Category: English

To Honor the King

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28th 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

Keeping the Gift

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 4, 2020

Matthew 21:33-43

The vineyard owner in today’s parable is extraordinary. He knows that the tenants are greedy and corrupt, and if I had been the owner, I would have expelled the tenants right away. Yet, this owner is doing the opposite. He keeps sending His envoys and pleading with them, to the point of giving his own son, the true heir. This vineyard owner must be crazy! Yet, that is how much merciful, and patient God is. However, that is not the end of the story. The thing is if we keep abusing God’s mercy, His justice will eventually prevail.

When Jesus was speaking about the vineyard, the context was Jesus was confronting the elders and chief priest. Instead of serving the people, they chose to seek their gains and thus, involved in various corrupt practices. Jesus reminded them that the vineyard would be taken away if they did not repent.  Unfortunately, they were too greedy and proud. Thus, they opted to get rid of Jesus, the Son of God. The history tells us that in 70 AD, around 40 years after Christ, Jerusalem was burned, and the Temple was razed to the ground.

Unfortunately, the story of the gift given and gift taken away is one of the basic patterns in the Bible. Adam and Eve given the privilege of the garden of Eden, yet they offended the Lord, and they lost the paradise. People of Israel were liberated from the land of Egypt, but in the wilderness, they kept complaining and even worshipping false gods. Therefore, they had to die in the desert, and only their children were allowed to enter. The Israelites have received the land and built a powerful kingdom under David, but they kept sinning and forgetting the Lord, and thus, the kingdom was destroyed, and the people were exiled.

God has given each of us, something special, a precious gift. And we should take care of and protect this gift, and we shall not test the Lord. Otherwise, this gift will be taken away from us.

Faith is a gift. Faith is our first step to heaven. Yet, we have to grow our faith, to nourish it with true teachings of the Church and growing relationship with the Lord. We must defend it not only from false teachings but also from our laziness and mediocrity. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to priesthood and brotherhood is a gift. It is a gift to serve the people of God, to preach the Word of God, and to minister the sacraments through which we receive the grace and salvation. We need to nurture it daily with prayer, assiduous study, and faithfully living the vows. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

A vocation to married life and family is a gift. It is a gift to become co-creators and co-workers of God; to bring forth life and to nurture life. We need to protect it from sins and infidelity and selfishness, and nourish it with love, commitment, and even openness.  Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

The Earth is a gift to us. It is our home, a stunning home to live, and among billions of planets in the galaxies, there is nothing like earth. We need to defend it from exploitation, over-mining, over-fishing and even from our lifestyle that gradually destroy nature. Otherwise, it will be taken away from us.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

photo credit: jodie-morgan

Pride and Humility

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 27, 2020

Matthew 21:28-31

Reading the entire Matthew chapter 21, we will get the sense of the parable of the two sons of the vineyard owner. Jesus just entered the city of Jerusalem and was welcomed by the people with a shout of “Hosanna” and palm branches. Then, he proceeded to the Temple area to cleanse it from the malpractices plaguing the holy ground. Thus, the elders and chief priests, the one who was in charge of the Temple, questioned Jesus, “who are you? By what authority do you act and teach?”

Thus, Jesus answered them through a parable. This parable speaks of two sons; the first representing the elders and the second the tax collectors and prostitutes. Yet, to the surprise of the elders, far from being the protagonists of the story, they turn to be the villains. To add insult to the injury, the elders were practically in the worse condition than these tax collectors, because they are still far from the vineyard, from salvation. However, instead of repenting, the elders got infuriated and decided to finish Jesus once for all.

The question is “why were the tax collectors able to repent while the elders were not?” The answer is something to do with two opposing powers: at one side of the ring is humility and the other is pride. We begin with pride. Based on the Church’s tradition, pride is the deadliest of seven deadly sins. St. Thomas Aquinas explained that pride is “an excessive desire for one’s own excellence which rejects subjection to God.” In short, proud men regard themselves better than others to the point of contempt. What makes pride so dangerous, it may lead even people to think they are self-sufficient and has no need even of God.

Pride is extremely subtle because it can take root even in spiritual matters. We cannot say that I am lustful for prayer, but we can be proud of our spiritual life. We see ourselves holier and more pious than others based on our standards.

At the opposite corner is humility. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, humility is a virtue that “temper and restrain the mind, lest it tends to high things immoderately.” In short, humility is the antidote of pride. Humility is rooted in the Latin word “humus” meaning soil. Humble persons recognize their identity as coming from the dust, and the breath of life and perfections are gifts of God. This humility will bring gratitude because we realized that despite nothing but dust, God is boundlessly generous and merciful to us.

However, humility and cowardice are often confused. Cowardice manifests in low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and poor in responsibility. Cowardice is rooted in incomplete and even distorted self-image. While humility begins with the right understanding of the self, that we are gratuitously loved by God. Humble people are strong people because only strong ones can confess their sins. Humble persons are mature persons because only mature ones are able to own their weakness, say sorry, and ask for help. Humble men and women are tough people because it is hard to forgive.

 

Lord, grant us humility, that we may follow Your holy will.

 

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

 

Parable of Mercy

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25th Week in Ordinary Time [A]

September 20, 2020

Matthew 20: 1-16

lambros-lyrarakis vineyard 2

Among the many parables of Jesus, this parable of the owner of the vineyard is one that I find difficult to understand. Every time I read this parable, I always felt that something was wrong. Perhaps, I easily associate myself with the first-coming workers, who work from morning to sunset. They are laborers who spend their time and energy under the heat of the sun and give their efforts to meet the demands of the vineyard owner. However, they receive the same wages as those who only offer one hour of work. Of course the owner of the vineyard did not break the contract, but there still seemed to be injustice.

Maybe, this experience is like when I was studying in Manila. I was studying hard to get the best that I could achieve. Indeed, I got good grades, but what I could not accept was when my classmates who did not spent much effort, got also the same grades as I did. For me, It was not fair, but I could drop my complaint because the final grade is the prerogative of the professor.

However, things started to look different when I became a teacher myself. At one point, I needed to give my students final grades. And this is the utmost dilemma for me because I realize that on the one hand, I need to provide justice, but on the other hand, I want all my students to pass and graduate. Finally, I often chose compassion and allowed my struggling students to pass. I am fully aware that some of my students will feel that I am unfair, and that is the burden I must bear as a lecturer who chooses to be compassionate.

If we try to look closely at what vineyard owner is doing, we will find it funny and even weird. He kept looking for and hiring new persons almost every three hours. To make matters worse, he gave the same daily wages for all. In the economy and business, overspending and excess labor are a recipe for bankruptcy! However, the owner of the vineyard did not seem to care and was constantly looking for laborers. Perhaps, he knew very well that if these people were without jobs, they would starve to death, but if they worked and received less than the minimum wage, they wouldn’t be able to survive either. He couldn’t satisfy everyone, but at least he would be able to save everyone.

Learning from this parable, rather than complaining to God, we need to rejoice because our Lord is full of mercy, who even takes the initiative and seeks to seek out those of us who need salvation, and who willingly give eternal life even to those who have not lived well, but at the last moment repent.

 We should rejoice because in God’s eyes, we are all the last workers to beg mercy. Who knows, the workers who come first are actually the angels, and we really are the last unworthy laborers. With our sin, we all deserve to go to hell, but God stretches out His hand and opens the Gates of Heaven. We should rejoice that heaven is not a lonely place where few righteous people deserve it, but it is full of grateful people who enjoy God’s mercy even if they are not worthy.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Pic: lambros lyrarakis

Mercy is the Option

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 13, 2020

Matthew 18:21-35

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Last Sunday, the Gospel spoke about the fraternal correction. If a brother has offended us, we are obliged to offer charitable correction. This Sunday, the Gospel tells us what to do if a person who has received a correction, is repenting and asking for forgiveness. The answer is simple: we forgive him, and we embrace him back into the communion.

Simon Peter, the spokesperson of the disciples, is trying to impress his Master. He offers that he is willing to forgive up to seven times. Simon Peter wants to show Jesus that he is also capable of having a high standard. To his surprise, Jesus is not impressed, and in fact, teaches the disciples another great lesson about justice, mercy and forgiveness.

This time, Jesus pulls out His favorite method: telling a parable, and we will appreciate the parable if we are able to recognize the historical context and its surprise. A servant owes 10,000 talents to a king. In Jesus’ time, talent is a precious gold coin, and it equals to 6,000 denarii. One denarius itself is equivalent to a wage of one day labor. Thus, this servant owes 60,000,000 days of work to His Master [or around 160,000 years of work!]. Yes, despite the unthinkably fantastic amount of debt, the king easily forgives and erases the entire debt when the servant begs for mercy. This king’s attitude is even more insane!

Therefore, when the king receives the news that this forgiven servant refuses to forgive another fellow servant with infinitely smaller debt [100 denarii], his anger is justifiable, and expectedly, his mercy turns to justice.

Reflecting this parable, we understand that before the Lord God, we are no different from this servant. We deserve nothing from the Lord except one thing: hell! Sin has destroyed our relationship with God, and we created an infinitely bottomless pit. Finite as we are, nothing we can do to close the infinite gap. Only the infinitely powerful God possesses the ability to build the impossible bridge. Fortunately, Jesus has assured us that His Father is also the Mercy Himself. Though we deserve nothing but hell, God has opened the gate of Paradise to us.

Since nobody can earn God’s mercy, His mercy is always free, but it does not mean it is cheap. God wants us to do something also to receive His mercy. He expects us to be merciful. If He forgives us, then we need to forgive those who have hurt us. Jesus Himself reminds us that we should be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful [Luk 6:36]. Being merciful is not an option. In fact, it is the justice that will be applied to us in the final judgment.

We know that to forgive is tough, but again we may learn from Jesus how to forgive. At the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing [Luk 23:34].” The first step is to pray for those people who have offended us. By praying often, we train our heart to let go of our anger and bitterness, and even to learn to love the way God loves even those people who wish Him not to exist at all.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno

Fraternal Correction

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

September 6, 2020

Matthew 18:15-20

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Today’s Gospel is well known as the fraternal correction or the way to correct our brothers. However, if we carefully read the text, we discover what being corrected is not simply about our appearance, mannerism, or etiquette. The concern of Jesus is about sin. Jesus does not teach us to correct someone who has a weird hairstyle, or someone who sleeps with a huge snore, or someone whose way of talking we do not like. If there is something that makes Jesus angry is none other than sin. Why so? Sin can destroy our relationship with God, and it closes the gate of heaven. Jesus’ mission is to bring forgiveness of sin and to undo the effects of sin, but if we refuse to repent and keep sinning, we throw insults to the sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus gives us the three stages of correcting a brother who lives in sin. The first level is a personal and compassionate reminder. We must not speak behind the person, but rather dare to confront and yet with charity. Just in case, the person is still obstinate, we activate the second level: calling two or three witnesses. The presence of witnesses will substantiate our claim. Yet, if the person remains stubborn, we shall appeal to the Church. We need to remember that the Church in Matthew 18 is not just an assembly of the believers, but the apostles, the authorities of the Church. If again, the person persists in his sin, then the Church has to treat him like gentiles and tax collectors.

Gentiles are non-Jewish nations and because they were not circumcised and worshiped idols, they are considered unclean and sinners. While the tax collectors were people who work for the Roman empire, and because their constant contact with the Romans and their corrupt practices, made them also unclean and sinners. The unclean people are not allowed to enter the Temple and synagogues to worship God. Thus, treating an obstinate brother like a pagan and tax collector means to separate him from the assembly in worship. This technical term for this is excommunication. This word is coming Latin words: “ex-” meaning outside, and “communion” meaning community or fellowship. Thus, being excommunicated is outside of the worshiping community. Thus, excommunicated persons are not allowed to receive the Holy communion, the sign of unity of the Body of Christ.

Excommunication seems to be too cruel, yet looking in a bigger perspective, it is a way of mercy, rather simply a tool of punishment. In fact, the Church rarely pronounced the sentence of excommunication. Most of the cases, it is the people who walk away from the Church and separate themselves from God and His people. We must also remember that Jesus is loving the gentiles and the tax collectors, calling them to repentance and performing many miracles for them. Our love for our brothers who are living sin remains and even gets intensified. The reason is that Jesus does not want them to perish, but live with God. We correct our erring brothers and sisters not because we hate them, but because we love them and because we are part of the same family of God. We are responsible for one another and we shall keep our brothers and sisters in our way toward heaven.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Stumbling Stone

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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time [A]

August 30, 2020

Matthew 16:21-27

first communion 1Last Sunday, we listen to the confession of Peter on the true identity of Jesus. Here, Simon received a new name, the keys of the kingdom and the authority to bind and to loosen. He became the prime minister of the kingdom, the first pope. However, today, we witness the dramatic turn around. When Jesus foretold about His incoming passion, Simon reactively put his Master aside, and rebuked Him. As a response, Jesus expressed harshly,
“Get away behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling stone to me!”

Last episode, Simon was Peter, and today, Simon is “Satan.” Last week, Simon was the foundational rock, and today, Simon is the stumbling stone. Previous story, Simon was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and now, he is thinking his self-interest.

To call Simon that he was “Satan” is unexpected, but not uncalled-for. Perhaps Jesus would like to point out that Peter’s action was influenced by the devil himself.  Often, we think that the evil spirits influence us in the case of diabolic possessions, but in reality, diabolic possessions are an extraordinary way of attacking us. There is an ordinary way: it is through temptations and inducing ideas that oppose to the plan of God. The real battle takes place not so much in the possession of our bodies, but of our minds and souls.

Peter is also called as the stumbling stone, and in Greek, it is “scandalon.” Last Sunday, he was given a new identity, Peter, the foundation rock, but now, he turns to be a stumbling stone. Both are stone, but two opposing purposes. The foundation rock is to support the Church and God’s will, but the stumbling stone is to stop or at least, to obstruct and slow down God’s will. Jesus has set his eyes on Jerusalem, to offer His life as sacrifice on the cross and gloriously rise from the death. Yet, Simon, the stumbling stone, tried to oppose and prevent Jesus from fulfilling His Father’s will. Interesting enough, the word “Satanas” in Greek, may mean ‘the adversary.’  Simon becomes the adversary against Jesus’ mission.

Last week, I reflect on the mission of Simon Peter and how we become little Peters as God calls us for particular vocation and service despite our unworthiness. However, Jesus tells us that the real hindrance to our mission is not our weakness and unworthiness, but our selfish interest and agenda. Instead saying, “Your will be done,” we shout, “My will be done.” This is the devil’s game plan, that we put ourselves first, rather than God. Some of us are ordained priests, yet instead serving the people with dedication, we are busy to seek comfort and amass fortune for ourselves. Some of us are parents, yet instead bringing our children to God, we are preoccupied in chasing our own ambitions and careers.

Thus, Jesus makes a bold reminder, “what is the point of gaining the whole world and yet losing our souls?” At the gate of heaven, St. Simon Peter will ask us, “Have you been a stumbling stone to God’s will or have your been a foundation rock to His plan?”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

We Are Peter

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 23, 2020

Matthew 16:13-20

peter n crossToday’s Gospel speaks volume about the new identity and roles of St. Simon Peter as the leader of the college of the apostles, and thus, the leader of the Church. He is the chosen foundation rock upon which Jesus built His Church. He is the prime minister who holds the keys of the kingdom of God. He is the chief priest who is responsible for the Temple of God. He is the chief Rabbi whose teachings binds the entire faithful. These are the bigger-than-life privileges and one may wonder, “Among the disciples, why was he chosen? Did Jesus know that he would deny Him three times?”

Jesus’ choice is a huge mystery, yet in the final analysis, nobody is worthy to be the first pope. If we scan the Bible and try to see many vocation stories of the great leaders of Israel, we are going to see the same pattern: most of them are not worthy and great sinner. Abraham was a coward who hid behind his wife. Moses was involved in killing an Egyptian. David was committing adultery and plotting a murder of Uriah. God seems to have a penchant to choose unworthy sinner!

Yet, that is only half of the story. These great leaders possess their remarkable quality in relation to God’s mercy and love. Despite their weakness, they never lose hope in God’s grace working in them. When they fall, they learn to rise once again and allow God sustains them. This particular quality also that Simon has.

Through his life, Peter was struggling to love Jesus and to become a leader for Christ’s Church. He made few step on water, but doubted and distracted, he began to sink. He made divinely inspired statement on Jesus divinity, but right after, he prevented Jesus to accomplish His mission on the cross. Thus, Jesus called him “Satan!” He promised Jesus that he would lay down his life for Jesus, but less than twenty-four hour, he denied Jesus with curse, and ran away! Yet, despite so grave a sin, he repented, but does not despair. Compare to Judas who lost hope and killed himself in the process, Peter knew too well that there is nothing impossible for God. Indeed, the risen Christ restored his place as the leader and the shepherd of His flocks, after asking Simon’s confession of love thrice. Yet, that was not the end of the story. A tradition says that during the persecution of emperor Niro, Peter was trying to escape Rome. In his way out of the city, Peter encountered Jesus going to the opposite direction. He then asked Jesus, “Quo vadis, Domine? [where are you going, Lord?]” Jesus responded, “I am going to Rome, to be crucified again!” Hearing this, Peter ran back to Rome. True enough, he was arrested and crucified upside down.

The choice of Peter is a mystery, but also good news. We are like Simon Peter, we are chosen to be God’s people, chosen into particular role and mission, but deep in our hearts, we are not worthy and full of weaknesses. Why did God choose me to be His priest? Why did God want me to raise children for the kingdom? Why did God elect me to become His ministers? We are not sure the exact reason, but like Peter, we are also called to trust His providence, and never lose hope in midst of trials and failures, and to love even more.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

See Mary, See Jesus

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The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

August 15, 2020

Luke 1:39-45

assumption of mary 2Often, we, Catholics, are accused of overemphasizing Mary in our faith, liturgy, and even our daily lives. The usual objections are: “Why do we should see Mary if we can go directly to Jesus? Why should there be Mary between you and Jesus?”

These kinds of objections follow from the underlying presupposition that salvation is only about Jesus and me. We just need Jesus, and the rest are obstacles to Jesus. We do not need the Church, the saints, and especially Mary. These are excess baggage that has to be removed so that we can fly quickly to God. While we might be saved with this faith, but this is a narrow, individualistic, and even pompous view of faith, and more fundamentally, it is not kind of faith that God of the Bible teaches us.

In the Bible, God lays down the foundation for our salvation which is through His family. The primary keyword is covenant [or even translated as testament]. It is a solemn agreement to unite two parties into a family. God invited Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David and their families to be part of God’s family and salvation may be available for these people. And in the fullness of time, Jesus, the Son of God, forged a new and eternal covenant with God on behalf of humanity and entire cosmos. We are saved through the family of Jesus, the kingdom of God.

If we call God as our Father, then we are brothers and sisters in the family of God. If we are brothers and sisters, we have responsibility for one another’s salvation. The saints ceaselessly love and pray for us because they are our holy brethren in heaven, and want us to join them. Their presence does not in any way hinder our gaze on Jesus because precisely the more we see them, the more we see God’s perfection. If we can appreciate the mountains or oceans as work of God’s power and beauty, the more we shall appreciate the saints as supernatural masterpieces of God.

Chief among the saints is Mother Mary. She is the type-A of a human perfected by God’s grace. The more we see Mary, who she is and what she has become, the more we come closer to God in awe and adoration. If God can do great things to Mary, He will do the same to us. If God can redeem Mary perfectly, He will redeem us as well. If God can bring Mary to heaven, He will bring us also to heaven. And as the great sister in faith, she has even the utmost responsibility to bring us closer to God. She prays for us the hard; even she prays harder for those people who hate her.

St. Luke masterfully narrates how Mary, as the new ark of the covenant, brings Jesus in her womb to Elisabeth and John the Baptist. We also notice Elizabeth does not separate the two. When she sees Mary, she recognizes the Lord, and when she is aware of God’s presence, she acknowledges the sacred bearer, Mary. Through Jesus who is in Mary, Elizabeth and John are able to discover their authentic joy.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Focus on Jesus

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 9, 2020

Matthew 14:22-33

just walk on waterThe story of Jesus walking on water is a well-known account being shared by three gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45–52 and John 6:15–21. However, unique to Matthew is the part of Peter who also walked on water, but sank after a few steps. Let us focus our attention on this unique moment in the life of Simon Peter.

The sudden and unusual appearance of Jesus startled the disciples who were still battling the strong wind. The disciples’ natural reaction was fear. They thought they saw a ghost. Matthew gives us a little interesting detail: the disciples were afraid not because of the raft sea, but because of Jesus’ presence. We remember that many of them were seasoned fishermen and dealing with unpredictable conditions in the lake of Galilee was their part of their job description.  Yet, to see someone walked on water was just unprecedented. Thus, Jesus took the initiative to calm the storms inside their hearts and assured them that He is the “I AM” who controlled the forces of nature.

Peter, the bold leader and yet impulsive man, wanted to prove what he saw and heard. He then challenged Jesus and himself by saying, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus invited him to come. The miracle took place. Simon Peter was able to walk on water. Yet, his weak human nature once again set in. After a few miraculous steps, he got distracted by the wind, lost his focus on Jesus, and he began to sink. Jesus had to save him and told him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” We notice that Jesus did not say, “You, who have no faith!” but rather, “little faith.” This shows that Peter possessed indeed faith, proven by his several miraculous steps, but it was still small, easily distracted, and doubt-ridden.

Many of us can easily relate to Simon Peter, our first Pope. We believe in Jesus, and we know that we have faith in Him. Yet, we are aware also that our faith is still small. We may go to the Church every Sunday or pray from time to time, believe that Jesus, our God and Savior, and accept the teachings of the Church, but our faith is just tiny part of our life, that can be set aside when other and bigger concerns like work, career, relationship and others. We give God our leftovers, our time and effort. Even in our prayer and worship, we are easily distracted. Rather than focusing ourselves in Jesus, we give our attention to our cellphones and all the excitement they offer. Then, when we face the storms of life, we begin to sink, and when we are drowning, that is that the time, we shout, like Peter, “Lord, save me!”

We are called to set our gaze on Him and to learn to have true eyes of faith. These are eyes to ponder the Eucharist not as mere bread and wine, not as monotonous repetition, but as the real presence of Jesus who has sacrificed His life for us. This is a faith that empowers us to see Jesus’ presence in our daily and ordinary events. Thus, not even the fiercest storms can sink us because we focus our eyes on Jesus.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP