Jerusalem

13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

June 30, 2013

Luke 9:51-62

“When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem (Luk 9:51).”

Every journey has an end. In fact it starts with an end. We will not visit Paris, unless we get a vacation plan there. I would not have been in Manila, if I had not aimed for priesthood. The end is so critical that even Aristotle created his philosophy based on this ‘end’. Thus, the very first question is ‘what your end in life is’. The answer is so fundamental that it sets the course of our actions through life.

Is it wealth? Is it sexual pleasure? Is it power? If wealth is our highest goal, then corruption is justified. If sexual pleasure is our last motive, then free sex and prostitution are the norms. If power is the final end, then violence and intimidation are rules of the game.

Recently Agence Frence-Presse (AFP) released depressing news for me, an Indonesian: ‘School exam cheating rampant in graft-ridden Indonesia.’ The agency does not only announce its finding on rampant cheating in Indonesia but it also links corruption with this bad habit. Simply put, we, Indonesians, learn corruption in school! The news might be true or not, but the reality points to the same question: what our end is. For students who aim high grade without hardworking, then cheating is a favorable means. Yet, for students who understand the purpose of education, cheating is a no-no.

Let us go back to today’s Gospel. Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem where He would fulfill His mission. Yet, to be in Jerusalem means he has to suffer false accusation, endure horrible suffering and die as a criminal. The disciples were also disbanded. Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him, and the rest run away. It was place of total failure. Yet, despite of all, Jesus never wavered and remained determined. Why? Because He knew where he was going. He was certain with His destination that he was willing to sacrifice His own life. This is the same Jerusalem is where Jesus resurrected. It was the city where the disciples gathered anew and received the Holy Spirit in Pentecost. The Church was born there. Jerusalem is indeed a place of glorious end.

What and where is our Jerusalem? Are we even aware of our Jerusalem? Are we ready to change course if we are moving to the wrong direction? Are we willing to make sacrifice to reach our Jerusalem?  Are we going to lay down our lives for our Jerusalem?

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Yerusalem

Minggu dalam Pekan Biasa ke-13

30 Juni 2013

Lukas 9:51-62

“Ketika hampir genap waktunya Yesus diangkat ke sorga, Ia mengarahkan pandangan-Nya untuk pergi ke Yerusalem (Luk 9:51)”

Setiap perjalanan memiliki sebuah tujuan akhir. Bahkan perjalanan hanya bisa dimulai jika memiliki tujuan akhir. Kita tidak akan mengunjungi Paris, kecuali kita memiliki rencana berlibur di sana. Saya tidak akan berada di Manila, jika saya tidak pernah bercita-cita menjadi iman. ‘Tujuan akhir’ ini sangat penting sampai-sampai Aristoteles, filsuf ternama Yunani, menciptakan sistem filosofi berdasarkan ‘tujuan akhir’. Oleh karena ini, pertanyaan pertama dan utama yang perlu kita ajukan bagi diri kita sendiri adalah ‘apa tujuan akhir saya dalam hidup ini’. Jawabannya sangat mendasar dan menentukan segala tindakan kita di kehidupan ini.

Apakah kekayaan? Apakah kenikmatan seksual? Apakah itu kekuasaan? Jika kekayaan adalah tujuan tertinggi kita, maka korupsi bisa dibenarkan. Jika kenikmatan seksual adalah motif terakhir kita, maka seks bebas dan prostitusi adalah wajar. Jika kekuasaan adalah tujuan akhir, maka kekerasan dan intimidasi adalah aturan permainan yang lazim.

Baru-baru ini, Agence Frence-Presse (AFP) merilis berita yang menyedihkan: ‘School exam cheating rampant in graft-ridden Indonesia (Kecurangan saat ujian sekolah merajalela di Indone. sia yang penuh korupsi).’ Badan ini tidak hanya mengumumkan temuannya pada kecurangan yang merajalela di Indonesia tetapi juga menghubungkan korupsi dengan kebiasaan buruk ini. Sederhananya, kita, orang-orang Indonesia, belajar korupsi di sekolah! Berita itu mungkin benar ataupun tidak, tetapi intinya dapat merujuk pada pertanyaan yang sama: apakah tujuan akhir kita. Bagi siswa yang bertujuan mendapat nilai tinggi tanpa bekerja keras, maka kecurangan merupakan sarana yang menguntungkan. Namun, bagi siswa yang memahami tujuan pendidikan, kecurangan adalah kecurangan.

Mari kita kembali ke Injil hari ini. Yesus memutuskan untuk pergi ke Yerusalem di mana Dia akan memenuhi misi-Nya. Namun, berada di Yerusalem berarti dia harus menerima fitnah, mengalami penderitaan dan mati sebagai seorang kriminal. Para murid juga tercerai berai dalam seketika. Petrus menyangkal Dia, Yudas mengkhianati Dia, dan sisanya melarikan diri. Yerusalem adalah tempat kegagalan total. Namun, meskipun semua ini, Yesus tidak pernah goyah dan tetap bertekad bulat. Kenapa? Karena Dia tahu ke mana ia pergi. Dia yakin dengan tujuan-Nya dan bahkan ia bersedia mengorbankan nyawa-Nya sendiri. Ini adalah Yerusalem yang sama  di mana Yesus dibangkitkan. Ini adalah kota di mana para murid berkumpul lagi dan menerima Roh Kudus di hari Pentakosta. Gereja lahir di sana. Yerusalem memang tempat akhir yang mulia.

Apa dan dimanakah Yerusalem kita? Apakah kita sungguh menyadari Yerusalem kita? Apakah kita siap untuk mengubah haluan jika kita bergerak ke arah yang salah? Apakah kita bersedia untuk membuat pengorbanan untuk mencapai Yerusalem kita? Apakah kita akan menyerahkan nyawa kita untuk Yerusalem kita?

Frater Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Reality of the Cross

12^th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

June 23, 2013

Luke 9:18-24

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luk 9:24).”

Today, Jesus teaches us how to deal with sufferings: Embrace them! This may sound terribly wrong. Naturally, we shun pain and aim for happiness. This is why we love classic tales (like Cinderella, Snow White, etc) end with a marriage and both leading characters live together happily ever after. Thus, telling his disciples to “deny themselves and take up their cross”, Jesus is a bit out of his mind. Isn’t He?

Let us see the reality of cross in the time of Jesus. Crucifixion is the most brutal and humiliating way to punish a criminal. Any threat to the Roman Empire would not only be nailed on a log but also become a public entertainment. The victims would die slowly as they gradually lost blood and water. Not only extremely excruciating for the one hanged on the tree, but also it was emotionally hurting for his loved ones watching and hopeless. Crucifixion is sure death, but the longer the agony is the better it is. 

Now, the reality of the cross turns uglier when Jesus, our Lord, freely chose to embrace it and die with it. Is he insane when he decided to take the worst part of death? Is he mad enough to promote this to his followers?

We miss the point if we zero in on suffering itself. Let us see a bigger picture now. Christian theology explains that sufferings and death are the consequences of our sin. Since everybody commits sin, suffering is our lot. In His mercy, God can always erase sufferings, but He does not. Why? St. Paul got the answer: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1Cor 1:18).” 

By embracing the cross, Jesus makes suffering a source of growth, wisdom and holiness. The focus of cross is not suffering itself but God who is hung there. It is not the nail that holds Jesus on the cross, but love. We are invited to see God even in the bleakest moments of life. When a single mother discovers that her only daughter is pregnant outside of marriage, she might curse God right there and then. Yet, she could find God in her daughter who refuses to abort the baby and from the Christian community that rallies behind her. 

Cross is not about suffering, but finding God and making it fruitful.  

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Realitas Salib

Minggu Ke-12 dalam Masa Biasa

23 Juni 2013

Lukas 9:18-24

"Setiap orang yang mau mengikut Aku, ia harus menyangkal dirinya, memikul salibnya setiap hari dan mengikut Aku (Luk 9:24)”

Hari ini, Yesus mengajarkan kita bagaimana menghadapi penderitaan. Hanya dua kata: Rangkullah mereka! Hal ini mungkin terdengar sangat salah. Tentu, sebagai manusia, kita selalu menghindari rasa sakit dan ingin selalu bahagia. Ini mengapa kita menyukai cerita-cerita klasik (seperti Cinderella, Snow White, dll) yang berakhir dengan pernikahan dan kedua karakter utamanya hidup bersama bahagia selamanya. Maka, saat Yesus memerintahkan murid-murid-Nya untuk “menyangkal diri mereka dan memikul salib mereka setiap hari”, Yesus sepertinya tidak begitu waras. Sungguhkah demikian?

Mari kita melihat realitas salib pada zaman Yesus. Disalib adalah cara yang paling brutal dan memalukan untuk menghukum seorang penjahat. Setiap ancaman bagi Kekaisaran Romawi tidak hanya akan dipaku di batang kayu salib tetapi juga menjadi tontonan khalak ramai. Para korban akan mati perlahan-lahan karena mereka pelan-pelan kehilangan darah dan air. Tidak hanya sangat menyiksa bagi yang tergantung di pohon, tetapi juga menyakiti perasaan orang yang dicintai melihat dia tergantung dan putus asa. Penyaliban pasti menuju kematian, tapi semakin lama penderitaan yang ditimbulkan semakin baik pula penyaliban itu.

Sekarang, realitas salib menjadi sangat jelek ketika Yesus, Tuhan kita, dengan bebas memilih untuk menerimanya dan mati dengan salib. Apakah Dia cukup gila ketika ia memutuskan untuk mengambil bagian terburuk dari kematian? Apakah dia cukup gila untuk mempromosikan hal ini kepada para pengikutnya?

Kita kehilangan maknanya jika kita hanya terpusat pada penderitaan itu sendiri. Mari kita lihat gambaran yang lebih besar. Teologi Kristiani menjelaskan bahwa penderitaan dan kematian adalah konsekuensi dari dosa kita. Karena semua orang melakukan dosa, penderitaan adalah nasib kita. Dalam Kemurahan-Nya, Tuhan selalu dapat menghapus penderitaan, tetapi Dia tidak melakukannya. Kenapa? St. Paulus memiliki jawabannya: “Sebab pemberitaan tentang salib memang adalah kebodohan bagi mereka yang akan binasa, tetapi bagi kita yang diselamatkan pemberitaan itu adalah kekuatan Allah (1 Kor 1:18).”

Dengan merangkul salib, Yesus membuat penderitaan sumber perkembangan, kebijaksanaan dan bahkan kekudusan. Fokus sebuah salib bukanlah pada pada penderitaan itu sendiri, melainkan pada Allah yang tergantung di sana. Bukan paku yang menahan Yesus di kayu salib, tetapi kasih. Kita diajak untuk melihat Allah bahkan di saat-saat paling suram kehidupan. Ketika seorang ibu mengetahui bahwa putri satu-satunya hanya hamil di luar nikah, ia bisa memilih untuk menghujat Allah. Namun, iapun bisa menemukan Tuhan dalam putrinya yang menolak untuk menggugurkan sang bayi dan dalam komunitas Kristiani yang selalu mendukung.

Salib bukanlah tentang penderitaan, tetapi bagaimana kita menemukan Allah dalam penderitaan dan membuat salib sungguh berbuah.

Frater Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Bigger than Life

Tenth Sunday of the Ordinary Time

June 9, 2013

Luke 7: 11-17

“When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her… (Luk 7:13)”

The keyword in today’s Gospel is compassion. Jesus was moved by compassion and then raised the boy up. Jesus teaches us not to fret death. There is something bigger than death, even greater than life itself. It is compassion.

However, if we look closely at the totality of the story. Even the town’s people also had compassion to the widow whose only son just died. They perhaps tried to comfort the woman and accompanied her to the grave. They even hired a band of professional mourners to accentuate their sympathy for the widow. 

Jesus definitely had the power to raise the son from the dead. Yet, the townsfolk did their part as well to express their compassion. So, what is the difference between Jesus and the people?  From a deeper perspective, the Gospel is not actually highlighting the power of Jesus over life and death, but Jesus’ critic to His fellow Jews. There was a serious misconception and mishandling of compassion. It is an enormous power, yet without proper understanding, it just turns to be devastative and deadly. The action of Jesus is primarily to bend the stream of compassion that simply flows toward a graveyard. “Hi, stop! You move toward a wrong direction!”

Optimus Prime, the leader of Autobots, once said that human is a being capable of great destruction as well as of great compassion. Indeed, the rise or fall of humanity depends on our compassion with our fellowmen and women. Why does poverty persist? It is not simply a problem of lack of resources or generosity. In a deeper sense, the reason can be traced back to compassion. Some people no longer feel compassion that they steal even from those who do not have, and some others even manipulate the compassion of those who eager to share. The rest of humanity seems at loss in expressing their compassion. It is a serious issue of mishandling our compassion. 

We might be like the town’s crowd that has sympathy for the mother whose son died, but our feeling just leads them to nowhere but the graveyard. It is a radical mind-shift to understand how Jesus expresses His compassion. It is a compassion that touches and changes a life (and death) in a most profound way. It is a life-giving compassion in the complexity of our world. It is compassion that dares us to critically ask ourselves, “Have our compassion become bigger than life or nothing but marched toward our graveyard?”    

   Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP