Kasihilah Musuhmu Seperti Engkau Mengasihi Dirimu Sendiri.

Ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi sangat membantu kita untuk menemukan sesuatu. Serat optik sangat membantu dalam komunikasi dan transfer informasi. Microchip membantu mengurangi ukuran peralatan elektronik dan meningkatkan efisiensi mesin. 

Sebaliknya, penemuan potensi pada manusia yang sangat tertinggal. Ini bukan tentang potensi keterampilan dan bakat orang itu tetapi kemungkinan tentang spiritualnya, terutama di bidang cinta dan pengampunan. Setiap orang memiliki potensi untuk mencintai mereka yang telah melakukan kesalahan padanya dan memaafkan mereka.

Manusia umumnya menganut prinsip membalas kebaikan dengan kebaikan. Prinsip ini terlalu kecil untuk kehidupan seorang Anak Allah. Manusia yang melakukan tindakan kebaikan untuk mengimbangi kebaikan yang telah diterimanya bukanlah tipe manusia ideal atau sempurna.

Kita dituntut untuk menghasilkan kasih yang melampaui batasan apapun, bahkan harus mendoakan orang yang tidak seharusnya kita doakan sebagai ungkapan kasih. Bapa kita yang di surga sempurna karena Dia memiliki kasih, bahkan Dia sendirilah kasih itu. Kalau kita memiliki kasih, kita bisa menikmati kesempurnaan dari segala sesuatu yang kita kasihi.

Sikap saling menghakimi dan saling menghukum, semakin marak dalam keseharian kita. Keutuhan keluarga, komunitas, masyarakat dan negara, paguyuban, paroki runtuh karena sikap-sikap mau menang sendiri. Kita sering mengklaim keselamatan hanya untuk kita, untuk golongan-golongan kita, untuk Gereja kita saja. Orang lain yang tidak sejalan dan tidak searah dengan kita tidak akan diselamatkan. Kiranya sikap tidak pilih-pilih yang di contohkan Allah menjadi kritikan bagi kita.

Yesus menegaskan, hendaklah kita sempurna seperti Bapa kita yang di surga sempurna adanya. Mari dalam hidup harian ini, kita perlu  memilah-milah lagi perilaku hidup kita. Kalau kita mau sempurna seperti Bapa, kita harus menggandakan kasih dalam kehidupan kita, memenuhi tutur kata dan sapaan kita dengan kasih, melandasi berbagai perbuatan baik kita dengan kasih hingga pada akhirnya kasihlah yang menang dan merajai kehidupan kita bersama dengan sesama dalam Tuhan.

Loving God And Loving Others

The attitude that Jesus modeled for us is often the opposite of our hopes and desires.  We lack the free-will attitude not to reply, let alone pray for him.  It is the same with the situation in our society where violence is almost always met with violence.

 It's amazing what we hear in today's Gospel.  Shall we bet?  How many people can give sincerely without the slightest self-interest, even if they are hurt, they will not return it nor will they be hurt, let alone revenge?

 Do not fight those who do evil to you.  On the other hand, if someone slaps you on the right cheek, give them your left cheek and so on.  This is the highest goal of Christianity and of course quite difficult to achieve.

 The fundamental and basic truth of Christianity is expressed quite simply, namely to love God and love others.  This was also said by Jesus when asked which law was the greatest.

 The act of revenge will only lead to further revenge.  If we intend to give, never expect to get a thank you.  Forget that we have given.

 Let's learn from Jesus' attitude not to hold grudges even though what they did was very painful.  Let's learn to fight violence with gentleness so that the chain of violence doesn't get longer.

Bersikap Jujur Dan Apa Adanya

Yesus memberikan ajaran baru untuk menyempurnakan Hukum Taurat yang penuh peraturan membelenggu. Yesus membongkar paradigma baru dengan mengajak para pendengar-Nya menyelami inti hukum yakni kasih. 

Kita diajak untuk bersikap jujur dan apa adanya, tidak boleh ada kebohongan dan kepalsuan dalam diri kita. Kalau ya katakan iya kalau tidak katakanlah tidak selebihnya berasal dari si jahat.

Kejujuran dewasa ini mahal harganya. Tidak mudah orang bersikap jujur juga kepada dirinya sendiri. Kerap orang menipu diri sendiri dengan berbagai dalih dan pembenaran rasional. Lebih baik bersikap jujur dan apa adanya dari pada hidup penuh dengan basa basi sebab jika hilang basanya tinggallah basinya.

Yesus mengingatkan kita agar berani memperjuangkan kebenaran, kejujujuran dan kekonsistenan. Karena semua ini akan menumbuhkan kebahagiaan dan penghargaan kita terhadap diri sendiri. 

Hari ini Gereja memperingati Hati Tersuci Santa Perawan Maria. Gereja menginginkan kita meneladani kesucian dan kekonsistenan hati Bunda Maria, sehingga seluruh bangsa menyebut Inang Maria orang yang berbahagia. Sudahkah kita memiliki hati seperti Bunda Maria? Jujur kepada Allah, jujur kepada diri sendiri dan jujur kepada sesama, dan kita akan menjadi orang yang berbahagia.

Do not compare the quality of our lives with others, it will lead to anger in us.

 Jesus expects us to see our lives at the very core of ourselves.  We must fight evil to its roots, before it comes to the surface as evil.  We must be able to overcome the anger that is the forerunner of killing.  We must be able to arrange peace in our hearts and make peace with our neighbors before we offer sacrifices or before the peace is imposed from outside by the competent authorities.

 In everyday life, we tend to compare our quality of life with the quality of life of others.  Thus the danger arises, namely that we actually compare our quality of life with the lower quality of life of others.

 When we come before God's altar to offer ourselves in union with Jesus, let us ask God for the gift of wisdom and understanding so that we can make peace with those we avoid.

 Let us ask God to pour out His love so as to heal our wounds, anger and resentment.  We need to be healed by God before we can progress and be reconciled to others.

I Fulfill the Law With the Law of Love.

  I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  This radical and authoritative teaching of Jesus contained reactions from His disciples, as if Jesus wanted to abolish the Law and the Prophets.  Jesus asserted that He came precisely to fulfill what would have been flawed because of imperfect interpretation by the scribes.

  Jesus taught His disciples to understand, live, practice and teach God's law in its entirety.  We should not enjoy His word only on things that are interesting or that suit our circumstances.  Let us not carry the principle of like it or not when we taste the word of God.  Because this will limit us to draw the wealth of God's word, even reduce the wealth of the word.

  Jesus made it clear that He came not to destroy but to fulfill the Law.  Jesus did not want to stop at the rules and letters in the Torah.  Jesus wanted to set things straight and make it real.  In making it happen, Jesus faced a difficult reality due to many clashes with the Jews.

  Jesus fulfilled the Law with the Law of Love, the Law that frees man from all things that hold him back.  In living and practicing love, it is a tangible form of us taking part in the life and mission of Jesus who came precisely to perfect the Torah and the Prophets.

  Today there are many regulations and laws circulating.  The basis remains the same, namely for the sake of human salvation and affirming love itself.  This should be our criteria in applying the law.  Are we already among the people who are moving on this path?  Now and from now on, our task is to fulfill the Law of Love in our daily lives.

Sabda Bahagia Dari Tuhan

Setiap pribadi diajak untuk bijaksana dalam memposisikan dirinya sebagai pengikut Yesus karena setiap pengajaran-Nya sarat dengan hal-hal yang tak pernah kita duga.

Dewasa ini bila kita berbicara masalah kebenaran dan kejujuran membuat hati miris. Betapa tidak? Dunia ini seakan-akan sudah terbolak balik seiring dengan maraknya situasi zaman yang makin menggila. Orang benar dan jujur disalahkan sebaliknya orang salah dibenarkan. Hal ini dapat kita jumpai dalam pengalaman hidup kita sehari-hari di tengah masyarakat kita.

Sebagai pengikut Yesus, apakah kita berani bersaksi akan kebenaran di tengah masyarakat kendati senyum sinis dan sumpah serapah yang kita peroleh? Melawan arus zaman yang sudah terlanjur ternodai dengan perlakuan pribadi-pribadi yang tidak bertanggung jawab, yang mementingkan diri sendiri dan kelompok-kelompoknya bukanlah hal yang mudah.

Dibutuhkan matiraga yang tak sedikit. Tapi ingatlah akan Sabda Bahagia di bukit itu, maka kita akan mengalami kekuatan yang datang dari pada-Nya. Yesus menawarkan begitu banyak tempat bagi setiap pribadi yang berani melawan arus zaman ini.

Inti Sabda Bahagia yang kita dengarkan hari ini adalah semangat kemiskinan di hadapan Allah, artinya menyadari dan menerima ketergantungan kita yang mutlak kepada Allah. Sebagai orang berdosa, kita tidak punya hak apa-apa dihadapan-Nya. Kita hanya dapat berharap pada kerahiman Allah, dalam kesadaran bahwa kerahiman-Nya tidak terbatas, jauh lebih besar dari segala dosa-dosa kita. Semakin kita menyadari kerahiman Allah semakin kita berusaha menjauhi segala dosa sebagai ungkapan syukur dan cinta kita.

Sikap dasar ini mengalirlah sikap-sikap lain yang disebut dalam Sabda Bahagia. Berduka untuk dosa sendiri dan dosa orang lain, sikap lemah lembut, rindu akan kebenaran, murah hati, murni hati, pembawa damai dan kesabaran dalam menanggung derita.

Mari kita renungkan lebih dalam tentang Sabda Bahagia ini dan Yesus akan mengubah penderitaan kita menjadi berkat dan kesedihan menjadi sukacita. Kecaplah dan lihatlah betapa baiknya Tuhan.

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

 

 The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ which is also commonly known as the Feast of Corpus Christi which takes place traditionally on the Thursday after the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity or in some places for more people to follow is held on the Sunday after Holy Trinity Sunday.  This celebration is very important for us because apart from the Holy Trinity, the Teaching of Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist is one of the main tenets of our faith.

 In contrast to the Trinitarian nature of Our Lord which is recognized and is a fundamental part of the faith for most people who believe in God, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist has not been accepted and rejected by some segments of people who believe in God.  However, this clearly does not show the sentiments and beliefs of the Church Fathers and all the early Christians who all believed in the true, real and living presence of God in the Eucharist.

 This means that the bread and wine that we offer at the Celebration of Holy Mass and which are blessed and offered by the priest to God at the Consecration actually become God's Own Body and Blood, God's own substance and essence, although they may still appear to us in the form of bread and wine.  This process is called Transubstantiation, where 'Trans' means change and 'Substantiate' means substance or essence.

 According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the word Transubstantiation means the transformation of the entire substance of the bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and the entire substance of the wine into the substance of His Blood.  This change is brought about in the Eucharistic Prayer through the efficacy of Christ's words and by the actions of the Holy Spirit.  From the Catechism we can see how the Church clearly teaches us what the Eucharist means to all of us.

 This means that the bread and wine themselves have been changed, transformed into the substance, essence and reality of the Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The same Christ who offered Himself on the Cross at Calvary as a worthy Sacrifice, as an atonement for our sins.  In the bread and wine that are transformed into the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of God, the Eucharist we partake of, we share in the same sacrifice of God that day on the Cross.

 That is why the Mass is more properly known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because the priest celebrant acts 'in persona Christi' or in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ with the authority that Christ Himself gave to His Apostles and because the Mass itself is the same Sacrifice that has  God experienced when He took His Cross to Calvary, was crucified and died there for us His people, the whole Mass represents all of us who live through the same act of God's love in saving us.

 When the celebrant pronounces the words of the Consecration by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Most Precious Body and Blood of God and as the celebrant said with the same words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, This is My Body that has been  given up for you, and This is the Cup of My Blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant which was shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

 Therefore, in Holy Communion we do not only receive bread and or wine, and are not merely symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ as some people believe and believe, but in truth and reality, the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Himself in the Flesh and  Blood.  We may see the appearance of bread and wine, the taste of bread and wine, the smell of bread and wine but in reality, the essence of all of them has been completely transformed into something beyond our human understanding, the Mystery of our Faith.

 We believe in God and in the mystery of Transubstantiation, the most important doctrine of the Church from the beginning and which was promulgated at the Fourth Lateran Council in the early thirteenth century and practiced by our brethren in the Eastern Church.  The Eastern Church also inaugurated their Synod in Jerusalem five centuries later, believing that God Himself has given His Precious and Holy Body and Blood for us to eat, eat and drink as real food and drink and not as something imaginary or merely symbolic.  as Christ emphasized to the people in His sermon about the Bread of Life as the True Bread from Heaven far superior to the heavenly manna bread which God had miraculously given to the forefathers of the Jews, the Israelites during their forty year journey to the Promised Land.  .  Christ refers to that event, comparing how their ancestors died but those who receive this new Bread of Life i.e. Christ Himself, they will have eternal life through Him.

 When Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life, He also mentioned to the people that they would have no life and not abide in Him unless they ate of His Body and drank His Blood.  Jesus also specifically mentions that His Body is truly Food and His Blood is truly Drink.  Jesus did not say that He gave them symbols to possess or to celebrate but instead doubled down on His own declaration of truth, to the point that many of His followers abandoned Him after this particular moment, which is ironically very similar to how some of our brethren choose to leave.  the same truth about the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

 To His remaining disciples, to His Twelve Apostles, Jesus gave power and authority at the Last Supper when He instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.  His commandment to them to 'do this in remembrance of Me' was a very important mission, which the Apostles had faithfully carried out and they passed on to all their successors, Bishops and Priests of the Church who have been ordained and receive the power and authority given to them.  from Jesus to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.

 By sharing and partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we have Holy and Holy Communion in the Church which then forms the Body of Christ.  Because in sharing the same Body and Blood of God, we have been united through Christ and made one as a people blessed by Jesus and unite us to partake together in the Bread of Life, Christ our Savior becomes the Mystical Body of Christ, the One Church,  Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.

 From the very beginning our Church has very strong evidence and extensive evidence of the Real Presence of the Fathers and Leaders of the Church itself, such as Saint Ignatius of Antioch, second Bishop of Antioch and successor of St. Peter who said that within me there was a burning desire not for material things.  .  I don't like world food.  What I want is bread from God, which is the Body of Christ and the drink I want is His Blood, a food for eternal supper.

 

 Saint Justin Martyr and the Fathers of the Early Church and other saints also agree with this truth, Saint Justin Martyr says we call this meal the Eucharist and no one is allowed to partake in it unless he believes in our teaching.  Because we receive this not as ordinary bread or ordinary drink but because of the power of the Word of God, our Savior Jesus Christ has become a Man of Flesh and Blood for our salvation, so we are taught that it is the food that has been turned into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer.  determined by Him is the Body and Blood of Christ incarnate and with the changes that occur our bodies and blood are strengthened.

 For Jesus anything is possible and everything is possible even changing matter and essence, the reality of the bread and wine into His Precious Body and Blood to be given to us and deservedly taken for our salvation.  At the Last Supper mentioned by Saint Ambrose of Milan and the Apostle Saint Paul, the Lord said, This is my body and this is the cup of my blood, it is unchanging.  The Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood are not imitation, not symbols, not representations, not even spiritual unity but the same, real, complete and bloody Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross at Calvary.

 Having deepened our understanding of the rich history of this one of the most important principles of our faith, how will we truly celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ?  It is not enough just to celebrate this day with a solemn celebration of the Holy Mass.  In fact, we all need to have a major change in how we treat the Eucharist and how we should revere and adoration for the God who is truly present in the Eucharist.

 On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, let us renew our zeal and faith in the True Presence of the Eucharist which Christ has given us all for our salvation through the hands of His Bishops and Priests.  Let us strive to be worthy to receive the Body and Blood of Christ into ourselves and be grateful for the loving Sacrifice Christ has made for us by living a wise and exemplary Christian life.