Category: English

God’s Love Transforms

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Sixth Sunday of Easter. May 1, 2016 [John 14:23-29]

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (Jn 14:23).”

god love never failsOne day, I had an opportunity to converse with one of our security personnel at our convent of Santo Domingo. I asked him if he sees God, what question would he ask of God? His answer went beyond my expectation. In Filipino, he would say, ‘Panginoon, Mahal mo ba ako?’ [Lord, do you love?] Surprised by his question, I inquired further, ‘Why that question?’ He replied in Filipino, ‘Brother, I am poor person with a lot of problems. Sometimes, I don’t really feel His presence and love.’ I realized that his question is not only single isolated case, but question of many people.

At times, we are asking the good Lord, why is life full of suffering and problems despite our faithfulness to God. We attend mass every Sunday, we pray the rosary everyday, and we never fail to be good Catholics, yet our lives seems never getting better. We continue to face many problems, from financial problems, health issues to relationship brokenness. We then ask God, ‘Lord, do you love me?’

The Gospel constantly tells us that God loves us. But, often we do not see how God loves us. Why? Because we expect a different kind of love. We expect that if we are good, we are obeying His rules, then everything will be fine. But, God is not like a spiritual ATM that grants instantly our wishes as we insert correct spiritual card of prayers and place the right spiritual code of living. But rather, God’s love works deep inside us and transforms us into His own love. God is not created in our image, then we need to stop forcing Him to be like us. Our prayers, our good works, and our faithfulness to God does not mean to give us an instant solution to our problems, but they are God’s ways to gradually form us to be like Him.

Jesus’ love did not liberate Israelites from the oppressions of the Roman Empire, nor He give them prosperity that the Jews longed for. His love rather transformed those people around Him to love like God. The disciples, despite their weakness and sufferings, gradually became more and more loving, and finally made a final sacrifice for the love of Jesus and others. Peter, the leader as well the most problematic apostle, denied and ran away from Jesus, but he progressively learned to love like Jesus. When the final moment came, he gave also his life for Christ and the Christians in Rome.

As I bide a goodbye to Manong guard and went back to seminary, I handed him a food I brought from the mall. Upon receiving the food, he said to me, “Can I share this food with some of the poor kids outside the Church?” His gesture astounded me and yet was heartwarming. Being a security guard in Metro Manila, was a dangerous job with little earning, plus so many problems I had to carry, yet his poverty did not prevent him to share a little blessing he had, a little love he received. He questioned the love of God, but he himself never stopped loving others. This simple man has become the embodiment of God’s love for others. The love of God transforms us more and more into His image, and without realizing it, we also have become the embodiment of His love to others.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

A New Commandment: Love

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Fifth Sunday of Easter. April 24, 2016 [John 13:31-33a, 34-35]

 “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another (Jn 13:34).”

love one anotherThe first time God gave His commandment was on the Mount Sinai. To Moses and the Israelites, He made His covenant that He will be their God and they will be His People. And to live as a Holy People, God gave them the Law, famously called the Ten Commandment (Exo 19-20). Then, centuries after Moses, at the Upper Room, in old city Jerusalem, God gave His new commandment. This time, His Law is simpler and yet, more radical than the old one. Jesus handed to them the greatest command: Love one another as He has loved them.

John was called the beloved. Perhaps, it is because he was loved by Jesus in special way, but I believe, it is because among other disciples, John is the one who struggled the most to understand Jesus’ love for him and for all of us. Jesus’ love is extremely puzzling. In the culture of tooth-for-tooth retaliation, to forgive an enemy is unthinkable, but Jesus asked them to forgive them seventy times seven, to love them and pray for them! When society abhorred sinners, tax-collectors, and law-breakers, Jesus welcome them. Yet, He Himself demanded from them to repent and be perfect as the Father is perfect. When He was left alone, tortured and crucified, He manifested His greatest love as He forgave His tormentors. It does not stop there. The risen Lord came back and precisely to renew His love for His scattered and hopeless disciples. John then concluded in his letter, indeed God is love (1 John 4:8). He is not only loving, merciful, and forgiving, but love itself.

Why did God create universe, despite He is actually perfect and self-sufficient? Because Love cannot but share itself. Why did God trouble Himself by taking close care of His creations? Because Love means caring. Why did God make us human in his image? Because lLve begets another love. Why did God give us freedom despite the fact that we tend to abuse this freedom? Because Love cannot be true unless there is freedom.

Love is difficult and indeed, often full of sacrifices. Parents are struggling to understand and caring their teenage kids who are involved in drug addiction. A wife is fighting for her marriage that begins to crumble because of her husband’s secret affair. A parish priest is giving his best effort to educate his parishioners in faith despite so many criticism and misunderstanding against him. The movie Of Gods and Of Man is a true story of a community of French Trappist monks in Algeria, and they were eventually kidnapped and murdered in1996 by the terrorists. In one meeting, they were arguing whether to leave the monastery and the Muslim villagers they served, or stay and face uncertain future. One of the younger monks said to the Prior, “I did not become a monk to die.” And the prior answered back, “But you have already given away your life.” They finally decided to stay and continue to love until the end.

One time, I faced a profound crisis in my vocation. Honestly, I was confused: both to be a lay and a priest are holy and dignified call. Then, my formator would give this precious advice: “Bayu, choose the path that offers you more sufferings, because there, you may love more.” Indeed, love is tough and demanding, but only through loving, we can become the Disciples of Christ, that reflects His very image.

 Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Be a Good Shepherd

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Fourth Sunday of Easter. April 17, 2016 [John 10:27-30]

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me (Jn 10:27).”

good shepherdOne of the loveliest images of Jesus is the Good Shepherd. It is even more beautiful when we try to bring ourselves to Palestine in the time of Jesus.  Life as a shepherd is tough and tiresome. Grass was scarce and the sheep constantly wondered. Since there was not protective fence, the shepherd was bound to watch his sheep for all time, otherwise the sheep would go astray. The terrain in Judea was rough and rocky, and these forced the shepherd to exert extra energy. Not only constant, shepherd’s duty was also dangerous. Wild animals, especially wolfs, were ready to attack and devour the meek sheep. Not only wild predators, robbers and thieves were eager to pirate the sheep.

The sheep in Judea were raised primarily for wool. Thus, the shepherd shall live together with his flock for years. No wonder if he knew well each individual sheep, its characters, and even its unique physical features. He would call them by name like ‘small-feet’ or ‘large-ears’. Because of the intimate bond between the two, the sheep were so familiar with the voice of the shepherd. H.V. Morton, a bible scholar, once narrated his encounter with two shepherds who shared the same cave to shelter their flocks at night. How would they sort them out? In the morning, one shepherd stood some distance and simply voiced a peculiar sound. His sheep recognized the sound immediately, and they ran toward him, while the sheep belonged to the other shepherd remained in the cave!

 Good shepherd is a symbol of providential care, sacrifice, and true love. No wonder if ancient Israelites saw God as their shepherd. Psalm 23 is one of the loveliest poems in the bible, describing God as the Good Shepherd. Remember that some great leaders of Israel were actually shepherds. Moses was tending to his father-in-law flocks when he was called by God in the burning bush (Exo 3). David also was taking care of his father’s sheep when Samuel came and anointed him king (1 Sam 16).

Jesus understood this and He took this identity upon himself. Not only any shepherd, He is the Good Shepherd. He knows us individually as unique and precious. He takes care of us constantly, and search us if we go astray. He protects us from any harm and danger. Even He is willing to give up His life just to save us.

Now, we are not merely animals just like any other sheep. We are human being, with intellect and freedom. To be the sheep of Christ takes another profound form. It means that we are also called to become a good shepherd. A priest is a good shepherd to his faithful. A husband or wife is a good shepherd to each other. Parents are good shepherds to their children. Fr. Gerard Timoner, OP, our provincial, once reminded us that ‘brother-shepherding-brother’ should be our spirit of our formation.

Being a good shepherd is never easy, just like Christ, we shall give our all to others. But, only in giving ourselves that our lives finds its meaning. John Maxwell, leadership guru, once said that the success of man is not how many people serve him, but how many people whom he serves. Meanwhile Zig Ziglar, great American inspirational speaker, reminds us that we can get everything in life we want if we help enough people get what they want. Fundamentally, we were created in the image of God, and if our God is the Good Shepherd, we are the image of the Good Shepherd. It is our purpose and mission in life to be a good shepherd and grow our sheep.

 Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Do You Love Me?

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Third Sunday of Easter. John 21:1-19 [April 8, 2016]

jesus n peterReading today’s Gospel in original Greek, we get to appreciate more the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. In English translation, both Jesus and Peter expressed themselves in the same word ‘love’, but in Greek, the word Jesus employed is ‘agapao’ while Peter’s is ‘phileo’. ‘Agapao’ or ‘agape’ refers to unconditional and radical love that every Christian should exemplify. This love is based on freewill and discipline, not just affections. This love empowers to love, to forgive and to have mercy even to our enemies. While ‘phileo’ or ‘philia’ is the reciprocal love of friendship. It is coming from both natural liking as well as firm decision. We make friends with whom we feel close, yet we exert also efforts to get close and understand them. As an old adage say, ‘friend in indeed is friends indeed.’

Jesus asked, “Peter, do you unconditionally and radically love me?” yet Peter answered, “Lord, you know that I love you as my friend.” Jesus demanded radical love of ‘agape’ for three times, and for three times, Peter could only give Jesus the love of friendship or ‘philia’. This seems another Peter’s outright denial of Jesus. But, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI humbly defended his predecessor that at that very moment, ‘phileo’ was his very best.

The dialogue of love between Jesus and Peter is also our dialogue with the Lord. Jesus demands from us that radical and selfless love for Him. But, it is difficult. It is hard to give time in service in the Church, when we are also struggling with our daily life and financial status. A friend told me how he has desire to serve, yet he is the ‘breadwinner’ of the family and has to work 12 hours a day. It is also difficult to love God, when our lives are in mess. How can we love God, when our marriage is falling, when our children entered rehabilitation due to drug-addiction or in jail for their juvenile delinquency? How can we love when our job or business is falling apart? How can we love God if we are betrayed and hurt by persons we love so much? We stop loving and enter into our own self-confinement.

Yet, when Peter failed to meet Jesus’ hope, Jesus was not angry. He never said, ‘You are a failure. You are a mistake.’ Rather, He gave Peter a tremendous responsibility, ‘Tend and Feed my sheep.’ Jesus knows well it is difficult to love. He himself has to die the most brutal death just to prove His love for us. Yet, He does not see us as a failure despite our shortcomings and difficulties in loving. He who has given us the ability to love, knows exactly our potential to love. Indeed, Peter who was struggling to love Jesus, finally proved his love to Jesus as he tended His sheep to the last moment of his life. Peter was crucified upside down, because he refused to abandon Jesus’ sheep in Rome.

When we fail to love God, He did not abandon us, and in fact, He gives us even more mission to love because Jesus is aware that only through this hardship, we may expand our ability to love. Love without trials and tribulations is shallow and weak kind of love. St. John reminded us that God is love (1 John 4:8). Thus, when we struggle to love through thick and thin of lives, we shall remember that it is not us who love, but God himself.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Wounds of Christ

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Second Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday. April 3, 2016 [John 20:19-31]

 “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe (John 20:25).”

jesus n thomas The request of Thomas was a bit strange. To recognize the risen Lord, Thomas demanded that he would be able to touch the wounds of Christ. But, why did Thomas look for the wounds of Jesus? He could have asked to see Jesus’ face, or to touch Jesus’ nose. He had been Jesus’ disciple for some years, and surely, Thomas would not have any difficulty to recognize Jesus. Why wounds?

I guess one of the reason is that Thomas looked for the wounds because he could identify himself with that very wounds that Jesus bore.  Thomas was searching for himself as much as for Jesus. Deep inside his being, Thomas admitted that he is the wounds of Christ, indeed all of the disciples. Thomas who once said, “Let us go to die with Him (John 11:16)!” ran away when Jesus was arrested. Peter, the leader, denied Jesus three times. Judas sold Him for a price of slave. The rest were leaving Him alone to the hand of His murderers. The stories of disciples are the stories of failure, cowardice and betrayal. They have crucified Jesus. They were the wounds of Christ.

We are also the wounds of Christ. Ours are the stories of failure, selfish ambition and unfaithfulness. Some of us might have betrayed our friends just to gain certain personal benefits. Some of us might have do violence even to our beloved ones. Some of us might have told lies to protect our good reputation and cover up our mistakes. In his book, Blood and Earth, Kevin Bales wrote on how our desire for cheaper goods encourages the modern day of human slavery in the third world countries. Who knows that our cellular phone we use to read this reflection are, to certain extent, the products of people working in subhuman conditions in Africa and Asia. And who knows our choice of food has damaged the million acres of soil and hurt the mother earth.

Just like the disciples, we are weak, broken and wounded. We have crucified Jesus and we recognize the wounds of Jesus as ourselves. Yet, we must not miss the point of Easter. Yes, we are the wounds, but we are the wounds of the Risen Christ. Yes, we are weak, frail and sinful, but we do not lose hope because we do not carry our broken selves alone. Jesus is carrying us, and all our imperfection, and transforms them in His resurrection. When in January 2015, Pope Francis visited Tacloban city, Philippines that was devastated by the typhoon Yolanda, he was deeply saddened by the destruction that it brought and thousand lives that it had destroyed. In this face of utter destruction, Pope Francis pointed his hands to the crucified Lord, and said to survivors,

 “So many of you have lost everything. I don’t know what to say to you. But the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent heart. Many of you have asked the Lord – why lord? And to each of you, to your heart, Christ responds with his heart from the cross. I have no more words for you. Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us because he underwent all the trials that we, that you, have experienced.”

Thomas focused only on the wounds, but when he began to touch Jesus and saw the Risen Lord, he exclaimed, “My Lord and My God.” Christian are not to escape from the sufferings of this world nor to be in despair, but we are to face the trials of life and hopeful even if we are weak, because Jesus who has embraced the worst of this world, finally rose and brought us together in his body.

Bro. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno

Seeing the Empty Tomb

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Easter Sunday. March 27, 2016 [John 20:1-9]

 “Then the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed (John 20:8).”

empty-tombWhat do you see inside the empty tomb? Seeing the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene was at lost, terrified and confused. Where is Jesus? Is He moved to the other tomb? Is someone stealing His Body? Peter, the leader of the apostles, did not understand the empty tomb and went home puzzled. All things were so depressing. Jesus was betrayed, denied, tortured, crucified and now he is missing!

Once he was a charismatic preacher, but then, he was dead. Once he was an inspirational leader, but then he was buried. Once he was welcome as a king and Messiah, then He was crucified by the people who welcome Him. Even the tomb where his body rested, was not spared from this cruelty. All expectations were shattered, all dreams were put off, and it was just empty and dark, just like the empty tomb.

When everything seems so absurd and hopeless, one disciple did not give up. He was the disciple who loved Jesus and whom Jesus loved. Indeed, love turns to be the game changer. Only the eyes of love can pierce through the darkest empty tomb and see a deepest meaning of it. In love, Jesus was not lost, and not even dead. He is fully alive, present and vibrant. Easter is our celebration of faith that drives away meaninglessness, hope that prevails over despair. And all of this, only possible when there is love that conquers all. As St. Paul would say, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor 13:13).”

Easter is the time for us to learn to see what the beloved sees, to see through the eyes of love. As the beloved sees the risen Lord at the empty tomb, we shall see the resurrected Christ as well in this emptiness of life. With the eyes of love, a mother will not see a baby in her womb just as an intruder or burden, but life that holds bright future. With the eyes of love, a wife will not see her aging and sickly husband as mistake, but a living brave soul who dedicated his life for her, despite so many imperfections.

In 2006, after Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, won the election, he decreed operation Murambatsvina, “the cleaning out of the rubbish”. He ordered the demolition of the houses of those people who refused to vote for him during the election. More than 700,000 people watched their home bulldozed. They became refugees in their homeland and begun their life again out of the rubbles of their home. At the heart of this place of refuge, was a small plastic tent, called ‘the young Generation pre-school’. This was a home of a young woman called Evelyn, and she used it as a school in the day. There were around a dozen of her students under the age of eight, nearly all HIV-positive and with TB. Sometimes there was food to eat, but usually, there was none. Yet, Evelyn never gave up taking care of the children and even the children sang welcome songs happily every time guests would visit them. Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP once visited her and seeing her condition, he asked her why she did that. She just had one simple reason that she loved the children so much and indeed found meaning and joy in what she was doing.

Easter is the time when Jesus resurrects, defeats death, renews our broken humanity and disfigured world. And all begins at the empty tomb. The question now is: What do you see in the empty tomb?

 Happy Easter!

 Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Christian Life, Authentic Life?

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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. March 20, 2016 [Luke 19:28-40/Luke 23:1-49]

 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord (Luk 19:38).”

palm sundayPalm Sunday or Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem marks the beginning of the most important drama of the Gospel, the drama of the Holy Week. The memory was so significant to the early Christians that the episode was recorded in all four Gospels (Mat 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19), though with some different emphases. Why was Jesus’ entrance to the ancient city Jerusalem so significant?

His entrance was unusual and less triumphant because he preferred to ride a meek donkey rather than a combat-ready horse. Yet, his unique entrance was not unexpected by the Jewish people looking forward for the Messiah. By riding on the donkey, he was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” (Zec 9:9). The people who gathered in Jerusalem for annual Jewish festival, could not hide their excitement to this Jesus who had been rumored as the expected Christ. Indeed, the people welcome Him as a king as they shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! (Luk 19:38)” Through his action, Jesus no longer hid His true identity, but revealed publicly that He is the Messiah.

Unfortunately, the moment Jesus revealed who He was, both the Jewish authority and the Roman rulers were ready to pin him down. They did not care whether Jesus came as the peaceful and humble leader or war-freak king. Jesus was the potential troublemaker and the sooner they get rid of him, the better. True enough, lest than a week, Jesus was betrayed, deserted by his followers and condemned to death. The people who acclaimed Him king, now cried to the top of their voice, “Crucify him!” The entrance to Jerusalem is significant because Jesus made a firm decision to live and die to the fullest. Jesus knew this horrifying possibility would take place, but He did not run and look for safety. He freely embraced his identity and mission, and because of this, his death was not in vain. He has made a difference that mattered most.

We are called Christian because we indeed the follower of Jesus Christ, but our name is worthless if we fail to follow Him up to Jerusalem. For some of us, being Christian or Catholic is just a matter of social convenience or family tradition. Our family, our society is Christian then we should be Christians. Often we just remember that we are Christians during special events in our life. In the Philippines, there are KBL Catholics, those who attend the Mass only for ‘Kasal’ or marriage, ‘Biyag’ or baptism and ‘Libing’ or funeral mass. In Indonesia, we are familiar with ‘Na-Pas’ (literally means ‘breath’) Christians, those who only go to the Church during ‘Natal’ or Christmas and ‘Paskah’ or Easter.

But, we must not forget that for some being Christians means hardship, sufferings and death. Christians in war-zones like Syria and Iraq, or when the Christians were minority, live in constant danger and discriminations are so real. Just few weeks ago, four sisters of Missionaries of Charity were brutally executed by the terrorists in Yemen. While they were fully aware of the extent of the danger, they refused to live behind the people they served, the elderly and the disabled. They are the disciples of Christ who lived their authentic Christianity to the end. Both in death and life, their faith has made the world a better.

Philosopher Abraham Kaplan noted that if Socrates said ‘unexamined life is not worth living’, so ‘the unlived life is worth examining. As we are entering the most solemn week in our liturgy, we ask ourselves: have we live our lives to the fullest? Is our Christian faith making any difference? Are we willing to make the change that matters most in our lives?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Jesus and the Woman

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Fifth Sunday of Lent. March 13, 2016 [John 8:1-11]

 “The woman replied, ‘No one, sir.’”

jesus and woman caught in adultery 3In time of Jesus, women were not standing at the same level with men. Crudely speaking, women were considered to be the property of men. Except for several outstanding female figures in the Bible like Deborah, the judge, and Judith, the warrior, the ancient Jewish women had to live under the patriarchal domination. The Bible is not loud at the stories of abused and battered women, but we can safely assume that the exploitations took place here and there.

Our today’s Gospel is rarely seen as the story of woman being exploited by the some group of Jewish and religious male, but this was what really happening. The Book of Leviticus has regulated that both the male and female adulterers shall be put to death (Lev 20:10), but the Pharisees only forcefully brought the woman. Their goal was crystal-clear: to trap Jesus, and the rest were means to it, including if they had to use and stone the woman. Here lies the fundamental reason why women always turn to be victims of abuses and violence: the objectification and depersonalization of women. The adulterous woman lost her personhood and became a tool of the Pharisees in achieving their objective. I guess the same underlying motive influence men of different generations. Heartless men change women into their sex objects, cheap labors, or step stone to success.

Jesus got to stop this. Not only He need to save the woman victim, but he had to challenge the corrupt mentality of male abusive domination. He then wrote on the ground. Now, this has been subject of debate and discussion for centuries, and nobody really knew what Jesus wrote. My wild imagination would tell me that he wrote, “Guys, where is the adulterous man?” Jesus read their evil intention not only to Him about to the lady. They were planning for the death for both Jesus and the woman, and the Law says that the murderers and those who pre-meditated on murder shall be put to the death (Lev 21:14). Surely, killing is graver evil than adultery. When Jesus said, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” Jesus exposed their malicious motivation to kill Him and the woman. The scribes and the Pharisees also deserved death and they should throw the stone to themselves. Losing the battle, they left Jesus and the woman.

Yet, the story does not end there. Jesus had one more mission. After being objectified and depersonalized by her sin and the violent men, Jesus restored her dignity by giving back her voice. Jesus did not unveil her name, but Jesus allowed her to speak for her own. She answered Jesus, “No one, sir.” Indeed, no men shall make her a mere object and no one shall degrade her anymore. She is the beautiful daughter of God and she will remain to be so.

We are living two millennia after Jesus, yet a lot of women still fall victim to this objectification and depersonalization effort of the Evil one. As Jesus fought for the woman, we shall to fight for the women around us. If Jesus was able to expose the subtle form of woman’s exploitation, we shall too expose the various forms of abuses around us. If Jesus restored the dignity of the woman, we shall too respect the dignity of woman around us.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Mercy of the Father

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Fourth Sunday of Lent. March 6, 2016 [Luke 15:1-3, 11-32]

“His father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion (Luk 15:20).”

 

prodigal son 2The Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most moving stories of Jesus and has been regarded as the all-time favorite. The parable is so beautiful that it moved one of the earliest heretics, Marcion of Sinope, to single out the Gospel of Luke as the only valid Gospel. Why does the parable gain such honor among Jesus’ parables? I guess one of the reasons is the unexpected twist of event appears in the parable. Like when we watch movies in the cinema, flat and predicted plot of movies will cause boredom, but movies with sudden and unforeseen twists often create breath-taking excitement. The twist of the parable is that the Mercy of God that goes beyond any human expectation and limitations.

The lost son would simply expect that he would be treated as one of his father’s servants after sinning so greatly. The elder son, meanwhile, expected the same thing would happen to the bad boy. But, the father did not subscribe to their human expectation. He did sudden yet amazing turn: he accepted both as who they really are, his sons. God’s mercy surpasses all our human limitations and logic, because we are all his children.

The story of Rudolf Höss may illustrate how unimaginable God’s Mercy is. Rudolf Höss was a commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp and he was practically responsible for the extermination of 2.5 million prisoners, mostly Jews, but also Christians like St. Maximillian Kolbe, and Edith Stain. At the end of the war, he was arrested, tried and received capital punishment for his crime against humanity. He was then imprisoned in Wadowice (the birthplace of St. John Paul II) and he would be executed at the very place he used to rule, Auschwitz. Höss was in great fear not only because of his imminent death penalty but also of cruel torture from prison guards. To his surprise, he was treated mercifully by the guards, notwithstanding the fact that their wives and children were also victims of Nazi’s cruelty. Their mercy moved him to tears and conversion. Höss was a baptized Catholic, but left his faith in his adulthood. He eventually asked for a priest for confession. It was truly difficult to find one, until they discovered Fr. Wladyslaw Lohn, a Jesuit who was the chaplain of the sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the Shrine of Divine Mercy, Krakaw. Höss made his confession and received the underserved forgiveness. A day before he died, he was able to receive the Holy Communion, kneeling and in tears.

Sometimes, we are like the lost son that we have turned away from God and our lives have been so messed up, that we are losing hope of God’s mercy. Sometimes, we become the elder son who has lived a righteous and good life, but we forget how it is to be merciful to others. Thus, this is not coincidence that Pope Francis chose Luke 6:36 as the motto of the Jubilee of Mercy: ‘Merciful like the Father’. The jubilee of Mercy is both time for us to ask mercy as well as to give mercy. The lost son is in need of mercy and the elder son needs to be merciful. Are we humble enough to ask mercy and forgiveness from God and others? Are we ready to be merciful like the Father?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Mercy: Our Second Chance

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Third Sunday of Lent. Luke 13:1-9 [February 28, 2016]

“It may bear fruit in the future (Luk 13:9)”

jesus n fig treeThe heart of the parable of the Good Gardener is God’s Mercy. Not only He is merciful, but He is the Mercy itself. Pope Francis fittingly wrote that the name of God is Mercy. God cannot but be merciful. We are like the tree that was fruitless and useless, but God gave us a second chance. Jesus, our Holy Gardener, even exerts His utmost effort to take care of us, making sure that grace of God in constantly pour upon us.

In my readings on Mercy, I stumbled upon this little story of a young French soldier who deserted the armies of Napoleon but was soon caught. He was court-martialed and condemned to death. His mother pleaded with Napoleon to spare her son’s life. Napoleon said that the crime was dreadful; justice demanded his life. The mother sobbed and begged for mercy. Napoleon replied that the young man did not deserve mercy. And the mother said, “I know that he does not deserve mercy. It would not be mercy if he deserved it.”

God’s mercy flows from His overflowing love. However, because God so loves us, He also allows us grow in freedom. God gave us a second chance, but it is up us to grab it or blow it up. Just like St. Augustine once said, “God created us without us, but He did not save us without us.” Thus, the greatest enemy of mercy is hopelessness. We assume that we no longer are no longer able to change. We refuse God’s second change because we see it as completely useless. Indeed, to cash despair is the chief work of the devil. Author, lawyer, economist, and actor Ben Stein says, “The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated. It is finished when it surrenders.” Our failures, weaknesses condition us to believe that we are worthless, and the moment we doubt the mercy of God, the devil is victorious.

England could have been lost to Germany in World War II, had not been for Winston Churchill. He was the prime minister of England during some of the darkest hours of World War II. He was once asked by a reporter what his country’s greatest weapon had been against Hitler’s Nazi regime that bombarded England day and night. Without pausing for a moment he said, “It was what England’s greatest weapon has always been hope.”

Pope Francis, through his own initiative declared this year as the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and He opens up the gates of mercy all over the world so that everyone may feel God’s love and compassion. Yet again, we never receive that grace, unless we pass through the threshold of that gates. We need to believe that His Mercy conquers all our limitations, and His Love covers multitude of sins. When Pope Francis visited the US in September 2015, he made a point to meet the prisoners and he said to them, “Let us look to Jesus, who washes our feet. He is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’. He comes to save us from the lie that says no one can change. He helps us to journey along the paths of life and fulfillment. May the power of his love and his resurrection always be a path leading you to new life.”

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP