Be the Better Part

16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 21, 2013

Luke 10:38-42

“Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her (Luk 10:42).”

  

Today’s Gospel is one of the most heartwarming stories in the Bible. Martha and Mary welcome weary Jesus who sought for a restful refuge after the backbreaking preaching ministries. Both offered the best of the two worlds: the active service and the contemplative listening. Needless to say, Jesus was delighted with both.

Yet, the story is intensified when Martha began complaining of the attitude of her sister. Here, Jesus affectionately called her name twice, “Martha, Martha,” something that he would not even bother to do to His male disciples. Reading it closely, we discover that Jesus enjoyed a tender and loving friendship with both Martha and Mary. Jesus appreciated Martha’s passionate work of hospitality, but He valued more the listening heart of Mary. Here, Jesus expressed His true humanity as well as our humanity, that human as we are, we need not only vital bodily sustenance, but also gestures that fills our souls. We want to be welcome, listened, understood and loved.

Jesus pointed out that we talk, work, and get busy in almost effortless way, yet ironically, we have to exert a tremendous effort just to be still, calm and listen to understand. Especially now, we are living in the world marked by much noise and rush: we find our identity by creating sound and moving as fast as we could. Yet, paradoxically, the more clatter we produce, the more people close their ears.

Let us focus on our young generation. Time Magazine of May 20, 2013 dubbed our present young generation as “the ME generation”. Why “ME”? It is simply because the technology and especially the internet offer us a venue to instantly turn us into ‘celebrities’. With smartphone on our hands, we could post our sentiments on the Facebook’s wall, broadcast our messages through Twitter and upload our ‘selfie’ photos in Instagram, anytime of the day! The more ‘likes’ we get, the more netizens follow us, the happier we feel. Yet, ME generation is not only about happiness and popularity. Recently, an American girl committed suicide, yet what makes it uglier is that she uploaded at YouTube a self-recorded video explaining why she would like to die and how she would end her life just before she died. This “ME generation” phenomena speak the subtle yet deeper longing of today’s young people: yearning for persons who will love and understand them. Unfortunately, instead a real person, they discover internet, and start believing that this is the ultimate reality of their lives

Jesus’ words to Martha are not only applicable but also a staggering wisdom for our generation, living two millennia after Him. Jesus spoke the truth that no things, no food, no gadgets, or no amount of money could satisfy the deepest yearning of human beings. Married man and woman work so hard to earn a living for their family and busy climbing the career’s ladder, but little time to touch the heart of their spouse. Parents might think that they solve their children’s problems by sending them to the best school or feeding them with the latest gadgets, but how much quality time we spend with our children just to listen to their little stories and sentiments? Some priests and religious become so busy with their ministries that ironically, they have no time to listen to their own brothers and sisters in their community. Only person can fulfill other persons by caring for others in the more significant ways and daring to touch the humanity of others. As He challenged Martha, Jesus also challenges us to take a better part in serving others. Yes, material help is important but it never substitute the depth of loving and listening heart. Be the better part!

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Menjadi Bagian yang Terbaik

Hari Minggu Biasa ke-16

21 Juli 2013

Lukas 10:38-42

“Maria telah memilih bagian yang terbaik, yang tidak akan diambil dari padanya (Luk 10:42)”

Injil hari ini merupakan salah satu kisah yang paling menyentuh hati di dalam Alkitab. Marta dan Maria menyambut Yesus yang lelah setelah Ia menjalani berbagai pelayanan dan misi pewartaan-Nya. Keduanya mencoba menawarkan yang terbaik: tangan yang aktif melayani dan telinga yang mendengarkan. Sungguh, Yesus sangat bergembira dengan keduanya.

Namun, kisah ini menjadi lebih intensif ketika Martha mulai mengeluhkan sikap saudara perempuannya. Lalu, untuk pertama kali, Yesus menyebut nama seseorang dua kali berturut-turut dengan penuh afeksi, “Marta, Marta”. Di sini, kita bisa menduga bahwa Yesus memiliki persabatan yang erat dengan Marta dan Maria. Yesus menghargai kerja keras Martha, tetapi Dia lebih menghargai hati Maria yang lembut dan mendengarkan. Kita bisa melihat Yesus dalam kemanusiaan-Nya yang sejati dan di dalam-Nya kemanusiaan kita sendiri. Kita sebagai manusia tidak hanya memerlukan kebutuhan jasmani, tetapi juga sebuah sentuhan yang mengisi jiwa kita. Kita ingin diterima, didengarkan, dipahami dan dicintai.

Yesus menunjukkan bahwa kita bisa berbicara, bekerja, dan sibuk dengan sangat mudah, namun ironisnya, kita harus mengerahkan upaya yang luar biasa hanya untuk diam, tenang dan mendengarkan untuk memahami.

Mari kita lihat generasi muda saat ini. Time Magazine edisi 20 Mei 2013 menamai generasi muda saat ini sebagai "ME generation”. Mengapa "ME (Aku)"? Menyebabnya adalah kemajuan teknologi dan terutama internet menawarkan kita tempat untuk menjadikan kita 'selebriti'. Dengan smartphone di gengaman, kita bisa menulis sentimen kita di Facebook wall, menyebarkan pesan kita melalui Twitter dan meng-upload foto-foto kita di Instagram setiap saat. Namun, “ME generation” tidak hanya tentang popularitas. Baru-baru ini, seorang gadis Amerika melakukan bunuh diri, namun apa yang membuat hal lebih mengerikan adalah bahwa dia meng-upload video di YouTube yang ia rekam sendiri menjelaskan mengapa dia ingin mati dan bagaimana dia akan mengakhiri hidupnya. Jika kita teliti lebih dalam "ME generation" sesungguhnya berbicara tentang kerinduan terdalam dari genearasi muda masa kini:  kerinduan akan pribadi-pribadi yang akan mencintai dan memahami mereka. Sayangnya, bukannya pribadi yang nyata yang mereka temukan, tetapi internet, dan perlahat-lahan mulai percaya bahwa ini adalah realitas kehidupan mereka.

Kata-kata Yesus untuk Martha adalah sebuah kebijaksanaan yang juga berlaku bagi generasi kita. Yesus berbicara tentang kebenaran bahwa kerinduan terdalam manusia tidak bisa dipuaskan dengan internet, gadgets ataupun uang. Beberapa pasangan suami-istri bekerja begitu keras untuk mencari nafkah bagi keluarga mereka dan sibuk meniti tangga karir, tapi hanya sedikit waktu digunakan untuk menyentuh hati sang pendamping mereka. Beberapa orangtua mungkin berpikir mereka telah melakukan yang terbaik dengan mengirim anak-anak mereka ke sekolah terbaik, tapi berapa banyak waktu, kita menghabiskan waktu dengan anak-anak mereka untuk mendengarkan cerita dan sentimen sederhana mereka? Beberapa imam dan kaum religius menjadi begitu sibuk dengan pelayanan mereka, tetapi ironisnya, mereka tidak memiliki waktu untuk mendengarkan saudara-saudara mereka sendiri dalam komunitas. Hanya pribadi manusia yang dapat memenuhi kebutuhan terdalam sesamanya. Saat Yesus menegur Martha, Yesus juga menegur kita untuk mengambil bagian yang lebih baik dalam melayani sesama kita. Benar bahwa kebutuhan jasmani adalah penting namun tidak akan pernah menggantikan sebuah hati yang mencintai dan telinga yang mendengarkan dengan tulus. Jadilah bagian yang lebih baik!

Frater Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

Learn to See Life

15^th Sunday in the Ordinary Time

July 14, 2013

Luke 10:25-37

The story of the Good Samaritan is a story of radical love and primacy of life. Looking deeper into the characters (the Jewish victim, the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan), we are going to see the intricate fabrics of Jewish culture in Jesus’ time. Let us focus now on the two main characters of the story: the priest and the Levite.

Why did the priest and the Levite deny their fellow Jew a help he deserve? The priest and the levite avoided their half-dead fellow Jew not simply because of sheer disgust nor lack of medical expertise, but it was primarily legal. Moses’ laws forbid Jews especially the priests and the Levites to touch the dead or blood (Lev 15 and 21). The priest and the Levite were basically would uphold the Laws to its strictest sense. The book of Maccabees tells us how a mother and her seven sons would rather die than to violate the Laws by eating unclean food (2 Mac 7). They were meticulously religious, yet Jesus criticized them for failing to recognize the much greater reality than the Law. They refused to see life.

However, I suspect that there is a subtler reason behind their refusal to see life. A priest and a Levite primarily live and serve around the temple. Every time, a priest or a Levite becomes unclean, they were not allowed to enter the temple area. This is a mortal blow. They practically lose their revered identity. Not only missing their honor, failure to perform their sacred duties means losing job. Naturally, nobody wants to become poor instantly. Here, self-worth and economic issue could hinder the priest and the Levite to see and save life.

Every time, we witness pride and business outweigh the value of life, we encounter the modern day priest and Levite are present among and even in us. Hundred babies are aborted every day, and it is justified merely for the economic interest and personal reputation. In some rural areas, little children have to walk miles just to attend school in a deteriorating classroom and with limited teachers. Where is the right of descent education they deserve?

Through the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus invites us to look at our lives and how we relate with God and our fellowmen and women. Do we treat our friends as a source of income and plain business partners to satisfy our needs? Do we go to the Church and be active there merely to attain recognition? Do we pray to God simply because we want our wish fulfilled and thus, relegate God to be an ATM? Let us we choose to be the good Samaritan, to see  and defend life.

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP