Tag: bible

The True Miracle

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 28, 2024

John 6:1-15

The miracle of the multiplication of bread is a special one because this miracle is different from other Jesus’ miracles. Yet, what makes it truly unique from other miracles? How does this miracle shape our faith in Jesus?

The first thing we can observe is that this miracle is emerging from Jesus’ initiative. Jesus saw the people following Him,  He recognized their need and then, He came out with a miraculous solution. From this perspective, we can draw beautiful points about our God. He is not God who is far, aloof and only waiting for the people to approach Him and beg something from Him. Our God is a loving God who unfaillingly recognizes our needs and conditions, and even provides our needs even without us asking. God anticipates our necessities and fulfills them even without our realization. This is true and divine love, that is anticipatory, consistent and often overlooked. Do we thank the Lord for every breath we inhale? Are we grateful for the water we drink? Yet, God provides these for us.

However, the second character of this miracle makes it even more remarkable and unique. Before Jesus performed the miracle, He presented the situation to His disciples, and asked them to solve it. Philip immediately reduced the situation into an economic problem, and answered his Master that it was impossible to feed the people without spending massive amounts of money. Fortunately, Andrew recognized Jesus’ intention to test His disciples. He then brought a little but generous boy who offered his bread and fish to Jesus to be shared. Then, the miracle began to unfold.

If we try to compare with other miracles of Jesus, we discover that Jesus wills His disciples and followers to participate in the miracle. In other miracles like healings and exorcism, Jesus did it by Himself. He had no need for any help or participation from His disciples. Yet, when Jesus performed one of the greatest miracles, He wanted His disciples to generously offer what they have, and let Jesus bless their offerings, and so become a blessing for many people.

This is the true beauty of the miracle of multiplication of bread. Indeed, God can easily work without us, as many times He does, but He also chooses to work and perform His miracles through us. And, as we offer what we have and allow God’s grace to operate in us, God perfects us and makes us His miracles to many people. Through this participation, our dignity as children of God is elevated and further glorified.

As a preacher, I offer to the Lord, my time, my intellectual capacity, and my study of Sacred Scriptures, and often, I feel these are not sufficient. But, I pray that every time I preach, the Lord will multiply these tiny resources I have into the spiritual fruits in those who hear. As good parents, we offer our time, energy, and other resources to the Lord as we raise our children. Often, we feel these are not enough, but God blesses us and our children miraculously grow into mature individuals. How do you participate in God’s works and miracles?

Manila

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

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Jesus, Our Peace

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]

July 21, 2024

Eph 2:13-18

In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul called Jesus ‘He is our peace.’ Yet, why did St. Paul apply this strange title to Jesus? What does it really mean? And, how does this title affect our faith?

To understand Paul, we have to understand also the Old Testament. Afterall, Paul was a member of Pharisees, and thus, not only a zelous but also learned Jew. When St. Paul called Jesus as ‘peace’, he referred to the peace offering of the Jerusalem Temple. The peace offering (in Hebrew, Shalom) is one of sacrifices instructed by the Lord to the Israelites through Moses (see Lev 3). The peace offerings together with other with other sacrifices continued being offered in the time of Jesus and Paul. The ritual sacrifices ceased when the Romans burned down the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD, around two decades after Paul’s martyrdom.

As its name suggests, the purpose of this sacrifice is the reconciliation between the Lord, the God of Israel, and the Israelites who have offended the Lord. However, unlike other sacrifices that emphasize on satisfactions of sins and transgressions, like sin offering (chatat) and guilt offering (asham), the peace offering focuses on the result of God’s forgiveness, that is peace. When man offends God because of his sins, man becomes far from God, like an stranger and even enemy. There is enmity between God and man because of sin. There is no peace. However, when the man is forgiven, and his sins are removed, his friendship with God is restored, and there is peace between God and men. This peace causes joy and thanksgiving. The peace offering symbolizes the joy of forgiveness, the thanksgiving of peace achieved.

When St. Paul called Jesus as ‘our peace,’ St. Paul recognized Jesus offered Himself as the peace offering in the cross. Jesus did not only remove our sins, but also reconciled us to the Father. Jesus is the peace because He broke our enmity with God, and brought us back to God in friendship. Only in Jesus, we are at peace with God.

However, peace offering is also a special kind of sacrifice because it is not burnt totally (unlike holocaust sacrifice) but rather being shared also with the priest and the offerers. The fatty parts is burnt because it is for the Lord, some other parts of the animal are for the priests to consume and other parts are for those who offer the sacrifice. Thus, the peace sacrifice is like a meal shared by everyone. The sacrifice becomes the symbol of peace because only people who are at peace with each other can share the same table and food.

However, what is even more remarkable is the Catholic Church has this peace offering. Indeed, our peace offering is the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Jesus is offered to the God the Father, and then, consumed not only by the priest, but also the faithful who participate in the celebration. Jesus Christ is truly our peace because in the Eucharist, we share the same meal with God.

Valentinus  Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Authority to Love

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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 14, 2024

Mark 6:7-13

In today’s Gospel, Jesus entrusted His disciples an authority. This authority is composed of several powers like to to cash out demons, to heal the sick, and to preach the repentance. The question to ponder is that why did Jesus hand down this kind authority to His disciples? Why did not Jesus give more useful tools like the power to control people, or power to produce money?

Firstly, from this story, we recognize that Jesus loves His disciples and as a proof of His love, He dares to entrust His authority to frail and sometimes, unreliable men. Jesus did not hoard everything to Himself, but rather share Himself with His disciples so that His disciples may grow, even through failures and weakness.

Secondly, the authority Jesus gave is not something that ends up manipulating people. Indeed, Jesus can possible give the authority to control people’s mind to His discciples, and this power can be extremely useful to draw more people to Jesus instantly. People will do everything for Jesus or for the disciples, but this is not real authority since it will objectify people and nothing but pure manipulation. Yes, Jesus can create an authority to control economy for His disciples, and this can generate enermous wealth for Jesus and His group. However, in the end, wealth control through manipulation is just corruption and greed.

Thirdly, if we look carefully the authority Jesus entrusted to His disciples is the authority to serve and to love. To heal the sick people without asking rewards, to cash out demons that tormented men and women, and to preach repetance for the salvation of souls are powers to bring holiness to people, to draw them closer to God. However, what even remarkable is that this authority to love requires even more love, a love that is miticulous, persistant, anticipatory but hidden. For example,  to preach the repetance, the disciples must walk miles, endure hunger and the sun’s scorge, and prepare what to say. They also had to face the fear of rejection, and eventually be at peace with unsatisfatory results. These are the small and hidden steps to reach the preaching of repetance, and these steps are also acts of love.

We, the disciples of Christ, are given the authority to love. As husbands, we have the authority to love our spouses. As parents, we posses the authority to educate our children. As priests, we are entrusted the authority to serve the people of God. Yet, these authority is even built on the small, hidden yet persistent acts of love. To love their young child, a couple have to endure lack of sleep, prepare and provide baby’s food on proper times, purchase and change the baby’s diapers, and many other small things. And, when the baby grows up, she will probably not appreciate what the parents did for her. What she is aware of is that she is now healthy, secure girl with bright future.

Love is not always grand and sensational, but oftentimes, little, constant and unappreciated. Yet, this kind of love that empowers us to fulfill our missions of life. This is our authority to love.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Mystery of Faith

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13th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]

June 30, 2024

Mark 5:21-43

Faith is fundamental to our salvation but is also one of the most misunderstood concepts. The stories of the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with haemorrhage help us better understand the meaning of faith and how we need to live our faith.

The most basic understanding of faith is a belief in God, or for us Christians, a belief in Jesus Christ. This primary sense of faith relies heavily on our intellectual acceptance of the presence of God and Jesus as His only begotten Son, our Savior. However, how about those people with no opportunity to intellectually recognize Jesus? Like for example, Jairus’ daughter was gravely ill and eventually died. She was not able to have faith in her mind that Jesus would go to save her. Yet, she was saved from death, not because of her faith, but the faith of her father. St. James reminds us also that even the demons believed and knew well that God exists, but the intellectual faith does not save them.

The second type of faith is faith of conviction. This kind of faith involves not only intellectual recognition of God but also vigorous conviction and deep trust. This kind of faith is usually expressed in solid emotions and visible bodily actions like shouting the name of Jesus or bowing down in prayers. Yet again, St. Paul reminds us that this kind of faith does not bring salvation. He writes, “If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Cor 13:2).”

Finally, the third class of faith is faith working through love. This faith not only accepts God intellectually and is profoundly hopeful but also manifests itself in works of charity. Compared to the previous two, this faith is more demanding yet also saving. We can see this from Jairus’s faith. His profound love for his daughter propels him to believe in Jesus, and in turn, his faith in Jesus empowers him to seek and beg for Jesus’ miraculous healing.

The story of the woman with a haemorrhage is more interesting. She seems to have a second type of faith or the faith with conviction. She sincerely believed that she would be healed if she touched Jesus, but if we go deeper, we find her faith goes beyond convictions. When she decides to approach Jesus, she does not immediately grab Jesus’ body or feet. Instead, she carefully selects to touch the tassel of Jesus’ clock. Why? The woman is aware that she has the flow of blood, and this makes her ritually impure, and anyone she touches may be contaminated by this impurity (see Lev 15:25-30). Therefore, by not making immediate contact with Jesus, the woman shows excellent care to preserve the purity of Jesus. This simple detail can show us her love for Jesus despite her limitations. Then, Jesus recognizes the true faith of the woman, and she is made well.

Do we have the saving faith? What kind of faith do we have, and how do we grow? Do we manifest our faith in God in love for Jesus and our neighbours?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Love of Christ urges us.

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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 23, 2024

2 Cor 5:14-17

The relationship between St. Paul and the Church in Corinth is complicated. St. Paul was the first missionary to preach the Gospel in Corinth and establish the Church there. Yet, after St. Paul left for another mission, some members of the Church began to disobey Paul and discredit him. In his second letter, St. Paul tried to address this issue, both with tears and joy. What is the problem? How, then, did Paul answer this issue?

Corinth was one of the major cities in ancient Greece, and its strategic location made it wealthy and a major trading hub in the Roman Empire. This situation made the city attractive to many people, including Christian missionaries and preachers. When St. Paul left the city to preach in other places, other so-called ‘apostles’ came and began to teach the Christians in Corinth. Some of them seemed to intentionally discredit Paul by saying that he was not a true apostle. They would cite some proofs like Paul preached a different Gospel, Paul was not a real Israelite, and Paul was not accepting support from the Church (a preacher or missionary was expected to receive their living from the Church). Yet, now Paul was asking for donations.

In his letter, Paul defended himself. He only preached the true Gospel (2 Cor 11:1-6). He is a true Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin and, in fact, from the Pharisees’ group. And, often, he did not receive support from the Corinthians, but instead worked as a tent maker because he did not want to become a burden to the Church (2 Cor 11:7-10). Yet, Paul further explained that the donation he sought was not for himself but for the Church in Jerusalem (2 Cor 8:9).

Paul defended further his apostolic ministry that he received from God for the building of the Church. He was facing persecution both from the Jews and the Greeks; he was beaten in the Synagogue and jailed by Roman leaders. The angry mobs targeted him. Jews opposed Paul because he preached Jesus Christ. The Greeks hated Paul because he drew many people away from the pagan temples. Paul also experienced life-threatening dangers in his journeys: robbers, unfriendly weather, and shipwrecks. Beyond that, he also worked during the days to support himself and preached during the night, and his energy was restlessly spent to deal with various concerns of the Church (see 2 Cor 11:23-29). Paul explained why he was doing all these things: ‘The love of Christ urges us (2 Cor 5:14).’

Christ’s love is enormous; it empowers Paul to do the impossible: love like Jesus. Paul is not the only one who receives this overwhelming love of Jesus but all of us. Jesus loves us dearly to the point of giving up His life for us so that we may become a new creation in Him (2 Cor 5:17). Now, the question is whether we will accept this divine love and make it fruitful in our lives. Are we courageous enough to love like Jesus, as exemplified by St. Paul? Are we ready to face dangers and difficulty in preaching the Gospel? Are we willing to labour day and night for the people Jesus loves?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Adam and Us

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10th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]

June 9, 2024

Genesis 3:9-15

The story begins with a question from the Lord to Adam, “Where are you?” Yet, this is a strange question. Wasn’t God aware of where Adam was? But He is God, and He is supposed to know everything! Does it demonstrate ‘ignorance of God,’ or is there something deeper in the question?

Firstly, we must recognize that the language of the early chapters of Genesis is much different from the rest of the Bible. The Church recognizes that “the account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man (CCC 390).” Scholars agree that the sacred author used an ‘anthropomorphic language,’ that is, God is described to act and behave like a human person. Thus, God is painted as one who strolled around the garden and suddenly noticed the absence of Adam and Eve.

Moving beyond ‘anthropomorphic language,’ God’s question to Adam is not about geographical location. God certainly knew well where Adam was. Nothing can hide from Him. Yet, the question remains true because God was not asking for a geographical position but rather a personal relationship. “Where are you in relation to me? Are you with me or against me? Are you on my side or the serpent’s side?”

Adam answered, “I was afraid.”  The original relationship between God and men was based on love and true honor. Yet, after sin, fear dominates. Adam no longer saw God as a loving father but a vengeful judge. Thus, he ran away and hid himself because he was fully aware of the judgment that awaited him. He was naked before the Lord, and he realized without God, he was nothing.

God then asked, “Did you eat from the tree?” Surely, God knew Adam had trespassed His law, but He phrased the fact in a rhetorical question as God solicited Adam’s confession. Unfortunately, instead of confessing and asking for forgiveness, Adam blamed the woman. Yet, on closer look, Adam was not exactly blaming the woman, “The woman you gave me, she gave me the fruit.” Indirectly, Adam blamed God! Adam deserves nothing but a miserable death, but did He die there and then? No! God rather pointed out to Adam that his refusal of God’s love had led him to hardship and suffering.

What would have happened if Adam had owned his sin and asked God’s mercy? Perhaps Adam and his descendants would have lived in a better world. Yet, Adam was too arrogant to beg forgiveness, and he and his descendants must walk through the valley of tears till the arrival of Jesus Christ.

Surely, it is pointless to blame Adam for our conditions, but we can always learn from this primordial story. Sin is what separates us from God and distorts our loving relationship into a nightmare. Either we see ourselves as fearful slaves or rebellious renegades. Yet, often, like Adam, our father, we are too arrogant to confess and blame others, situations, or, finally, God. Yet, on the other side of the story, we learn who our God is. He was not a vengeful god who would instantly obliterate Adam, but rather a loving father who patiently educates his rebellious son. He was not a cruel lord who would punish but a merciful God who wanted his stray children to return to Him through the arrival of His Son.

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Where is Heaven?

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The Ascension of Our Lord

May 9, 2024

Mk 16:15-20

The Church is celebrating the Ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ. After around forty days since His resurrection, Jesus went up into heaven before the eyes of His disciples. Through Ascension, Jesus wanted to show His disciples that the heavens were real, and He was there. Yet, where is heaven? What is heaven?

In the Old Testament, the word heavens in Hebrew is ‘שָׁמַיִם (samayim), and this term primarily refers to the sky, atmosphere, or realm above the earth. Yet, the Bible points out that ‘שָׁמַיִם (samayim) is also the dwelling place of the Lord and His angels. God is often described as ‘going down from heavens’ (Gen 11:5, 19:24), or angels of God moved up to and down from heavens (Gen 28:12). Heavens are also generally restricted to God and His angels, while humans belong to the earth. After death, men were buried and ‘moving down’ to the realm of the dead, the Gehenna (with Elijah as an extremely rare exception, 2 Kg 2:11).

Now, with the advance of science, technology, and theology, we recognize that God does not literally stay in the sky, atmosphere, or outer space. So, where are the heaven? Is it in another universe? Is it in another dimension? Is it in a realm without time and space? With all honesty, we have very little knowledge about heaven’s whereabouts. Yet, this does not change the basic truth: Heaven is the dwelling place of God and His angels. Then, does Jesus’ ascension make any difference?

Jesus’ ascension now bridges the heaven and earth. He is the way to the Father (John 14:6), and as the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), He leads His flock to a green heavenly pasture. Jesus’ ascension creates a significant difference between the heavens of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. When Isaiah had a vision of the heavens, he saw God and His angels singing ‘holy, holy, holy!’ (Isa 6:1-3). Then, a hundred years later, apostle John saw the same vision of God and His angels singing ‘holy, holy, holy!’ Yet, there is one big difference. In that heaven, John discovered Jesus, the lamb of God, surrounded by holy people!  Heaven is now filled with people. Jesus fulfilled His promise to go to heaven to prepare dwelling places for us (John 14:2-3).

Lastly, what does it feel like to live in the heavens? Again, as long as we are alive here on earth, we may not fully understand the reality of heaven. The Bible often speaks of heaven metaphorically, like a wedding feast (Isa 25:6; Rev 19:9), a new world, a new promised land, and Jerusalem (Isa 66:17-19; Eze 40; Rev 21).  It is where we find perfect happiness because we are in perfect unity with God and His saints (CCC 1024). However, we are not that far from experiencing heaven. Christ, who was able to go up to heaven, has the same power to go down again to the earth, albeit in a different manner. Unlike His first coming in a lowly place in Bethlehem, now He comes down with His heavenly glory in the Eucharist.

Every time we celebrate the holy mass and receive Jesus worthily in the Eucharist, we are experiencing heaven on earth.

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

God’s Word Prunes Us

On By bayuopIn Easter, EnglishLeave a comment

5th Sunday of Easter [B]

April 28, 2024

John 15:1-8

Jesus is the vine, and we are His branches. He then declares that unfruitful branches will be cut, and healthy ones shall be ‘pruned.’ In fact, Jesus says, “You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you (John 15:3).” What does it mean? How does His word prune us? What is Jesus’ purpose?

If we have the opportunity to visit a vineyard, we will see how the vinedressers work. Among the things that they do is to cut the unhealthy and dead branches and prune the healthy ones. Pruning itself may include removing dead or unhealthy parts of the plant so that the vine may supply its nutrients to healthy branches. But also, the vinedressers would trim and slim down some overgrown branches since these branches typically don’t yield good grapes and suck up nutrients from their neighbour branches. All are done for one purpose: to produce a good quality grape.

Then, how does Jesus’ word prune us, the branches? Firstly, we recognize that we are creatures of language. The language we listen to and learn form who we are. Children who used to hear violent words tend to grow to be violent persons. Children who are fed with discouraging words tend to have low self-esteem. Yet, children who are never told words of proper corrections and discipline may become weak characters who always blame others. Children need to hear both encouraging and loving words as well as words of constructive corrections. Good words will make them grow confident, and proper discipline will make them avoid failures and dangers in the future.

It is the same with the Word of God. Listening to God’s word in the Bible, we discover many affirming words and heart-warming stories. Yet, the same Bible contains words, instructions, and stories that are strong and even demanding. The Gospel has lovely stories like those of Jesus, who blessed children and embraced sinners. Yet, the same Bible narrates Jesus, who said, “repent from our sins and believe in the Gospel.” Jesus, who opens the heavens for all of us, is also the same Jesus who teaches the reality of hell.   

Listening to the holy Scriptures every Sunday in the Eucharist, or even every day in our personal reading, allows God’s word to prune us. If we also do our parts to meditate on the words and internalize them, we are growing in holiness. In times of trials, God’s words strengthen us to hope. When in doubt, God’s words give clarity of faith. When we do wrong, God’s words correct us and invite us to repentance. When in fear, God’s words encourage us to love more and do good works. This is spiritual fruitfulness.

Another exciting thing also is that John used the word ‘καθαίρω’ (kathairo, I clean). This word can mean the act of pruning in the context of a vineyard, but the same word is used to describe Jesus’ act in healing the leper (see Mark 1:40-41). God’s words do not only prune our characters but also directly heal and purify our souls. The Church teaches us that we receive indulgences when we read the Bible for at least 30 minutes in a prayerful way. Have you read God’s words today?

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Church and the Gospel

On By bayuopIn Easter, EnglishLeave a comment

3rd Sunday of Easter [B]
April 14, 2024
Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

The first reading gives us St. Peter’s first preaching at the Pentecost. After the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, they began speaking about the great wonders God had performed in different languages. Some people who witnessed the event thought that they were drunk. However, St. Peter, as the leader of the apostles, denied this allegation and went further to preach the Gospel (see Acts 2). This was the first Gospel proclaimed by the Church. What is this Gospel, and what is its content?

Gospel (εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion) originally refers to the imperial announcement of great news that affects many lives in the Roman empire, like the ascension of the new emperor or the major war victories. Jesus adopted the term as He proclaimed the ‘Gospel of God’ (see Mar 1:14). Then, guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church, through her leaders, especially Peter, embraced the same vocabulary in his preaching.

The Gospel that the primitive Church proclaimed focuses on Jesus and what God of Israel did to Him. Peter said that out of ignorance, some Jewish leaders handed Jesus to the Roman authority to be crucified. By doing that, the author of life was denied and put to death. Yet, God raised Him from the dead. Through this great twist of events, God has fulfilled what he had announced through the prophets. The summary of the Gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s plan (see also 1 Cor 15:1-6).

Yet, the good news does not stop there. Though the Jews, the Romans, and all of us, through our sins, have a share in the death of Christ, it does not mean that we are all forever condemned. In fact, through His death and resurrection, He has brought the grace of salvation. Yet again, to make this grace effective in our lives, we must open ourselves and accept it. How to do that? St. Peter explicitly says, “Repent and be converted!”

‘I repent’ in Greek is ‘μετανοέω’ (metanoeo), and this word suggests a transformation (meta) of mindset (nous). While ‘I convert’ in Greek is ‘ἐπιστρέφω’ (epistrepho), and this verb indicates a physical movement of turning back or away. Therefore, two words point both to internal renewal and external manifestation of repentance. To believe in the Gospel is not enough to mentally say, “I accept Jesus Christ in my heart” or “I believe in His resurrection,” but we continue to live in our sinful ways. On the other hand, if we perform many services and attend many prayers but do not enthrone Jesus in our hearts, it is mere showoff or even narcissistic.

This is the Gospel that the Church preaches, and since we are part of the Church, we are also responsible for sharing and living the Gospel. We announce to our families, friends, neighbors, and indeed all people. Yet, the Gospel is never a burden but rather a proof of love. If we love our brothers and sisters, then we desire the best for them, that is their salvation. Thus, preaching the Gospel is necessary to offer them this gift of salvation.

Rome
Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

The Covenant

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5th Sunday of Lent [B]

March 17, 2024

Jeremiah 31:31-34

 In the bible, the word covenant (in Hebrew בְּרִית (Berit), in Greek διαθήκη (diatheke)) is an agreement between individual, families, tribes or nations. It is commonly used to bind the overlord king and his vassals. The supreme lord was obligated to give protection in times of need, while the vassals must be loyal and pay tributes. At the individual level, a covenant forged a familial bond between the parties. They become brothers, and thus, they must protect and help one another. Or, when the covenant involves man and woman, they become husband and wife, a new family.

Though covenant is a complex reality and even still debated by scholars, one thing is sure: that covenant is an agreement about the ‘exchange of people’ rather than the ‘exchange of items.’ A radical change of their identities is expected for those who enter the covenant. 

The term covenant is a key to understanding the bible because God took the initiative to bind Himself to Israel through covenant. There are several moments where God formed a covenant with Israel, but the most famous one is the covenant at Mount Sinai through the mediation of Moses. The Lord said, “Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exo 19:5-6).”

The covenant created Israel as a nation under God’s leadership. Thus, Israelites, as citizens of God’s nation, must obey and be faithful to one God alone, that is, the Lord, and follow His Laws. However, the covenant does not only form a king-people relationship but also a family. Often, Israelites are addressed as ‘sons of God’ (see Exo 4:22 and Deu 14:1). And what is even more intriguing is that a marriage relationship is also established through this covenant. Prophet Hosea famously describes the relationship between God and Israelites as husband and wife.

Prophet Jeremiah prophesized that there would be a new covenant (Jer 31:31, first reading). This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In the last supper, Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (Luk 22:20).” One of the main purposes Jesus offered up himself at the cross is to forge and ratify this new covenant. Since the divine blood of Christ ratifies it, the covenant is everlasting and unbreakable.

Jesus offers us a covenant despite our unworthiness. Through faith and baptism, we enter the covenant, and our identity is radically transformed. The Lord is our God, and we become the people of the Kingdom of God. Yet, because of the same covenant, we are also His children, and we have a right to call God ‘our Father’. Moreover, a marriage is established. The Church is the spouse of Christ, and Christ loves His spouse so much to the point of giving His life for her. As the people of the new covenant, constantly renewed in the Eucharist, do we need to behave ourselves as obedient and loving children to our Father? Do we act as a faithful and loving spouse to Christ, our bridegroom?

Rome

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP