Category: English

Heart of the Gospel

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Reflection on the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – September 15, 2019 – Luke 15:1-32

shepherdChapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke contains three of the most heartwarming as well as powerful parables in the entire Bible. These three parables are known as the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son. If we look closer into these three parables, what is so stunning and astonishing is how Jesus bends, twists and stretches human logic and natural tendency to nail His point.

In ancient Israel, shepherds knew that to pastor the flock of sheep was not an easy job because they had to lead their flocks in constant search for food and water in the wilderness. Sheep was naturally dumb animal and possessed no natural defense mechanism. As a sheep looked for food, it quickly went astray and was exposed to imminent threats like wolves, hyaenas or robbers. The shepherd had to exert extra effort to watch over their sheep. Yet, occasionally, a sheep or two got lost, and the shepherd had to go into search and rescue mission.

However, Jesus tells us about a good shepherd who dares to leave the other sheep to search for a single lost sheep. Along the way, he may stumble upon life-threating dangers like robbers or pack of wolves. There is no assurance that he will find his sheep. He is practically risking his own life for this dumb sheep. What even remarkable is that after the shepherd discovers his lost animal, he rejoices exceedingly and throws a party for the finding. His mission is a huge success, and it is time to share the joy with others. It is simply heartwarming story. Then, when Jesus’ listeners are still mesmerized, Jesus drops the bomb. He points out that God is this good shepherd! God is the woman who rejoices for the small coin. God is the father who accepts and celebrates for his runaway son who returns. Through these parables, Jesus teaches us our God is merciful, and His mercy is beyond our wildest imagination. This is why they have been called “the Gospel of the Gospel” because the three parables carry the heart of the Gospel, that is the mercy of God.

Every one of us is like the lost sheep, the lost coin or the lost son. There are points in our lives we are so low and feeling meaningless. No amount of worldly happiness can fill our hearts until Jesus finds us. Carolyn Kolleger was a successful American model and movie actress. As a baby, she was baptized Catholic, but she never knew and loved her faith. As a model, she never thought anything else but herself. She also got married to Erwin Kolleger, a businessman, who enjoyed worldly pleasures. They were rich, throwing a lot of parties, drinking alcohol and even consuming drugs. Until she got pregnant. She did not want to lose her career and was pushed by her husband, she aborted the baby. She did it not only once but thrice. She got depressed, and her marriage was about to collapse. Until a priest came and helped Carolyn and Edwin. They began to meet a Catholic counselor who helped their marriage. Carolyn decided to repent and go back They were received back into the Catholic Church. She prayed the rosary and read the Bible on more regular basis, and attended the Eucharist. Eventually her husband also followed her and rebuilt their marriage and family, not based on worldly measures, but faith, hope, and love. They were blessed with four children and find true happiness.

This is our God, a compassionate and merciful God who tirelessly seeks His lost sons and daughter.

Love and Hate

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – September 8, 2019 – Luke 14:25-33

carrying crossToday we listen to one of Jesus’ hard sayings. If we want to follow Jesus, we need to hate our fathers, mothers, our other siblings, and even our own lives; otherwise we are not worthy of Him [Luk 14:25]. Is Jesus serious? Jesus must be kidding around. NO, he means what he says. So, how are we going to understand this hard saying? Jesus teaches love, mercy, and compassion, and the only thing He hates is a sin. Does Jesus change his mind and now turn to be the promoter of hatred? If we can hate our family, we now hate practically everyone. Is this what Jesus intending to say?

To answer this hard question, we need to comprehend also the broader context. Jesus is journeying towards Jerusalem, and He knows well what awaits Him in this city: crucifixion and death. There are crowds following Jesus because Jesus is a popular public figure. Many want to be healed, others wish to see Jesus’s miracles, and the rest just like to listen to His authoritative teachings. This is the crowd mentality: following something or someone because of our selfish interest. This is not true discipleship. This is entertainment.

Jesus understands this too well, and He needs to rebuke them that following Him is not entertainment. He makes them decide whether to remain as a crowd or to become disciples, to leave or to walk in His way of the cross. Yet, this kind of decision is only possible when we are not attached to things and persons we hold dear. We cannot carry our cross unless we are ready to give up our lives.

The question remains, though, is Jesus promoting hatred? One of Jesus’ favorite style in preaching is hyperbole, or to exaggerate to emphasize a point. For example, Jesus once says, “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away [Matt. 18:9]” Of course, Jesus does not literally demand us to plug our eyes out, but He strongly underlines the severe consequences of sin. Thus, when Jesus speaks that we need to “hate” our parents and our lives, Jesus does not mean to promote hatred and violence. Jesus powerfully reminds the people that unless they love Jesus above all, we are not worthy to be His followers.

This has tremendous implications in our lives. Yes, we need to love our family, but we should love Jesus first, or we should love our parents in Jesus. It is just natural to cling to life, but this life only has true meaning when it is offered to Jesus. In marriage, the couple should love each other, but unless they love Jesus first, the marriage will simply be a social contract. It is the duty of the husband to lead his wife to love Jesus and the wife to follow Jesus together with her husband. It is also the primary duty of parents to teach their children to love God and His Law.

Jesus surely loves His mother, Mary and respect his foster father, Joseph, but it is clear to Jesus that His love for them is rooted and directed to His Father in heaven. It is true discipleship, that unless we hate our lives and everything else, we are not worthy of Him.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Learn to Be Humble

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22nd Sunday in the Ordinary Time [C] – September 1, 2019 – Luke 14: 1, 7-14

humus 1Humility is actually being simple and doing simple, yet it is so simple that many of us find it difficult to be and do.  It seems paradoxical but it is the reality that we experience in our day to day life. It is because we are living in the world that is so proud with itself and it continuously influences us to become proud as well. We can practically be proud of anything. We can be proud of our personality, family and clan, personal achievements, successful careers and status in life. We can be proud of the good things we have done or even the bad things we have committed. Eventually, the awful irony in our life is when we are even proud of our humility.

Pride occupies a prominent place among the seven deadly sins or vices. It seduces people believe that we are self-sufficient and we do not need others and God. We are our own god. The Bible says that the angel of light has fallen from heaven [see Isa 14:12], and according to the Latin tradition, his name is Lucifer, the brightest angel in heaven. He and some other angels revolted against God since they were too proud to serve God that would become man. If lust aligns us with animals, pride makes us coequal with the fallen angels.

To remedy this terrible pride, humility is then chiefly necessary. But, it is simply difficult to become one since it leads us to acknowledge our true nature that we own nothing and everything we have is a gift. Humility is derived from Latin word humus which means soil. Humility brings back us to the ground after the air of pride lifts us our nose up.

Humility is also primarily important since it enables us to listen and through listening we are able to be obedient (Latin word ob-audire means to listen attentively). With pride just around the corner, it is difficult to listen since we start believing that we are the center of the universe and everything else revolves around us. Simon Tugwell, OP writes that humble prayer is just to take a break from our tyrannical and dictatorial self that occupies the center of our life and let God be God. In the same line of thought, Henry Nouwen writes that a sincere prayer is just like opening our tightly closed fist.

St. Augustine believes that humility is one of the most fundamental virtues especially in our relationship with God. He says, “Are you thinking of raising the great fabric of spirituality? Attend first of all to the foundation of humility.” It is because humility is the virtue that facilitates us in listening to God’s words and in following them. In humility, we participate in Mary’s words, “I am the servant of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.” And not, “I am the boss here. Be it done to me and to you according to my word.” In humility, we pray in Jesus’ prayer, “Your will be done.” And not, “Your will be changed”.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, O.P

Spiritual Director of Presidium Refugis Peccatorum

Athletes for Salvation

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – August 25, 2019 – Luke 13:22-30

training-2Salvation is one of the burning topics of discussion in Christian circles. In several discussions I facilitated, I often encountered some participants asked: Who will be saved? By what means are we going to be saved? When will be saved? Do we need to believe in Jesus to be saved? The answers can be as simple as yes or no, but often, the audience with critical minds demand more comprehensive and sensible answers. Yet, I always bring the listeners to see salvation from a different and deeper angle.

I ask them: what is salvation? Most of the people will immediately reply: We are saved from sins. The answer is correct, yet it is not complete and in fact, rather shallow. The good analogy will be the Israelites in Egypt. They were liberated from slavery, yet their freedom is not merely for freedom’s sake. They were freed so that they may worship their God without fear. Like the Israelites, we are also saved from sin, but this freedom from the slavery of sins is for something greater. We are called to share His divine life, to be with Him and enjoy His being. This is what we mean as being holy and being a saint. We are holy when we are united and participating in that Person who is the source of all holiness.

However, Jesus reminds us today that the way to salvation and holiness is not an easy and instant way. While faith is the beginning of our salvation, surely it does not end there. Jesus himself says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door… (Lk. 13:24)” The word “strive” in original Greek is “agonizomai” which means to participate in a contest or gymnastic game. The image is of an athlete who subjects himself to rigorous training and discipline and competes against the best competitors in the field. That is why to achieve a crown is an agonizing process. St. Paul picks up this idea of Jesus when he exhorts the Church in Corinth to “…Run to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. (1 Cor. 9:25)”

One of the most decorative Olympians is American swimmer Michael Phelps. In peak training phases, Phelps swims around 80,000 meters a week. He practices twice a day, at least. Phelps trains for around five to six hours a day at six days a week. Not only in the swimming pool, but he also builds his winning form through weightlifting and crazy diet regiment. But what many of us probably do not know is that Michael was suffering from Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). People with ADHD have trouble with focus, restlessness, and impulsiveness, yet Phelps was able to overcome this disorder and transform it into power. From one who had difficulty to focus, he is able to remain hyperfocused on his goal. Thus, he won 15 Olympic gold medals.

Salvation is essentially a gift. Nobody can claim that he has the right to this salvation. Yet, this gift, though free, is not cheap. We are striving and struggling every day, like an athlete who competes for the medals. We are doing our best so that we are worthy to receive this gift. We are fighting a battle every day against sins and adversaries that pull us away from God. We are putting our best effort that the gift in our hands will become truly a blessing for us and not a curse. So at the end of our lives, together with St. Paul, we may say, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. (2 Tim. 4:7)”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Magnify

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The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary – August 15, 2019 – Luke 1: 39-56

blessed virgin mary 2Today the Church is celebrating the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. Rooted in the Scriptures and Tradition, the Church firmly believes that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul after she completed her life here on earth. This belief is crystallized in the form of Dogma or the highest teaching of the Church. As a dogma, the Assumption requires the assent of faith from the faithful. The assumption itself is not the sole Marian Dogma. There are four dogmas related to her: Mary is the Mother of God, ever-virgin, immaculately conceived, and assumed into heaven. No other human, except Jesus, has accumulated that much honor in the Church and no other men or women have blessed conditions like hers.

However, we are mistaken if we think that all the Dogmas are about the goodness of Mary. When we are celebrating the Dogmas of Mary, we are not merely praising that Mary is good, gentle, and holy, but it is primarily about God and how through Mary, we are thanking God for His mercy toward Mary and all the wonders. Looking at Mary, we cannot but thank God for His mercy on her and His wonders done to her.

In the Gospel today, we listen to the song of Mary is traditionally called the Magnificat [Luk 1:46ff]. In her song,  Mary praises the Lord for the mighty deeds He has done to her and Israel. Mary herself acknowledges who she is, “God’s lowly servant.” She never lets pride get in her mind, but instead, she chooses to recognize what God has done to her that “God has looked with favor on her” and “God has raised the lowly.” Mary realizes that she was nothing without God.

The title is from the first Latin word that appears in the canticle, “Magnificat anima mea Dominum.”  The original Greek is “μεγαλύνω” [megaluno], to make great. The idea is like the magnifying glass that intensifies the light and the heat of the sun, and thus, emits powerful energy. When I was a little boy, my friends and I used to play together outside. One time, a friend brought a magnifying glass. We were amazed that it had another function aside from making a small object looked big. It was able to gather the light and heat of the sun and to focus it into a single spot. It became so intense and hot that it may burn what it touched. Then, when we saw the ants nearby, we started burning them using the magnifying glass!

Mary knows well that she is not the source of light, and she is the receiver. Yet, Mary does not merely receive it and keeps it to herself. Mary also is aware that she does not simply mirror that only reflect the light. Mary sees herself as “magnifying glass.” When she receives the light, she makes sure that light will shine even more brightly, intense, and powerful. Through Mary, the light of Christ becomes more intense, powerful, and penetrating. When we intently look at Mary, we cannot but see God Himself.

The Dogma of the Assumption, indeed all Marian dogmas, points to Mary, who points to God. Following her example, we are also called to make our lives as a signpost that points to God. But more than passive signpost, we need to learn to actively magnify God’s glory and mercy through our lives.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Faithful and Wise Stewards

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19th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – August 11, 2019 – Luke 12:32-48

light lampIn ancient Israel, the masters of the house were often leaving their homes for business trips or attending social gatherings like weddings. They would entrust their houses and their possessions to chief servants. And this was the world without a cellular phone, internet, and GPS. Thus, the servants have no idea of the ETA (estimated time of arrival) of their masters. It could be 8 PM, midnight or even early in the morning. The best attitude of a servant in this scenario is to be always vigilant and prepared for the arrival of his master.

However, being prepared is not understood as being idle or passivity, like someone who does nothing but waits near the door, and opens the door when the master knocks. Jesus says, “Gird your loins and light your lamps… (Lk. 12:35)” In ancient Israel, people were wearing robe or tunic. It is a long dress that covers the entire body, from the neck down to the leg. When people are working, they gird their loins with a robe or belt, to make sure that their tunic will not get in the way. In short, the servants are doing their jobs, making sure that the house is in order, and ready to receive any order just in case their masters arrive. This is a kind of readiness and preparedness that Jesus asks of His disciples.

This kind of preparedness naturally comes the humble recognition of who we are. If the servant accepts that he is a servant and aware that the house belongs to his master, he will not act as if he is the owner of the house and neglect his jobs, but perform his tasks well despite the absence of his master. So, we need also to recognize who we are and do the works that follow from our identity well. If our pride gets in the way, and we fail to understand who we are. We start playing God, and we begin doing whatever we please, even to confidently predict the end of the world.

Based on the Scriptures, the Church always believes that Jesus will come for the second time in glory and bring the final judgment to the world. We do not know when Jesus will come as the King and those who prophesy that they understand when, turn to be a dangerous hoax. In 1997, Marshall Applewhite predicted that the earth would be destroyed by the alien spaceships, and the only way to survive was to “transfer” their souls to another planet by committing suicide. Marshall and 36 followers killed themselves, yet the earth’s destruction never happened. Marshall was playing God, and he brought calamity to himself and his followers.

Be ready for the coming of Jesus means that we realize who we are before God. If we are God’s children, we love and obey our Father, and care for the other creations because God cares for them as well. If we are God’s disciples, we faithfully follow Him and continuously learn from Him. If we are fathers, we love, protect, and provide for their family. If we are mothers, we love, care, and educate our children. And when the Lord truly comes, we may be one of those “Blessed servants who are faithful and prudent [see Lk. 12:42]”

 

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Dominic, the Light of the Church

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Feast of St. Dominic de Guzman – Founder of Order of Preachers

August 8, 2019

dominic 3Today, we are celebrating the feast of St. Dominic de Guzman. St. Dominic was born around 1170 in Caleruega, Old Castile, Spain. As a saint, he was not that famous as his counterpart, St. Francis of Assisi, perhaps because he did not write any book or writings that would echo his spirituality. Maybe this is the reason why we do not have a solid and systematic understanding of Dominican Spirituality.

By tradition, St. Dominic is called as the light of the Church. And why? St. Dominic was living in the time where the Church was facing enemies from without and conflicts from within. The Heretics, especially the Albigentians, were attacking the Church restlessly, and the Church was weakened by her dogmatically unprepared and timid priests. Many Catholics were confused, and nobody was defending the true faith to them. It was a dark period for the Church.

Dominic, who loved his Church deeply responded to the call of his time and offered his life to enlighten souls living in the dark and to bring back to the lost sheep to the Church’s fold. Yet, to achieve that end, he had to be in deep relationship with Jesus, the true Light of the World. Thus, his life of prayers and mortification were extraordinary. Rather than to take rest, he spent a night in vigil, refused to take good food, and slept on the floor. Dominic also understood that to explain faith, he must both study and live by the Gospel. He became poor, just like Jesus was poor for the sake of the Kingdom. Dominic became preacher, just like Jesus was preacher par excellence. Dominic offered himself as a “lantern,” a weak instrument yet brings light that both shines brightly and illumines clearly in the dark. He is the light of the Church because he bore the Light of the World.

