Category: English

Mary’s Fiat

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]

December 20, 2020

Luke 1:28-36

Christmas is fast approaching, and the Church is inviting us to reflect on the story of the Annunciation. Allow me to once more focus on the Blessed Virgin’s Fiat. To appreciate her answer to God’s will and plan, we need to see at least two things. Firstly, it is her historical and social context. Secondly, it is the language analysis of her response.

Mary was a young girl. According to tradition, she was around 13 or 14 years old when she got married. For many of us, living in urban settings, Mary’s marriage was remarkably too early. But, this kind of practice was nothing but expected. Lives were hard, and many people died too young due to sickness, famine, calamity, or wars. To sustain a healthy number of populations, young girls were prepared for the duty of motherhood.

Mary was betrothed to Joseph from the family of David. In the Jewish community, betrothal is the first formal step in a Jewish marriage. The exchange of vows was done in this betrothal. Mary and Joseph were spouses in the eye of Jewish law and society, except for the intimate relationship. The couple had to wait around one year before the bride moved to the house prepared by the groom from the betrothal. Usually, there was a light procession from the bride’s original place to the new house, where the wedding ceremony and reception would occur.

Legally, Mary was Joseph’s wife, and if something wrong happened, it was judged to be adultery. The Law of Moses abhors adultery since it reflects Israel’s infidelity toward Yahweh, breaking the sacred covenant. Thus, for those who were unfaithful, severe punishment awaited them. In Deu 20:22, the Torah explicitly stated that if a betrothed woman commits adultery, she and the man shall be stoned to death.  As a good Jew, Mary was aware of this terrible consequence when archangel Gabriel announced the glad tiding. If she gave her affirmation, she might face certain, untimely death. Nobody would believe her if she tried to defend her supernatural virginal conception. “She must be insane!” some would say. However, despite this imminent horrible future, Mary accepted her mission.

Now, why did she say her Fiat? I used to think that Mary’s fiat is about surrendering everything to God.  She did not understand, but her faith enabled her to trust in God’s providence. In the face of ominous dangers, to have this kind of faith is extremely remarkable. However, as I read more about this Fiat, I discover that Mary’s Fiat is more than an act of self-surrender. The Greek word used by Mary is “genomai.” This word is rather special because it expresses not an act of submission but an act of longing. This tiny detail spells the great difference. Mary did not just submit to the will of God, but she longed to do it. She was not passively accepting her fate but rather proactively fulfilling God’s plan in her. There were no traces of fear, doubt, and worry. Her yes was driven by passion, hope, and eagerness. Despite bleak tomorrow, she knew that she was about to depart into an unimaginably amazing journey. For her, the Lord’s plan is always the best and the only way to reach our utmost potential.

Do we have what it takes to have Mary’s Fiat?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

photocredit: Phil hearing

Rejoice Always!

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Gaudete Sunday. 3rd Sunday of Advent [B]

December 13, 2020

John 1:6-8, 19-28

This Sunday is special. We are still in the season of Advent, and yet we see a different liturgical color. It is a rose color [not pink!]. This beautiful color symbolizes joy and hope, and it is in line with the spirit of the third Sunday of Advent, the Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin word meaning “Rejoice!” The name is rooted in the introit or the opening antiphon of the Mass, from Phil 4:4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near” In the second reading, St Paul reiterates the motif, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. [1 The 5:16].”

Yet, the real question is, “Is the Church too naïve in inviting us to rejoice in these difficult times?” This deadly and fast-spreading virus covid-19 has devastated practically the entire planet. While it does not physically destroy the earth like a nuclear bomb, it does kill countless people. It slows down the economy and forces many governments, even the strongest, to panic and struggle. The number of victims keeps increasing, and there is no sign of abating. Indeed, we are going to have a different experience of Christmas this year. Indeed, covid-19 is not the only thing that makes our day so bad. Personal issues, family problems, conflicts in the community, and many other things are still haunting our lives. How do you expect us to rejoice? If we examine the words of St. Paul in 1 Thes 5:16, we discover that to rejoice is not an option, but God’s will for us! It gives us more reason to ask how it is possible?

The key is to understand joy neither as a simple absence of pain nor bodily and emotional pleasure. The Greek word is “kaire” and Angel Gabriel uses the same word to address Mary [Luk 1:28]. If we look at the life of Mary, she does not have a fairy-tale-kind life. Her life will turn upside-down, a sword will pierce her soul, and she will see her son die on the cross. Nothing pleasurable and sensational about that! Yet, she says, “My spirit rejoices in God my savior [Luk 1:47]! Mary is able to discover something precious despite tons of ugly things in her life. She discovers Jesus.

In 1 The 5:16, rejoice cannot be separated from unceasing prayer and giving thanks in all circumstances. That is another key. Through prayer, we are connected to God, and in prayer, we learn to see God and His plan in our lives. Sometimes, we can only see good things in good time, but the Gospel has told us the opposite: there is God in the dirty manger, and even there is God on the horrible cross. When we see God in these broken pieces of lives, we cannot but give thanks. And, when we are always grateful, we are inspired to rejoice.  That is the spirit of Christmas, and we are trained in the school of Gaudete Sunday.

 

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

 

Mark and His Gospel

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Second Sunday of Advent [B]

December 6, 2020

Mark 1:1-8

On the second Sunday of Advent, we are reading from the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. After all, 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 characters and emphasis.

Mark is action-oriented Gospel. It immediately starts with a 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 Gerasene demoniac story [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 John Mark, a companion of Paul and Barnabas in their missionary journey. Still, unfortunately, Mark became 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, in the early second century, Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, 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

photocredit: samantha-sophia

Sign of Hope

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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 travelling abroad. In ancient times, travelling 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 travelling 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 travellers. Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, knew well how punishing travelling 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

photocredit: joanna kosinka

King of Mercy

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

November 22, 2020

Matthew 25:31-46

To be the 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

photocredit: robert nyman

The Master’s Trust

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33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 15, 2020

Matthew 25:14-30

The original meaning of talent is not God’s given ability, but a unit of weight and value, normally gold and silver. More importantly, talent is a huge amount of money. One talent is equal to around six thousand denarii. If one denarius is the wage of ordinary daily labor, one talent means six thousand days of works or approximately seventeen to twenty years of work.

To seek the value of this parable, we need to discover the surprising twists in the story. This time, I would like to invite you all to focus on the master of the servants. The master is giving a total of 8 talents to his three servants [literally slaves]. If we pause a moment, we begin to realize how fantastic amount of money they receive. The act of giving presupposes either two things: either the master is unimaginable rich that he does not care really about these talents, or he is utterly generous and trusting. I believe it is the second reason.

To entrust these talents entails grave risks. One possibility is that the servants may fail in their trading, and thus, the master may lose his money. Another chance is the servants may run away with talents, and therefore, the master may lose both his money and his servants. Yet, despite these nightmarish possibilities, the master is firm in his decision. He trusts his servants, and it pays off. Except for his lazy servant, the master earns double!

From this, we learn a precious lesson. The best way to expand our talent is by sharing it with others. The usual way to develop our talents is by practicing it often. However, this method does not bring us exponential growth. Yet, by sharing the talents, the possibility of growth is unimaginable. Yet again, the parable is not simply about talents, but the relationship between the master and the servants, on the trust and faith of the master and gratitude of the servants. Indeed, the ability to recognize the master’s trust produces gratitude, and gratitude propels the servants to do their best.

One probable reason that the servant becomes lazy is that he fails to recognize his master’s trust and focuses on the smallness of his talent. Ironically, one talent is still a huge amount of wealth! Thus, instead of gratitude, envy creeps in, and laziness prevails. We also notice that the servant is not losing the talent, but he still receives the punishment. Though the talent is not missing, the trust of the master has been lost. And when this trust’s lost, everything is lost.

Learning from this parable, we are called to have that ability to recognize God’s “trust” and love in us. Different talents we have are just a simple manifestation of this love. Slaves as we are, we do not deserve anything from God, but God has given us superabundantly. From this realization, only gratitude shall naturally flow. But, if we miss the point, we may fall into many other sins: envy, anger, slander, or simply laziness. Again, it is not about the talents we have, but the trust and love God has in us.

 

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

 

Foolish Virgins

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32nd 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

Called for Holiness

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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.

All Saints pray for us!

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

photocredit: grant witty

 

The Commandments

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30th 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

photo: josh Appel

Caesar or God?

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29th 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