The Sign and Memory of Victory

2^nd Easter Sunday

27 April 2014

John 20:19-31

“Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe (Jn 20:27).”

Jesus has risen and today's Gospel shows us that He rose with his body. In theology, we learn that Jesus' body is referred to as the “glorious body.” This is a real body but also the body that is not just the usual and ordinary one as we have. Bishop Theodoro Bacani, our professor of Christology at the University of Santo Tomas, taught me that this glorious body no longer subject to the laws of nature, and as such, he is able to pass through walls and enter the locked room where the disciples were gathered. Obviously, this body will no longer endure pain and suffer death. Jesus lives forever with His glorious body.

However, if we carefully look at today’s Gospel, there are unique features of the risen body of Jesus: His body still bears the marks of his crucifixion wounds. If Thomas is able to put his hand in the wounds of Jesus, then the body is not perfect because there is a “defect” on it. But, why did Jesus take the body that is still full of scars, rather a smoother and flawless body instead? Jesus could have chosen a more powerful body with all the curvy muscles and even made his face more handsome than Brad Pitt. Then, why did Jesus still chose to carry the signs of his passion with his resurrection?

Fr. Enrico Gonzales, OP, my professor and mentor, believes that glorious body of Jesus reflects His body on earth, the Church. Our Church is full of injuries for the sins committed by us, but the Church never lost hope of holiness because Jesus is the head. As long as the head is alive and fully divine, the body, though deeply wounded, can hope for a better future. Suffering will disappear and our bodies will become like Him.

Aside from the ecclesiological perspective, we can also reflect on these signs as a true sign of victory, especially in memory of our perseverance and resilience in times of trial. Yes, Jesus has risen and won for us salvation, but the gift of this redemption, free it may be, does not come cheap. Jesus had to undergo suffering and death before resurrection. He was betrayed by the lips of his disciples, abandoned by close friends, and denied by His trusted man. He suffered cruel torture and eventually died as a criminal. Yet, through all of this, He would endure with patience and he embraced in compassion. The wounds on His body are signs and memories of a victory of peace over violence, of a forgiveness over revenge and of a life over death.

Let us look back on our lives and reflect on the wounds in our hearts. Do we still feel the pain? Are the memories of the past still carry anger and hatred? Are we able to forgive and heal old wounds? Now, in this Easter, let us invoke the power of God to renew our lives. And through the power of the risen Lord, let us transform our wounds from a sign of defeat into victory.

Brother Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno , OP

Luka Yesus sebagai Tanda Kemanangan

Minggu Paskah ke-2

27 April 2014

Yohanes 20:19-31

"Taruhlah jarimu di sini dan lihatlah tangan-Ku, ulurkanlah tanganmu dan cucukkan ke dalam lambung-Ku dan jangan engkau tidak percaya lagi, melainkan percayalah (Yoh 20:27)."

Yesus telah bangkit dan Injil hari ini menunjukkan bahwa Dia bangkit dengan tubuh-Nya. Dalam teologi, kita belajar bahwa tubuh Yesus ini disebut sebagai “tubuh yang mulia.” Ini adalah tubuh yang nyata tetapi juga tubuh ini bukanlah sekedar tubuh biasa seperti yang kita miliki. Uskup Theodoro Bacani, profesor Kristologi di University of Santo Tomas, mengajarkan saya bahwa tubuh yang mulia ini tidak lagi tunduk pada hukum-hukum alam, dan dengan demikian, Yesus mampu menembus dinding dan memasuki ruang terkunci tempat para murid berkumpul. Jelas, tubuh ini tidak akan lagi mengalami penderitaan dan kematian. Yesus hidup selamanya dengan tubuh-Nya yang mulia.

Namun, jika kita melihat secara seksama Injil hari ini, ada fitur unik dari tubuh Yesus bangkit: tubuh-Nya masih menyandang tanda-tanda luka dari penyaliban-Nya. Jika Thomas mampu meletakkan tangannya di luka Yesus, maka tubuh ini tidaklah sempurna karena ada ‘cacat’ bawaan. Tapi, mengapa Yesus mengambil tubuh yang penuh bekas luka ini dan bukannya tubuh yang lebih mulus? Yesus bisa memilih badan yang lebih perkasa dengan segala otot yang menonjol dan bahkan membuat wajah-Nya lebih tampan dari actor Brad Pitt. Lalu, mengapa Yesus tetap memilih untuk membawa tanda-tanda penderitaan-Nya ini dengan kebangkitan-Nya?

Fr. Enrico Gonzales, OP, profesor dan mentor saya, berpendapat bahwa tubuh mulia Yesus mencerminkan tubuh-Nya di bumi, yakni Gereja. Gereja kita penuh dengan luka karena dosa-dosa yang dilakukan oleh kita, tapi Gereja tidak pernah kehilangan harapan untuk kekudusan karena Yesus adalah sang kepala. Selama sang kepala sepenuhnya hidup dan ilahi, tubuh, meskipun sangat terluka, tetap dapat berharap untuk masa depan yang lebih baik. Penderitaan akan sirna dan tubuh kita akan menjadi seperti Dia.

Selain dari perspektif eklesiologis, kita juga bisa merenungkan tanda-tanda ini sebagai tanda kemenangan sejati dan sebagai kenangan akan ketekunan dan ketahanan kita pada masa-masa pencobaan. Ya, Yesus telah bangkit dan memenangkan bagi kita keselamatan, tetapi karunia penebusan ini, meskipun cuma-cuma, tidak berarti murahan. Yesus harus menjalani penderitaan dan kematian-Nya sebelum kebangkitan. Ia dikhianati oleh murid-Nya sendiri, ditinggalkan oleh teman-teman dekat-Nya, dan dihukum secara tidak adil. Dia mengalami penyiksaan keji dan akhirnya mati sebagai seorang kriminal. Semua ini, ia tanggung dengan kesabaran dan ia peluk dalam pengampunan. Luka-luka di tubuh-Nya adalah tanda dan kenangan tentang kemenangan sebuah perdamaian atas kekerasan,  sebuah pengampunan atas dendam dan sebuah kehidupan atas kematian.

Mari kita melihat kembali kehidupan kita dan merenungkan luka-luka di dalam hati kita. Apakah kita masih merasakan sakit? Apakah kenangan masa lalu masih membawa kemarahan dan kebencian? Apakah kita mampu memaafkan dan mengobati luka lama? Sekarang, di masa Paskah ini, marilah kita memohon kekuatan Tuhan untuk membaharui hidup kita. Dan melalui kuasa Tuhan yang bangkit, mari kita mengubah luka-luka kita dari sebuah tanda-tanda kekalahan menjadi tanda-tanda kemenangan.

Frater Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP

To Love till the End

Good Friday

April 16, 2014

John 18:1 – 19:42

“It is fulfilled” – John 19:30

Everyone has a purpose and we live to achieve this purpose. Only through the fulfillment of this purpose, we may taste what happiness is all about. What is our purpose, then? Our Lord puts it simply, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And, you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).” Yet, this ultimate purpose can only be accomplished by taking up our daily purposes. If we are students, then study with perseverance is a clear purpose. If you are a husband, then total love and unflinching fidelity to your wife are your purpose.  If I am a lowly brother who commits myself to preaching the Gospel, then my obvious purpose is to write this reflection to show forth to you God’s love even more.

Now, let us pause a moment and try to reflect on Jesus’ purpose. Doubtless, He was sent to save us. Yet, a question is boggling us today: Why did He have to suffer and die on the cross to save us? In today’s Gospel, Jesus endured terrible torment and finally died as a criminal. These took place as a consequence of His obedience to His Father. Wait a second! Do you mean that God wanted the cruel death of His Son? But, why? Was God punishing Jesus? Yet, Jesus is sinless, so it must be our enormous sins. Does it mean God castigate Jesus in the place of us? This crudely puts God in the very negative perspective: if we perceive that He wished the suffering and the killing of His Son, then we reduce God into the level of a cold-blooded murderer!

Surely, it is unthinkable to see God as a killer of His own Son. But then, how we are going to fathom this mystery? St. John said that God is love and only in love, we may comprehend His way (cf. 1 John 4:16). God never intended the death of Jesus, but what He wanted is that Jesus loves us to the end and gives His own life up for the sake of love. Betrayal, condemnation and physical death might be unavoidable consequences, but despite the worst things the world can harbor, Jesus loves us till the end. As St. Peter would say, “Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet 4:8).” Indeed, the love of Christ is immeasurably intense that it covers all of our sins.

To love truly is extremely difficult, dangerous and even lethal, but without it, we never achieve our purpose. I remember of story by Bp. Pablo David, DD on a wife who was abandoned by her husband running with another woman. She was left alone to raise her three little children. Yet, instead looking for another man, she remained faithful to her marriage covenant. Then, when her husband was stricken by a grave illness and left by his mistress, she brought her spouse home and took care of him until his death. During the funeral, a friend asked her why she did all of this. Her answer was simple: “He is my husband and I am his wife.” See what love can make of us!

The passion of Christ does not only remind us about the suffering and death of Christ, but primarily about His great love. He forgave those who mocked Him, He defended the people who crucified Him, and He embraced His friends who betrayed and ran away from Him. In the cross, He taught us how to love however difficult it may be. To love our aging spouse is never easy, but love is patient. To love our stubborn children is rough, but love bear anything.  Despite the ugliest of this world, His love never fails and it never ends. This is the love of Christ for you and me. Then, when we have loved to the end, together with Jesus, we say, “It is fulfilled”.

  

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP