Tag: English

The Requirement of Love

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Sixth Sunday of Easter [May 26, 2019] John 14:23-29

“Whoever loves me will keep my word… (Jn. 14:23)”

adult and child hands holiding red heart, health care love and family concept

The basic form of love is obedience, and the minimum of love is to obey the Law. We can say “I love you”, but do not do what we ought to do as a lover. That’s a plain lie. A man asked a priest whether it is ok to say “I love you” during the Lenten season, especially during the days of fasting and abstinence. The priest immediately replied that it was a violation of God’s Law. The answer shocked the young man, and he asked why. The priest answered, “It is a violation because surely you tell a lie to your girlfriend!”

When we say that we love someone, but we fail to do what is required, we just hurt ourselves and the persons we love. When a child loves his mother, he will follow the instructions coming from his mother even though he does not understand why. Yet, sometimes, a child gets stubborn and refuses his mother’s plea to stop playing outside because it is time for study. This hurts the mother and father who have worked hard to pay the education and long for a better future for their son. In the long run, it also hurts the child and his future.

The same with our love for God, we need to do at least the basic, to observe His Law. From the Old Testament, we have ten commandments. We cannot say that we love the Lord, but we put our faith also in other “gods and idols”. We profess only one and true God, but we also believe in Horoscope, Feng Shui, and superstitions. We go to the Church every Sunday, but in our houses, we collect all kind of statues of animals for charm and luck. We believe in God who is just, but we steal the money or things from the government or the companies.

In the New Testament, we have the New Commandment: love one another as Jesus has loved us. Unfortunately, what we say is different from what we do. We attend the prayer meeting and shout to the top of our voices that we love Jesus, but we still are not able to forgive our enemies and still wish that they be dead. We pray the rosary regularly, but we do not even care for our ageing mothers at home. We say that we condemn the killing of the babies in other countries, but we get easily angry and make our wives as punching bags.

When we say that we love the Lord, but we do not keep His commandment, it hurts God’s heart. Perhaps, it is more hurtful than people who never say love at all to God. We can learn from our brothers and sisters who lived when the Church was still very young. Living in a hostile Roman Empire, they acknowledged that they were Christians means capital punishment. They were a good and a law-abiding citizen of Rome, except for one thing: they refused to worship Caesar. The Roman government believed that the unifying factor of the vast and diverse empire was the cult of the emperor as the embodiment of the Roman spirit. Any Roman citizen was required to offer incense and proclaimed, “Hail, Caesar is Lord.” Then, they may worship their other gods. Christians refused to do this because they loved Jesus dearly as their God, and as proof of their love, they were ready to offer their own lives.

It is the same with us. God loves us immensely that every time we do not observe His Law, we hurt God and make Him jealous. If we cannot do the essential requirement of love, our words are empty and our love cheap.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

New Commandment: Agape

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5th Sunday of Easter [May 19, 2019] John 13:31-33a, 34-35

childrenAt the Last Supper, after Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, He gives them a new commandment: “love one another as I have loved you”. If there is one single, most beautiful line in the Gospel of John or even in the entire Bible, this would be one of the strongest candidates. However, why does Jesus give us a new commandment?

To understand what Jesus does in the Last Supper, we need to go back to the Old Testament, particularly when the Lord God gave His commandments. After the Lord God delivered Israel from the slavery of Egypt, He made a covenant with them through the mediation of Moses. They shall be God’s people and the Lord shall be their God. This was the fundamental step in the life of Israel because God formed them as the People of God. This was an unprecedented privilege and grace, but with great privilege comes the great responsibility. God wanted them to live as the People of God and not as the other nations that surrounded them. Thus, the Lord gave them the Law that would separate them from other peoples who worshiped false gods, and the most fundamental among these laws are the Ten Commandments. If they stubbornly failed to observe the Law and lived as if like the Gentiles, they would be cut off from the People of God.

At the Last Supper, Jesus does the same as His Father in the desert. He forms His disciples, His family, His Church by giving them a New Law, the Law of Love. Only when the disciples keep the New Law, they will be different from the rest of nations, and they may call themselves as the followers of Jesus. At first, we may perceive that Jesus’ new law is easier done than the Ten Commandment. Yet, when we go deeper to the meaning of love understood by Jesus, it is actually the opposite. Jesus’ Law is much more difficult and tougher to do. Why?

In Greek of the New Testament, there are several words for love. “Eros” is the love between husband and wife. “Philia” is love among friends. None of these two Jesus used to describe His love. It is “agape”. While eros and philia are love based on emotion, agape is love rooted in free will. It is the love of action. That is why Jesus is able to teach us to love our enemies. Jesus does not say we should like our enemies because it is naturally impossible, but we can still do good to our enemies despite the hatred and anger.

But, this agape is not just any agape, it is agape of Jesus. For Him, there is no greater love than one who lays down his life for his friends. Agape of Jesus is sacrificial. It is Jesus’ cross as well as His glory. Only when we love to the point of sacrifice, we may say that we have kept Jesus’ commandment.

Muelmar “Toto” Magallanes was a young Filipino who worked as a construction worker. In 2009, monstrous tropical storm Ondoy battered Metro Manila and caused an instant flood in many areas. When his area was flooded, Toto first brought to safety his family. Yet, he did not stop there. He decided to rescue others who were still trapped by the mighty water. Braving the strong current, he saved more than 30 people. He was already exhausted when he realized a mother and her baby were still in danger. He made his last rescue attempt and brought the mother and her baby to the higher ground. Yet, losing his strength, he was swept by the current. He was lifeless the following day. “He gave his life for my baby,” Menchie Penalosa, the child’s mother, told Agence France-Presse. “I will never forget his sacrifice.”

This is the new commandment of Jesus and only by keeping His Commandment, we can become His authentic disciples.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Hearing His Voice

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Fourth Sunday of Easter [May 12, 2019] Jn 10:27-30

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

jesus shepherdFew of us have a direct encounter with a sheep, let alone shepherding sheep. When Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” I thought it was a kind exaggeration. After all the sheep is not that intelligent compared to the Golden Retriever or Labrador who would listen to their owners. However, one time, I watched a video on YouTube about a group of tourists who visited the vast hill in the countryside of Judea where the flock was grazing. They were asked to call the attention of the sheep. One by one, the tourists shouted to the top of their lungs, but they got not even the slightest response. Yet, when the true shepherd came forward and called them out, all the scattered sheep immediately rushed toward the shepherd! It was an eye-opener. Jesus was right. The sheep literally hear the voice of His shepherd.

The sheep in Judea are raised both for wool and for sacrifice. Especially those intended for wool production, the shepherd shall live together with his flock for years. No wonder if he knows well each sheep, its characters, and even its unique physical features. He will call them by name like ‘small-feet’ or ‘large-ears.’

Modern men and women, especially the Millennials, are heavily visual creatures. Thanks to smartphones, TV, and computers, our span of attention becomes shorter and shorter. One scientist even says that our span of attention is one second shorter than of the goldfish! The teachers or speakers must use all the visual aids to catch the attention of young listeners. PowerPoint presentation is a minimum requirement nowadays, and the teachers need to move all their body’s parts, to crack a joke, to sing, to dance, even to summersault! Simply listening to a plain talk is tedious, and to read a bare and long text like this reflection is boring. This is also one of the reasons why young people are leaving the Church because they experience the Church, especially her preachers, as boring and dry. After five minutes listening to the preacher, we begin to be restless, checking our watch, scratching our heads, and dozing off!

However, hearing remains fundamental because hearing is the key to following Jesus. We call ourselves, Christians, the follower of Christ, and how can we follow Christ if we do not recognize His voice? While the sense of sight attracts us, sense of hearing remains signs of intimacy and love. Like a sheep that identifies the shepherd’s voice because the shepherd takes care of it, so we recognize the voice of someone we love. I have been hearing the voice of my mother since I was inside her womb, and even when I close my eyes, I can still acknowledge her voice. I can even identify whether she is happy, sad, or angry when she calls my name.

One time, a young man asked me, “Brother, how do we know God’s will?” I replied, “Do you hear His voice?” He immediately said, “I pray, but I never heard a voice.” I said in reply, “Ah, how are you going to hear His voice if you talk all the time? And how are you going to know His voice, if you seldom give your time with Him?” To follow Jesus means that we are able to hear Jesus, and to recognize His voice presupposes we have a loving and strong relationship with Him

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Fish and Bread

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Third Sunday of Easter [May 5, 2019] John 21:1-19

ichthus 2If we observe the Gospel readings of the past days and Sundays, we will notice that most of them are speaking about the risen Christ’s appearances to His disciples. One unnoticeable yet interesting feature in these stories is that of the presence of food.

The two disciples who walk to Emmaus, invite Jesus to have a dinner. Jesus takes the bread, says the blessing, breaks it, and gives it, and He disappears. The two disciples come to their senses, and realize He is Jesus [Luk 24:30]. When Jesus appears to the Eleven and other disciples, they are terrified. To dispel their doubt on His resurrection, Jesus presents His body and eats the fish given to Him [Luk 24:42]. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus invites His seven disciples to a breakfast at the shore of the Lake of Tiberias. After another miraculous catch, Jesus prepares bread and fish for the disciples who are no longer baffled by the appearance of their Master [John 21:13].

We may ask, “Why bread and fish?” These are simple food that are often available at Jewish household. Yet, looking deeper, bread and fish possess a profound meaning. Bread and fish are earliest symbol of Christ and Christians. Bread, especially the breaking of the bread, is the technical biblical name for the Eucharist. In the Acts of Apostles, the first Christians gather around the apostles for the teaching and breaking of the bread [Acts 2:42]. On a Sunday, Paul leads the community of Troas in worship as he preaches and breaks bread [Acts 20:7]. Fish, in Greek, is “Ichthus” and it stands for “Iesous Christos Theos Hyios Soter”, meaning Jesus Christ God Son [and] Savior. The symbol of fish was scattered inside catacombs of Rome as a sign of Christian gathering in time of persecution.

The question lingers: why does the risen Lord ask for food and invites the disciples to eat? Firstly, eating food is one of the most basic activities of human being. It points to our biological functions that sustains our bodily life and growth. The spiritless body neither consumes food, nor the bodiless spirit enjoys meals. Jesus shows His disciples that his resurrection is not a matter of spiritual enlightenment, but truly a bodily reality. His disciples neither see a spirit floating in the air, nor simply believe that their Teacher is alive in their hearts. The tomb is empty because Jesus, including His body, has risen.

Secondly, eating together does not only satisfy our tummy, but it also brings people closer together. While we are enjoying food, we cannot but share our thoughts and hearts to each other. Eating together builds not only the body, but also the dialogue and community. One of my favorite activities in the convent is the meal time, not because I am fond of eating, but we share a lot of stories and opinions. We practically speak about anything under the sun, from the latest movie, Avenger Endgame, the current political issues, to theological discussion on St. Thomas Aquinas. We also tell our joys, concerns and worries in our ministry and our future as a community. Simple food, yet great bonding.

Upon the simple reality of eating together, Jesus builds His community. In a shared meal, He retells His stories of painful passion and shameful death, and unearths its profound meanings especially as the fulfillment of the Scriptures. The events of his death used to be absurdity and loss of hope, but in the dining table, the risen Lord restores the faith, hope and love that go dim.

Jesus leaves us the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread, the sacred meal. Like the first disciples, it is here that we discover the risen Lord who shares His body as a spiritual food, and His Word as the meaning of our life. In the Eucharist, we are assured that the worst of this world does not have the last say, and the battle against absurdity has already been won.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Fear and Forgiveness

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Second Sunday of Easter/ Divine Mercy Sunday [April 28, 2019] John 20:19-31

risen christ 2Today is the Divine Mercy Sunday. From the Gospel, Jesus institutes the sacrament of reconciliation as He bestows His Holy Spirit upon the Disciples. He grants them the divine authority to forgive (and not to forgive) sins and charges them to be the agents of Mercy. While it is true that only priests can minister the sacrament of confession, every disciple of Christ is called to be an agent of Mercy and forgiveness. Yet, how we are going to be the bearers of Mercy and Forgiveness? I think we need to understand first the dynamic of fear and peace.

Fear is one of the human most basic emotions. It makes us flee from impending danger and normally, it is good and necessary for our survival. Yet, what is unique with us humans is that the object of fear is not only physical real danger like an earthquake, fire, or venomous animals, but it extends to moral judgment. When we commit a mistake, we are afraid of the judgment as well as the consequences. Quite often too, fearful of the judgment and condemnation, we are run away and hide. In fact, the story of fear is a primordial story. We recall our first parents, Adam and Eve. After they violated the Law of God, they realized that they have terribly sinned against the Lord, and afraid of God’s judgment, they hid.

After the passion and death of Jesus we find out that Jesus’ disciples themselves are afraid and hiding. The disciples lock themselves inside the room because they are afraid. However, the real fear is not from the Jewish authority or the Roman troops, but from Jesus’ judgment. We remember that Judas handed over Jesus to the Jewish authority, Peter, the leader, denied Jesus three times, and most of the disciples were running away. Even before the crucial moments of Jesus, they have deserted their Master and Messiah. In a court martial, a soldier who deserts his army, especially during the pick of the battle, is considered a traitor not only to the army, but to the entire nation, and he deserves no less than capital punishment. The disciples are hiding because of fear that Jesus will bring His severe judgment, and get back on them. The disciples are afraid that Jesus may come anytime, condemn them, and throw a fireball on them.

Indeed, Jesus comes to them, but he brings not condemnation but the gift of peace, “Shalom”. This peace only ensues from forgiveness. This peace, however, is not the absence of judgment, but rather it presupposes one. Unless the disciples recognize and own up their terrible mistakes, they will not appreciate Jesus’ forgiveness and mercy. The peace will be just a mirage, and fear still reigns.

To become an agent of Mercy, we first dare to pronounce judgment. If we pretend that the sin never happens, and keep telling ourselves that everything is just fine, we deceive ourselves and never become sincerely peaceful. Indeed, it is difficult, but as we cannot heal unless there is prognosis, we cannot truly forgive unless there is judgment.

Just last week, several suicide bombers blew themselves up at several churches in Sri Lanka and killed hundreds of Christians. A religious sister, who lost several of her community members in the explosion, wrote an open letter to the perpetrators. She judged that what they did was an act of terrorism, pure evil. Yet, she reminds them that Christians will not be cowed and afraid because we know how to forgive. She said that the Catholic Church remains an open-door Church because she is not afraid to welcome everyone including those who tried to destroy her.

There is no peace without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness and mercy without true judgment.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Mary Magdalene and Resurrection

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Easter Sunday [April 19, 2019] John 20:1-9

mary magdalene n resurrection 2
He Qi_Easter morning

Mary Magdalene is a female disciple that loves her Teacher deeply, and being a woman, there is something that she teaches us. Luke describes her in his Gospel as a woman “from whom seven demons have come out” [see Luk 8:2]. It must be a terrible experience to be tormented by seven demons, and when Jesus heals her, she expresses her deep gratitude by following Jesus. As one of Jesus’ disciples, she is proven to be the most faithful to her Teacher. When many followers of Jesus are running away to save their lives, and even Peter, the leading figure in the group, denies Jesus, Mary follows Jesus in His way of the Cross to the end. She received the insult Jesus receives, she bears the humiliation Jesus bears, she carries the cross Jesus carries. In fact, she is standing beside the cross together with the mother of Jesus and John the beloved.

However, Mary’s love is even bigger than death. She is the first person who visits the tomb early in the morning. We recall that after Jesus died on the cross, his body was hastily brought to the tomb by Nicodemus and Joseph Arimathea because the Sabbath was drawing near. During Sabbath, Jews are not allowed to bury the dead. Mary knows that Jesus’ body was not taken care of properly, and she wants to make sure that Jesus deserves the proper burial. She comes to the tomb to express her love for the last time for the Teacher by anointing the body of Jesus. Yet, she only sees the empty tomb. Fear seizes her. She may think that some bad guys stole, inflicted further damages and desecrated the body. Instinctively, she runs towards the men of authority after Jesus Himself, Peter and John.

After checking the tomb, Peter fails to understand, and he goes back to the house. She also does not understand and weeps for the loss of her love, but unlike Peter, Mary stays at the tomb. In utter confusion and meaninglessness, Mary does not abandon Jesus. Indeed, the Savior does not disappoint and gives Mary Magdalene a singular privilege to witness the resurrected Jesus. Her great love and fidelity lead her to the joy of Resurrection. She becomes the first preacher of Resurrection.

In the Gospel, often female disciples are depicted as a model of love and perseverance. God created man and woman as equal in dignity, but they differ in characters. Indeed, men like Peter, are the figures of authority, but women excel in what often is lacking in male disciples. I have visited many places in Indonesia and the Philippines, and I give talks and reflections, but one thing in common from these places, is that women often outnumber the men. I am newly assigned in Redemptor Mundi Parish, Surabaya, Indonesia, and a simple gaze will prove that more women are attending our daily morning masses.

Mary Magdalene, a woman disciple, shows to us that it is possible to love and to be faithful when things got tough and rough, when life throws us its trash, and when confusion and meaningless seem to reign. Mary is those women who unceasingly pray for the priests despite so many failures they have made Mary are those mothers who make daily sacrifices for their children despite being unappreciated. Mary is those religious sisters who serve the poor committedly despite many setbacks and trails. We must thank many Mary Magdalene around us. They show us that there love truly conquers death and that there is a resurrection in even the senseless empty tomb.

Happy Easter!

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Our Core Memories

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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion [April 14, 2019] Luke 19:28-40/Luke 23:1-49

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

jesus enter jerusalem 3One of the greatest gifts to humanity is the gift of memory. It gives us a sense of identity. Biology teaches us that almost all our body parts are being replaced over the years. One-year-old Stephen is biologically different from thirty-year-old Stephen. All bodily cells, with the sole exception of his eyes’ lens, are changed. What unites thirty-year-old Stephen with his younger self as well as his future self is his memory.

Not only does memory enable us to connect to ourselves, but it also relates us to other people. We are able to recognize our parents, siblings, and friends because we remember all the good thing, we have received from them. Our memories shape who we are. Thus, the illness that ruins our memories like Alzheimer, is one of the most heinous. Persons with Alzheimer gradually can no longer remember persons who love them; they even cannot recall doing their basic functions like eating and going to the restroom.

One of the uniqueness of human beings is that we do not have only individual memory, but we have communal memory. These common memories are passed through generations, and these form the identity of a group. We are Indonesians, Filipinos, Indians, Americans, or other nations because we have common memories that unite us as a nation. When a nation is inflicted by a kind “Alzheimer” that destroys its common memory, it begins to lose its identity as a nation. Cardinal Robert Sarah from Guinea reminds that Europe is in crisis and in danger of dissolution. He argues that the reason is that the European people began to forget their historical and cultural roots, their common memories.

We Christian share the core and fundamental memory. Palm 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 with great details (Mat 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19), though with some different emphases. We may even say that the Holy Week especially the Last Supper, the Passion, and Resurrection are the core and foundational memory of every true Christian.

This explains why the Church celebrates Holy Week every year, not because she simply wants to have big events, but because this celebration reconnects us with the core memories that make us as Christians. Yet, we do not only remember the events of the past; we are not just spectators. Through the power of the liturgy, we relive the fundamental stories of Jesus Christ. Together with Christ, we enter Jerusalem. Together with Him, we celebrate the Passover. Together with Him, we are persecuted, crucified and we die. Together with Him, we are buried in the dark tomb. But together with Him, we are raised from the dead.

However, it is our choice whether to follow Him or go against Him: to become people who shout “Hosanna” or people who cry “Crucify Him”; to become a disciple who walks the way of the cross or disciples who run away from Him; to be crucified with Jesus or to crucify Jesus. But it is only the true followers of Jesus who can together with Him be raised from the dead. Holy Week is our time to make that choice: to follow Jesus or to go against Him.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Rusneo, OP

The Woman and Jesus’ Mercy

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5th Sunday of Lent [April 7, 2019] John 8:1-11

adulterous woman 3Adultery is a serious sin according to the Law of Moses. It is a violence against the Basic Law, the Ten Commandments. It is in fact, one of the few crimes that are punishable by death [Lev 20:10]. Why so cruel? It is a grave sin because adultery profanes the holiness of marriage and the gift of sexuality. In the Book of Genesis, God has willed that man and woman through marriage and their sexuality participate in God’s work of creation and caring of creation. Since marriage is a sacred calling, violation to this holy mission is an utmost insult to God who calls man and woman into marriage.

Some Jewish people bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. It is a tough dilemma for Jesus who knows well the Law of Moses. If Jesus agrees to stone the woman, He upholds the Law of Moses, but He is going to invalidate His preaching of mercy and forgiveness. If Jesus refuses to condemn the woman, He violates the Law of Moses, condones the evil committed by the woman, and denies the justice of God. Stoning means he is not merciful but refusing to stone means he is not just. “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

Jesus then begins to write on the ground. The Gospel does not specify what Jesus writes, but we may come up with an intelligent guess. In original Greek, to write is “grapho”, but in this episode, the word used is “katagraho”, and this can be translated as “to write against”. Jesus is writing the sins of the people who brought the woman. Jesus says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her (Jn. 8:7).” After Jesus reveals their sins, they realize that they themselves deserve to be stoned. They go away, leaving Jesus and the woman.

The Law of Moses states that both man and woman caught in adultery shall be punished, but where is the man? Jesus points out that she is merely a pawn used to trick Jesus, and some are ready to sacrifice this woman just to get what they want. Her humanity is disregarded, her identity as a daughter of God is trampled, and she is treated as a mere tool. Manipulating our neighbors, especially the weak and the poor, for our own gain is a graver sin than adultery!

Jesus knows that the woman has committed a serious sin, but she herself is a victim of injustice and more serious sin. Jesus surely hates evil, but He forgives the woman and gives her a second chance because He understands what has happened to her. She has fallen into sin because of her human weakness and temptation, but God is greater than all ugly things that has befallen her, if she just repents and goes back to God.

There was a movie entitled “Malena”. It was the story of a beautiful woman in an Italian rural village during World War II. She received news that her husband died in the war. After this, her father, her only family, also died when the German planes bombed their village. Because of the poverty and desperation to survive, she was forced into prostitution, even to serve the German soldiers. After the loss of German forces, the villagers condemned her not only as a whore but also as a traitor. She was expelled from the village with humiliation. Surprisingly, her husband came back to the village, alive. He learned of what happened to his wife. Instead of condemning his wife, and looking for another wife, he fetched his wife and brought her back to the village. He proudly walked with his wife around the village as if telling everyone, “it is not her fault that she becomes a prostitute. She is still my faithful wife!”

Mercy gives justice is the beauty. With mercy, we see the bigger picture of our own and other people’s failures. Mercy empowers us to be patient with others and ourselves.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

A Father Who Never Abandons His Son

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Fourth Sunday of Lent [March 31, 2019] Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

prodigal fatherThe Parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most moving stories of Jesus and has been regarded as the all-time favorite. Why? I guess one of the reasons is the story of the Prodigal Son is also our story.

Let us look at some details of the parable especially the father and the younger son. The son demands his inheritance while his father is still alive and well. That’s a no-no! It simply means the son wishes his father’s death, and wills that he is no longer part of the family [see Sir 33:20-24]. The offended father has the authority to discipline the ungrateful son, but he does not! Because of his tremendous love for the son, he allows the son to get what he wants. Like the son, we often offend the Lord, wishing to be away from Him. We choose “the inheritance”, the good things God created like wealth, power, and pleasure above and over Him. We keep abusing His love and kindness, knowing that He is a Good Father.

However, the younger son’s action has a terrible consequence. The farther he is away from his father, the more pitiful his life becomes. The inheritance without the true owner is nothing but a passing shadow. The Jewish young man loses everything, and even becomes the caretaker of pigs, the very animal Jews hate! He becomes so low to the point of eating what the pigs eat. Like the younger son, without God, we become miserable. Yes, we may become richer, more powerful and famous, but we have lost our souls. We never become truly happy because these pleasurable things without God are mere addiction.

The son comes to his sense when he remembers his father and his life with him. Even the father is far away, it does not mean he is idle. He is drawing his lost son through good memories they share. No matter far we are from God, He is constantly pulling us back to Him through His mysterious ways. Yet, it remains our choice to heed the voice of our conscience but ignore it and plunge ourselves further into sin.

The parable also speaks about the father who is patiently waiting, looking forward to the day that his son returns home. The moment he sees his son from distance, without a second thought, he runs toward his son and embraces him and kisses him. The son never thinks that he deserves to be his son once more, and just wants to be treated like a servant. But, mercy precisely is to receive something we do not deserve. The father receives back his young man as his child.

Allow me to close this simple reflection with a story. In 1988, a terrible earthquake hit Armenia. In just four minutes, buildings crumbled, and thousands died. A man immediately ran to a school where his son studied. He had promised to his son that he would be there to fetch him. He saw that the school was now piles of rubbles. He rushed to the site where the class used to be. He started digging barehandedly. Some people tried to help him but stopped afterward. Some people discouraged him, saying, “It is useless. They are dead!” He refused to give up, and continue digging for hours. Then after more than 30 hours of searching, he heard a small voice from the rubble. He shouted, “Arman!” and he heard a response, “Father!” His boy was still alive, and together with him were other pupils. That day, the man had saved 14 children who got trapped. Arman told his friends, “I told you, my father will come no matter what!”

The parable of the Prodigal Son is so beautiful because it does not only reflect who we are but also reveals who our God is. He is a merciful Father who refuses to give up hope on us, however desperate we have become.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

A Story of a Fig Tree

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Third Sunday of Lent [March 24, 2019] Luke 13:1-9

“Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future (Luk 13:8).”

fig tree 2It normally takes around three years for a fig tree to reach its maturity and fruition. If it does not produce fruit by that time, it is not likely to bear fruit at all. The owner has a reasonable right to cut the tree, but through the effort of the gardener, it is given another chance. Like the fig tree, through the effort of our Chief Gardener, the new Adam of eternal Eden, Jesus Christ, we are given another chance to change and be fruitful.

However, it is always easier said than done. In daily reality, it is not simply a matter of instantly erasing errors on the whiteboard, of flash and clear-cut change from bad guy to good guy, from villains to heroes. Some of us are merely entrapped in the evil structures or systems that promote sin in us and through us, and we simply do not know how to get out of it. Some of us are victims of vicious cycles of sin in our families or our societies that sooner or later turn us to be the perpetrators, and we are merely powerless to find the way out.

One time, I visited a place for the youth who conflicted with the Law. I met this teenager, Joseph, not his real name. He was arrested for stealing small amount of money, or petty theft. He shared to me his story that he was without parents, and he lived together with a band of snatchers. His elders in the group taught him how to steal and snatch, and after several practices and actual deeds, he developed the habit, not only to take the money, but also to desire for an easy money. He has been in the facility for several times, and every time he was released, he promised himself not to go back to that way of life. Yet, because he no longer knew what to do and where to go outside the facility, he once again stole something for him to fill his hungry stomach. Then, again he was caught.

Then, what does it mean to repent, to change? Is there any point we observe Lenten season every year, yet no apparent change seems to take place? We miss the point if we just think that Lenten season is only about instant change.

It is a story of a struggling fig tree to be fruitful and yet find itself facing desperate end, the story of struggling humanity. It is a story of a gardener who refuses to give up on his tree, a story of God who never loses hope in humanity. The Lenten season means that despite of all our imperfection and disfigured life, we refuse to succumb to despair. It means we take courage to fight hopelessness even when no actual fruit of change seems visible in our lives. It means we always hope in the Lord who never loses hope in us.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno