28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 10, 2021
Mark 10:17-27

When the rich man begged for eternal life from Jesus, He mentioned the two most fundamental tenets of the Jewish religion: the ‘Shema’ and the Ten Commandments. Shema is the first Hebrew is ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord alone…” [Deu 6:4]. Shema has become a basic prayer and creedal statement for the Jewish people since Jesus’ time. A good Jew will recite ‘Shema’ at least thrice a day. Jesus slightly modified Shema when He said, “…Only God alone is good.” Jesus also recited the Ten Commandments, at least the second half of it. Jesus emphasized the rich man’s obligations to do good and avoid harm to others.

Jesus seemed to tell the man that living the Shema and doing the Lord’s commandment was what he needed to do to gain eternal life. However, there was an intriguing twist in the story. The rich man said that he had done that since he was young. Now, instead of feeling satisfied with his accomplishment, he felt something remained missing. Despite doing what the Law required and believing in one true God, he did not find what he was honestly longing for. He expected Jesus to give him the answer, the missing link.

Jesus recognized the sincerity of the man and loved him. Jesus offered him the final piece that would solve his life’s puzzle: to follow Jesus. Yet, through His divine wisdom, Jesus was able also to identify one enormous obstacle to follow Jesus and gain eternal life. This man was attached to his wealth. Thus, the solution was to radically detach himself from the wealth, like ‘camel through an eye of a needle.

Is wealth evil? Not at all! Material possessions are good because this too is created by God and God’s blessing. St. Paul reminded us that evil is not the richness itself but the love of money [1 Tim 6:10]. Wealth is good if it serves as a means to an end and not the end itself. Jesus allowed Himself and His ministry to be supported by resourceful men and women.

To follow Jesus means using our wealth to serve God and help others, especially the poor. To follow Jesus means that we recognize that richness is God’s blessing to be shared. To follow Jesus is acknowledging that pursuit of earthly possessions without God is bound to lose God, the source of all wealth.

However, following Jesus and making our other priorities like money, fame, and success as means rather than the end is a radical choice. These earthly possessions often give us an instant pleasure and feeling of security. With a lot of money, we can do what we want and have what we desire. Yet, these pleasures and security are nothing but a mirage. In 2008, the financial crisis hit many countries hard, and many economies collapsed. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded us, “those who seek success, career or money are building on sand.” True, wealth without God is nothing but a ‘sand’.
We seek first the Kingdom of God, and the rest will follow. We follow Jesus first, and the other things will fall into place.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP
photocredit: vince gx

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 3, 2021
Mark 10:2-16

Some people accuse the Church of being old-fashioned because Catholic marriage is a monogamous and permanent union. We are denounced for being insensitive and inflexible to various marriage problems that rock the spouses and demand divorce. The Catholic Church is blamed for the unhappy marriages because we refuse to hear the demands of the post-modern societies.

However, many forget that divorce, adultery, infidelity, and domestic violence are older than Jesus and the Church He founded. These awful things have been taking place since the dawn of humanity. What is old-fashioned and causing unhappiness is nothing but sin. Jesus’ teaching on marriage is radical because He bulldozes various thick walls of sins and returns to the original plan for God.

When the Pharisees tested Jesus and brought up the issue of divorce, they would expect that Jesus would like to take a side either with the conservative view of divorce or the more relaxed one. After all, Moses permitted divorce. Yet, Jesus seized the moment and dropped the bomb. He did not take a side, but He revoked Moses’ permit on divorce. Jesus knew well that Moses had been forced to issue that regulation because of the hardness of hearts.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the original plan of God for men and women. By quoting the Book of Genesis, Jesus taught that man and woman could find true happiness neither in ‘animals’ nor things nor manipulate another man or woman. Jesus, as the creator of marriage, reiterated that only by ‘leaving their father and mother’ and ‘be one with his wife’ can a man be one whole body. This is a powerful language that man and woman can find true wholeness by giving themselves totally to each other.

Monogamous marriage is a divine and human institution to protect and encourage spouses to give their lives entirely and love radically. Husbands are invited to become more mature men and assume the role of protector, provider, and leader. Wives are called to be more loving and to become someone who genuinely nurtures and educates. As they give each other more, the more they grow and the more they rediscover themselves, and the more they find greater joy.

With more mature and loving couples, marriage becomes the best place to grow for our children. It is where they are received, protected, and loved. Here, they learn the first best values in their lives: love, fidelity, justice, commitment, and sacrifice.

Some people say that this kind of marriage is too complicated and too beautiful to be true. Yet, it is pure and simply beautiful. What makes things in marriage complicated and challenging is sin. Domestic violence creates deep and traumatic wounds, and our children may grow as violent adults. Adultery destroys fidelity and trust and forms the children into someone who is distrustful. Divorce injures human relations permanently and leads our children into turmoil.

While it is true that marriage life can be extremely tough, husbands and wives are not never alone. God who calls them into communion will provide the necessary grace. And with God’s grace, even the trials and hardship in marriage can turn into an occasion of love and growth.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
September 26, 2021
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

For Jesus, hell is real. Jesus talks about hell with no hold barred. Jesus is unrestrained to tell what He hates deeply: hell and what causes people to go there. Like His contemporary, Jesus calls this awful reality ‘Gehenna.’ The word Gehenna itself comes from a Hebrew language that means ‘the valley of Hinnom’. What’s impressive, it was a real place located south of Jerusalem. People of Jerusalem and environs would dump their garbage and waste there and burn them. The fire was unquenched, the odor was unbearable, poisonous smoke filled the place, and things were decaying. What was more ominous was the same place had been a place of idolatrous worships and child sacrifices in the Old Testament’s time [2 Kgs 23:10]. Because of these, the prophets cursed the site and gradually became the epitome of a damned place.

Jesus used two powerful symbolism to explain what took place there: “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” Some thought these two things were happening in hell, but the Church recognizes that these imageries speak deeper. Worms are animals that are mainly responsible for the body’s decomposition. Inside the tomb, the worms feast on the dead body. Fire surely can be excellent and beneficial, but fire can also be the source of destruction and pain. If in Gehenna, these worms do not die and fire does not cease, this symbolizes perpetual corruption and misery.

Jesus loathed hell because it was diametrically opposed to God and His plan. If heaven is the union with God, then hell is the separation with God. If there is one thing that cuts our relationship with God is sin. Thus, no wonder that Jesus was furious with those who cause others to sin and our tendencies to evil. Jesus precisely came to the world to save us from hell, but if we deliberately sin against God, then we render His crucifixion and death useless.

Jesus uses the metaphor of amputation to save our souls from sin. Jesus teaches us that sins are like gangrenous wounds that will gradually spread throughout the body and destroy it entirely. It may start with small things, but it slowly grows big. A drastic measure has to be taken to save a life. We need to cut it before it goes wild and uncurable. What makes this sin even heinous is not only gangrenous but also highly contagious. Innocent yet spiritually weak may quickly get infected. No wonder Jesus is even more indignant with people who spread these spiritual diseases.

We need to cut it with true repentance and humble recognition that we are sinners. We escape hell by saying no to ourselves daily and saying yes to God. We return to grace by asking God’s mercy and His forgiveness in sacramental confession. We heal our wounds through a life of humble prayers. We start our journey to heaven by carrying our crosses daily and by loving deeply and truly.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
September 19, 2021
Mark 9:30-37

Among many animal species, human infants are the most vulnerable. After birth, some animals can survive on their own and even go hunting. Human babies left by themselves will surely die. The little children depend on their parents, and their weak bodies are the most susceptible to various illnesses. Without balanced nutrition and proper medical treatment, infants will not grow into perfect maturity but will experience stunted growth, develop chronic sicknesses, and even die early. Being an infant and a little child is the weakest stage of human development.

Without enough care and protection from adults, children may fall victim to domestic violence and various abuses. Young boys and girls have to miss education and work in dangerous places without enough rest and payment. Some even were abducted and sold into slavery or became sex slaves. In war-torn areas, the boys are recruited into child soldiers and forced to commit atrocities and murders.

Our world surely has improved and become a better place for children. With national and global efforts to combat child abuses, we hope that our children will grow into a better version of our generation. Now, let us go back to the time of Jesus. We can imagine that conditions were a lot worse for children. The infant mortality rate was extremely high, and children with stunted growth were numerous. We can also imagine many children lost their parents early due to famine, disasters, and wars. Many had to wield a sword and either kill or be killed. Worst among all, children were caught and sacrificed to the false gods. These were the worst time to live for children.

Thus, Jesus’ gesture to welcome and embrace little children is a revolutionary. Jesus’ instruction to His disciples that they need to receive and serve children in His name is radical. The disciples do not truly serve others until they serve the weakest link of our society. Jesus Himself understood how it was to become a little one. He was part of a low-income family of Joseph and Mary. He was born in a dirty cave full of animals. He experienced being weak and vulnerable at the hands of Mary and Joseph. Perhaps, little Jesus occasionally got hungry because Joseph might not bring enough food. Perhaps, Jesus had to help his foster father as a carpenter at an early age. Thus, Jesus boldly taught that to welcome a little child is to welcome Him.

This radical teaching has a great implication. The Church firmly teaches the sanctity of life and defends the lives of little children, even the unborn. Following the teaching of Jesus, we strongly oppose abortions or the killing of babies. Since the beginning, many religious men and women have built shelters for orphans and cared for their educations. Many also are involved directly in tracking and exposing child trafficking. More than that, the Church is putting a lot her effort into forming and protect the Christian families and preparing men and women to become fathers and mothers because we believe family is the best place to welcome children and ensure their upbringing.

To accept little children is to accept Jesus, and to love these little ones is to love Christ.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]
September 12, 2021
Mark 8:27-35

We encounter another Jesus’ hard saying. Jesus gathered His disciples and other people who wished to follow Him and said at least three conditions if they committed to Him and His mission. These three are “deny yourselves, carry your crosses and follow Me!” These requirements are genuinely challenging and demanding for all Jesus’ disciples from every age and place. Yet, what do these conditions mean for Jesus’ first followers?

The first condition is to deny ourselves. This means to say no to ourselves, but what does it mean for Peter, James, John, and those who listened to Jesus for the first time? Considering the historical context, many Jesus’ disciples and followers expected Him to be the Messiah-like King David, a brilliant general, a politically dominant king. Jesus would march against the Roman forces and triumphantly trample them. Yet, Jesus introduced Himself as the Messiah who would suffer and die. Therefore, those who wanted to follow Him must say no to the very ideal and expectation they held dear, not to the initial reason they look for Jesus.

The second condition is to carry their crosses. This usually means that we need to endure various hardships and sacrifices in following Jesus faithfully. However, for Simon, Andrew, and the rest of the disciples, the cross had no other meaning but to face one of the most gruesome capital punishments in human history. They literally must die in horrible ways in following Jesus.

The third condition is to follow Jesus. This ordinary means that we must not only say we believe in Jesus, but we need to live up also to His teachings and commandments. Jesus told his disciples on another occasion, “But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation [Luk 6:49].” However, for Matthew, Philip, and His other first disciples, following Jesus means walking with Jesus toward Jerusalem. In this city, Jesus would confront the Jewish authorities and the Roman colonizers and have a final showdown with the forces of darkness. To follow Jesus means that the disciples began their way of the cross.

Basically, Jesus was asking His disciples to offer their lives and die. This is a crazy demand, yet what more insane is that His disciples literally followed Him. They gave up the idea of the triumphalist Messiah and embraced Jesus as the suffering servant of the Lord. They decided to travel with Jesus to Jerusalem and witnessed how their Master crucified and died. Finally, they carried their crosses and faced horrible deaths. Simon Peter and Andrew were nailed on the cross like their Teacher, and the rest shared the same lot. How is this impossible?

The answer is that though Jesus’ demands are almost humanly impossible, God gives necessary grace to fulfill these conditions. As the Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness [2 Cor 12:9].” Without supernatural help, our frail humanity will stand a chance. If then, the apostles who relied on God’s grace could offer the lives for Christ and attain eternal life, it is now our turn to allow God’s grace to work in us so God may do great wonders in us, and we finally receive the fullness of life.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP