treasure, our ambition, our goal of life is earthly possessions, our hearts, our souls, and our lives will stay on earth. When the earth passes, we will pass also with it. Yet, if our treasure, our priority, our end of life is heavenly gifts, our hearts and our souls will move also to eternal life.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]
July 31, 2022
Luke 12:13-21

Jesus is reminding us about the danger of greed. The word greed in New Testament Greek is πλεονεξία [pleorexia]. The root word is ‘pleora’ and it means ‘full’ or ‘abundant’. Certainly, there is no problem with fullness or abundance. Yet, the word ‘pleorexia’ also includes the ending ‘-xia’, and this ending signifies a problem. Like the word ‘anorexia’ that indicates eating disorder to the point of starving oneself, so ‘pleorexia’ is also a serious disorder. It is sickness in relation to abundance. Unfortunately, unlike anorexia that is recognized as illness that must be treated and healed, greed is considered a normal behaviour and sometimes, celebrated.

In our materialistic world, we are brainwashed that the purpose of life is to have more, to achieve more, and to conquer more. The more you have, the more successful you are as a modern man. Afterall, to possess a lot of money and belongings make our lives easier and pleasurable. Our societies and economics are designed to favour those who have more and can spend more. When we have money to spend, we may enjoy VIP treatments in many places from an exclusive nativity ward to an high-end burial place. To have more also means prestige and popularity. We are wearing branded yet excessively expensive cloths, and using latest gadgets. All these are to show that we are prestigious ones. As we can see, the way of the societies operate makes us believe that greed is normal and in fact, desirable treat.

Jesus reminds His disciples that one’s life is not about possessions, and He reveals the true nature of greed: it is disorder. From the parable of the foolish rich man, Jesus uncovers the disease that many of us are afflicted from. The desire to have possessions as well as be blessed with abundance are not evil in itself because as long as we live in this world, we need this earthly goods. The problem comes when we desire them excessively or seek them as the end of our lives. Why do we desire them excessively? It goes back to our own fallen ego. Like our first parents who desired to possess the forbidden fruits for themselves, we also seek earthly goods for our benefits and pleasures.

Any disorder or illness needs to be treated and healed. The first step is to recognize that we are plagued by this greed. Like any illness, if we do not see greed as problem, we simply see it as normal and refuse to treat it. The second level is to pray to God for healing. The root of greed is our fallen nature, thus, we need God’s grace to heal our wounded souls. Third step is to make a habit to thank the Lord for all the earthly blessings we receive. We recognize that all things come from God and go back to Him. When God bless us with this earthly goods, we remember that these are means for our salvation and His glory.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 24, 2022
Luke 11:1-13

Luke tells us that the prayer ‘Our Father’ comes from Jesus’ mouth because His disciples are requesting Him to teach them to pray. Why do they ask this kind of request? As Jewish people, prayer has to their daily routine. Good Jewish man and woman would recite ‘Shema’ prayer at least twice day. During Sabbath, they would gather in the local synagogues to pray and read the Torah. For those living in Jerusalem, praying, and offering sacrifice in the Temple are their daily pious habit. Then, why are they still asking Jesus how to pray?

The first reason is that they observe that their Teacher is a prayerful person. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus prays often and has a prayer habit. After whole-day teaching and healing, He would go to a secluded place and pray. The disciples may be curious on what Jesus’ prayer is. The second reason is that Jesus’ disciples hear that John the Baptist teaches his followers to pray. If John instructs his disciples on prayer, why not Jesus? Afterall, Jesus is greater than John the Baptist. Jesus gladly grants the desire of His disciples, and He teaches them on what to prayer [the Our Father] and how to pray [to relate God as our loving Father].

For many of us, prayer is something taken for granted. We pray everyday, and in different moments in our lives. On the top of that, we have also personal devotions like rosary, divine mercy chaplet, visiting the adoration chapel, and many others. Surely, we go to the Church every Sunday to pray and worship God. Prayer is just instinctive and natural to us.

However, if prayer and relation to God is natural to us, why do we need to ask the Lord to teach us to pray? Though prayer and reaching out to God is part of our nature, we still do not have a clue how to approach God properly. In prayers, we ask God almost everything. We request for good health, successful careers, protection from dangers, even for the right spouse. But, do we ever ask the Lord that we will be able to pray well and pleasing to God. Before we ask for anything else, our first prayer is to ask the Lord to teach us to pray according to His will.

The reason why we get disappointed, angry and even give up in praying to God is that we pray the wrong way. We may believe prayer is just another instant way to get we want, or prayer is a means to bribe God. Perhaps, we see God as a game master, and we see prayers as coupons. The many the coupons, the better the prize. Sometimes, we forget to pray to the true God, but simply to our personal idea and reflections of god.

Jesus invites His disciples to understand prayer in the right way. It is a relationship with a loving and wise Father. He knows what we need and what we want, and these things He will give according to His wisdom. God desires us to approach Him in prayer because He seeks loving and intimate union with us. He is ready to bestow the greatest gift for those who seek, the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of holiness and the gift of friendship with God.

Do we ask the Lord to teach us to pray? Do we desire what God desires? Do we knock for the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP