Category: English

Suffering and God’s Way

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28th Sunday of the Ordinary Time – October 13, 2019 – Luke 17:11-19

Jesus_Mafa_Healing_of_LeperSuffering, sickness, and death do not care whether you are Jews or Samaritans, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are old or young. When it strikes, it strikes. In time of Jesus, leprosy or Hansen’s disease was still one of most dreadful sicknesses. It ate you your skin and made you ugly. It is highly contagious, and thus, cut you from your community. It was incurable and thus brought you a slow and agonizing death.

While it is true, and we thank God, that leprosy is now curable, humanity continues to battle with deadly diseases that bring untold suffering and death. When I was still in a brother in the formation, he was assigned to the hospital in Manila to be a chaplain. My duty was to accompany those people who were struggling with terrible sickness. Some were battling cancers and they had to endure painful chemotherapy. Some were having kidney failures and had to patiently undergo hemodialysis. Some were helpless victims of HIV and had to bear various complications.

I never forgot to meet one young man in that hospital. We just call him John. He was a new college graduate, and he had high hopes for his future life. Yet, all were changed when just several weeks after his graduation, he was diagnosed with cancer, stage 3. Thus, to survive he must take up severe medication like surgery and chemotherapy. In the hospital, I learned how painful chemotherapy was and there was no assurance that the treatment would succeed. In fact, it may destroy the body in the process. He lost his hair, he lost his appetite, and every time he tried to eat, he would throw up. He became terribly weak and sickly.

One day, I decided to visit him and had a little chat. I was expecting a very depressing case, but to my surprise, he said that he was doing fine and in fact grateful. Initially, I thought the medication was working, but it was not really the case. I was confused with his answer. In dealing with patients with grave sickness, the chaplains were told about the five stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Nowhere in the process, a sick person will be grateful. Yet, John was thankful for his condition. Why?

When I asked further, I heard an unforgettable answer. He said that in his sickness and suffering, he discovered what is truly important and indispensable in his life. He learned how the love of his parents made his life more meaningful. He saw how God has given life that is simple and yet totally free. A very breath, a very heartbeat, a very memory is precious gift from God. He cannot but be grateful for simple blessings from God, despite his deadly sickness.

John teaches me that suffering is sometimes God’s way to remind us to discover what is truly essential in our life. When we are suffering, we realize our beautiful bodies are no longer important, our richness is empty, and our ambitions are just like passing air. We thank the Lord that we are not suffering like John, but we do not have to wait until we get sick, to find the essentials. The time is now and the place is here.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Our Catholic Faith

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – October 6, 2019 – Luke 17:5-10

mustard seed n crossIf there is one most powerful force in the universe, it will be faith. Jesus teaches us that even faith as small as a mustard seed can do the impossible. Jesus preaches that with this little faith, we can command a sycamore tree be uprooted and be planted in the sea. One of the smallest things on earth can move the most significant reality in the world. The sycamore tree has both deep, strong and widespread roots. It is just impossible to uproot it when it has grown mature. Yet, Jesus surprises further even by saying that we can replant this on the bed of the ocean. That makes it doubly impossible. Jesus is pushing his teaching on faith beyond natural human reasoning!

The question is whether Jesus is merely exaggerating the power of faith, or He is unveiling the deepest of truth of faith. To answer this question, we need to know first what is faith? Surely there are several definitions of faith. In the broadest sense, it is a belief in the divine, something that is much more powerful than us, something beyond us. In many religious traditions, this transcendence is a person that is called God. This faith makes us different those who claim themselves as atheists. In narrower sense, it refers to a belief in a particular set of teachings about the divine. In this sense, the Catholic faith is different from the Protestant Lutheran faith.

St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that faith is basically an ascent of the intellect. This is precisely what faith is mighty. It does not rely on earthly possession, nor our biological nature, nor our emotions. If we base our faith on moods, every time, we feel unhappy or depressed, and we may lose our faith. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once wrote in her diary that she did not feel the presence of God in her life for almost ten years. If she had depended on her emotion, she would have lost her faith. If we place our faith in our bodily wellbeing, the moment we get sick, or our body weakens, we may lose faith. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina received the gift of stigmata and had to endure the excruciating pain of the crucifixion for more than 50 years. Had he relied on his body, he would have lost his faith long time ago.

It is the ascent of the intellect that makes faith unbelievably powerful. When I was ordained to both to the diaconate and to the priesthood, especially during the most essential part of the ceremony, the laying of bishop’s hands on my head, I confess that I did not feel anything but a little pressure on my head. Does it mean my ordination invalid? Fortunately, the validity of my ordination is not based on my feelings! It is the faith, my faith, my bishop’s faith, the faith of the people, the faith of the Church. It is the faith that allows the unseen, unfelt grace of God to transform my soul into a soul of Jesus, the priest.

Our Catholic faith is indeed the mustard seed that moves a mountain. It is the faith that make our ears to hear the Word of God in the ordinary pages of the Scriptures. It is the faith that opens our minds to see the Body of Christ in a small tiny bread. It is the faith that encourages us to be humble before God and confess our sins before a priest. It is the faith that empowers many Christians to persevere in persecutions and to readily give their blood for Jesus. It is the faith that enables us to sacrifice our lives for others and to love the end.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Rich Man and Lazarus

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Reflection on the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – September 29, 2019 – Luke 16:19-31

LazarusOnce again, we listen to one of Jesus’s most remarkable stories. There is a rich man, and this guy is insanely wealthy. He is described as someone clothed with purple and fine linen. In ancient time, fine purple linen is an utmost luxury, and usually only nobilities could afford to buy this kind of cloth. Before the coming of synthetic coloring, purple dye is coming from snails of Mediterranean Sea, and it takes thousands of snails just to dye one ordinary garment. This rich guy is also throwing party every night. At the time of Jesus, where majority must toil to earn a little and to have something to eat, to enjoy feast every night is madly extravagant. At that time, fork, knife, and napkins were not common; thus, people are eating with their hands. In very wealthy houses, they will cleanse their hands by wiping them on hunks of bread that will be thrown away. These are pieces of bread Lazarus longs to receive.

Lazarus is a Latinized form of Eleazar, meaning “God is my help.” Yet, it seems that he does not get much help from the Lord during his lifetime. He is a beggar, and as one living with terrible hygiene, skin diseases come and plague his body. Even the dogs are licking his wounds. He is now no different from a dog! However, God is just and gives His help to Lazarus in his death. He is brought by the angels to Abraham’s bosom to receive comfort, while the superrich guy is thrown to hell.

This is a powerful story that reminds us that apathy can send us to hell. The rich guy possesses tremendous amount of wealth, and yet he closes his eyes on his brother who is greatly in distress. A deeper root of apathy is just our selfishness. We only care about ourselves. We notice how the rich guy in hell asks Lazarus to quench his thirst, his immediate need. Then, the rich guy suddenly remembers that he has other brothers and he wants Lazarus to warn them. It might be a hint of empathy, but it can be the sign of deeper selfishness. He wants only those close to him are saved. He never utters any single word of sorry to Lazarus, for being too cruel. Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan spiritual writer, once says, “The ego hates losing – even to God.”

God hates apathy because apathy is directly opposed to His mercy. The word Mercy in Latin is Misericordia, and it means the heart of those who are suffering. In the Bible, if there is one thing that always moves God, it is when someone begs for mercy. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us that God is mercy, and He cannot be but merciful. Thus, apathy is simply against God; it is a rejection of heaven.

Surely, we do not have to solve all the problem of the world; neither do we have to become the wealthiest guy in the world to care for others. We just need to look outside ourselves, outside our gadgets, outside our social media, outside places and people that give us comfort. Perhaps, our kids need someone to talk with, someone who can listen without judging. Maybe, the person beside us is having a bad day, and our little smile may help significantly. After all, Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

Let us make our mission today to say a kind word and do a kind deed to someone who needs it. As Mother Teresa once again says, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Dealing with Mammon

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time [C] – September 22, 2019 – Luke 16:1-13

money for othersThere is something strange in our Gospel today. Jesus is praising the cunning steward. Why does Jesus commend his shrewd action? To understand Jesus’ words, we need to comprehend first what really takes place with this servant and his master.

There is a steward who had been entrusted by his master to take care of his master’s house and possession, and yet, instead doing his job, he prefers to squander his master’s wealth and betrays his master’s trust. Angered master does what he is expected to do. He fires his useless servant. Yet, upon this impending judgment, the servant realizes that he is not able to dig, meaning he cannot labor in the farmland or at the construction sites. He is also ashamed to become a beggar. Then, he engineers a way out. He calls all his master’s debtors and cut into half all their debts by manipulating their letter of agreement. By doing this, he is doing a favor to them and making them as their friends. This is to secure way to survive after his expulsion. Surely this is manipulation and corruption, and yet he is praised for doing so. What’s going on?

Jesus gives us an example of how smart the children of this world manage their affairs. In the time of crisis, the wicked servant is able to discern well what is most important in his life, that is his survival. For a while, the servant is attached to the wealth of his master and spending them as if this money is his. But, when he realizes he is in the great trouble, he makes the right choice. He detaches himself from his addiction from wealth and make them as a means to achieve his survival. Jesus then compares the children of this world, and the children of light. If the children of this world can use and manipulate the material possession for their earthly motives, so the children of light shall use the same wealth to attain even a loftier goal.

This teaching of Jesus is important and massive implication. We are not only allowed, but even encouraged to use the material goods and wealth in order to reach heaven. Jesus even uses a stronger term: make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth! Surely, it does not mean we can buy heaven, or we can bribe God! We cannot never do those things. These material possession and money serve us as means to live decent lives, help each other and worship God.

The problem is that we, the children of light, are not friends with wealth. We either hate money or we love money. Firstly, some of us may have a perspective that money is evil, dangerous and leading to sin. Thus, when we hate money, we detest also those who have money. The hatred of money may lead to hatred of others, and we may fail to fulfill Christ’s commandment: to love one another. Secondly, many of us love money. We are attached to earthly wealth that we forget their true purpose. We make means into the end, and end into the means. We turn our family, friends, employees, religion, even God as tools to gain more and more money. It is a disheartening reality nowadays that some people create new religions and churches to enrich themselves. We are only to love God and to love each other for the love of God, but never money. We make friends with earthly wealth in order for us to gain heaven.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Tuhan dan Mamon

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Minggu Biasa ke-25 [C] – 22 September 2019 – Lukas 16: 1-13

wealth growingAda sesuatu yang aneh dalam Injil kita hari ini. Yesus memuji pelayan yang curang itu. Mengapa Yesus memuji tindakan cerdiknya? Untuk memahami kata-kata Yesus, kita perlu memahami terlebih dahulu apa yang sebenarnya terjadi dengan hamba ini dan tuannya.

Ada seorang hamba yang telah dipercayakan oleh tuannya untuk mengurus rumah dan kepemilikan tuannya, namun, alih-alih melakukan pekerjaannya, ia lebih memilih untuk menghambur-hamburkan kekayaan tuannya dan mengkhianati kepercayaan tuannya. Tuannya tentu menjadi marah. Dia memecat hambanya yang tidak berguna itu. Namun, sebelum ia diusir oleh tuannya, sang hamba menyadari bahwa ia tidak dapat menggali, yang berarti ia tidak dapat bekerja di tanah pertanian atau di pekerjaan bangunan. Dia juga malu menjadi pengemis. Lalu, ia merekayasa jalan keluar. Dia memanggil semua orang yang berhutang pada tuannya dan menghapuskan sebagian dari  utang-utang mereka dengan memanipulasi surat perjanjian mereka. Tentunya, orang-orang ini senang hutang mereka berkurang. Dengan melakukan ini, sang hamba melakukan hal menguntungkan bagi dia dan para pengutang, dan menjadikan mereka sebagai teman mereka. Dan jika diusir oleh tuannya, dia memiliki teman untuk menampungnya dan dia bisa bertahan hidup. Sejatinya ini adalah sebuah manipulasi dan korupsi, namun ia malah dipuji karena melakukannya. Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi?

Yesus memberi kita hamba yang cerdik ini sebagai sebuah contoh tentang seberapa pintarnya anak-anak di dunia ini mengelola urusan mereka. Di masa krisis, hamba yang jahat mampu membedakan dengan baik apa yang paling penting dalam hidupnya, yaitu kelangsungan dan masa depan hidupnya. Pada awalnya, hamba terikat pada kekayaan tuannya dan menghambur-hamburkannya seolah-olah uang ini adalah miliknya. Tetapi, ketika dia menyadari bahwa dia berada dalam kesulitan besar, dia membuat pilihan yang tepat. Dia melepaskan diri dari kecanduannya dari kekayaan dan menjadikannya sebagai sarana untuk mencapai kelangsungan hidupnya. Yesus kemudian membandingkan anak-anak dunia ini dengan anak-anak terang. Jika anak-anak di dunia ini dapat menggunakan dan memanipulasi kepemilikan materi untuk motif duniawi mereka, anak-anak terang pun seharusnya menggunakan kekayaan yang sama untuk mencapai bahkan tujuan yang lebih tinggi.

Ajaran Yesus ini memiliki implikasi penting dan masif. Kita tidak hanya diizinkan, tetapi bahkan didorong untuk menggunakan barang-barang materi dan kekayaan untuk mencapai surga. Yesus bahkan menggunakan istilah yang lebih kuat: ikatlah persahabatan dengan mempergunakan kekayaan! Tentunya, itu tidak berarti kita dapat membeli surga, atau kita dapat menyuap Tuhan! Kita tidak bisa melakukan hal-hal itu. Kepemilikan materi dan uang ini ada sebagai sarana untuk hidup yang layak, membantu sesama dan menyembah Tuhan.

Masalahnya adalah kita, anak-anak terang, tidak tahu berteman dengan kekayaan. Ada dua ekstrem: entah kita benci uang atau kita cinta uang. Pertama, beberapa dari kita mungkin memiliki perspektif bahwa uang itu jahat, berbahaya dan sebuah godaan untuk dosa. Jadi, ketika kita membenci uang, kita membenci juga mereka yang punya uang. Kebencian terhadap uang dapat menyebabkan kebencian terhadap orang lain, dan kita bisa gagal memenuhi perintah Kristus: untuk saling mengasihi. Kedua, banyak dari kita cinta uang. Kita terikat pada kekayaan duniawi bahwa kita melupakan tujuan sejati kita. Kita membuat sarana menjadi tujuan, dan tujuan menjadi sarana. Kita menjadikan keluarga, teman, karyawan, agama, bahkan Tuhan kita sebagai sekedar sarana untuk mendapatkan lebih banyak uang. Adalah kenyataan yang menyedihkan saat ini bahwa beberapa orang membuat agama dan gereja baru untuk memperkaya diri mereka sendiri. Kita hanya mencintai Tuhan dan mencintai sesama demi cinta Tuhan, tetapi tidak pernah uang. Kita berteman dengan kekayaan duniawi agar kita mendapatkan surga.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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