The Dominicans always have an intimate bond with Mary, the Mother of God. One of the reasons why we are close to her is that we participate in her mission also to bear the Truth and to reflect the same Light. The song of Mary that Luke recorded is traditionally called the Magnificat [Luk 1:46ff]. The title is from the first Latin word that appears in the canticle, “Magnificat anima mea Dominum.” The original Greek is “μεγαλύνω” [megaluno], to make great. The idea is like the magnifying glass that intensifies the light and the heat of the sun, and thus, emits powerful energy. Mary is not the source of the light, and she is the receiver. Yet, Mary does not passively reflect the light, but she actively magnifies it. Through Mary, the light of Christ becomes more intense, powerful, and penetrating.

Following the footsteps of Dominic and our Lady, we are also called to bear the Light of Christ and to magnify it. In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, “Better to illuminate than merely to shine… [S.T. II.II. 188].”

                Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Greed

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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – August 4, 2019 – Luke 12:13-21

fool rich man 2We were all born without bringing anything with us, and for sure, when we die, we will bring nothing with us. Job once said, “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” (Job 1:21). However, as we grow up and old, we begin to acquire things and possessions. Some are given, but some we earn it. As we are accumulating, we start attaching ourselves to these material belongings. Some of us are obsessed with collecting bags, shoes, and clothes, some others with more expensive things like electronic devices and cars. We believe these are ours, and we can own them until the Kingdom comes.

This kind of attachment is rooted in a bigger and more sinister vice: greed. St. Thomas Aquinas defines greed or avarice as “an inordinate desire for wealth or money.” To desire for richness and possession is not evil itself because, in essence, money and belongings are a means to achieve higher goals in life. However, the problem arises when we are confusing between means and the end. Greed enters the picture when we make money as our goal and no longer a means. We begin to measure our happiness and meaningfulness of our lives in terms of wealth. When we place wealth as our yardstick of happiness, all other problems start flooding our lives. When we do not have enough money, we become anxious, but when we have more than enough money, we are also anxious about how to hoard them. We think that the more we have, the happier we become, but the truth is, the more we acquire, the more we feel lacking. An ancient Roman proverb once said that desire for wealth is like drinking seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you get.

What sickening about this vice is that it brings other sins along. St. Thomas mentions treachery, corruption, fraud, anxiety, insensibility to mercy, and even violence as the daughters of greed. Movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008) tells us a story of Salim and Jamal Malik who are victims of this injustice and greed. After the killing of their mother because of religious hatred in slam area in India, they were forced to stay in a sanitary landfill. Then, they were adopted by ‘professional beggars’ syndicate. One particular scene that reveals the gruesome manifestation of greed is one little boy with a sweet voice, Arwind, was blinded. Jamal later remarks, “Blind singers earn double.” The worst part of the movie is that the movie is not totally fiction, but many events are true to life.

So how are we going to cure this vice? If greed makes us turn means as goal, our response should return the right order: to make wealth as our means to achieve higher goals. If we are blessed with a lot of money, we praise the Lord and use this money to praise the Lord even more. If we do not have enough money, we are called to have more faith in God’s providence.  It is the time to use our worldly possession to make “heavenly investment” that no thief can reach, nor moth destroy (Lk. 12:33)

Fr. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Martha, Martha

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – July 21, 2019 – Luke 10:38-42

To perform works to serve the Lord is certainly good and praiseworthy. And these works are numerous and varied. These acts may directly serve Him in the Church, especially during the liturgy. We may participate in the worship as the choir members, lectors, altar servers, ministers of the Holy Communion, or even as the presiders of the Eucharist itself, the priest. Yet, we may also serve Him through others as we involve in charitable initiatives to help the poor, to fight for justice and peace and integrity of creation. We have many ways, but the goal is one: to honor and glorify Him.

In today’s Gospel, we encounter Martha and Mary of Bethania. They both are serving Jesus, and they perform it according to their unique characters. Mary, more reserved and perhaps an introvert, chooses to stay close to the Master and listen to Him. While Marta, predominantly active and perhaps extrovert, prefers to provide Jesus with the best accommodation. Both want to make Jesus feel welcome in their way. However, there is a little problem. It seems that Jesus is playing little favoritism. He favors Mary over Martha and tells Martha that Mary has chosen a better part.

Surely Jesus does not play favoritism, and surely it is not because Mary is more beautiful than Martha!  Yet, we still have to explain Jesus’ choice. First, we need to see that both are good, but one is just happened to be better than the other. Is it the act of listening better than the act of giving hospitality? In an ancient Jewish context, to provide the hospitality to a guest is one of the prime values. We remember how Lot was offering even his daughters to protect his guests [see Gen 19]! By this standard, Martha is doing a better thing, but Jesus insists that it is not hers. Why?

Again, we need to understand better our Scriptures. The act of listening is fundamental in both Old and New Testament. Every devout Jew in the time of Jesus as well as in our time, daily prays a creedal prayer they call as “Shema Israel” – it was taken straight from Deu 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength.” Acts of listening do not only mean to hear voices and receive information, but it is also to obey what one has heard. Jesus Himself says, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Mat 7:24)” Mary is taking a better part because she has listened to Jesus, who is the LORD, and she listens because she loves her LORD.

Martha has a little problem with her service because she imposes her ways to Mary, perhaps thinking her way of service is the best one. But more than that, Martha becomes overburdened in her serving, and Jesus points out that Martha is anxious and worried with many things. Martha is losing the purpose of her service; she is losing Jesus in the process of serving. What a loss!

Learning from Mary and Martha, we may ask ourselves, “What is the point of our services? Where are we going with many activities we have in the Church? Do we hear the voice of Christ in our ministries? Do we love Jesus in our serving or we discover ourselves in the end?”

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Merciful Samaritan

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Fifteenth Sunday of the Ordinary Time [C] – July 14, 2019 – Luke 10:25-27

do it anyway 2The journey from Jericho to Jerusalem was notoriously dangerous. The path was narrow, steep, filled by sudden turnings. The road became the favorite spot for the robbers to ambush any unguarded traveler. Some criminals were often violent, not only they took everything from the victims, but they would beat them mercilessly. Up to early twentieth century, some tourists and pilgrims were caught off guard when they passed this path, as their cars were ambushed and robbed. The brigands would swiftly escape before the police came.

When the teacher of the Law asks Jesus, “who is our neighbor whom we shall love?” Jesus offers him three models to imitate. They are a priest, a Levite and a Samaritan. The priest and the Levite are a privileged social class in ancient Jewish society. They are consecrated to serve in the Temple of Jerusalem. The priests who are the descendants of Aaron, are to accept sacrifice from the people and offer the sacrifice to the Lord at the altar. Meanwhile the Levites are assigned to take care of the temple, to do other liturgical services and assist the priests. Both the priest and the Levite represent a group of people who are dedicating themselves to the Lord, the Law and the Temple, who love their religion dearly. Meanwhile the Samaritan represents what the Jews hate. The pure Jews look down the Samaritans because they are products of intermarriage between unorthodox Jews and other pagan nations as well as idolaters who worship God plus other smaller gods.

By religious standard, the priest and the Levite outrank the Samaritan, but Jesus drops the nuclear bomb as He makes the Samaritan as the hero of the story. We may ask why the priest and Levite refuse to help? One reason is that the priest needs to be away from any blood or dead body, otherwise he would be impure for seven days and he will not be able to serve the Temple [see Num 19:11]. The Levi seems to do little better as he goes nearer to the victim, but he decided not to help perhaps because he is afraid that the guy just serves a decoy to ambush him. Here comes the Samaritan who helps without hesitation. Not only coming to his rescue, the Samaritan makes sure that the victim will be healed and recover, though he must spend his own resources.

Placing ourselves in the shoes of the Samaritan man, we know that his decision to help the victim is daring and even reckless. What if it was just a set-up for ambush? What if he runs out of money? What if the victim would never thank him and even hate him even more? Yet, this is what to love our neighbor means. To love someone is to show mercy and to show mercy means to give beyond what is due.

One of the memorable works Mother Teresa did in Calcutta was to establish a home for the dying. One day, she walked pass a hospital and saw a woman who terribly sick. The mother rushed her to the hospital. Yet, the person in the hospital refused her, saying, “there is no room for her in the hospital!” Mother Teresa stayed outside of the hospital, embracing the dying lady till she breathed her last. Since then, the saint promised that she would make sure that the dying would die with dignity. In the early days of this hospice, Mother Teresa was ridiculed and criticized, yet she and her sisters persevered because they knew that for those who were dying, this may be the last act of mercy they received before they passed away.

If we expect something big in return, it is not love, it is investment. If we just want to be appreciated after doing good, it is not love, it is a showoff. If we do not want to get hurt, it is not love, it is comfort zone. Love is tough, mercy is heroic.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP