Tag: English

One Shepherd

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24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. September 11, 2016 [Luke 15:1-10]

“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep (Luk 15:6).”

parable-lost-sheep-good-shepherdThe parable of the lost sheep subtly speaks of who we are fundamentally to Jesus. We are all His sheep and He is our shepherd. Whether we faithfully remain inside the sheepfold or go astray, we are still His sheep.

From this truth, we may ask ourselves. Why is it that some of us are going astray? Why are some of us no longer going to the Church or not active in the parish? Why are some abandoning the Church? Why do some turn to be our enemies and haters? We might be easily tempted to say that that is their fault. But, we are sheep of the same flock, sharers of the same pasture and have the same Shepherd. In one way or another, we might be responsible for our brothers and sisters who stray.

It is easy to pass the blame on others, but do we ever bother to ask why they fail? We tend to see them as problems to be solved, objects to dissect into logical parts. We no longer see them as our brothers and sisters, our co-sheep in Jesus’ sheepfold. Our brothers are no longer going to Church perhaps because we no longer care to help them. Our sisters are leaving the Church perhaps because we are living like hypocrites.

 The war on drugs in the Philippines has caused more than two thousand lives in just two months. As one national news outlet remarks ‘the bodies continues pilling up’. Indeed, many of them are small-time drug-pushers and addicts, and if we look at them as mere problems and pests to the society, death seems the fastest and easy answer. But, if we have headache, do we cut the head? Do we ever wonder why they fall victims of that deadly narcotics? A Lion share of those who got killed were actually poor people. Do we ever lift a finger to alleviate their poverty? Our ignorance and negligence may have indirectly led them into poverty and misery.

Fr. Gerard Timoner III, OP, our provincial, used to teach an idea of brothers shepherding brothers in the seminary. This means that the responsibility of taking care of our brothers in formation does not only rest only on the formators, but also on every brother. We need to become shepherds to one another, especially when the shepherds seem to stray away. Recently, he met us and shared what he gained from the Dominican General Chapter in Bologna last August. He emphasized that to promote vocation is not only about recruiting new members, but also nurturing and safeguarding the vocation of our own brothers in the Order.

To become a sheep of Christ means that we are also part of a bigger sheepfold. As Jesus takes care of each one of us, so we need to take care of one another. As the Good Shepherd reaches out to the lost sheep, we shall stretch ourselves to meet those who are lost in their journey. Surely, it is difficult, but they are still our brothers and sisters, fellow-sheep of Christ.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Jesus’ Disciples

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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. September 4, 2016 [Luke 14:25-33]

“If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (Luk 14:26).”

carry crossBeing a disciple is an essential character of Jesus’ followers. In our time, a disciple may mean a student of particular teachers or schools. Like Br. Bayu is a student of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. In ancient time, especially in Eastern and Jewish tradition, being a disciple has a different understanding. A disciple would not only accept his master’s teachings, but literally follow his Master wherever he would go and stay. Disciples would not only learn on various insight, but also witness and imitate how their master lived his life. They shared their master’s meal, and they were part of their teachers’ joy and sadness. Thus, being a disciple is not only about an intellectual education, but also a holistic formation. It is fundamentally sharing the very life of the master himself.

Therefore, it makes sense for us now, when Jesus demanded that his disciples ‘hate’ their family as well as their own lives. To follow Jesus wherever he goes literally meant the disciples had to leave behind the family and the lives and works they used to have. ‘Hating’ did not mean that they should harbor enmity to their family, but rather place them as secondary priority. Jesus was their new family, their first priority and their real life.

Jesus Himself gave us a fitting imagery of discipleship: following Him is like carrying a cross.  To be a disciple of Christ is indeed difficult, tough; it demands a radical re-orientation of one’s life. Yet, the good news is that to be Jesus’ disciples is not impossible. A good number of young men and women, leaving behind their promising careers, enter the monastery and dedicate themselves for the Lord in constant prayer. Lay Men and women offer themselves as missionaries and are sent to far corners of the globe to share the joy of the Gospel. The evangelization of the Philippines were nearly impossible if not for zealous Spanish friars who travelled for months, risked their lives and many never returned to their homeland. These generous people literally left everything behind to follow Christ.

However, being Jesus’ disciple does not mean for many that they have to abandon our families. Following Christ may take place within the family. When a man and a woman decide to leave their families of origin, and build their own Christian family, then they have become the community of Christ’ disciples. When parents commit themselves to the demanding task of raising their children to be God-fearing and honest Christians, they are following Christ. More fundamentally, our discipleship manifests clearly in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we become disciples who listen to His teachings and partake in His very life in the sacred host. Then, finally we are sent to preach what we have learned and lived in the Eucharist.

We continue to pray that we may become His true disciples and many will be also inspired to follow Him and share His life.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Connect

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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. August 28, 2016 [Luke 14:1, 7-14]

“Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind (Luk 14:13)”

jesus diningIn the time of Jesus, Jews had their own special way of dining. Instead of sitting or standing the Jews would recline on a low table where food and wine are served. Reclining was the sign of free man in Greco-Roman culture. The slaves stood and served the guests. Aside reclining posture, their place in the dining table indicated their importance to the host. The closer they were to the host, the more significant they were to the host. Thus, persons sitting beside the host were expected to be the most important guests.

Jesus noticed that some guests wanted to occupy the place of importance in the dining table. Certainly, situating oneself in the place of honor, gave a sense of prestige, but more significantly, the closer they were to the host, the better connection they had with the host who was a leading and influential Pharisee in town.

From ancient times to present days, to connect oneself to the figure of authority and power will give us a better position to improve our lives or advance our cause. With good connection, an unemployed can get a good job. With connection, an employee can have his desired promotion. With connection, a student can enjoy the trust of his teachers. John Maxwell, an inspirational teacher, told us how he was able to win the heart of his wife Margaret, despite many other handsome suitors. He made a good connection with her mother! I guess one of the reasons why I have more preaching opportunities is that I am connected with good friends who also are active in the Church.

Jesus did not intend to erase this kind of connection. In fact, He himself is our connection to the Father (cf. 1 Tim 2:5). In today’s Gospel, what he desire was to re-orient our understanding of our connection. We must not use our connection just to advance our individual and selfish plans, but rather we employ it for the empowerment of others. Jesus invited the hosts to invite the poor in their meals. This was not only about feeding the hungry, but the rich hosts are to make connection with the poor. With connection, the possibility of enabling the less fortunate is opened.

I was fortunate to meet a Columban lay missionary from Korea. Leaving behind her promising career in the US, Ms. Anna volunteers to do ministry in the Philippines. She shared to me what she is doing to help the poor. She gathered the poor mothers living near her place and created a livelihood project. She taught them how to make a candle and sell them at the nearby parishes. Most of the mothers were high school dropouts and at the mercy of their husbands. But, with this project, some are able to continue their study, support their family and more importantly, they now have financial independence and no longer dependent on their husbands. Ms. Anna made connection with these mothers and this connection empowers them.

Jesus calls us to be a good host. This means we who are endowed with blessings will connect with those who are not so fortunate in their lives. Let our connection empower others more tham simply enriching ourselves.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Salvation: Gift and Choice

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Luke 13:22-30 [August 21, 2016]

 “Lord, will only a few people be saved? (Luk 13:23)”

jesus the gateSalvation is both a gift and a choice. It is free yet it is never cheap. It is a gift because it is freely given by God and no one earns it. Yet, it is a choice because we make all the efforts to receive it and make it ours. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus has made available the grace of salvation for everyone. But, we need to participate in His work of salvation by living out the gift of faith in our daily lives.

There is a story of a rabbi who visited a soap maker to buy a supply for his household. Suddenly, the soap maker asked, “What good is religion? Look at all the suffering and evil in the world! Still there, even after years and thousand years of teaching about goodness and peace. Still there, after all the prayers and preaching. If religion is good and true, why should we continue to suffer?” The rabbi said nothing. He then noticed a child playing in the gutter in front of the shop, and the rabbi said, “Look at that child. You say that soap makes people clean, but do you see the dirt on that kid. Of what good is soap? With all the soap in the world, over thousand years, the child is still dirty. I wonder how effective your soap is, after all?” The soup maker protested, “But, Rabbi, soap cannot do any good unless it is properly used.” The rabbi replied, “Exactly!”

To make the gift of salvation ours is not an easy job. Jesus Himself admitted, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough (Luk 22:24).” It is tough because it demands radical transformation of our hearts, or metanoia. All external forces, like rules, regulations and commands, will not last. The gift of salvation cannot be forced from the outside, but has to grow from within us so that it will be stable and permanent in us. Yes, we are saved, but we are also saved each day of our lives.

The call for living out our salvation is the call of the prophets of the Old Testament. The prophets reminded the Israelites that they indeed have been chosen by God as His own precious possessions, saved from Egypt and dwelt in the land of milk and honey. Yet, this wonderful gift will not last unless they also reform their hearts and truly become God’s people. God, through prophet Ezekiel, demanded this, “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts (Ezekiel 36:26).”

It is a radical choice to live up our salvation daily. We can be baptized as Catholics or Christians, yet we never go to the Church. We profess our belief in only one God, but we enjoy reading horoscopes, consulting fortunetellers and use religious items as mere protective amulets. We can easily shout, “God is good all the time,” but we have a lot of complaints in our lives. We are often instructed by Jesus Himself to love our enemies, yet we maintain hatred, remain vengeance-oriented and take pleasure when our enemies suffer misfortunes. We enjoy the worship and good preachings, yet we simply look for feeling-good experiences.

God shall remove our stony hearts and replace them with natural hearts if we make the way. We are saved if we shall make every gift of salvation counts. We shall enjoy the Kingdom, if together with Jesus, we enter our daily narrow gate.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Fire of Jesus

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20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. August 14, 2016 [Luke 12:49-53]

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! (Luk 12:49)”

pentecost 1In the midst of all super-advanced digital gadgets and nano technologies, making fire seems rather archaic and a bit useless. Why will we set a fire and cause pollution, if we have energy-saving LED lamp in our house? However, making fire is the earliest and one of the most significant human invention. Fire revolutionized the lives of our ancestors and gave us substantial advantages over other creatures. Fire brings warm and comfort in chilling and unforgiving weathers. Fire protects us from bigger and fiercer predators. Fire provides light that shed off the darkness. Fire also is needed to forge other inventions and technologies, like various tools and weapons.

Yet, fire also may cause us serious headaches. Almost every year, fire sets ablaze parts of Borneo rain forest and emits global-scale smoke. Fire also is a serious problem in densely populated cities like Manila. A firefighter once conducted a seminar in our seminary. He said that it just takes less than one minute for fire to burn an entire body of a little kid. Thus, fire has become the symbol of both powerful force of nature and human ingenuity. It may bring heavy destructions as fire burns and consumes almost everything. Yet, it also gives creativity, hope and future to humanity.

When Jesus said he brought fire to the world, Luke used the Greek word ‘phur’, meaning ‘wild fire’. Now, we may understand that Jesus came to the world to bring not a warming and delightful fire, but massive transformative energy and power. This fire can consume our past and wicked ways. Yet, more importantly, this fire energizes and empowers us to be creative in our preaching and in Christian life. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into the form of tongues of fire. This same fire emboldened the fearful disciples in the Upper room and moved them to preach the Good News with freshness. They made a creative breakthrough as they began to speak in the different languages of their hearers.

Saints are people who are blazed by Christ’ fire. Their lives exemplify the ever-fresh and transformative Spirit. When St. Dominic de Guzman saw the need to preach the Gospel to bring back the Albigensian heretics in Southern France, he established the first preaching religious Order in the Church. When the first Spanish Missionaries came to the Philippine Islands, one of their main preoccupations was how to understand the local languages and cultures, so that their preaching may be easily understood by the native Filipinos. As early as the 16th century, the Dominican friars had produced grammar books and dictionaries of Philippine languages like Tagalog, Bisaya, and Ivatan.

It is His desire to set the world in fire, but has the fire of Christ touched our lives? Have the Eucharist and Sacrament of reconciliation renewed us? Do we feel that energy to engage in the proclamation of the Good News, or we are just fine with Sunday masses? Do we have the perseverance amidst trials of life? Do we allow the Spirit to animate our lives?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Giving Up All

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 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. August 7, 2016 [Luke 12:32-48]

 “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be (Luk 12:34).”

jesus-hands-holesAre we ready to sell everything we have and follow Jesus? Are we prepared to give up our dreams and ambitions for the Kingdom? Are we willing to place our hearts, our treasures where no moth can destroy and no thief can steal?

St. Dominic de Guzman whose feast day we will celebrate tomorrow, is a shining example for us to emulate. When he was a canon regular in the Cathedral of Osma, Spain, he was actually a rising star. He was elected sub-prior at a very young age. To be a sub-prior means he was next to the leader of the Cathedral and was groomed to the position of the Bishop. Osma was a fortified city and had a beautiful Church. Osma provided Dominic tranquility and comfort when wars and famine ravaged portions of Spain. He was also prepared to take the coveted position in Osma as its bishop. Yet, Dominic decided to abandon all of these. Facing overwhelming difficulties and life-threating dangers, he went to preach the Gospel in Southern France where the heretic group, Albigentians, took its root.

St. Dominic and many other saints are indeed illustrious models of this evangelical self-giving, but how many among us are doing what the saints did? In all honesty, many of us are not ready to do what Jesus commanded in today’s Gospel. Some of us cannot simply sell everything we have because we need to feed our children and send them to school. Some cannot just give up their studies because they need to prepare for a better future. Some of us have to run our businesses because we are responsible for the lives of our workers and their families. I myself have to admit that it is difficult for me even to let go of my book collections.

We are entangled with so many complexity of life. Yet, deep inside us, we always feel that yearning to surrender everything for the sake of the Kingdom. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to do simple sacrifices everyday.

A mother who wakes up early morning, prepares the breakfast for the family, brings her children to school, go to work to earn a living, cooks dinner for her husband, and basically puts aside her dream to work with the urban poor, is truly giving herself to the Lord. I have a friend who is young, intelligent and very determined to become a priest. I am sure that he can become a good priest someday. But, his father is old and sickly, his siblings are still studying, and his mother earns very little. With a heavy heart, he decided to leave the seminary and work to help his family. He sacrificed his hope to serve the Lord as a priest, yet he surrenders his life to serve the Lord, through his family.

I do believe that God is very compassionate and merciful. He understands our daily struggles to follow Him. Thus, God does not leave us alone. He empowers us in our struggles and His grace enables us to give our lives despite the complexity of our lives.

St. Dominic de Guzman, pray for us!

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Conquering Greed

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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. July 31, 2016 [Luke 12:13-21]

 “…is not rich in what matters to God (Luk 12:21).”

rich foolGreed is one of the most sickening sins. It can plague practically anyone, rich and poor, young and old, lay people and even the leaders of the Church. Greed as the inordinate desire for wealth or money. Greed breeds corruption, stealing, cheating and violence. Greed produces injustice and poverty. And injustice and poverty cause nothing but suffering of countless people and permanent destruction to our mother earth.

Sometimes, we can easily accuse some persons in government and in business world as the greedy ones. Indeed, with their positions of power and intellectual capacity, they can suck a massive amount of money just for themselves. Instead using the money of the tax payers for building up the nations, the big portion of it goes to their individual pockets. But, we need to remember that greed does not only affect the affluent, but also the poor.

Movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008) tells us a story of Salim and Jamal Malik who are victims of this injustice and greed. After the killing of their mother because of religious hatred in slam area in India, they were forced to stay in a sanitary landfill. Then, they were adopted by ‘professional beggars’ syndicate. One particular scene that reveals the gruesome manifestation of greed is one little boy with sweet voice, Arwind, was blinded. Jamal later remarks, “Blind singers earn double.” The worst part of the movie is that the movie is not totally fiction, but many events are true to life.

Greed is even more sickening because it is not only about wealth or material possession. It is a vice that consumes our identity as human person, created as the image of God, with the capacity to love and share. In the parable of the rich fool, we discover the rich man only cares for himself, his harvest, his possessions, his life and his future. There is no place for other people, let alone God in his heart. Greed destroys our humanity to its core. We cling to our lives and our possession, and fail to see that all we have is blessings to share.

Just few days ago, Fr. Jacques Hamel was murdered inside the Church by the armed terrorists. The church Saint Etienne-du-Rouvray in Northern French was stormed during the morning mass. He and a mass-goer finally died after their throats were slit. While the world was shocked by this heinous cowardly act, we are once again invited to examine the life of this simple priest who gave his very life to the end. We may believe that life is stripped of him, but we forgot that actually he had given his life even before the day of his martyrdom. He lived a simple life and at age of 84, and he remained faithful to celebrate the sacraments and serve the people all the day of his life. He gave his life for God and the Church. His death is no longer loss but a moment of confirmation of his generosity that inspires the world. As St. Tertulian once said, the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians.

This utter generosity is a reflection of our deepest calling as human person, created in the image of God. And only in this true charity and abundant generosity, we may fight the greed that plague our souls.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Prayer to Our Father

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17th Sunday in Ordinary Time [July 24, 2016] Luke 11:1-13

 “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.  Give us each day our daily bread (Luk 11:2-3)”

jesus teach prayerWhen we begin to pray, we acknowledge the presence of God. Not only that, we also recognize that we are dependent on Him. No wonder that the most basic and common prayer is a prayer of petition. We pray to ask favor from God. We beg for good health, success in career, passing examination, protection from dangers, and more. Several times, I wrote that God is not a spiritual ATM and that our prayer is an ATM card. After ‘inserting our prayer’ and ‘inputting a correct amount of request’, God will produce what we wish. But, I have realized that every morning, when I pray before the Blessed Sacrament and the image of our Lady of La Naval de Manila, my prayer is a prayer of petition. I ask God for so many things, for good breakfast, for easy quiz, sometimes for suspension of classes. Certainly, I also pray for people I love and people I promised to pray for.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. He taught them the most beautiful prayer, the ‘Our Father’. Though Luke’s version is shorter than Matthew’s version, both contain the same basic attitude. This is the prayer of petition. We ask that His Kingdom come. We ask for our daily bread. We ask for forgiveness and deliverance from evil. We ask God for the most essential needs in our daily life.

Jesus did not only teach us to pray humbly, but also to pray confidently. We pray confidently because Jesus introduced us to a God who is a caring and loving Father. I am aware that not every one of us has a very pleasant experience with our own fathers. Some, just like myself, are fortunate to have dependable fathers. But, others have to deal with abusive and violent fathers. Others have no idea who their fathers are. Thus, Jesus assured us that Our Father in heaven is the most caring, most loving and best father of all. “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luk 11:11-13)”

Sometimes, we wonder why God does not answer our prayer of petition. This is precisely because God is our Father. He knows what best for us, and sometimes, what we want is not really the best for us. There is something better in store for us. He always answers our prayers, but often, we do not listen to His answer.

The highest form of prayer in the Catholic tradition is the Holy Eucharist. By its name, Eucharist means thanksgiving (from Greek ‘eucharistein’, to give thanks), yet it is also true that Eucharist is a prayer of petition. In fact, in the Eucharist, we ask God for something we need most, our salvation and the salvation of the world. In order to achieve this, we offer the most pleasing sacrifice, Jesus Christ Himself to the Father, the source of salvation. The heavenly Father could not resist this most perfect offering. God then abundantly showers us with His grace. Our salvation is hinged in prayer.

We pray because this is who we are. We are nothing apart from God. We are dependent on God. We kneel and humble ourselves before Him. Yet, we pray because we are confident that He will listen to our prayer. We are assured that God will take care of us. We pray because God is our Father.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Introvert or Extrovert?

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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time. July 17, 2016 [Luke 10:38-42]

 “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her (Luk 10:42).”

Martha and MaryFew weeks ago, I participated in a seminar-workshop on personality recognition and development. The activity was organized by the ministry of Lectors of Santo Domingo Parish and facilitated by seasoned speaker Sr. Leticia Garcia, DC. As I expected, the test result told me that I was dominantly introvert, meaning I was silent and more reserved guy. I found strength in solitude. I shared this treats with many of the participants. Yet, not few were actually our opposite. They were extrovert, meaning they were people-oriented and action-driven. They were recharged in interaction with others. Sr. Garcia made a point that the difference must not bring us into animosity. When properly developed, our personalities shall complete each other and contribute in the service of God.

Reading today’s Gospel, we encounter two lovely protagonists, Martha and Mary. Doubtless, Martha was dominantly extrovert. She did all the chores. She was very mobile and action-driven. In fact, she did all talk. Mary, meanwhile, was predominantly introvert. She did nothing but listened to Jesus. She was not even moving at the foot of Jesus. No single word was uttered from her mouth.

In the story, when Martha complained to Jesus about her sister’s inactivity, Jesus defended Mary. It seems that Jesus was favoring Mary over Martha. Does it mean that Jesus preferred introvert people than extrovert one? Not really. Looking deeper into the life of Jesus, we may justifiably say that Jesus himself was predominantly extrovert. He was action-oriented, He did a lot of things: healing, exorcising, feeding, doing miracles, and teaching. He involved in people’s lives. He attended many parties, and even accused as a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Mat 11:19)!

So, why is it that Jesus said to Martha, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part (Luk 10:42)?” I believe Jesus was not playing favoritism. Rather, Jesus intended to remind Martha that she has missed the point of serving. Not that being extrovert and energetic were wrong, but she began to compare herself with her sister. Worse, she imposed her way as the best option to serve the Lord. As she was immersed in herself, Martha was losing Jesus.

Mary chose a better part because she allowed Martha to be Martha, and to serve Jesus through her unique personalities. She did not complain when Martha did something different from her, because her focus was on Jesus not herself. Mary refused the temptation to make herself as the center of activities and life, create a little god out of herself. Thus, not only she allowed Martha to be Martha, she allowed Jesus to be God. This is the best part.

Every one of us, with our different unique personalities and talents, are called to become Jesus’s disciple, and to contribute in building His Church. The Church needs both the introvert and the extrovert. In fact, when we are working together, we may contribute even significantly larger than our individual contribution. Some of my brothers in the community are truly outgoing and enjoy to do missions and preaching in many places. I admit I have to exert extra effort to go out seminary, and a lot easier for me to spend hours reading and writing. We then work together as I provide them with preaching modules and my friends do the actual preaching.

The danger is when we only think that our ways are the only way and begin to complain about those who are different from us. We no longer think of Christ, but ourselves, and make ourselves as little gods. We pray that we may choose the better part as we work together to serve God and in our works and lives, God is truly glorified.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Do Love and You May Live!

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15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. July 10, 2016 [Luke 10:25-37]

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? (Luk 10:25)”

good samaritanThe scholars of the Law were representing the intellectual elite in Jewish society at the time of Jesus. While the rest of Jewish people were struggling to fill their stomach and living in bare necessity, this group had a rare access to good education. We may reasonably suspect that the scholars were affluent enough to read and study the Torah extensively and undisturbed. Compared to the ordinary Jews, they were experts with the details and interpretation of the Law. No wonder, they could easily develop the vice of pride.

Luke described the scholar as one who ‘stood up’ and ‘test’ Jesus. Clearly, he came out with his intellectual superiority and confronted Jesus to prove that he was far better than Him. He might think, “Son of carpenter; he knows nothing!” But, his pride brought him nothing but defeat. He attacked Jesus with the most difficult question he had in his arsenal. “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Yet, Jesus was aware of his intention. Jesus reminded him that the answer laid at the very heart of Torah itself, and allowed him to answer for himself. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Deu 6:5).” The answer was so simple yet true that every Jew who were with Jesus, would immediately give their nod, and perhaps their little victorious smile.

Refusing to accept his defeat, the scholar made a last-ditch attempt to justify himself. He asked Jesus who is this ‘neighbor’ he had to love. With His ingenuity and wit, Jesus then presented him one of the loveliest parables ever told: the Good Samaritan. To love means to love radically. To love means to do good even to those who do not deserve our love. Yet, the genius of Jesus is not only to force the scholar to acknowledge his defeat, but He allowed the scholar to reflect on his life’s deeper purpose as a Jew.

At times, we are so confident with ourselves. We feel we know a lot. We engage in discussion and debate on various issues in the Church and society. We take sides, either on the progressive team or conservative group, and fight endlessly. We learn theology, spirituality and leadership, and we feel we are better than the rest of Church. We serve a particular ministry for so long, that we look down at newcomers in the group. Unconsciously, we become like this scholar of the Law who stands up and puts other into test. I confess also at times, I manifest this prideful attitude. When I teach, I often project myself as the all-knowing teacher and throw the hardest questions to my students. It gives a sense of pleasure when I know I am the only one who can answer the questions. Lord, have mercy on me!

Yet, Jesus reminds us today a simple yet fundamental truth: pride only brings defeat, only humility can bring us eternal life. And this humility can be best practiced in love. To borrow the words of St. Paul, “And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Cor 13:2-3).”

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP